The Art Of Tank Warfare - Chris Keeling

the top of a hill or ridge is a good way to get spotted. To keep from being silhouetted against the sky, tanks
should be driven below the crest of the hill, on the opposite side from the enemy. Obvious choke points,
such as narrow roads through forests, bridges, fords, road intersections, and mountain passes should be
avoided if at all possible.
Finally, the vehicle itself must be taken into consideration. Some vehicles are more prone to tipping than
others, while the ground pressure of others means that they may be more or less affected by mud. Care
should be taken to avoid too much driving in reverse or pivoting, as these maneuvers, especially on rough
ground, tend to wear the tracks or cause them to come off of their rollers. The engine must be maintained as
well. Naturally, there are times when the most possible power will be needed in combat. Redlining the
engine, however, may result in a blown engine rather than a quick escape. To avoid redlining, try to keep the
engine running at only about 70% of maximum on roads, and 50% of maximum when driving off-road
(lower in extremely hot environments). This will reduce the likelihood of overheating the engine enough to
blow it.
Movement as part of a Platoon. Formation control within an armored unit is as critical a component of
armored combat as the vehicles’ weapons or the ammo that feeds them. Each of the following formations
provide both tactical advantages and disadvantages, usually governed by terrain, battlefield placement and
unit positions. These formations, while not rigid in their spacing or positioning, allow increased tactical
flexibility on the battlefield.
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• Column. Column formations allow for the fastest movement of an armor unit along a route, especially if a
unit is passing through restricted terrain. Firepower in the forward and rear arcs of the unit is limited to a
single vehicle each, but is alternately good to the flanks of the unit, where each alternating vehicle in the
column covers each side of the unit with large, overlapping fields of fire. This also allows for heightened
response times to the unit’s flanks by reducing the search area to be covered by each tank.
• Line. Units formed up along a Line or ‘abreast’ formation cover the largest horizontal area of any
formation, while maximizing the unit’s frontal firepower and overlapping fields of fire. The main drawback to
this is severely reduced rear and flank fire coverage and protection. The use of this formation in an assault
should be limited to areas where tactical overwatch can cover the restricted areas of the unit during its
movement or as a defensive formation within prepared positions where other units are positioned to
both flanks.
• Echelon Left and Echelon Right. The diagonal placement of vehicles in a Right or Left Echelon
formation allows the unit to maximize its firing and search arcs from their axis of advance around to include
overlapping cover for their flank. Optimum deployment of a unit in an echelon formation would be along
the edge of a larger unit formation in an advance or defensive position. This allows for added protection or as
a springboard for an encirclement maneuver. This placing, in a defensive action, allows increased flank
protection to prevent an enemy from gaining access to an area to the rear of the main battle line.
• Wedge. The Wedge allows a unit both flanks enjoying good coverage and overlap of firepower as well as
good forward firepower. This formation is best deployed in situations where the threat axis is mainly forward,
but there are possibilities of attempted flanking maneuvers. The Wedge is also good for providing overwatch
for other units and where a unit must cover many others or large areas of open ground. In an attack posture,
the Wedge should only be employed when operating in open or rolling terrain, allowing for good visibility in
all quarters or under the guns of an overwatch.