Art of War Handouts - Earl Sir Edward Ean's Handout

Written for the An Tir Art of War II - 2010
By Earl Edward Ean Anderson KSCA, OL,
Kingdom of An Tir
Common terms: 1
Principles of war: 2
Objective – 2
Unity of Command – 2
Simplicity – 2
Security – 2
Offensive – 2
Mass – 2
Economy of Force – 2
Maneuver – 2
Surprise – 2
Views on Tactics: 3
Morale 3
Command and control 3
Brigade formations and structures 4
Brigade staff: 4
Brigade training objectives: 4
Good commanders- 5
Five Classic maneuvers of war 5
Envelopment of a Single flank 5
Envelopment of Both flanks 5
Attack in oblique order 5
Penetration of the centre 5
Feigned withdrawal 5
Planning and execution of a battle 6
C. Battle field planning 6
A. Pre-planning in war council 6
B. Arrange communications on the field of battle 6
C. Battle field planning 6
D. Execution of the plan 6
After the battle: 6
Movement Commands 7
Advance at a trot 7
Reform 7
FORMATIONS 8


Introduction to the Art of War
Welcome. I have been leading troops in the SCA for 25 years. I was a USMC sergeant for 6 years, one of the few and proud. I served two tours in Vietnam. I have been studying military history since I was 14 years old when I learned about Napoleon Bonaparte. I personally believe that the art of war is not about fighting the battles but it is more about managing and training your troops before the battles, and keeping them focused on the objectives once the battle starts!
Common terms: Let’s talk a minute about the some terms that will be important in our look at the art of war.
Force Multipliers: Weapons, strategies, training, morale busters, terrain, defenses, and logistics that will add or better yet multiply your forces offensive capabilities and minimize your opponent’s effectiveness.
Maneuver Units: Basic unit of fighters that operate and move across the battlefield.
Fighting Unit: A small group of two - fifteen fighters. Part of a Brigade.
Hidden Objectives- Your Troops - having fun. Troops need to have fun or they will loss morale and not come out to the practices and training sections and will not perform well at the war. Keep this in mind and do everything you can to increase your troop's enjoyment. Troops also need to know that you respect their contributions to the war and to the army's organization and accomplishments.
Opportunities- Non-anticipated and non-planned occurrences during a battle. For example: The enemy unit exposes its flank when they charge another unit; A hidden part of the ground that screened your troops so that the enemy does not see them; The enemy not paying attention to the objective for the battle and leaving their banner un-protected. There are many and most go un-noticed and un-exploited. Learn to see and exploit them.
Command Control- What a Commander can change and affect concerning their troops. For some this may be great or small. The Commander needs to know what that trange of control is.
Command Presence- One's image or 'character' given on the battlefield. Example: Can you be seen from across the field, are you a recognized person that the troops will follow.
Defeat in Detail- Bringing a large portion of one's own force to bear on small enemy units in sequence, rather than engaging the bulk of the enemy force all at once. This exposes one's own units to a smaller risk, yet allows for the eventual destruction of an entire enemy force. The reverse can also happen to you, most often outside an enemy’s restriction point, or when your unit makes a charge and is unsupported.
The Central Position - A key strategy used by Napoleon when facing two or more enemy forces. One force wedges into the enemy, masking the 2nd force, which is used to overwhelm the smaller part of the enemy. When victorious, both armies attack the remaining enemy forces. This requires a delaying force that screens your main army. This may be used with smaller units as well.
Hinge Point - Where two units of the same army connect. These points are where "we" stop and "the other guys" start. It is a mindset that will allow one unit to stand there and watch "the other unit" get killed because they are not "us". Learn to see the Hing Points and exploit them.
Morale- An Army's state of mine, governed by their self-confidence, self-esteem, their accomplishments, how much they have been used and how much they have been respected.
Supporting Distance- The distance at which you can support your shield-man, pike-man, unit, or brigade. This varies according to the size and range of the weapons involved and how fast the units can engage once commanded.
Principles of war:
The following are the nine principles of war of the US army. Each one has its place and use on the battlefield. But by combining them you will get maximum force multiplier for your troops.
Objective –
