High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The reverse salient refers to a backward bulge in the advancing line of a military front. The term has been commonly used to analyze military campaigns in the First World War, such as in the Battle of Verdun, where opposing military forces created uneven sections in respective battle lines. The significance of the reverse salient lies in the idea that in its presence, the forward progress of a military front is slowed down or halted. This is because opposing forces threaten to break through the military line along this weak, bowed back section, subsequently requiring effort in bringing the reverse salient section forward, in line with the rest of the military front.