Arm Chair Generals: Spear Weapon
Jan 13, 2023 22:25:57 GMT -6
Post by saintofm on Jan 13, 2023 22:25:57 GMT -6
Hello, new to the forum. As I am trying to find a way to add in another 35k words to what I m writing, might as well share some stuff i have gleaned over the eyar.
Please keep in mind this is as much to fill gaps in my knowledge, spark there to share what they know, and I am not a historian, LARPER, or a practitioner of HEMA or a more usual form of martial artists, so grain of salt clause right up front.
This said, we will be talking about spears. One of the most universal of human weapons and arguably the one with the longest use. After all, what is the purpose of a bayonet if not to turn one's riffle into a spear. Because of how long it has been used as a tool of war, and how many cultures separated by continent and time have developed their own, has dubbed the spear the "King of Weapons."
I will focus on four main areas: Standard, Javelin, Lance, and Pike.
For all intensive purposes, a spear is a long stick with a pointy end. After bludgeoning weapons like staffs and clubs, and it probably didn't take long for early humans to realize putting a pointy end at the end of their stick kills stuff good. Furthered when they put a sharpened rock, Obsidian (volcanic glass) and later on metal would further this killing potential.
While many are as tall as the user, longer ones add length which is the main advantage of a spear. The Length it has given you breathing room. It can be used in tandem with a shield, or with a pair of good hands for added strength. That said, the Greek Phalanx found a way to make shields strap on so they could use both hands and a shield needed. But this is not limited to this.
Shorten the spear, and you have a nice one-handed stabbing weapon like the Zulu Iklwa which had the same stabbing purpose of say most short swords. You could also keep the length and have a dart, like the illegal Lawn Darts from back in the day. Make it longer and you have a perfect throwing weapon like a javelin (although most normal spears could be thrown as well). Maek it longer, and you have a lance. Longer still and you have a Pike, which is one of the ultimate weapons. Because its simplicity allows it to take many forms, you can have lots of varieties.
Another advantage of the spear is how easy it is to train with. Everyone from the lowliest of peasant to the greatest of lords can train with it and make it work. And while the sword gets more glory, one has to look as say Zhao Yun as depicted in Dynasty Warriors or the film Red Cliffs that it can made of pure awesome. I remember watching one of the military history channels years ago, and they had an episode on 10 greatest weapons, they took a look at the pike in particular. In an experiment, they took a Rugby team and to see how long it could take to train them in the weapon. Within 2 hours they went from a group of rowdy men to marching in formation.
Its also cheaper to replace than say sword. A wooden shaft can be made, and the if all else fails, a new medal blade can be remade. The only reason they are not the main weapon now is the prevalence of modern firepower having gradually replaced it.
Out of the standard spears, my favorite 2 are the varieties used by the Greek Hoplites called a Dory. About 15 feet long, it had strong spear head on one end and a but spike on the other that had 3 main uses.
1. Counter Ballance. This was its main job. Made holding it level much easier and less strain on the warrior wielding it.
2. Plant in the ground for stability. This is largely for the occasional cavalry charge for support. Yes, most horses are smart enough to not run into a wall of spikes, but a motivated stallion can still charge an opponent. and there is this video from a group of reenactors.
3. If all else fails, something to keep stabbing people with. Weapons wear out, and sometimes a well-used spear loses its pointy end. This way you can still keep it if you don't want to go to your side arm just yet.
I also like the Boar Spear. More a hunting weapon than a war one, but as Forged in Fire Mentioned, it could be used there, it was made to keep a boar from killing the hunter. It does this by having a bar behind the pointy bit. With a regular spear, the boar might keep charging through, skewering itself more, but getting close enough to gore you with their tusks. The bar keeps the belligerent animal from doing this.
Javalins are meant to be thrown. They can be used in melee, but they tend to be lighter than a typical spear and therefor not as sturdy. That said, they can go quit a distance, and throwing spears and darts were probably the first range weapon invented by humans. They were often used by light skirmishers that carried several. Often used to harass enemy units, especially when fighting at the flanks of the enemy. They could also be carried by heavy units. Romans often softened up the enemy by throwing a pair of javelins at their enemy.