This is where all your and your troops’ effort needs to be focused on. A clearly defined, decisive and attainable objective. The ultimate military purpose of war is the destruction of the enemy's ability and will to fight. In the SCA this is defined by the rules for each battle but the principle is the same: every one from the captians and generals to the lowest dog meat needs to know and understand the objective for that battle and be working to win that objective for our side.
Unity of Command –
For every objective, seek unity of command and unity of effort. At all levels of war, employment of military forces in a manner that masses combat power toward a common objective requires unity of command and unity of effort. Unity of command means that all the forces are under one responsible commander. It requires a single commander with the requisite authority to direct all forces in pursuit of a unified purpose. Also this means that everyone under that command needs to be coordinating their efforts through that authority.
Simplicity –
Prepare clear, uncomplicated plans and concise orders to ensure thorough understanding. Everything in war is very simple, but the simple thing is difficult to explain. Simplicity contributes to successful operations. Simple plans and clear, concise orders minimize misunderstanding and confusion. Other factors being equal, thrift in expression is to be preferred.
Security –
Never permit the enemy to acquire unexpected advantage. Security enhances freedom of action by reducing vulnerability to hostile acts, influence, or surprise. Security results from the measures taken by a commander to protect his forces. Knowledge and understanding of enemy strategy, tactics, doctrine, and staff planning improve the detailed planning of adequate security measures.
Offensive –
Seize, retain, and exploit the initiative. Offensive action is the most effective and decisive way to attain a clearly defined common objective. Offensive operations are the means by which a military force seizes and holds the initiative while maintaining freedom of action and achieving decisive results. This is fundamentally true across all levels of war.
Mass –
Mass the effects of overwhelming combat power at the decisive place and time. Synchronizing all the elements of combat power where they will have decisive effect on an enemy force in a short period of time is to achieve mass. Massing effects, rather than concentrating forces, can enable numerically inferior forces to achieve decisive results, while limiting exposure to enemy fire. Massing means training your troops that 'if there are five of "them" and two of "us" - get on them and remove them from the battle' if it furthers the objective.
Economy of Force –
Economy of force is the judicious employment and distribution of forces. Employ all combat power available in the most effective way possible; allocate minimum essential combat power to secondary efforts. No part of the force should ever be left without purpose. The allocation of available combat power to such tasks as limited attacks, defense, delays, deception, or even retrograde operations is measured in order to achieve mass elsewhere at the decisive point and time on the battlefield.
Maneuver –
Maneuver is the movement of forces in relation to the enemy to gain positional advantage. Place the enemy in a position of disadvantage through the flexible application of combat power. Effective maneuver keeps the enemy off balance and protects the force. It is used to exploit successes, to preserve freedom of action, and to reduce vulnerability. It continually poses new problems for the enemy by rendering his actions ineffective, eventually leading to defeat. But this is not maneuvering just to move, if you are maneuvering to do an envelopment and do not pin their front then they will just swing their line and refuse there flank so maneuver with a clear objective and with the unity of command to turn it into a force multiplier.
Surprise –
Strike the enemy at a time or place or in a manner for which he is unprepared. Surprise can decisively shift the balance of combat power. By seeking surprise, forces can achieve success well out of proportion to the effort expended. Surprise can be in tempo, size of force, direction or location of main effort, and timing. Deception can aid the probability of achieving surprise.
Views on Tactics:
On the battlefield, Tactics are one of the most difficult elements for a commander to control. To quote Napoleon: “The only thing a commander ever truly controls is his own armies, training, morale, trust, initiative, command, and to a lesser degree, supply, placement, movement, loyalty, and courage in battle. What the enemy will do and what chance brings, those defy all planning. The commander must be able to change his plans abruptly when obstacles or opportunities appear. If his army isn’t ready and willing to respond to his will his cleverness comes to nothing!”

