History Main / DawnAttack

* Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union on June 22, at 4:00 am.

* ''WesternAnimation/IceAge''

* ''WesternAnimation/WatershipDown2018''. Hazel notes that General Woundwort planned to attack at dawn when the rabbits came out for morning silflay (he's given away by a change in wind direction, revealing the scent of his force). This is the opposite of the novel where Woundwort planned to wait until dusk and the rabbits had gone inside before launching his surprise attack. Once he'd taken the warren, he could shelter his forces there overnight (when most rabbit predators are on the prowl) and then return to Efrafa the next day. Waiting till dawn would have only exposed them to unnecessary danger--Woundwort may be insane but he's not stupid.

* A fantasy sequence in ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButthead'' has Beavis as a commander in the military. He tells his troops that they're going to strike at dawn "'Cuz um, they'll still be in bed with morning wood".

* In one episode of ''Series/RedDwarf'' [[DirtyCoward Rimmer]] apoints himself [[GeneralRipper the General]] of a band of Wax Droids based on historical figures. He orders a dawn assault across a minefield on the grounds that it's the last thing his opponents will expect. While this is probably technically true the problem with the plan should be obvious.

Of course, the irony of this tactic is that it has been so heavily used that most military forces now use the practice called "Stand-To-Arms", where the entire defending force wakes up sometime before dawn and goes to a full defensive alert, with every soldier in their battle positions. In WWI, this resulted in the rather surreal situation where an army would mobilize each morning to prepare for an attack that can't possibly come — as the enemy was also busy standing-to-arms.

* ''Film/TheWarOfTheWorlds''. During the night before the big Marines/Martian battle, General Mann says "They'll probably move at dawn." He turns out to be correct: the Martian war machines start to move out as the light of dawn appears in the east.

* ''Series/BlakesSeven''. In "[[Recap/BlakesSevenS3E8RumoursOfDeath Rumours of Death]]", Avon is determined to teleport down for a SuicideMission to attack the BigBad's palace. MasterComputer Orac advises against it, but recommends that he should at least wait till dusk.

* At the start of ''Film/MasterAndCommander'', the French frigate ''Acheron'' ambushes the ''Surprise'' at six bells, when most of the crew would have been asleep if someone hadn't caught a glimpse of the enemy vessel in the fog bank. Because the sun hasn't burnt the fog away yet the ''Acheron'' is able to approach within cannon range, but the ''Surprise'' is also able to slip away using the same fog. However they're not fully confident of having evaded their pursuer until nightfall.

* At the start of ''Film/MasterAndCommander'', the French frigate ''Acheron'' ambushes the ''Surprise'' at six bells, when most of the crew would have been asleep if someone hadn't caught a glimpse of the enemy vessel in the fog bank. Because the sun hasn't burnt the fog away yet the ''Acheron'' is able to approach without being seen, but the ''Surprise'' is also able to slip away using the same fog. However they're not fully confident of having evaded their pursuer until nightfall.

* ''Series/BlakesSeven''. In "Rumors of Death", Avon is determined to teleport down for a SuicideMission to attack the BigBad's palace. MasterComputer Orac advises against it, but recommends that he should at least wait till dusk.