Element: A group of soldiers
A tactical formation (or order) is the arrangement or deployment of moving military forces such as
infantry
Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...
,
cavalry,
AFVs,
military aircraft
A military aircraft is any fixed-wing or rotary-wing aircraft that is operated by a legal or insurrectionary armed service of any type. Military aircraft can be either combat or non-combat:
* Combat aircraft are designed to destroy enemy equipm ...
, or
naval
A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...
vessels. Formations were found in tribal societies such as the ''pua rere'' of the
Māori
Māori or Maori can refer to:
Relating to the Māori people
* Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group
* Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand
* Māori culture
* Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...
,
[20:32; 27:57, Journal of the Polynesian Society] and
ancient
Ancient history is a time period from the beginning of writing and recorded human history to as far as late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the Sumerian cuneiform script. Ancient history cov ...
or
medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...
formations which include
shield walls (''skjaldborg'' in
Old Norse
Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and t ...
),
phalanx
The phalanx ( grc, φάλαγξ; plural phalanxes or phalanges, , ) was a rectangular mass military formation, usually composed entirely of heavy infantry armed with spears, pikes, sarissas, or similar pole weapons. The term is particularly ...
es (lines of battle in
close order),
testudo formation
In ancient Roman warfare, the ''testudo'' or tortoise formation was a type of shield wall formation commonly used by the Roman legions during battles, particularly sieges.
Formation
In the ''testudo'' formation, the men would align their sh ...
and
skirmisher
Skirmishers are light infantry or light cavalry soldiers deployed as a vanguard, flank guard or rearguard to screen a tactical position or a larger body of friendly troops from enemy advances. They are usually deployed in a skirmish line, an ir ...
s.
Tactical formations include:
*
Flight Formations
*
Box
A box (plural: boxes) is a container used for the storage or transportation of its contents. Most boxes have flat, parallel, rectangular sides. Boxes can be very small (like a matchbox) or very large (like a shipping box for furniture), and can ...
*
Coil: Similar to the Herringbone formation, the coil formation allows for 360 degree security while at the halt. This type of formation is also used when refueling aircraft as well as during resupply. Sometimes platoon leaders also use it when briefing to platoon sergeants. Air guards and dismounted fire teams are also in position while this formation is being used.
*
Column
A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member. ...
*
Echelon
*
Herringbone
*
Line
*
Skirmish
Skirmishers are light infantry or light cavalry soldiers deployed as a vanguard, flank guard or rearguard to screen a tactical position or a larger body of friendly troops from enemy advances. They are usually deployed in a skirmish line, an i ...
*
Square
In Euclidean geometry, a square is a regular quadrilateral, which means that it has four equal sides and four equal angles (90- degree angles, π/2 radian angles, or right angles). It can also be defined as a rectangle with two equal-length a ...
*
Staggered column Staggered column is a military formation often used for walking along roads where squad members will walk in a zig-zag pattern.
References
Staggered Column or Combat Column
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Tactical formations ...
*
V formation
A V formation is the symmetric V-shaped flight formation of flights of geese, swans, ducks, and other migratory birds, improving their energy efficiency. Usually, large birds fly in this formation since smaller birds create more complex wind c ...
*
Vanguard
The vanguard (also called the advance guard) is the leading part of an advancing military formation. It has a number of functions, including seeking out the enemy and securing ground in advance of the main force.
History
The vanguard derives fr ...
*
Wedge
A wedge is a triangular shaped tool, and is a portable inclined plane, and one of the six simple machines. It can be used to separate two objects or portions of an object, lift up an object, or hold an object in place. It functions by converti ...
and inverted wedge
* File: The file formation is used in elements of up to a platoon size. A file formation is used for close terrain, often in dense vegetation or when there is low visibility. The file formation is easiest to control, and provides fire to the ranks should an ambush from the side occur.
* Diamond: Similar to the Wedge and inverted wedge, the diamond formation allows for the fourth section to follow the lead element. The advantages to this formation include having the ability to control elements even in a tight terrain, and allows for quick maneuverability to assign squads as the assaulting element, and assign certain squads to support-by-fire.
See also
*
Close order formation
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 phal ...
*
Division (military)
A division is a large military unit or Formation (military), formation, usually consisting of between 6,000 and 25,000 soldiers.
In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades; in turn, several divisions typically mak ...
*
Formation flying
Formation flying is the flight of multiple objects in coordination.
Introduction
Formation flight in aviation originated in World War I when fighter aircraft were assigned to escort reconnaissance aircraft. It was found that pairs of aircraft w ...
*
Laager
A wagon fort, wagon fortress, or corral, often referred to as circling the wagons, is a temporary fortification made of wagons arranged into a rectangle, circle, or other shape and possibly joined with each other to produce an improvised militar ...
*
Military organization
*
Night attack formation
Night attack formation refers to the arrangement of soldiers in advancing in attack at night. With the advances in arms that led to trench warfare, daytime attacks across open ground toward defensive positions became prohibitive and often futile. ...
References
Sources
* ''Journal of the Polynesian Society'', Vols. 1-19, 1892–1910
https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/ARN3039-TC_3-21.76-000-WEB-1.pdf
https://www.presby.edu/doc/military/FM3-21-8.pdf
Military doctrines
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