3. Defensive and Offensive Flanks.—Usually the best protection is afforded by either a defensive or an offensive flank; that is, a portion of the unit, say, a troop from a squadron, a squadron from a regiment, should drop back or be ready to drop back in echelon; or, on the other hand, should be thrown forward. The duty of the defensive flank is to act against an enemy overlapping or taking in flank the unit in front. The object of the offensive flank is to threaten even more completely than with the remaining force the flank of the enemy, who will be tempted to edge across to meet it.
What is true for a squadron is true for a regiment, and is still more true for a brigade, because with this comes in the question of artillery fire.
II. The Regiment
4. Let us then picture a regiment moving in “mass” from the south to the north of the paper, map, or ground.
Our regimental commander seeing the enemy’s mass in front and bearing down on him, say, eight hundred yards away, gives the command, “Left shoulders,” and moves N.E. The first effect is that the enemy have a moving mark to hit, and to do so must “shoulder” or change direction; while at the same time they are deploying to the front.
Both forces move three hundred yards. Then our regimental commander gives the command, “Echelon attack to the Left.” The squadron nearest to the enemy wheels into line and attacks; the remaining squadrons continue their direction and wheel into line in succession and attack as required.
The attack eventuates somewhat as in the diagram.
Diagram I.
5. Advantages of the Echelon Attack.—This form of attack has the following advantages: (a) The wheel into line, the least discomposing of evolutions, takes but a few seconds to carry out, and then there is presented a formed body to charge the enemy. (b) A succession of formed bodies coming up on the unprotected flank give confidence to the squadron, which feels it is supported by other lines near enough to catch any outflanking enemy. (c) An echelon of squadrons, seen from the enemy’s point of view at a distance of three hundred yards, is practically indistinguishable from line. It is, moreover, easier than in forming to the front to abolish all intervals between squadrons; a point of the greatest importance in an attack. (d) To be the last to form the attack from a compact formation is a considerable advantage. (e) The leader may even be able to change the direction of his mass so as to attack from due east to west.