I personally do not think a commander has that much control of the tactics during the battle. The things that a good commander recognizes that he has control over are things before the battle, for example: how much and what kind of training his troops get and, more importantly, how much support he and his command staff get from their troops.
The morale of his troops includes their confidence in his and his staff’s commands. The commander has direct control over a unit's morale.
There are two subsets here
What is the capability of his enemy and their commanders?
What is the capability of his troops?
Teaching sub commanders to take initiative and to follow though with completing the objectives and exploiting opportunities if they further the objective:
Communications with sub commanders and with the troops before the battle.
Things that need to be communicated effectively are:
What the missions and objectives are, and how we are going to accomplish them.
What the army trying to do and were they fit into this plan to accomplish the objective.
Morale
Morale- is what your troops think of themselves, their training, and their commanders. It is also what they think of their opponents. Building your troops morale is not that hard and it is a huge force multiplier.

Troops want to be elites. They will work and train to get to become elites if they think they can, and if their commander has that vision of them and can constantly voice that vision to them in a way they will believe. Troops have the will they just need the way and that is your job to accomplish. Troops also feel stronger when they see themselves as well trained and ready for anything that the battlefield can throw at them.
Troops function better and have a higher morale when they feel that they are included in the battle planning and the execution of that plan. Go over the battles in the evening to help train and to improve in the future.
Troops function better when they feel that they have some responsibility for the completion of the objective, and a part to play in the overall battle.
They also respond to both criticism and compliments, but criticism should be used sparingly and for only as a learning tool. It should be constructive and never derogatory.
Troops will rise to the occasion by having their commander have high expectations of them and what they can do. But do not set those expectations so high that all they do is fail. Keep it real and then let them know how well they did. Then the next time raise it a little and they will move ahead. You do this each time you train with them. You will be surprised at what they will be able to accomplish in time.

Command and control
Command Tactics on the battlefield is one of the most over estimated aspects of the warfare in the SCA. One of the reasons for that is Command Control. We, as commanders, think we have control of the battle but in reality we do not. A good commander only has control over about 30 feet of the battlefield around him (15 too 20 ft each side) 2 pike lengths.
This can be extended with having messengers and runners, banner bearers, troops trained to repeat commands and command presence. But to use them effectively you need to be able to see how the battle is progressing, and to anticipate what is going to be needed where, and then change or modify the orders before the battle progresses to the point the troops are needed or you need to withdraw your troops.
Another and better way for the commander to extend his range is by training his troops and sub commanders to recognize opportunities and how to exploit them or avoided giving those opportunities to the enemy. Having good NCO and unit commanders will allow the commander to see and act beyond his unit and see were things are going and were he and his unit are needed.
One of the jobs of the Brigade Commanders is to help train his unit commanders and to work with them to develop what to watch for and how to react when situations on the battlefield changes.



Brigade formations and structures
The average SCA commander generally has a very limited idea about what is happening once we reach the field of battle. The major reason for this is lack of communication. Experience has showed that commanders that know the overall plan for their section of the battlefield generally perform better with the troops under their command. This of course raises a number of interesting questions.
Q: How far down the ranks should we drop the information?
A: As far as needed to give unity of command!
Q: How much of a command structure do we need?
A: I believe that the army should be divided into brigades with 4 to 6 Fighting Units per Brigade.
Brigade Commander get the massages from the army commander and delivers it to their unit commands.
Brigade Commanders work to keep the units motivated and trained.
Q: How do we reach our units with information once battle has commenced?
A: Through unit commanders and brigade commanders.
An army commander that has all the units under his command will be over loaded and will not be able to function unless the army is smaller then 6 units. In the middle ages the army was broken into sub groups i.e. columns, files, and any number of others but the idea was the same give some help to the army commander and allow the troops to know what was going on and when. The downfall of most of these formations was that they were temporary and changed as the war and or campaign progressed. But in the Renaissance there came a new formation “BRIGADE”.
The term derives from Italian brigata as used for example in the introduction to Decameron where it refers to only to a group of ten, or Old French brigare, meaning "company" of an undefined size, which in turn derives from a Celtic root briga, which means "strife".
The so-called "brigada" was a well-mixed unit, comprising infantry, cavalry and normally also artillery, designated for a special task. The size of such "brigada" was a reinforced "company" of up to two regiments. The "brigada" was the ancient form of the modern "task force".

