Flying wedge
Encyclopedia
A flying 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 (sometimes called the "boar's head") to smash through an enemy's lines. This principle was later used by Medieval armies in Europe, as well modern armed forces that have adapted the V-shaped wedge for armored assault.
In modern times the effectiveness of flying wedge means it is still employed by civilian police services for riot control
. It has also been used in some sports, although the use of wedges is banned due to the danger it poses to defenders.
; cuneus in Latin
, colloquially also caput porcinum, "boar's head
"), was used by both infantry and cavalry. The men deployed in a triangular or trapezoid formation with the tip leading the way. According to Arrian
and Asclepiodotus, the wedge was first used by the Scythians, and then the Thracians
. Philip II of Macedon
adopted it from them as the main formation of his Companion cavalry
and Alexander the Great faced Persian cavalry arrayed thus, as Arrian attests. The use of this formation enabled the concentration of missiles against a limited front and thus was used not only to smash into the enemy line, but to also add to the effectiveness of long range, usually hurled weapons like javelin
s and hand axe
s. As an infantry formation it is attested by Frontinus to have been used by the Romans
in Pydna
against the Macedon
ian line of Perseus
. It was also used to great effect by the Roman legion
s, with the wedge proving effective in campaigns in Britain, such as during Boudicca's Revolt, where a greatly outnumbered Roman army used it to defeat the Iceni
. In the Late Roman army
, several cavalry units were designated as cuneus [equitum].
A complete description of an infantry wedge is given by Saxo Grammaticus
in his Gesta Danorum
. He depicts it as a formation 10 men deep with the first rank being composed of 2 men, each rank composed of 2 more. Thus, each Viking wedge was composed of 110 men, 10 deep, 2 men on its tip, and 20 on its base. According to the Viking
s, the wedge formation, called by them svinfylking, cf. the Latin caput porcinum, was invented by Odin
himself.
Byzantine Emperor Nikephoros Phocas
analyzes the wedge formation of the Byzantine
Cataphract
s in the third chapter of his Praecepta Militaria
. There, he relates that the wedge must be formed by 354 cataphracts and 150 horse archers to a total number of 504 men. The row of the first line comprised 20 horsemen, the second 24, the third 28, down to the 12th line, which consisted of 64 men. If such a number of men is not available, he proposes that the wedge be formed by 304 cataphracts and 80 horse archers, or a total of 384 men, the first line comprising 10 men. In his next chapter (Ordinance on Cavalry Deployment), he ordains that the wedge must be accompanied by two cavalry units, which will guard its flanks. A wedge whose ranks are not complete in the middle is shaped as an Λ instead of a Δ and is called a hollow wedge, or in Greek κοιλέμβολον,
koilembolon.
In the Middle Ages, the tactic was especially effective against defensive shield wall
formations when defenders would link their shields together to form an all-but impenetrable barrier. Armored, heavily-armed infantry could use their momentum in wedge formation to drive open small sections in the shield wall. This would break up the shield wall exposing the defenders to flank attacks. The wedge became a popular tactic employed by Viking and Germanic peoples.
or "armored wedge" used by the Germans
in World War II
.
The wedge formation is used ceremonially by cadets at the United States Air Force Academy
during the annual graduation parade, when the soon-to-be commissioned first-class cadets (seniors) leave the Cadet Wing. This is the reverse of the acceptance parade, held each fall, when the new fourth-class cadets (freshmen) join the Cadet Wing in the inverted wedge
formation.
s sometimes charge in flying wedge formations, to break into a dense crowd as a snatch squad
to arrest a leader or speaker, or to chop a long demonstration
march into segments. It can also be used to escort VIP's through hostile crowds.
, Rugby league
and American football
. The principal is similar to the military application, the ball carrier starts an attack and is joined on both sides by team mates who drive them forward towards the goal line. However due to the number of serious injuries related to the flying wedge, any attempt at this formation is now punished by in-game penalties.
In American football
, the formation was first introduced by Harvard
in an collegiate game against Yale
in 1892. But despite its practicality, it was outlawed two seasons later in 1894 because of it contribution to serious injury. Nevertheless its concept continued to influence several football plays in the modern game, until 2009 when NFL league owners agreed to strengthen its ban to completely disallow any type of blocking wedge formation.
In modern times the effectiveness of flying wedge means it is still employed by civilian police services for riot control
Riot control
Riot control refers to the measures used by police, military, or other security forces to control, disperse, and arrest civilians who are involved in a riot, demonstration, or protest. Law enforcement officers or soldiers have long used non-lethal weapons such as batons and whips to disperse crowds...
. It has also been used in some sports, although the use of wedges is banned due to the danger it poses to defenders.
Antiquity and Medieval periods
The wedge (έμβολον, embolon in GreekGreek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
; cuneus in Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
, colloquially also caput porcinum, "boar's head
Boar
Wild boar, also wild pig, is a species of the pig genus Sus, part of the biological family Suidae. The species includes many subspecies. It is the wild ancestor of the domestic pig, an animal with which it freely hybridises...
