Column tactics

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The column tactic is a military tactic that dates back to the time of the French Revolution and supplemented and partially superseded the linear tactics used until then .

history

For the armies of the first French republic, which were composed of masses, for lack of discipline and drill, linear tactics were not applicable. Instead of long lines, closed columns were used , in which the inexperienced crews found a certain hold. The irregular swarms of riflemen known from the American War of Independence were connected to the columns, which appeared in several successive meetings .

With the growing size of the armies, it was soon necessary to subdivide them into subdivisions. The French first established the permanent division of troops into divisions , and these then also became the strategic unit. Napoleon already found these changes, but only after two victories were they generally recognized and imitated. He also only brought the column tactics to full effect by using the combat reserve.

In Prussia , the “attack column” or “column after the center” became the battalion's normal combat formation, which sought to combine the advantages of linear tactics with those of column tactics by making the line fast. To resist the cavalry , the column took the shape of a full square towards the middle . In the closer association of the mostly six battalions strong brigade , two, sometimes three, meetings were formed, whereby the battalion columns of the same meeting stood next to each other, but the battalions of the different meetings reported on the intervals between the two front meetings (checkerboard, en échiquier ).

The battle was initiated by a weak rifle development in front of the front. If the brigade advanced to attack, the riflemen filled the spaces (intervals) between the battalions.

In practice, a column usually had a front width of one to two companies, which meant that about fifty to eighty men marched side by side and about nine to twelve rows behind one another. This meant a front width of approx. 30 to 60 meters and a depth of approx. 11 to 14 meters. A column was far less endangered on the flanks than a line of linear tactics . In addition, a square could be formed much faster from the column than from the line. Disadvantages were the often high losses when hit by enemy artillery and the lower firepower of the column when it met troops positioned in line.

Open and closed column

A distinction was made between open and closed columns. When the column was open, the parts standing one behind the other had so much distance that they could easily swing into the line. Depending on the use, one spoke of

Marching columns
with a narrow front and great depth
Rendezvous columns
with an almost square structure (2 trains wide) to gather large crowds in a small space; these were also very suitable for attacking with a bayonet and for forming square squares to repel cavalry
Maneuvering and combat columns
rectangular formations (1 platoon width) that were easily surveyed by the leading officer and movable in all directions; they could be quickly regrouped to form a line and then drawn together again
Company column
with various combinations, namely
Low column
all companies in a row
Broad column
all companies side by side
Double column
two companies behind and next to each other (abolished in the German army in 1905)
Regimental columns
in which all battalions were set up in low column side by side; in the infantry it was only used for parade purposes; in the case of cavalry, the regiment was set up with the squadrons directly next to one another without any space between them
Half column
(in the cavalry ), where the trains only cover half the width
Squadron column
(in the cavalry), where the platoons line up next to each other, three platoons apart
Column line
one called the formation, in which several troops in column in a row (with larger distances) stood next to each other. The grouping in columns opened up a previously unknown flexibility in the leadership of smaller combat units on the battlefield. While the column formation in the Napoleonic Wars always a whole battalion included, you went from the mid- 19th century to about Company columns to form, initially in Prussia , then in general. Initially, only two companies (out of four) used this tactic , while the other two formed a "half battalion" as a reserve. The company columns made the troops even more agile and flexible and less vulnerable to firearms, which were becoming ever more powerful. Another improvement came with the introduction of tirailleurs , who became the crucial element of every army.

literature

  • Hans Delbrück: History of the art of war in the context of political history. Part 2: The Modern Age. 4 volumes, Berlin 1900–1920.
  • Hein: The little book of the German Army. Lipsius & Tischer, Kiel and Leipzig 1901.
  • Rory Muir: Tactics and the Experience of Battle in the Age of Napoleon. Yale University Press, New Haven and London 1998, ISBN 978-0-300-08270-8 .