With this in mind let’s talk about an army structure that I know works and functions well. A Brigade is a collection of Fighting Units that have their actions on the battlefield and training orchestrated by a commander and staff. There may be from 3 to 7 Fighting Units in a Brigade. The Brigade Commander does not interfere in the internal workings of any of the units in the Brigade. He is the coordinator and organizer between the units. He works on the brigade training and practices; he is the sub-commander to the army commander. On the battlefield each Unit Commander will look out for their units and get them to the next muster point while the Brigade Commander will get with the Army Commander and get the orders for the next battle. Then he will meet with his Unit Commanders and give them the objectives and area of responsibilities for the next battle. The Unit Commanders will take this information to their respective units and brief the troops.
Brigade staff:
He needs to have a 2nd in command to fill in if the Brigade Commander is unable make training or practice this could be one of the senior unit commander or a assistant to the Commander.
Messengers and Runners. These are vital for good communications on the battlefield. I have been looking at the heralds and trying to see if some of them may be interested in this role on the battlefield.
Banner bearer: the best way to show troops were you are on the battlefield is with a banner. It can be seen from across the field and every one will know were to assemble and muster. It is also useful for a attack when all the troops know that they follow the banner into the fray.
Support marshals and water bearers.
If you have the people, then a training NCO to help train new NCOs and troops
If you have the people, then an intelligentsia NCO to keep a record on appointments, their strengths and weakness.
Brigade training objectives:
Unit coordination and cooperation.
Leadership helping Unit Commanders get more from their units.
Helping units understand what the objective are in the wars.
Understating what the army organization is, were they fit in and what their function and contribution to the army is.
Recognizing battlefield tactical advantages and how to exploit them.
Internal flanks what are they and how to exploit them.
Supporting and miss directions of units. When is a unit unsupported and how to exploit that disadvantage?
When receivers are committed to the battle.
Hinge points and how to break them.


Good Commanders-
Good commanders are self-motivated and work to become better commanders.
Objective the U.S. Army's Eleven Leadership Principles
Be tactically and technically proficient.
Know yourself and seek self-improvement.
Know your soldiers and look out for their welfare.
Keep your soldiers informed.
Set the example.
Ensure the task is understood, supervised and accomplished.
Train your soldiers as a team.
Make sound and timely decisions.
Develop a sense of responsibility in your subordinates.
Employ your unit in accordance with its capabilities.
Seek responsibility and take responsibility for your actions

Five Classic maneuvers of war
Here follows 5 classical battle tactics used throughout the history of war by different commanders using different types of troops. I have used all five and also come up with variations to each in my years commanding in the SCA

