Battlefield Basics: The Skirmish Line

August 22nd 2006
By Jamie Innes


The skirmish line, is a military doctrine that goes right back to medieval times. Simply put, a skirmish line is a line of lightly armed/armoured troops. The line faces the enemy, and is the most basic and versatile formation for a force on force battle. Troops will usually be positioned at roughly equivilant, or varying distances from eachother, depending on terrain, and usually will all face the same direction (towards enemy)



The function of a skirmish line is as follows....

• Covers ground. A moving or stationary skirmish line can search and clear ground, putting 'safe ground' behind them, for other friendlies.
• Provides positional security. A stationary skirmish line acts like a wall, trench, or other barrier. With equally positoned players along a line, enemy usually cannot penetrate the line without superior firepower, or other tactical advantage.
• Provides security from flanking. An arc shaped skirmish line is a good defensive formation for a singular defensive position. Or;- on a paintball field, a skirmish line stretching from one boundary to the other, will effectively cut the field in half.
• Adapts to changing conditions. If troops within the skirmish line are eliminated, new troops can replace them, or existing troops can spread out to make up for the coverage lost by the eliminated person. Or, if the entire skirmish line is flanked, the players on the edge of that skirmish line must adopt new defensive positions.

The weaknesses of a skirmish line...

• If a troop is eliminated, enemy can advance past thier position if the gap is not closed fast enough, or not even noticed.
• Troops along a skirmish line, although giving eachother security from the sides, are directly exposed to frontal attacks. therefore, while moving and stantionary, troops must adopt covered positions.

The skirmish line is the quintessential military tactic used for paintball. And not just bushball, it's the standard tactic used in tournaments also. Players must have a good grasp on...

• Their terrain (field)
• The positioning of other players (friendly AND enemy)
• Must be ready to close gaps if necessary (when players are eliminated)
• Must be ready to advance, or retreat when necessary (when the team gains or loses ground)

Ultimately, the skirmish line is a TEAM tactic. And use or disuse of it is the fundamental difference between a newbie, and a competent paintballer.