Aforlorn hope is a band of soldiers or other combatants chosen to take thevanguard in a military operation, such as asuicidal assault through the breach of a defended position, or the first men to climb ascaling ladder against a defended fortification, or a rearguard, to be expended to save a retreating army, where the risk of casualties is high.[1][2]Such men were volunteers motivated by the promise of reward or promotion, ormen under punishment offered pardon for their offenses, if they survived.
The term comes from theDutchverloren hoop, literally "lost heap": the termhoop was used in military contexts to denote a troop formation.[2][3] In the 16th century, when English-speakers first encountered the phrase, it was misheard as "forlorn hope", giving an added meaning to the term. Whileverloren is correctly identified with the English "forlorn" (both words stemming from theProto-Germanicferliusan), the Dutch wordhoop (in its sense of "heap" in English) is notcognate with English "hope": this is an example offolk etymology.[4]This folk etymology has been strengthened by the fact that in Dutch, the wordhoop is ahomograph meaning "hope" as well as "heap",[5] although the two senses have different etymologies.[6]
InGerman, the term was Verlorener Haufen,[7] which has the same meaning as the Dutch term (i.e.,lost heap), the wordHaufen itself being a general term for a company ofLandsknecht.
InFrench such a band was known asenfants perdus— "lost children".[8]
The notion of a band of volunteers undertaking a near-suicidal mission to lead an advance or guard a retreat is possibly as old as warfare itself; the story ofHoratius at the bridge, in Roman times, is an early example.
In theNew Model Army of theEnglish Civil War, the "forlorn hopes" could lead a storming attack, be positioned in advance of thevanguard, or be left behind to protect therearguard. Men were assigned to these roles by the drawing oflots, on the principle thatdivine providence would intervene in the selection and also decide the fate of those selected. Theroyalist forces also used the tactic.[9]
In the Germanmercenary armies of theLandsknecht, these troops were called theverlorene Haufen, and carriedlong double-handed swords, with which they had to hew their way through the massive pike formations opposing them. Alternatively, a small force ofverlorene Haufen could be used as "bait", to draw forward enemy formations and so expose them to the main force ofLandsknecht behind.[10] They also had to withstand the first wave of attacks when defending abreastwork. Members of theverlorene Haufen earned double pay, thus giving them the name ofDoppelsöldner ('Double-wagers').[11] Since there were not enough volunteers for this assignment, criminals who had been sentenced to death were taken into the ranks as well. As a field sign, theverlorene Haufen carried a redBlutfahne ('Blood Banner').[12]
By extension, the termforlorn hope became used for any body of troops placed in a hazardous position, e.g., an exposed outpost, or the defenders of anoutwork in advance of the main defensive position.[1] This usage was especially common in accounts of theEnglish Civil War, as well as in theBritish Army in thePeninsular War of 1808–1814. In the days of muzzle-loadingmuskets, the term was most frequently used to refer to the first wave of soldiers attacking a breach in defenses during asiege.
While it was likely that most members of the forlorn hope would be killed or wounded, the intention was that some would survive long enough to seize a foothold that could be reinforced, or, at least, that a second wave with better prospects could be sent in while the defenders were reloading or engaged in mopping up the remnants of the first wave.[1] That said, such soldiers were rarely suicidal or foolhardy: British troops of the forlorn hope at the 1812Siege of Badajoz carried a large bag (5–6 feet (1.5–1.8 m) by 2 feet (0.61 m) in diameter) stuffed with hay or straw, which was thrown down into the enemy trenches to create a cushion and prevent injury as they jumped down.[13][14]
A forlorn hope may have been composed of volunteers and conscripted criminals, and were frequently led by ambitious junior officers with hopes of personal advancement: if the volunteers survived, and performed courageously, they would be expected to benefit in the form of promotions, cash gifts, and added glory to their name (a military tradition at least as old as the Roman Republic[15]). The commanding officer was virtually guaranteed both a promotion and a long-term boost to his career prospects if he survived.[16]
In consequence, despite the grave risks involved for all concerned, there was often serious competition for the opportunity to lead such an assault and to display conspicuous valor.
The French equivalent of the forlorn hope, calledLes Enfants Perdus ('The Lost Children'), were all guaranteed promotion should they survive. Both enlisted men and officers joined the dangerous mission as an opportunity to raise themselves in the army.[5]
Forlorn hope, for example, has been reinterpreted from the Dutchverloren hoop meaning 'a lost group'
Bait, essentially sacrificed to the enemy onslaught
The phrase "forlorn hope" entered English from Dutch and German in the 17th century. It referred to a suicide mission or, more often, the ambitious and condemned men chosen to execute it.