Envelopment of a Single flank
The single flank envelopment is a simple basic tactic. It was created as soon as a commander found out that some of his troops were considerably more mobile than the bulk of the army. But most commanders forget the need to keep his attention on the bulk of your army otherwise they will just refuse the flank and destroy your forces In Detail. You do this by engaging their front and keeping the pressure on their troops and on their commander and his reserves. This maneuver breaks up the enemy lines' cohesion and gives you the opportunity to roll up his entire front. If it is accomplished successfully the line troops do not know what happens till they are being killed.
Envelopment of Both flanks
The double flank envelopment is a more complicated tactic that calls for Coordination. It requires either very superior numbers or superior generalship. The biggest problem that a commander faces is that he weakens his center and will not be able to pin them in place. The goal is total annihilation of the enemy forces. As with the single flank envelopment it makes use of highly mobile troops to get around the enemy flanks. It can also be used if you have a force multiplier in the center, either some terrain or fortifications that will make the weaker center stronger. There are different approaches to this tactic. One is to make both flanking units hit simultaneously, the other is to have them strike in succession, one just after the other. The second is good because it can force the enemy commander to commit his reserves to one side before the other hits.
Attack in oblique order
The Oblique attack is a fairly simple tactic that calls for a certain amount of coordination of troop movements. I think of this as The Wing of Decision and The Wing of Delay. One wing's job (the weaker) is to demonstrate in front of the enemy and to hold their attention will staying alive. The other wing's job (the stronger) is to crush their side and then swing around and crush the other side.
Penetration of the centre
This is one of the oldest tactical maneuvers of war. The penetration of the centre is a simple maneuver that takes very good timing. It calls for coordination reserves with the rest of the army. The right and left Battles are mainly there to pin the enemy forces in place, including the enemy reserve. As a commander the most important decision is when to commit the reserves to break through in the centre. This is a tactic that works well both in battles over larger areas where lines of communications are by runners and scouts only, no line of sight available and congested battles without the possibility of real flank maneuvers. The problem of this attack is that your center can and will be enveloped from both flanks. Also you are committing your reserves before your enemy. The only time that I have seen this work effectively is when the enemy has been flat footed or to exploit a limited advantage.
Feigned withdrawal
The Feigned withdrawal of the centre is once again a complex maneuver that takes very good timing. It calls for a great amount of coordination of troop movements. The right and left Battles are mainly there to pin the enemy forces in place, including the enemy reserve. The aim of this maneuver is to induce the enemy to leave a good position as the centre Battle withdraws pulling the unwary opponent into the trap.
The commander’s most important decision is which units to use for the pinning maneuvers on the flanks. This tactic works well against opponents that are known to have bad internal lines of communication or have a lack of discipline. If done with care the enemy will not realize until it is too late what is going on?
Planning and execution of a battle
An old saying in military circles says “…no plan ever survives first contact with the enemy” another saying goes “…the side that can stick to their plan the longest wins.” My opinion is that both sayings are both true and false. Any plan may have to change as a battle progresses, but on the other hand a plan might very well win you the entire battle without any changes. It is your job as a commander to read the battle and make the decisions that will either win or loss that battle.
Planning starts well before the battle if you are lucky.
There are four distinct parts to the planning and execution of every battle:
Pre-planning in war council and training, work with the troops and yourself.
Arrange communications on the field of battle
Battle field planning
Execution of plans,
Let us briefly examine each part to see how we could handle it.

Pre-planning in war council
First of all we have the planning; this starts with setting up the army, brigade or unit and staff. I prefer that the army be set up in brigades. A Brigade consists of between 4 to 6 units each unit should be between 5 to 20 people. There needs to be a Brigade Commander for each Brigade. The units should be autonomous and self-governing. The Brigade Commander is there to train and coordinate the unit in training and on the battlefield. The units in the Brigade should be allowed to pick the Brigade Commander that they will serve under. This is the one 1st steps in establishing the morale of the army and the Brigades. People will follow the commanders that they respect, not ones that they feel that they are forced to follow. Pre-war, the Brigade Commander should set up his staff and start to train the units under his command.
Create a staff (see below)
Make sure all your unit commanders are invited, even scout- and archery-commanders
Make sure that they all get a good grasp of the objectives
Make sure that the commanders get to know the terrain well
Make sure that they understand your basic plan
Listen to all ideas, there can be some really good things forth that if used could make for a better war plan
Arrange communications on the field of battle
Means of communication on the battlefield are vital to create flexibility within your army. What I like and have used is a Brigade formation. The Brigade is composed of between 4 to 6 units with a Brigade Commander. The best way of communication is through runners (scouts), but for them to be useful they have to know where to find different commanders on the filed of battle. The easiest way to do this is to make sure that commanders have a banner with them for easy spotting and communication. Make sure you have arranged a number of simple signals for use during the battle. Have scouts on the field to help you out. Make sure the scouts know all the signals and that they know who the commanders are in the different Battles, Secondary’s and Reserves.
Battle field planning
Get a good idea of what the battlefield looks like walk it and see it there are any opportunities. Try to make maps of the area were the battle is to be fought. Then simply divide the battlefield into three sections, the Right, the Centre and the Left. This is actually a very in-period way of handling the planning. Find out what the objectives are of the fight: holding flags, control buildings, kill all the enemies’ forces etc. Make sure everyone gets to know any special rules pertaining to the battle, i.e. resurrections, time limits etc.
Then look at the forces at you disposal, also find out all you can about the enemy. Spying is also very in-period by the way. Decide how you can best achieve the objectives using the forces at your disposal. Talk with your staff and get their input. Once you have decided on a plan of action. Then assign objectives to your unit commanders. One way to do this is to divide you forces into the three different areas you have divided the field into. The term for this is Battles. Behind each Battle there should be a Secondary, a second line of troops for support. And in the rear there you should keep a Reserve.
Make sure every commander has a good idea of the final plan so that he can brief his troops.
Execution of the plan
Hopefully you have had the time to train and work with your troop so there should be little for you to do other then to watch for those opportunities that can change the course of the battle. Keep control of your Reserve. I cannot stress this enough: Having the Reserve is the key to winning the battle.
After the battle:
Make time to talk to those that fought for you and thank them for their efforts. They are your troops and they will respect you for your time and concern. Check on any one how was injured and make sure that they are taken care of.

