- published: 02 May 2016
- views: 7695
Sortie is a term for deployment or dispatch of one military unit, be it an aircraft, ship, or troops from a strongpoint. The sortie, whether by one or more aircraft or vessels, usually has a specific mission.
The term has been adopted from the French past participle 3rd group verb, verbs ending in -ir, with the gerund ending in -ant, "sortir", "to leave" or "to go out" with a specific purpose.
In siege warfare, a sortie, or sudden issuing of troops against the enemy from a defensive position, can be launched against the besiegers by the defenders. If the sortie is through a sally port, either to sortie or to sally can be used.
In military aviation, it is used to indicate the total usages of individual machines, so that (for example) one mission involving six aircraft would tally six sorties.
The use of the term for military aircraft originated in naval usage. In French, sortie literally means "exit". It has come to mean a combat mission, starting when the aircraft takes off and ending on its return.
The maiden sitting by her pool
Was first to hear my pleas
As she looked into the water
She recited these words to me:
Walk not down that road
I can not tell you where it goes
Ask me no more questions
Some things you weren't meant to know
The mother toiling in the fields
Her apron full of seeds
As she dropped them to the earth
She recited these words to me:
Walk not down that road
I can not tell you where it goes
Ask me no more questions
Some things you weren't meant to know
The greater mysteries
Cannot be shown
Divided by three
The are the maiden, the mother, the crone
Finally I found the crone
Walking through the trees
She looked in my eyes
As she recited these words to me:
Go before the maiden
Get down on your knees
Should you win her favor
She may tell you what she sees
The harvest is reaped
Seeds are shown
Multiplied by three