"), was used by both infantry and cavalry. The men deployed in a triangular or trapezoid formation with the tip leading the way. According to Arrian
Arrian
Lucius Flavius Arrianus 'Xenophon , known in English as Arrian , and Arrian of Nicomedia, was a Roman historian, public servant, a military commander and a philosopher of the 2nd-century Roman period...
and Asclepiodotus, the wedge was first used by the Scythians, and then the Thracians
Thracians
The ancient Thracians were a group of Indo-European tribes inhabiting areas including Thrace in Southeastern Europe. They spoke the Thracian language – a scarcely attested branch of the Indo-European language family...
. Philip II of Macedon
Philip II of Macedon
Philip II of Macedon "friend" + ἵππος "horse" — transliterated ; 382 – 336 BC), was a king of Macedon from 359 BC until his assassination in 336 BC. He was the father of Alexander the Great and Philip III.-Biography:...
adopted it from them as the main formation of his Companion cavalry
Companion cavalry
The Companions were the elite cavalry of the Macedonian army from the time of king Philip II of Macedon and reached the most prestige under Alexander the Great, and have been regarded as the best cavalry in the ancient world and the first shock cavalry...
and Alexander the Great faced Persian cavalry arrayed thus, as Arrian attests. The use of this formation enabled the concentration of missiles against a limited front and thus was used not only to smash into the enemy line, but to also add to the effectiveness of long range, usually hurled weapons like javelin
Javelin
A Javelin is a light spear intended for throwing. It is commonly known from the modern athletic discipline, the Javelin throw.Javelin may also refer to:-Aviation:* ATG Javelin, an American-Israeli civil jet aircraft, under development...
s and hand axe
Hand axe
A hand axe is a bifacial Stone tool typical of the lower and middle Palaeolithic , and is the longest-used tool of human history.-Distribution:...
s. As an infantry formation it is attested by Frontinus to have been used by the Romans
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
in Pydna
Pydna
Pydna was a Greek city in ancient Macedon, the most important in Pieria. Modern Pydna is a small town and a former municipality in the northeastern part of Pieria regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Pydna-Kolindros, of which it is a...
against the Macedon
Macedon
Macedonia or Macedon was an ancient kingdom, centered in the northeastern part of the Greek peninsula, bordered by Epirus to the west, Paeonia to the north, the region of Thrace to the east and Thessaly to the south....
ian line of Perseus
Perseus of Macedon
Perseus was the last king of the Antigonid dynasty, who ruled the successor state in Macedon created upon the death of Alexander the Great...
. It was also used to great effect by the Roman legion
Roman legion
A Roman legion normally indicates the basic ancient Roman army unit recruited specifically from Roman citizens. The organization of legions varied greatly over time but they were typically composed of perhaps 5,000 soldiers, divided into maniples and later into "cohorts"...
s, with the wedge proving effective in campaigns in Britain, such as during Boudicca's Revolt, where a greatly outnumbered Roman army used it to defeat the Iceni
Iceni
The Iceni or Eceni were a British tribe who inhabited an area of East Anglia corresponding roughly to the modern-day county of Norfolk between the 1st century BC and the 1st century AD...
. In the Late Roman army
Late Roman army
The Late Roman army is the term used to denote the military forces of the Roman Empire from the accession of Emperor Diocletian in 284 until the Empire's definitive division into Eastern and Western halves in 395. A few decades afterwards, the Western army disintegrated as the Western empire...
, several cavalry units were designated as cuneus [equitum].
A complete description of an infantry wedge is given by Saxo Grammaticus
Saxo Grammaticus
Saxo Grammaticus also known as Saxo cognomine Longus was a Danish historian, thought to have been a secular clerk or secretary to Absalon, Archbishop of Lund, foremost advisor to Valdemar I of Denmark. He is the author of the first full history of Denmark.- Life :The Jutland Chronicle gives...
in his Gesta Danorum
Gesta Danorum
Gesta Danorum is a patriotic work of Danish history, by the 12th century author Saxo Grammaticus . It is the most ambitious literary undertaking of medieval Denmark and is an essential source for the nation's early history...
. He depicts it as a formation 10 men deep with the first rank being composed of 2 men, each rank composed of 2 more. Thus, each Viking wedge was composed of 110 men, 10 deep, 2 men on its tip, and 20 on its base. According to the Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
s, the wedge formation, called by them svinfylking, cf. the Latin caput porcinum, was invented by Odin
Odin
Odin is a major god in Norse mythology and the ruler of Asgard. Homologous with the Anglo-Saxon "Wōden" and the Old High German "Wotan", the name is descended from Proto-Germanic "*Wodanaz" or "*Wōđanaz"....
himself.
