An armoured spearhead (American English: armored spearhead) is a formation of

armoured fighting vehicle An armoured fighting vehicle (British English) or armored fighting vehicle (American English) (AFV) is an armed combat vehicle protected by vehicle armour, armour, generally combining operational mobility with Offensive (military), offensive a ...

s, mostly

tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engine; ...

s, that form the front of an offensive thrust during a battle. The idea is to concentrate as much firepower into a small front as possible so that any defenders in front of them will be overwhelmed. As the spearhead moves forward, infantry units following in the gap behind them form up on both sides of the line of advance to protect the flanks. The tactic is quite risky. A determined enemy can counterattack against the rear guard on the flanks and behind, which cuts the spearhead from resupply and quickly brings it to a halt. Thus, the spearhead must move as fast as possible to keep the enemy from attacking in that fashion. The first use of an armored spearhead was during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

in the 1940

Battle of France The Battle of France (; 10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign (), the French Campaign (, ) and the Fall of France, during the Second World War was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembour ...

and the

German Army The German Army (, 'army') is the land component of the armed forces of Federal Republic of Germany, Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German together with the German Navy, ''Marine'' (G ...

's invasion of the

Low Countries The Low Countries (; ), historically also known as the Netherlands (), is a coastal lowland region in Northwestern Europe forming the lower Drainage basin, basin of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta and consisting today of the three modern "Bene ...

against the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

and the French Armies . Surprising them out of the

Ardennes The Ardennes ( ; ; ; ; ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, extending into Germany and France. Geological ...

, where the

Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are calle ...

believed that no armoured force could operate, the German spearhead quickly started running for the coast at

Dunkirk Dunkirk ( ; ; ; Picard language, Picard: ''Dunkèke''; ; or ) is a major port city in the Departments of France, department of Nord (French department), Nord in northern France. It lies from the Belgium, Belgian border. It has the third-larg ...

. The French and British Armies were split on both sides of the German forces and at one point attempted to cut the line with an armored attack on both sides. The resulting Battle of Arras was very close to an Allied success, but a lack of radios or other methods of communication slowed the attack. Only a few years later new tactics had been developed to effectively counter the armored spearhead. By attacking with small units just at the "corners" of the spearhead, a defender could maneuver the corner armored units to avoid combat instead of slowing down to engage. By repeating this maneuver a defender can narrow the front of the spearhead until it no longer commands enough width for the following infantry to effectively move. When the Germans tried the same tactic again in 1944 during the

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive or Unternehmen Die Wacht am Rhein, Wacht am Rhein, was the last major German Offensive (military), offensive Military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western ...

, the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

could quickly "pick the corners" in that fashion and brought the spearhead to a halt within a few days. The tactics of the German ''

Blitzkrieg ''Blitzkrieg'(Lightning/Flash Warfare)'' is a word used to describe a combined arms surprise attack, using a rapid, overwhelming force concentration that may consist of armored and motorized or mechanized infantry formations, together with ...

'' breakthrough were to spearhead the attack with massed armour, sometimes a whole

Panzer division A Panzer division was one of the Division (military)#Armored division, armored (tank) divisions in the German Army (1935–1945), army of Nazi Germany during World War II. Panzer divisions were the key element of German success in the Blitzkrieg, ...

of 240 tanks moving in "combat echelon", but was intimately supported by mechanized artillery and infantry formations.THE ESSENTIALS OF MILITARY KNOWLEDGE BY MAJOR GENERAL D.K.PALIT,VRC>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Armoured Spearhead Tactical formations Armoured warfare

See also

References