Waterloo may be a good and most recent guide to this type of tactic and its effect. The massed charge of the French heavies on the British and Allied line could have swung this battle but the infantry moving into a square formation (a four sided phalanx?) stopped this succeeding. Is this the most modern example of a phalanx in effective operation?

All bar two of the squares survived the charge. Other less well protected units didn't. Imagery of the battle shows the french cavalry after the intial contact circling the squares using missile (pistols) rather than a headlong crash into the massed infantry ranks. And these were the best (equip/horses/training/experience) heavy cavalry around at the time....... having about two hours earlier destroyed the british heavy cavalry......

Heres the latest media coverage of the action
http://www.britishbattles.com/waterl...ssiers-450.jpg