Oblique Order Formation

By Crusader1307

The Oblique Order is a military tactical formation in which an attacking army concentrates it's forces to attack a single enemy flank. This allows a commander to concentrate his strength on one flank and his remainder force to fix an enemy line. The commander can then eliminate his enemy in detail. Frederick II (Prussia), was a famous implementer of this attack formation. The deployment of this formation requires highly drilled and disciplined troops. It is often used with other forms of attack. The downside of the Oblique Order is that a commander can expose his “weaker” portion of battle line to an enemy, which can lead to “turning one's flank”.