quickly form square to repel the attack. Korean War The column formation was extensively used by Chinese infantry during the Korean War. When attacking, the Chinese would form their assault units into deep columns of platoons or squads, and drove such formations into the weak points of the enemy's defenses. The rationale for such a tactic was that repeated assaults conducted by squad- or platoon-sized skirmish parties would eventually penetrate enemy lines through sheer attrition. This utilization of column formation also give birth to the term human wave attack. See also Line (formation) Mixed order Flying wedge Svinfylking Notes References Arnold, James R. "A Reappraisal of Column Versus Line in the Peninsular War Oman and Historiography", The Napoleon Series, August 2004. Arnold, James R. "A Reappraisal of Column Versus Line in the Napoleonic Wars" Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research LX no. 244 (Winter 1982): pp. 196-208. Lord Montagu of Beaulieu The Parliament of United Kingdom, The House of Lords, Hansard: 24 Apr 1996, Column 1172 Urban, Mark; Rifles: Six years with Wellington's legendary sharpshooters; Faber and Faber (2004) Further reading Tactical formations Tactical formations of the Napoleonic Wars