Two-dimensional wakes behind a body force acting inside a small circular area are investigated using direct numerical simulations. The flows induced by a single force are asymptotically related to the far-field wakes of a bluff body but belong to a wider class of flows because the problem contains an extra control parameter. Stable (almost parallel) wakes as well as regular vortex streets similar to those observed in the wakes of bluff bodies were obtained in our simulations. The behavior of the frequency of vortex shedding in the unstable wakes is described in detail for different values of the main control parameters of the flow, namely the amplitude of the forcing, the velocity of the stream, the size of the forcing area and the kinematic viscosity of fluid. Two different regimes of vortex shedding were observed in the space of these control parameters. Transition between the regimes is characterized by a rapid drop in frequency. The relation between the flows generated by a force and those past a circular cylinder is identified.
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