Forming to the Flank
“When you charge make a change of front and attack them in flank. This manœuvre can always be successfully practised against an enemy like the English, who make a vigorous and disunited charge, whose horses are not very manageable, and whose men, brave but uninstructed, begin their charge too far away from the enemy.”—De Brack.
“Ten men on the flank do more than 100 in front.”—Von Schmidt (p. 90).
I. The Squadron
1. In the mounted attack of cavalry on cavalry that side will win which makes use of a wall of mounted men, advancing knee to knee with no intervals showing. Two means of quickly forming and launching this wall are as follows: 1st. The head of the squadron column is directed towards the enemy, and line is formed to the front. 2nd. The head is led obliquely to the enemy’s advance, and at such a distance as will enable the troops to wheel into line, get up pace, and attack.
2. Forming to the Front or to the Flank.—The first plan is that which the beginner almost invariably adopts; the enemy’s squadron has a fatal attraction for him; he distrusts himself and imagines that there is not time to manœuvre. This attack generally “leads to undecided cavalry duels.”
The second plan is that which is always advocated, as, though it demands more sang-froid, practice, and experience on the part of the squadron leader. Its advantages are considerable; they are as follows: (a) It gives more space and consequently more time to the leader. (b) The enemy’s squadron, if already formed, will usually shoulder towards the attacker, and thus become disintegrated. (c) The movement does not entail the disorder consequent on front forming; on the contrary, a wheel into line generally ensures well-ordered and cohesive ranks. (d) The squadron is usually successful in striking the flank of the enemy.
Von Schmidt says:
An attack direct to the front must be an exceptional thing; to advance and at the same time gain ground to a flank must be the rule.
General Sir D. Haig says:
The efficacy of flank attack is so universally admitted as to need no argument to support it. A more difficult question is—how should we protect our own flanks from attack?