Echelon formation

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An echelon formation (/ˈɛʃəlɒn, ˈeɪʃlɒ̃/)^[1] is a (usually military) formation in which its units are arranged diagonally. Each unit is stationed behind and to the right (a "right echelon"), or behind and to the left ("left echelon"), of the unit ahead. The name of the formation comes from the French word échelon, meaning a rung of a ladder, which describes the shape that this formation has when viewed from above or below.