page_title: Companion cavalry
section_title: Tactics and use
hierarchical_section_title: Companion cavalry / Unit / Tactics and use
caption_attribution_description: עברית: על פי התמונה ב: The army of Alexander the Great מאת ניק סקונדה, הוצאת אוספרי, עמוד 13
context_page_description: The Companions were the elite cavalry of the Macedonian army from the time of king Philip II of Macedon, achieved their greatest prestige under Alexander the Great, and have been regarded as the first or among the first shock cavalry used in Europe. Chosen Companions, or Hetairoi, formed the elite guard of the king.
context_section_description: The Companions probably constituted the first real shock cavalry in history, able to conduct charges against massed infantry, even if such use is scarcely described in the ancient sources. Contemporary cavalry, even when heavily armored, would most usually be equipped with javelins and would avoid melee.
  In battle, it would form part of a hammer and anvil tactic: the Companion cavalry would be used as a hammer, in conjunction with the Macedonian phalanx-based infantry, which acted as their anvil. The phalanx would pin the enemy in place, while the Companion cavalry would attack the enemy on the flank or from behind.
  In battle, Alexander the Great personally led the charge at the head of the royal squadron of the Companion cavalry, usually in a wedge formation. In a pitched battle, the Companions usually fought on the right wing of the Macedonian army, next to the shield-bearing guards, the hypaspists, who would guard the right flank of the phalanx. Other cavalry troops would protect the flanks of the Macedonian line during battle. Under Alexander's command, the Companions' role was decisive in most of his battles in Asia.
caption: Macedonian Companion cavalry ile in wedge formation
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