Movement Commands
Commands to work on and to also give a unified command system with in the army. Practice these and make sure that your unit understands and can do each. Also train each of your guys to also be the commander. You never know when you will be hit and not able to command.
The commands are two parts: The Preparatory and The Execution. The Preparatory is the 'what are we going to do' and The Execution is 'when we do it'. The Execution is the underlying command and should be separated from the Preparatory Command by about two seconds.
ABOUT FACE
On "ABOUT", step back with right foot, lining it up with the left foot. Extend shield and sword out to sides of the body, making a "spread eagle" with the body. The spread eagle allows polemen, officers, and the banner bearer to filter through the line to be on the other side. On "FACE", step forward with the right foot, and pivot on the left foot, turning the body through 270 degrees (180 degree change in line facing, plus 90 degrees for the move made on "about"). Re-lap the shields properly, and check dress and cover.
Advance Walk
In Battle formation, advance at a normal, slow walking pace, maintaining proper spacing, line, and facing. DO NOT DRIFT, and DO NOT ROTATE FACING.
Advance at a trot
Same a walk but you move out at a jog this will need to be practiced to get he speed that every one can maintain.
Advance Contact walt-trot
This means to ADVANCE AT a WALK/TROT until contact with the enemy is made, and to continue to press forward into the enemy, maintaining a proper defensive posture. But you should be shield to shield in a press so that the poles can work the enemy line
Anchor left Walk (LEFT), Wheel Right Walk (LEFT)
Meaning that we have enemies on the right (left) that we wish to face and engage, this command indicates we need to adjust the line to face them directly. The end which is indicated in the command anchors, and the other side swings about the anchored pivot point until Stand or FORWARD is called. ANCHOR RIGHT (LEFT) means the right (left) side stops moving forward and pivots. Care must be taken to maintain spacing and facing. The pivot must rotate at a rate which the line can follow.
Refuse the Right Walk (LEFT)
Meaning that we have enemies on the right (left) that we do not wish to engage, this command indicates we need to adjust the line to face them directly. The end opposite the side the enemy is on anchors, and the line swings backward around the pivot point to face the enemy. REFUSE THE RIGHT (LEFT) means the left (right) end anchors, and the right (left) end of the line swings back and around until STAND, FALL BACK, or FORWARD is called. As with wheeling motions, the line dresses to the pivot point. Care must be taken to maintain spacing and facing. The pivot must rotate at a rate which the line can follow.
Prepare CHARGE
Run forward, maintaining spacing, facing, and approximate dress. When a few paces from the enemy line, build momentum as much as possible, and hit the line low. Hit the enemy line between two enemy line members, using the edge of the shield as much as possible to force yourself between them. Go through the line and attack the poles behind them FIRST. After killing poles, return to kill the line from behind. If you do not go through the line, keep pressing on the line, while throwing shots over their shields, under their shields, and around their shields.
Fall Back
In any formation, step back with the right foot, then bring the left foot back to just in front of the right.
Fall In
Fall into line, at Battle Formation. Always FALL IN in the manner indicated, usually facing the commander, with shields touching the pole he is holding out, or touching his outspread arms. FALL IN may also be issued as "FALL IN ON ______", in which case the line falls into a line, dressed to the named individual, with that individual's facing.
Reform
on the battlefield this will be called as reform. Stop what you are doing and get back to your unit and into the last formation your unit was in close up the formation and dress the line get ready to fight. The unit that reform the fastest rule the battlefield.
REFORM ON ME (ON ______)
