Thevanguard (sometimes abbreviated tovan and also called theadvance guard) is the leading part of an advancingmilitary formation. It has a number of functions, including seeking out the enemy and securing ground in advance of the main force.
Innaval warfare the van is the advance ship, or fleet, that will make the initial engagement with an enemyfleet.
The vanguard derives from the traditional division of amedieval army into threebattles orwards; the Van, the Main (or Middle), and theRear.[1] The term originated from the medieval Frenchavant-garde, i.e. "the advance guard". The vanguard would lead the line of march and would deploy first on the field of battle, either in front of the other wards or to the right if they deployed inline.
The makeup of the vanguard of a15th centuryBurgundian army is a typical example. This consisted of:
In an English force ofthe period, the foreriders of the vanguard would be accompanied by the harbingers, whose job was to locate lodgings for the army for the following night.[3]
In modern times, the word can also be referred to as a group of people leading the way in new developments or ideas.
DuringWorld War II, theRed Army began formingad hoc vanguard formations called "forward detachments"(peredovye otriady), fromarmy,corps anddivisional units. Forward detachments brought together the mobile (motorized or mechanized) elements of the parent formation to play an exploitation role once a breakthrough of the German lines occurred. A rifle division, for example, might mount one or twobattalions ofinfantry on trucks, with motorizedantitank guns and motorizedartillery in support.[4]
