Open Order

[jdajd]

Hope this is the right forum for this. What does it mean to advance in open order. I think that it is done to reduce the number of casualties from a single shell, but how would the men be spaced out? Is it a single file line, small groups of men seperated by x distance. How would it differ from the parade ground formations (a description that is well used in reference to July 1 1916)?

[Greg]

Open order can be used generically to mean any formation that is not closed (such as a marching column- in the First World War British Army this was a column of fours not threes as it is today) The troops could actually move in a number of formations such as extended line, artillery formation, arrowhead etc. In practice all of the formations in the pamphlets rapidly became 'blobs' as the ground was very difficult to cross and regularity was soon lost. There was discussion whether blobs or snakes were better formations or some mixture of the two'Open order can also be used as an order on a parade to increase the distance between the ranks of men.

Regards

Greg

[Greg]

or to march the whole parade forward whilst the ranks remain at open order.

Greg

[jdajd]

Greg;

Thanks for the info. It is a term I have come across so frequently and I thought I knew what it was, but just wanted to make sure.

Jon

[ChrisC]

In parade ground formation it is as has been stated, usually to allow an officer or other to inspect the troops. As in the order "in open order, right dress".

If you have read 1st Day on the Somme, Middlebrook has a diagram which shows the attacking waves in what I think he describes as "open order". I seem to remember, not being able to find my copy that it was something like 3 yards between each man in the wave and 10 yards between waves??

[jdajd]

In Middlebrook's book the men are described as going forward in formation as if on the parade ground, which made it easy for German Machine gunners and riflemen. All they had to do was fire into crowds of men and traverse their guns down the line. This leads to the description of men be mowed down as if by a scythe. My initial thought was that open order would spread the men out to avoid both one shell doing massive damage and the ability of machine gunners to traverse a line of men. I was unclear if this was a set formation or as others have said a "work in progress".

Jon

[ChrisC]

From 1st Day on the Somme:

"There were 5 yards between each man in a wave and 100 yards between each wave. When fully deployed the battalion covered 400x900 yards and took 9 minutes to pass a given point."

On thing to remember is that all "parade ground" formations were at one time tactical battlefield formations. So when they Troop the Colour, they are carrying out tactical manoevres of the Napoleonic era.

Odd way to take a machine gun though...