Noun (ancient Roman military term): a battle tactic in which a squad of soldiers close ranks into a tight square and link their shields over their heads and at their sides all around, creating a nearly impenetrable formation which can advance and engage enemy positions at close range without taking heavy casualties.
During the battle at the Moon Gate in Alexandria, Caesar ordered the deployment of the tortoise formation to neutralize the enemy ballistas.
by speedog July 27, 2010
Get the tortoisemug. Verb: to voluntarily destroy oneself, and/or any property under ones control, in order to deny any advantage to ones enemy(ies).
"As the Soviet Army surrounded the Stalingrad bunker, Hitler gave the order to Field Marshall von Paulus to self destruct, which he disobeyed."
by speedog May 03, 2010
Get the self destructmug. Noun (spaceflight terminology): to instantly activate the engine(s) of a terrestrial-situated spacecraft at 100% power, with no consideration of standard sequential gradation of thrust, in an attempt to immediately escape from an emergency situation.
"When Commander Leonov observed the escape tower separating from the Soyuz vehicle, he instantly engaged the crash-launch procedure, and saved his entire crew."
by speedog May 02, 2010
Get the crash-launchmug. Noun: code name for the planned invasion of Great Britain by Nazi Germany in 1940 (German trans: "Unternehmen Seelöwe"); plan defeated by British forces on land, sea and air.
After Goering's Luftwaffe failed to achieve air superiority over Britain, Hitler was forced to cancel Operation Sea Lion.
by speedog June 25, 2010
Get the Operation Sea Lionmug. Noun: a 238-ton whaling ship, based out of Nantucket Island (USA), famously sunk on November 20, 1820 in an encounter with "Mocha Dick", an albino sperm whale defending his pod against human predation. Incident widely acknowledged as the direct inspiration for Herman Melville's 1851 novel "Moby-Dick, or The Whale".
"Following the second hull strike by Mocha Dick, the Essex crew had only minutes to provision the surviving boats and cast-off before the ship sank."
by speedog June 16, 2010
Get the Essexmug.