Shock troops

Shock troops or assault troops are special formations created to lead military attacks. They are often better trained and equipped than other military units and are expected to take heavier casualties even in successful operations.

"Shock troop" is a calque, a loose translation of the German word Stoßtrupp (literally "push squad").^[1] Assault troopers are typically organized for mobility with the intention that they will penetrate enemy defenses and attack into the enemy's vulnerable rear areas. Any specialized, elite unit formed to fight an engagement via overwhelming assault (usually) would be considered shock troops, as opposed to "special forces" or commando-style units (intended mostly for covert operations). However, both types of units could fight behind enemy lines, by surprise if required.

Although the term "shock troops" became popular in the 20th century, the concept is not new, and Western European armies in past centuries called them the forlorn hope. Presently, the term is rarely used, as the strategic concepts behind it have become standard contemporary military thinking.

Before 1914

In 375 BC, under the command of the younger Pelopidas, the Theban Sacred Band was united as a single unit of shock troops. Their main function was to cripple the enemy by engaging and killing the enemy's best men and leaders in battle.

The Companion cavalry of Alexander the Great (356-326 BC) are described as being the first example of shock cavalry being used in Europe.^[2]

Several sources describe how the Vikings used Berserkers as shock troops in organized warfare.

During the Crusader period, the various Catholic military orders such as the Knights Hospitaller, Knights Templar and the Teutonic Order were considered shock troops.

The Shorn Ones were the most prestigious warrior society in the Aztec Empire, serving as its shock troops.

In late-medieval Europe, the German Landsknecht and Swiss mercenaries used large Zweihänder swords to break into pike formations. Polish Winged Hussars, elite heavy cavalry used by the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, have also been described as shock troops. The Ottoman Army used Deli as shock troops as well.

Grenadiers originated as specialized assault soldiers for siege operations. First established with a distinct role in the mid- to late-17th century, grenadier units would throw grenades and storm breaches, while leading the forefront of a breakthrough. Even after abandoning the use of the original black-powder grenade, armies retained the grenadier companies and regiments as specialist assault troops.

The armies of both the Union and the Confederate States in the U.S. Civil War each fielded several crack infantry units used as shock troops. The Union's Army of the Potomac utilized the Iron Brigade and the Irish Brigade (Union Army) in the role, and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia used the Texas Brigade and the Stonewall Brigade much the same. All of the above units suffered high casualties because their prowess lead to them being given dangerous assignments.

During the Paraguayan War (1864–1870), in which Paraguay fought against Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay, the Paraguayans deployed shock troops (composed of a mixture of dismounted cavalry and fit men who could row and swim) armed with sabres, cutlasses, knives, bayonets, pistols, and hand grenades. They attacked small fortified positions and boarded Brazilian river steamers.^[3]

World War I

During the First World War, many combatants faced the deadlock of trench warfare. On the Western Front in 1915, the Germans formed a specialized unit called the Rohr Battalion to develop assault tactics. During the Brusilov Offensive of 1916, the Russian general Aleksei Brusilov developed and implemented the idea of shock troops to attack weak points along the Austrian lines to affect a breakthrough, which the main Russian Army could then exploit. The Russian Army had also formed hunter commando units in 1886 and used them in World War I to protect against ambushes, to perform reconnaissance and for low-intensity fights in no-man's-land.^[4]

The von Hutier tactics (infiltration tactics) called for special infantry assault units to be detached from the main lines and sent to infiltrate enemy lines, supported by shorter and sharper (than usual for WWI) artillery fire missions targeting both the enemy front and rear, bypassing and avoiding what enemy strong points they could, and engaging to their best advantage when and where they were forced to, leaving decisive engagement against bypassed units to following heavier infantry. The primary goal of these detached units was to infiltrate the enemy's lines and break their cohesion as much as possible. These formations became known as Stoßtruppen, or shock troops, and the tactics they pioneered were the basis of post-WWI infantry tactics, such as the development of fire teams.

Notwithstanding the postwar status of the Storm Troopers in German service,^{[clarification needed]} the same sort of tactical doctrine was widely espoused in British and French service in late 1917 and 1918, with variable results. The British Army standard training manual for platoon tactics, SS 143, was used from February 1917 onwards and contained much of what was standard for German shock troops.^[5] US forces were trained in tactics by surviving French cadre from chasseur units, and were trained to use French Chauchat light machine guns and rifle grenades.^{[citation needed]}

References

^ Although the German word Stoß is occasionally used to translate 'shock' or allude to a shock-like event, as in Erdstoß (seismic wave), in this case stoß derives directly from the verb stoßen (to push), referring to the original task of the Stoßtruppen, known in German as vorstoßen (roughly: to carry the attack forward, to penetrate the enemy lines).
^ Hanson, Victor Davis (2007-12-18). Carnage and Culture: Landmark Battles in the Rise to Western Power. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-307-42518-8.
^ Armies of the 19th Century: The Americas/The Paraguayan War, Terry Hooker (P. 82)
^ "World War I". HISTORY. 11 August 2023.
^ Griffith, Paddy; Battle Tactics of the Western Front; Yale University Press, New Haven, 1994

Shock troops

Before 1914

World War I

See also

References

Further reading