shock troops

Shock troops or assault troops are formations created to lead an attack. "Shock troop" is a calque, a loose translation of the German word Stoßtrupp. Military units which contain assault troops are typically organized for mobility with the intention that they will penetrate through enemy defenses and attack into the enemy's vulnerable rear areas.

Shock troop might refer to:

• Shock troops, troops intended to lead an attack
• Shock Troopers, an arcade game
• Shock Troops (album), an album by punk rock band Cock Sparrer, released in 1982
• Creatures in the Half-Life series#Shock Troopers, a fictional alien species of Race X, from the computer game Half-Life: Opposing Force
• Shock Troop (film), a 1934 German film
• Shock Troops (film), a 1967 French film
• Shock (troupe), an English music/mime/dance/pop group