Reform on the commander, falling into line as though called to form a line. If the command is given as REFORM ON ______, fall into line with that person at the left end, assuming their facing. This command is given when the line has been disrupted and the unit is in disarray. Disengage if necessary to perform this command.
Follow Me
Just as it says. Follow the commander at whatever pace he sets. Do not worry about maintaining formation while following the commander - a new formation will be called when it is needed.
Form a line
Identical to FALL IN, with the exception that FORM A LINE ON ME means to fall in with shields touching the pole or outspread arms of the commander.
GET 'EM HIT THEM
As it says. Go get the enemy, and do not worry about formation. The idea is to kill whoever is pointed out to the unit as quickly as possible. Reform will be called and if it is not then you should start to call reform as soon as possible. This is a fast command execute it and gent back into formation do not waste any time.
Run away Just as it says. Run away from contact with the enemy in the most expeditious manner possible, while staying with the body of the unit.
Shift Right Step (LEFT)
Meaning that the line's facing is good, but the line is off to one side of where it When needs to be.
Unit Stand
STAND is called, simply stop whatever motion was being executed. Immediately adjust dress and cover, dressing to the left. This is true even if the motion which had been executed was something with a pivot point on the right - upon STAND, the line dresses to the left once more.
FORMATIONS
BATTLE FORMATION
LINE
An even line, with approximately one basket hilt between adjacent shield edges. Stance is comfortable, with the right knee pulled out of sight of enemy poles. The sword is held alongside the head, with the basket hilt in front of the face and against the top edge of the shield. The member looks through the basket hilt at the enemy.
The poles are arrayed behind and supporting the line.
BURG
This formation is composed of a line, with the corners "rolled in". This formation is taken when the unit is deployed without adjoining units for support. After forming a line, the two members on either end step back in line with the new end of the line, and rotate their facing to present their shields to the outside of the fist. During movements, their facing is the same as that of the line, rather than toward the outside, and they mirror the motion of the line member in front of them. Diagram:
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
O O O O O O O O
|O O|
|O O|
Note that the members who have trailed back MUST press tight to the front to protect the corners! And watch for flankers
[NB - DUE TO FORMATTING DIFFERENCES, ANY DIAGRAMS MAY NOT BE REPRINTED AS DESIRED. CHECK WITH AUTHOR FOR CONFIRMATION. editor]

COLUMN
This is a multi-line formation. The front line forms in to twos threes or fours, and the rest of the units lines up behind them.
WHEN MAKING CONTACT WITH ENEMY LINE WHILE IN COLUMN: The head of the column needs to push though and to the side to open a hole and the rest of the column need to keep making that hole larger and larger. Keep the push going and keep filtering into their rear so that the unit being hit does not get the time to reform or to bring up reserves to stop the push. When the charge is over reform ASAP
OPEN FORMATION
This formation is a line, with one arm-length between adjacent shield wall members and the poles about two passes behind. This is used to control territory and lots of ground but it is week to charges and will need to close order to be able to hold. However, care needs to be given to protect the now exposed flanks.
PREPARE TO RECEIVE
The same as a shield wall, but the right leg moved far back and held stiff, with the toe pointing forward. Weight is pressed forward over the left leg, but the upper body is leaned back to angle the shield. In PREPARE TO RECEIVE, shield wall members can and should duck their heads at the moment of impact, to press their shoulders and upper body into the shield to prevent a breakthrough. The sword is held over the head to protect from overhead wraps.

Contact Information:
Earl Sir Edward Ean Anderson