Line of Departure

(navigation) The initial position of a scouting line, from which scouts proceed on their prescribed courses for search.
(ordnance) The direction of a projectile at the instant it clears the muzzle of the gun. The direction of a bomb or rocket at the instant of launching.

1. in land-mine warfare, a line designated to coordinate the departure of attack elements.

2. in amphibious warfare, a suitably marked offshore coordinating line to assist assault craft to land on designated beaches at scheduled times.

See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.

(DOD, NATO) 1. In land warfare, a line designated to coordinate the departure of attack elements. 2. In amphibious warfare, a suitably marked offshore coordinating line to assist assault craft to land on designated beaches at scheduled times. Also called LD.

Line of Departure is a military term used to denote the starting position for an attack on enemy positions. During the Second World War, the term in use in the British, Canadian and American militaries was Start Line. Line of Departure (LD) was adopted some time after the Korean War.

Strictly speaking, the line of departure is the point at which the attacking element crosses from friendly-held ground into unsecured ground. This is not to be confused with an Assembly Area(AA), which is the secure area in which the attacking force prepares for an attack. Once ready, the force leaves the assembly area, may conduct a passage of lines, and crosses the line of departure.

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