Column (formation) - Korean War

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 weak points of enemy defenses. The rationale for such 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.