Express march

An express march (outdated also called forced march ) is a military march at high speed, during which the rest periods are partially or completely canceled. The execution of an urgent march requires an above-average physical ability of the teams. For larger divisions, such marches are very strenuous if the daily performance is increased to high ranges ( daily performances of over 30 km are common for the infantry ). The weakening of the troops resulting from an urgent march can be justified from a military point of view by the benefit of reaching the destination as quickly as possible.

Comparable military effects can be achieved by a longer night march .

Historical application of the express march

In the military-historical sense, an express march is understood to be a march using muscle power - either a foot march by the infantry or a violent kick by the cavalry . The weakening of the troops during an express march resulted from:

• decreased physical strength of soldiers and horses due to exhaustion,
• reduced performance due to lack of sleep during long day and night marches,
• Reduction in troop strength due to the sick and stragglers who remain behind,
• premature wear of the material, such as shoes and horseshoes.

By inappropriately guided and exaggerated forced marches, parts of the army could be completely incapacitated.

Well-known historical express marches

• 1914 in World War I : The VII Reserve Corps under General Johann von Zwehl marched 64 km in 24 hours, with a quarter of the infantry sidelined from exhaustion, and thus reached the strategically important ridge of Chemin des Dames two hours ahead of the British I. Corps under Haig . Parts of the ridge were held by the German army until spring 1918.
• 1870 in the Franco-Prussian War : bringing the IX. Army corps under General von Manstein to take part in the Battle of Orléans . 11 German miles were covered in 36 hours on very bad roads  . 11 German miles are almost 83 km, so this corresponds to an average cruising speed of 2.3 km / h.
• 1862 in the American Civil War : March of the II Corps of the Southern States under Major General Stonewall Jackson to the Second Battle of the Bull Run . It covered 54 miles (87 km) in two days. The troops under the leadership of Jackson were also known under the oxymoron foot cavalry because of their marching speed, i.e. as cavalry on foot.
• 1805 in the Napoleonic Wars : The III. Corps of the Grande Armée under the command of Marshal Davout marched in 50 hours from Vienna to the battle of Austerlitz , a distance of 120 km.
• 490 BC After the battle of Marathon , the hoplites marched back to Athens that night under the leadership of the strategist Miltiades to prevent a possible attack by the Persians across the sea.

Express marches in the present-day military

As an example for the present - where land wars with forced marches by the foot troops are relatively rare - the practice marches in the modern Swiss Army and the US Army are cited.

The Swiss Army currently provides the following guidelines for the entry test into AAD 10 (KSK):

• 8 km express march in camouflage suit with field shoes and 15 kg luggage in max. 58 minutes
• 25 km express march in camouflage suit with field shoes and 25 kg of luggage (approximate time: 3.5 hours).

The first-mentioned march corresponds to a speed around 60% higher than with fast hiking , so at least half of it must be carried out at a running pace . The 25 km endurance march means an average speed of 7.1 km / h and therefore around 50% faster than a six-hour, very fast hike with only short breaks. Another example is the final march of the Swiss officers' schools (excluding logistics): 100 km in a maximum of 24 hours (luggage varies depending on the type of service)

The US Army conducts the Special Forces Assessment and Selection (SFAS) program to select candidates for training at the JFK Special Warfare Center . Part of the test are express marches, etc. a .:

• 4- mi express march (6.43 km) in camouflage suit with combat boots , M16 , carrying frame and 20 kg of luggage

Of the candidates who completed this march in a maximum of 54 minutes, four-fifths were admitted to training in 1990.

• Lone fighter course 7000 m run with 20 kg luggage under 52 min
• Special Air Service Battle Fitness Test 2.5 km as a group in under 13 minutes, alone in under 11.5 minutes. Walk 65 km with 7000 meters of altitude and 20 kg of luggage under 20 hours.
• Jagdkommando (Bundesheer) 24 km march with 10 kg backpack over undulating terrain in less than 3 hours and 30 minutes.
• All Arms Commando Course
  • Participation test with
    • 4-mile express march (6.4 km) in 40 minutes with 9.5 kg of personal equipment and weapon
    • 6-mile express march (9.6 km) in 60 minutes with 9.5 kg of personal equipment and weapon
    • 12 mile baggage hike (19.2 km) in 4:40 hours with 31 kg of baggage and weapon
  • Performance requirements with
    • 9-mile express march (14.4 km) in 90 minutes with 9.5 kg of personal equipment and weapon
    • 30 mile (48 km) in 9 hours with 18 kg combat equipment and weapon

Aviation march, with one unit of a unit overtaking the other at a run and sits at the head of the marching column. As soon as this has reached the top, the next last sub-unit starts and sits at the top.

Other uses of the term

In addition, “express march” is also used in a figurative sense for rapid - and mostly hasty - social development, e.g. B. in the metaphor "express march to the surveillance state".

Web links

Wiktionary: Express march  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

1. ^ Peter Simkins: The First World War: The Western Front, 1914-1916 . Osprey Publishing, 2002. In: The race to the sea , p. 34.
2. ^ In: Deutsche Rundschau , Volume 37, January - June 1911. P. 146–147.
3. ^ Philip J Haythornthwaite: Napoleon's Commanders (1): C. 1792-1809 . Osprey Publishing, 2001.
4. ^ Schulz, Raimund .: A short history of ancient Greece . Reclam, Stuttgart 2010, ISBN 978-3-15-018777-7 , pp. 125 .
5. ↑ Meister, Klaus .: Introduction to the interpretation of historical sources, focus: Antiquity / 1 Greece. Schöningh, Paderborn 1997, ISBN 3-8252-1923-2 , pp. 33-34 .
6. ↑ Preparing for SFAS ( Memento of the original from October 1, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. to the United States Army Recruiting Command (USAREC) website in Fort Knox, KY. (Retrieved March 18, 2012.)