Byzantine Emperor Nikephoros Phocas
Nikephoros II
Nikephoros II Phokas was a Byzantine Emperor whose brilliant military exploits contributed to the resurgence of Byzantine Empire in the tenth century.-Early exploits:...
analyzes the wedge formation of the Byzantine
Byzantine army
The Byzantine army was the primary military body of the Byzantine armed forces, serving alongside the Byzantine navy. A direct descendant of the Roman army, the Byzantine army maintained a similar level of discipline, strategic prowess and organization...
Cataphract
Cataphract
A cataphract was a form of armored heavy cavalry utilised in ancient warfare by a number of peoples in Western Eurasia and the Eurasian Steppe....
s in the third chapter of his Praecepta Militaria
Praecepta Militaria
The Praecepta Militaria is the Latin conventional title given to a Byzantine military treatise, written in ca. 965 by or on behalf of Byzantine Emperor Nikephoros Phokas...
. There, he relates that the wedge must be formed by 354 cataphracts and 150 horse archers to a total number of 504 men. The row of the first line comprised 20 horsemen, the second 24, the third 28, down to the 12th line, which consisted of 64 men. If such a number of men is not available, he proposes that the wedge be formed by 304 cataphracts and 80 horse archers, or a total of 384 men, the first line comprising 10 men. In his next chapter (Ordinance on Cavalry Deployment), he ordains that the wedge must be accompanied by two cavalry units, which will guard its flanks. A wedge whose ranks are not complete in the middle is shaped as an Λ instead of a Δ and is called a hollow wedge, or in Greek κοιλέμβολον,
koilembolon.
In the Middle Ages, the tactic was especially effective against defensive shield wall
Shield wall
The wall, is a military tactic that was common in many cultures in the Pre-Early Modern warfare age...
formations when defenders would link their shields together to form an all-but impenetrable barrier. Armored, heavily-armed infantry could use their momentum in wedge formation to drive open small sections in the shield wall. This would break up the shield wall exposing the defenders to flank attacks. The wedge became a popular tactic employed by Viking and Germanic peoples.
Modern warfare
The wedge is still used in modern armies, especially by tanks and other armored units. An example of this is the PanzerkeilPanzerkeil
The Panzerkeil was an offensive armoured tactic developed by German forces on the Eastern Front during World War II. The panzerkeil was developed in response to the Soviet employment of the pakfront defence....
or "armored wedge" used by the Germans
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
The wedge formation is used ceremonially by cadets at the United States Air Force Academy
United States Air Force Academy
The United States Air Force Academy is an accredited college for the undergraduate education of officer candidates for the United States Air Force. Its campus is located immediately north of Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, United States...
during the annual graduation parade, when the soon-to-be commissioned first-class cadets (seniors) leave the Cadet Wing. This is the reverse of the acceptance parade, held each fall, when the new fourth-class cadets (freshmen) join the Cadet Wing in the inverted wedge
Inverted wedge
The inverted wedge is a military formation resembling a "V" or inverted triangle, and is sometimes known as a "V-formation". In the inverted wedge, two units advance abreast of each other, and a third unit follows behind and between the two, in reserve...
formation.
Civilian applications
Police riot squadRiot Squad
Riot Squad were a second-wave punk rock band from Mansfield, England, initially active between 1981 and 1984.-History:Riot Squad formed in 1981, with an initial line-up of Duncan "Dunk" Mason , Nigel "Nello" Nelson , and Paul "Pommi" Palmer , Nelson the only one of the three with any musical...
s sometimes charge in flying wedge formations, to break into a dense crowd as a snatch squad
Snatch squad
A snatch squad refers to two tactics used by police in riot control and crowd control.-Snatch squad in riot control:The snatch squad in riot control involves several police officers, usually in protective riot gear, rushing forwards, occasionally in flying wedge formation to break through the front...
to arrest a leader or speaker, or to chop a long demonstration
Demonstration (people)
A demonstration or street protest is action by a mass group or collection of groups of people in favor of a political or other cause; it normally consists of walking in a mass march formation and either beginning with or meeting at a designated endpoint, or rally, to hear speakers.Actions such as...
march into segments. It can also be used to escort VIP's through hostile crowds.
Sports
Although originally permitted in most full contact team sports, the use of the flying wedge is now banned for safety reasons in Rugby unionRugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
, Rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
and American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
. The principal is similar to the military application, the ball carrier starts an attack and is joined on both sides by team mates who drive them forward towards the goal line. However due to the number of serious injuries related to the flying wedge, any attempt at this formation is now punished by in-game penalties.
In American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, the formation was first introduced by Harvard
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in an collegiate game against Yale
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in 1892. But despite its practicality, it was outlawed two seasons later in 1894 because of it contribution to serious injury. Nevertheless its concept continued to influence several football plays in the modern game, until 2009 when NFL league owners agreed to strengthen its ban to completely disallow any type of blocking wedge formation.