Flying wedge

The term cuneus ( wedge or wedge-shaped battle formation ) denotes a formation to break the enemy's line, which - on their front narrow starting - more and more increased in width. Also, some horsemen and infantry units of the late Roman army, who were recruited from barbarian mercenaries, was called the cuneus. The word derives from the Latin word family cuneatus / cuneolus / cuneus.

Battle formation

The Greeks made ​​use of the cuneus, such as the commander Epaminondas at the battles of Leuctra and Mantinea. Also, Gauls, Germans and Hispanics turned to this type of formation, who called the Roman soldiers also caput porcinum ( boar's head ). For naval battles one trained such maneuvers as well.

The cuneus was probably the preferred applied by the infantry of late antiquity preparation for an attack. He was probably taken over by the German tribes in the Roman army. The formation is the Roman military chronicler Flavius ​​Vegetius Renatus as

Battle formation and tactics

A triangle formation offered the advantage of maintaining a dense projectile fire either all pages or a single point. The Scythians and other armed with javelins horsemen used this formation with their leader at the top, since so fast maneuvers without previous drill were possible. This prompted Vegetius to the conclusion that a cuneus enemy number easily pierces by focusing their missile fire to a single point of the enemy line. The cuneus by Germanic and Roman style was well developed but not just these reasons. He also perform a deft stroke by the struggle of man against man on the line of battle of the enemy to break through as quickly served. The defensive tactics of a cuneus attacked enemy was usually in it, with its line to form a "V" ( forceps, pliers) around the wedge at the meeting to take it and to enclose.

Form

The triangle formation should prevent champion of the first line were turned off by the enemy at the beginning of the fight, before they ever even reached the enemy lines (see also Lost pile ). When they met the enemy, they had this naturally also fight all alone and had been so sure also exposed to massive flank fire. They would initially doing only little support from their own people obtained that were due to the wedge-shaped formation remained still behind them. If this does not aufschlossen quickly, the men of the front line were soon lost. This raises the question, why not from the start line formation should be selected. Hans Delbrück has brought this problem in the following words to the point:

The actual shape of a cuneus can be inferred from other ancient sources but still. Tacitus describes in his Histories that this formation is tightly closed on all sides, that is, on the flanks, their back and on the front was secured. The Strategikon of Maurikios provides a further description. This states that the Germans were attacking in uniform and dense formations. This suggests that their attack column might have not recognized a kind of triangle.

Assuming a 400 -strong Roman auxiliary unit as an example, they could with their team a 16 man deep and wide form 25 man cuneus. As soon as the men shoot their first javelin volleys in the rear ranks, the men feel at the front and secure in the center and dare thus rather a faster advance against the enemy, so that their edges automatically fall back a little. This then leads to the fact that the cuneus could have it almost assumed the form of a triangle for a short time or until immediately before the collision with the enemy.

Vegetius and the author of Strategikon recommend, moreover, the use of reserve units for the cuneus. This seems quite reasonable, when applied as a pure attack formation. If you have a narrow front, the attack column is much more maneuverable and the rows in depth then provide the necessary impact energy to break through the enemy's line of battle with their weight or for that exploit a gap is briefly opening in it.