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Crossposting some questions I asked in the general Military History thread. I've been reading about the battle of Grunwald (or Tannenberg) and had some questions about late medieval combat. Several of the estimate suggests that both forces were mainly composed of knights - is this realistic? When 10000 knights charge 10000 knights would the combat be more like 10000 duels or a hoplite-style pushing match? In lots of accounts I've read about knights charging over their own infantry, did this actually happen and if so was it a deliberate tactic? In Grunwald the commanders of both armies were standing on hills overlooking the combat for most of the battle. Did commanders have some kind of tactical control on the battlefield or was it just a matter of cheering on the knights as loudly as possible? Was the actual melee very deadly in itself? The bombards employed by the Teutons were apparently not very effective. Could artillery in 1410 actually be expected to be effective (ie kill dudes) or was it more of a terror weapon? I've read some suggestions that those guns were actually hand cannons since it would be unreasonable for a fast-moving army to bring 100 full-sized cannons, what would you think?
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Jan 26, 2013 12:46
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Railtus posted:The only reference I have to knights trampling their own men was at Crecy, when the Genoese crossbowmen mercenaries retreated. I might find other examples if I looked but I think that was just the French being very disorganised at the time. Thank you for your answers. These two pages both mention the Order knights trampling their own men as they were being routed by the Lithuanians at the opening stage of the battle. Especially in the first one it seems like an attempt at vilifying the Teutons, which is why I asked.
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Jan 26, 2013 17:48
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Godholio posted:A lot of Europe doesn't have terrain like that. And I can't think of a single example, outside of movies, where someone gained control of a castle by doing that. There's Alexander's siege of the Sogdian Rock. But then it's a story about Alexander the Great so it has a high likelihood of being made up.
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Dec 12, 2013 12:46
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HEY GAL posted:That's about attacking like a big old idiot though, not aesthetic/cultural appreciation for the weapon as an honorable object.  bayonet  ")
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Oct 28, 2014 07:14
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How do you even draw a 180# bow on horseback? Or is it for lying on your back and pulling with your feet?
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Nov 22, 2014 21:12
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