Introduction The pike square (German: Gevierthaufen, lit. ‘square crowd’, or Gewalthaufen lit. ‘crowd of force’) was a military tactical formation in which 10 rows of men in 10 columns wielded pikes. It was developed by the Swiss Confederacy during the 14th century for use by its infantry. Brief History The pike square was used to… Read More
Introduction An infantry square, also known as a hollow square, was a historic close order formation used in combat by infantry units, usually when threatened with cavalry attack. To deploy its weapons effectively, a traditional infantry unit would generally form a line; but the line was vulnerable to more nimble cavalry, which could sweep around… Read More
Introduction An armoured spearhead is a formation of armoured fighting vehicles, mostly tanks, that form the front of an offensive thrust during a battle. The idea is to concentrate as much firepower into a small front as possible so that any defenders in front of them will be overwhelmed. As the spearhead moves forward, infantry… Read More
Introduction A flying wedge (also called flying V or wedge formation, or simply wedge) is a configuration created from a body moving forward in a triangular formation. This V-shaped arrangement began as a successful military strategy in ancient times when infantry units would move forward in wedge formations to smash through an enemy’s lines. This… Read More
Introduction The Svinfylking, Old Norse for “swine array” or “boar snout”, was a formation used in battle. Outline Related to the wedge formation, it was used in Iron Age Scandinavia and later by the Vikings. It was also used by Germanic peoples during the Germanic Iron Age and was known as the “Schweinskopf” or “Swine’s… Read More
Introduction A close order formation is a military tactical formation in which soldiers are close together and regularly arranged for the tactical concentration of force. It was used by heavy infantry in ancient warfare, as the basis for shield wall and phalanx tactics, to multiply their effective weight of arms by their weight of numbers.… Read More
Introduction The Mixed Order (French: Ordre Mixte) was a tactical formation originally used by demi-brigades of the French Revolutionary Army and then later by Napoleon’s Grande Armée to great effect. Outline First proposed by the French theorist Comte de Guibert, the Mixed Order could be adapted to be used by companies or battalions and involved… Read More
Boot Camp & Military Fitness Institute 