diff --git a/Documentation/detach-head.txt b/Documentation/detach-head.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..bb6f5d7843
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Documentation/detach-head.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,132 @@
+HEAD normally refers to a named branch (e.g. 'master'). Meanwhile, each
+branch refers to a specific commit. Let's look at a repo with three
+commits, one of them tagged, and with branch 'master' checked out:
+
+------------
+           HEAD (refers to branch 'master')
+            |
+            v
+a---b---c  branch 'master' (refers to commit 'c')
+    ^
+    |
+  tag 'v2.0' (refers to commit 'b')
+------------
+
+When a commit is created in this state, the branch is updated to refer to
+the new commit. Specifically, 'git commit' creates a new commit 'd', whose
+parent is commit 'c', and then updates branch 'master' to refer to new
+commit 'd'. HEAD still refers to branch 'master' and so indirectly now refers
+to commit 'd':
+
+------------
+$ edit; git add; git commit
+
+               HEAD (refers to branch 'master')
+                |
+                v
+a---b---c---d  branch 'master' (refers to commit 'd')
+    ^
+    |
+  tag 'v2.0' (refers to commit 'b')
+------------
+
+It is sometimes useful to be able to checkout a commit that is not at
+the tip of any named branch, or even to create a new commit that is not
+referenced by a named branch. Let's look at what happens when we
+checkout commit 'b' (here we show two ways this may be done):
+
+------------
+$ git checkout v2.0  # or
+$ git checkout master^^
+
+   HEAD (refers to commit 'b')
+    |
+    v
+a---b---c---d  branch 'master' (refers to commit 'd')
+    ^
+    |
+  tag 'v2.0' (refers to commit 'b')
+------------
+
+Notice that regardless of which checkout command we use, HEAD now refers
+directly to commit 'b'. This is known as being in detached HEAD state.
+It means simply that HEAD refers to a specific commit, as opposed to
+referring to a named branch. Let's see what happens when we create a commit:
+
+------------
+$ edit; git add; git commit
+
+     HEAD (refers to commit 'e')
+      |
+      v
+      e
+     /
+a---b---c---d  branch 'master' (refers to commit 'd')
+    ^
+    |
+  tag 'v2.0' (refers to commit 'b')
+------------
+
+There is now a new commit 'e', but it is referenced only by HEAD. We can
+of course add yet another commit in this state:
+
+------------
+$ edit; git add; git commit
+
+         HEAD (refers to commit 'f')
+          |
+          v
+      e---f
+     /
+a---b---c---d  branch 'master' (refers to commit 'd')
+    ^
+    |
+  tag 'v2.0' (refers to commit 'b')
+------------
+
+In fact, we can perform all the normal Git operations. But, let's look
+at what happens when we then checkout master:
+
+------------
+$ git checkout master
+
+               HEAD (refers to branch 'master')
+      e---f     |
+     /          v
+a---b---c---d  branch 'master' (refers to commit 'd')
+    ^
+    |
+  tag 'v2.0' (refers to commit 'b')
+------------
+
+It is important to realize that at this point nothing refers to commit
+'f'. Eventually commit 'f' (and by extension commit 'e') will be deleted
+by the routine Git garbage collection process, unless we create a reference
+before that happens. If we have not yet moved away from commit 'f',
+any of these will create a reference to it:
+
+------------
+$ git checkout -b foo   <1>
+$ git branch foo        <2>
+$ git tag foo           <3>
+------------
+
+<1> creates a new branch 'foo', which refers to commit 'f', and then
+updates HEAD to refer to branch 'foo'. In other words, we'll no longer
+be in detached HEAD state after this command.
+
+<2> similarly creates a new branch 'foo', which refers to commit 'f',
+but leaves HEAD detached.
+
+<3> creates a new tag 'foo', which refers to commit 'f',
+leaving HEAD detached.
+
+If we have moved away from commit 'f', then we must first recover its object
+name (typically by using git reflog), and then we can create a reference to
+it. For example, to see the last two commits to which HEAD referred, we
+can use either of these commands:
+
+------------
+$ git reflog -2 HEAD # or
+$ git log -g -2 HEAD
+------------
diff --git a/Documentation/git-checkout.txt b/Documentation/git-checkout.txt
index 65bd1bc50d..25887a6087 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-checkout.txt
+++ b/Documentation/git-checkout.txt
@@ -306,138 +306,7 @@ leave out at most one of `A` and `B`, in which case it defaults to `HEAD`.
