08-31-2015, 08:40 AM
It all depends on who you are fighting and the quality of your own troops. There are times when it makes sense to have a continuous unbroken line but it has serious limitations.
Once that line is formed it is really hard to do anything other than stay in place or advance very slowly if you want to maintain an uninterrupted line. Highly trained troops can manage a retreat but it is very easy to disrupt if the line is long as inevitably gaps appear and the line becomes disrupted.
As a general you have no control over the battle line once the lines engage. Especially as the thicker the line the harder it becomes to make changes to the formation.
Leaving gaps between units gives you options. As a commander you can see how the battlefield is changing and manipulate it or take advantage of developments. I regularly leave gaps between units and they do not get flooded with troops. In fact that is what I want to happen. The main factor in any battle is morale. Sudden surprises and setbacks are wonderful tools for winning a battle. If your troops are aware of the likelihood of an event, and have trained for it, they are not disturbed when it happens. Those gaps are killing zones if used correctly.
The police tactics shown above are interesting but have a different purpose than killing the opponent. I hope anyway. The shieldwall/testudo formation is obviously defensive and non threatening and allows the protestors to be braver as the risk to them is lower. It is much harder to fight from a tight formation. As the videos showed, aggressive formations have to be more open to be fast moving and allow for individual skill to be applied.
Once that line is formed it is really hard to do anything other than stay in place or advance very slowly if you want to maintain an uninterrupted line. Highly trained troops can manage a retreat but it is very easy to disrupt if the line is long as inevitably gaps appear and the line becomes disrupted.
As a general you have no control over the battle line once the lines engage. Especially as the thicker the line the harder it becomes to make changes to the formation.
Leaving gaps between units gives you options. As a commander you can see how the battlefield is changing and manipulate it or take advantage of developments. I regularly leave gaps between units and they do not get flooded with troops. In fact that is what I want to happen. The main factor in any battle is morale. Sudden surprises and setbacks are wonderful tools for winning a battle. If your troops are aware of the likelihood of an event, and have trained for it, they are not disturbed when it happens. Those gaps are killing zones if used correctly.
The police tactics shown above are interesting but have a different purpose than killing the opponent. I hope anyway. The shieldwall/testudo formation is obviously defensive and non threatening and allows the protestors to be braver as the risk to them is lower. It is much harder to fight from a tight formation. As the videos showed, aggressive formations have to be more open to be fast moving and allow for individual skill to be applied.
