File (formation)
Military unit of troops aligned one behind the other
In military organization, a file is a number of troops drawn up in line ahead (i.e. one behind the other) in a column. The number of files is the measure of the width of a column of troops in several ranks one behind the other.
01Usage
Files are useful when troops don't know where the enemy is, since there are overlapping fields of fire from each soldier, and cover from a possible flanking attack. Files are at a disadvantage when there are heavy weapons nearby, supported by infantry, especially machine guns and tanks.
02Ancient Greek use
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “File (formation)”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- U.S. army troops marching in single file.jpg by United States Army Alaska22, Public domain
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