 
 DETACHED HEAD
 -------------
-HEAD normally refers to a named branch (e.g. 'master'). Meanwhile, each
-branch refers to a specific commit. Let's look at a repo with three
-commits, one of them tagged, and with branch 'master' checked out:
-
-------------
-           HEAD (refers to branch 'master')
-            |
-            v
-a---b---c  branch 'master' (refers to commit 'c')
-    ^
-    |
-  tag 'v2.0' (refers to commit 'b')
-------------
-
-When a commit is created in this state, the branch is updated to refer to
-the new commit. Specifically, 'git commit' creates a new commit 'd', whose
-parent is commit 'c', and then updates branch 'master' to refer to new
-commit 'd'. HEAD still refers to branch 'master' and so indirectly now refers
-to commit 'd':
-
-------------
-$ edit; git add; git commit
-
-               HEAD (refers to branch 'master')
-                |
-                v
-a---b---c---d  branch 'master' (refers to commit 'd')
-    ^
-    |
-  tag 'v2.0' (refers to commit 'b')
-------------
-
-It is sometimes useful to be able to checkout a commit that is not at
-the tip of any named branch, or even to create a new commit that is not
-referenced by a named branch. Let's look at what happens when we
-checkout commit 'b' (here we show two ways this may be done):
-
-------------
-$ git checkout v2.0  # or
-$ git checkout master^^
-
-   HEAD (refers to commit 'b')
-    |
-    v
-a---b---c---d  branch 'master' (refers to commit 'd')
-    ^
-    |
-  tag 'v2.0' (refers to commit 'b')
-------------
-
-Notice that regardless of which checkout command we use, HEAD now refers
-directly to commit 'b'. This is known as being in detached HEAD state.
-It means simply that HEAD refers to a specific commit, as opposed to
-referring to a named branch. Let's see what happens when we create a commit:
-
-------------
-$ edit; git add; git commit
-
-     HEAD (refers to commit 'e')
-      |
-      v
-      e
-     /
-a---b---c---d  branch 'master' (refers to commit 'd')
-    ^
-    |
-  tag 'v2.0' (refers to commit 'b')
-------------
-
-There is now a new commit 'e', but it is referenced only by HEAD. We can
-of course add yet another commit in this state:
-
-------------
-$ edit; git add; git commit
-
-	 HEAD (refers to commit 'f')
-	  |
-	  v
-      e---f
-     /
-a---b---c---d  branch 'master' (refers to commit 'd')
-    ^
-    |
-  tag 'v2.0' (refers to commit 'b')
-------------
-
-In fact, we can perform all the normal Git operations. But, let's look
-at what happens when we then checkout master:
-
-------------
-$ git checkout master
-
-               HEAD (refers to branch 'master')
-      e---f     |
-     /          v
-a---b---c---d  branch 'master' (refers to commit 'd')
-    ^
-    |
-  tag 'v2.0' (refers to commit 'b')
-------------
-
-It is important to realize that at this point nothing refers to commit
-'f'. Eventually commit 'f' (and by extension commit 'e') will be deleted
-by the routine Git garbage collection process, unless we create a reference
-before that happens. If we have not yet moved away from commit 'f',
-any of these will create a reference to it:
-
-------------
-$ git checkout -b foo   <1>
-$ git branch foo        <2>
-$ git tag foo           <3>
-------------
-
-<1> creates a new branch 'foo', which refers to commit 'f', and then
-updates HEAD to refer to branch 'foo'. In other words, we'll no longer
-be in detached HEAD state after this command.
-
-<2> similarly creates a new branch 'foo', which refers to commit 'f',
-but leaves HEAD detached.
-
-<3> creates a new tag 'foo', which refers to commit 'f',
-leaving HEAD detached.
-
-If we have moved away from commit 'f', then we must first recover its object
-name (typically by using git reflog), and then we can create a reference to
-it. For example, to see the last two commits to which HEAD referred, we
-can use either of these commands:
-
-------------
-$ git reflog -2 HEAD # or
-$ git log -g -2 HEAD
-------------
+include::detach-head.txt[]
 
 ARGUMENT DISAMBIGUATION
 -----------------------
