The frontal attack is usually the least desirable form of maneuver because it exposes the majority of the offensive force to the concentrated fires of the defenders. The battalion may conduct a frontal attack against a stationary or moving enemy force (Figure 4-6).
All of the twelve ribs articulate posteriorly with the vertebrae of the spine. Each rib forms two joints: Costotransverse joint â Between the tubercle of the rib, and the transverse costal facet of the corresponding vertebrae.
In the eleventh thoracic vertebra the body approaches in its form and size to that of the lumbar vertebrae. The articular facets for the heads of the ribs are of large size, and placed chiefly on the pedicles, which are thicker and stronger in this and the next vertebra than in any other part of the thoracic region. The spinous process is short, and nearly horizontal in direction.