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I suggest the term "column" should be used to avoid the confusion that might be brought by the conflicting terms "line of battle" and "line formation". The former resembles | while the latter resembles __. The article uses "line" frequently to refer to the line of battle, which in the context of small unit infantry tactics may be confusing.D Boland (talk) 22:23, 16 March 2009 (UTC)
There seems to be only one citation on this page. Is this actually a notable topic with more coverage? Ascendingrisingharmonising (talk) 13:25, 9 April 2022 (UTC)
Let's assume a squad of 9 men (typical US Army, 2 fire teams). If they're 'strung out' in a column 2 wide, (and 4-5) long, then after the first cycle of 'peel' (if not before), they'll be spaced 1 meter apart (along the long axis) and 10 m first to last. Each cycle will move them 10 meters. I'm only guessing at speed of a cycle, but if the soldiers on average take 10 seconds to move from front to back and begin suppressing fire, then that's 90 seconds per cycle or 10 meters every 90 seconds or 0.4 kph. I have trouble believing that snail-like speed is the actual rate of retreat. I'd like to see a reliable source for this claim (of 1 meter behind the farthest from the front). Also - I assume that 'column' means the group is moving ... or *was* moving ... in a pattern which had a long axis and that axis was the direction of travel. It isn't obvious to me that that term is well-enough understood to be assumed known by the reader. Finally, why would they be in the form of a column when engaging the enemy? It's wildly ineffective and since only the front has a clear field of fire, pretty dangerous as well.98.21.215.110 (talk) 21:15, 7 April 2024 (UTC)