A depiction of a Napoleonic-era British infantry square at the Battle of Quatre Bras, Belgium, 1815.
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.[1] 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 the end of the line, or burst through it, and then attack the undefended rear or simply sweep along the line attacking the individual footsoldiers successively. By arranging the unit so that there was no undefended rear or flank, an infantry commander could organise an effective defense against cavalry attack. With the development of modern firearms and the demise of cavalry, the square formation is now considered obsolete.
^Hans Delbrück (1990). History of the Art of War. University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 0-8032-6586-7.
An infantrysquare, also known as a hollow square, was a historic close order formation used in combat by infantry units, usually when threatened with...
infantry, heavy infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry, mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and naval infantry. Other types...
from the infantry. The third formation, known as infantrysquare, used 4–6 ranks in depth with a square or rectangular shape to protect infantry from cavalry...
the Swiss Confederacy during the 14th century for use by its infantry. The pike square was used to devastating effect at the Battle of Nancy against...
muskets available to shoot at the cavalry as the infantry would be busy reloading. The infantrysquare formation was the best formation for outmaneuvering...
A broken square refers to an infantrysquare collapsing or breaking up in battle. Specific incidents that this expression may refer to are all in the...
especially one on a knoll overlooking the square of the 27th. Unable to break square to drive off the French infantry because of the presence of French cavalry...
focused on heavy front line combat. Line infantry mainly used three formations in its battles: the line, the square, and the column. With the universal adoption...
e., infantry regimental elements. Other types of regiments, such as artillery, are not "maneuver" units and thus are not considered in the "square," viz...
Bombay Light Cavalry (now amalgamated into The Poona Horse) against an infantrysquare of the 1st Khusgai Regiment of Fars, in which two Victoria Crosses...
da Landriano. History of infantryInfantry in the Middle Ages Infantrysquare Warfare in Medieval Scotland Phalanx Pike Square Shield Wall Tercio Testudo...
gradually fell out of use perhaps because of the widespread adoption of the infantry pike. Also, the lance required a great amount of practice to perfect its...
were exercising joint sovereignty in Sudan. They fought the British infantrysquare in many battles, such as in the Battle of Tamai in 1884 and in the...
Brigade, ordered the Gardner gun to be run out on the left flank of the infantrysquare to provide covering fire. Colonel Frederick Gustavus Burnaby then gave...
shortsword. Its initial purpose was to ensure that riflemen could form an infantrysquare properly to fend off cavalry attacks when in ranks with musketmen,...
charge (due to weight of numbers), and could quickly be formed into an infantrysquare to resist cavalry attacks, but by its nature only a fraction of its...
the squares. The charge broke the formed infantrysquare, a remarkable feat. The breaking of the first square demoralised the other French infantry, allowing...
maneuver. Their victory was won by the purely defensive tactics of the infantrysquare; the fanatical Arabs, dashing against them time after time, were shattered...
of civilians tried to re-enter the square from the northeast on East Chang'an Avenue, which was blocked by infantry ranks. Many in the crowd were parents...
Despite the rise of knightly cavalry in the 11th century, infantry played an important role throughout the Middle Ages on both the battlefield and in sieges...
off the Swiss rivals, most of the Swiss infantry pushed on to engage the outnumbered Burgundian infantrysquare in a one-sided fight. The vanguard threw...
Pike and shot was a historical infantry tactical formation that first appeared during the late 15th and early 16th centuries, and was used until the development...
fight, surrendered, wounded (when incapacitated), and so on. Infantrysquare, pike square, or schiltron Infiltration Intent Interdiction: to attack and...
from the battle.) The French defeated the Mamluk cavalry with a giant infantrysquare, with cannons and supplies safely on the inside. In all 300 French...
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