Refusing the flank

[Nathan Greenfield]

The first Canadian unit to see battle at 2nd Ypres was the 13th Battalion commanded by Major McCuaig. After finding that he did not have the cover he needed to try to extend his line behind the shattered Algerians, he ordered his men to line the Poelcappelle- St. Julien road; in other words, his line dropped a line down perpendicularly thus "refusing its flank"

Does anyone know what the British rule book says about "refusing the flank?" It was done by the 20th Maine at Gettysburg (Little Round Top) and later at Guam in WWII. I would be interested to know of other cases in the First World War and before.

Cheers,

Nathan

[delta]

Not sure about the formal tactical direction but this was undertaken by 46th Cdn Bn at Vimy Ridge when the unit to their north could not take hil 145 (now the sight of the memorial) Acordingly to one record, they dug a trench 1200 m long, acoss the ridge, from their start point to the eastern objective line. Their place on the objective was taken by PPCLI who had to protect a further 500m northwards to plug the gap

[joseph]

Nathan,

Not a tactician, is this Field Service Regulation 68 (1) what you want.

"When a Commander of any grade is at liberty to choose the position on which he will await the enemy's attack he must first consider well his object, which may be to cover some particular area or feature of strategical or tactical importance...he must arrange to fight his battle at a sufficient distance in front of the locality which he has to cover so as to ensure its security for the purposes for which it is required, and to give himself any space which he considers necessary for manoevre. The defensive battle should be fought in advance of localities the retention of which is vital to the defender."

Regards Charles

[Desmond7]

Would not most 1st World War trench 'battles/raids/penetrations' have been a case of refusing the flank?

Penetrate/widen for the next advance .. thus refusing the flank .. until the next step?

[Andrew Hesketh]

Refusing the flank is taking up a position to the flank and rear of the attacking unit(s). Thus if the attacking unit(s) find themselves attacked from a flank, the 'refusing' unit can attack the enemy flankers in their flank.

Does that make any sense?!

[Plan]

Does that make any sense?!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes it does, if it mean flanking the flanked flank. Or flanking the flank of the flankers of the flank.

Or, without too much "flank", to make dispositions so that an attacker of the flank can be attacked on his flank by troop held back, perpendicular and offset to the flank, like the steps of a staircase.

But wouldn't that be normal, obvious practice whenever there was a flank?

Pascal

[Andrew Hesketh]

Or flanking the flank of the flankers of the flank. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Exactly!!

[PhilB]

Is there not a technique of advancing in echelon - a sort of arrowhead formation - which automatically refuses flanks? Phil B

[Muerrisch]

The real concept is about denying the enemy a chance to get round one's own flank: one bends the line back where threatened. It is essentially an open warfare tactic.

The trench warfare defensive equivalent was to wire the flank between oneself and a weak friendly unit, thus denying the enemy one's own flank if enemy successful in overrunning the neighbour.

Hugely unpopular with Brigadiers, but it did happen.

[ArmyOfficer]

The idea had its basis in Jomini. A Swiss born veteran of the Napoleonic French Army- he wrote to capture Napoleon's successes and laid down tactics that most armies still use to this day. He was the guy that laid out how to defend a position, movement techniques and formations, actions on contact, withdrawals, route marches - just about everything.

Refusing the flank was a means for a defender to extend his line to prevent what was Napoleon's most effective maneuver ("maneuver from the rear") and it was called creating a "crotchet". The problem is the timing of doing this - if you do it too early you just create opportunities for a penetration - too late and you're turning your force as you are enveloped and you'll lose the meeting engagement.

[squirrel]

Roman - called the Lecturian Wedge.

Can be used by largeish or small formations - used by riot control squads to take ringleaders from crowds.