Its this type, the Pilum, is my favorite of their stuff. It had a long metal shaft, which gave it a unique look. While this made it easy to pierce enemy combatants, their primary purpose was to get stuck in the enemy shields. Most shields are largely made of wooden planks so once it got in its head would keep it in like a barbed quill. They would then make it difficult to wield so the wearer would have to either take the time to remove the javalin, making them a sitting duck, or drop it and leave them vulnerable. To deal with
One problem a javalin has is that once it lands you can take it out of the ground or your friend and throw it back. The Pilum solves this issue by its long shaft: It bends or breaks, making it useless.
Other than this, the main weakness of a javelin is they can only be thrown so far, gold winning Olympian arm or not. And you can carry so many befre you have to go back for more.
Lances are another fun one. From Medieval Knights to the first Nation Peoples of the American Midwest, the lance was a popular weapon for horseback. Sooner or later a horse born culture will develop the lance as its length made getting to the enemy faster. While a tournament lance would wall apart, usually by design, war ones less so, and with all the speed and power of a horse in full gallop focus on the point of the spear, you were bound to get maximum impact on the damage. Even in the time of the early fire armies, this was often a popular weapon with some units. While cavalry sabers with becoming more common for the remaining heavy cavalry (they would see their last hurrah at the defeat of Napoleon), The Winged Hussars of Polland and Lithuania still made used of them until about the 1500s I think. There they would charge an enemy formation, come bac for any lance that broke, charge the enemy and wash rinse and repeat.
I can see a couple problems with it through. The Length means that is will be heavier, and more akward than say a spear. One of the reasons why the knightly one has its handle shape that allows it to be couched in one's armpit. I see, depending on the style, most of it being used on the charge, but it could probably have some thrust abilities here and there.
Finally Pike. At over twenty Feet Long, they needed both hands to use, the length made attacking the with anything but a block of another hundred men with pikes would be just suicide. They could change face to deal with a side charge, but attacking their flanks or rear would have been the best ways to deal with them in combat short of your own pike formation. Said formations often had men armed with glaives with hooks to push up or hack the pikes. Most would be made with good sturdy poles so most would not break, but its believed the hook could catch some and allow itto be pushed up, and then you could swing the heavy blade down. Great Swords were also popular. Some of the more famous ones like the Swiss and German Flamberge (famous for its slam like swigles in its shape hence its name), or the zweihander (the latter being the closes we will get to a Final Fantasy great sword). THe later, besides being a big big, had a very large handle that made pushing up pikes even easier. With them aimed up, your firnedly ones can get to the men weilding them. Of course these men with the big swords being in the front lines were given the best pay.
They were very popular amongst the mercenaries, particularly in Italy and German States, during the renaissance.
A popular formation was often called the "Spanish Square" which was often used in Pike in Shot Formations. The Pike and Shot had units of pikemen march forward while soldiers armed with crossbows, and then firearms like the Aquabus, to support them. By the time Muskets reached the height of their popularity, most armies tossed the pike aside for the firepower. Until then they were support.
Speaking of which, the flanks were still in need of protection so units of men with breastplates, swords and shields for Spain and parts of Italy, and breastplates and halberds for German and Swiss armies. Pikes were often used on ships because their length made hitting the enemy easier. After a while, they were phased out completely, leaving them largely a ceremonial piece of the Swiss Guard (the Pope's personal bodyguard and technically the world's smallest army).
Their main weakness, besides the flanks, is range weapons and of course if you do whittle them down to a couple dozen men, you might as well go with a side arm.
So anything I miss, anything that helped people figure out their fight scenes? Anything to change in the future for posts like this?
Please keep in mind this is as much to fill gaps in my knowledge, spark there to share what they know, and I am not a historian, LARPER, or a practitioner of HEMA or a more usual form of martial artists, so grain of salt clause right up front.
This said, we will be talking about spears. One of the most universal of human weapons and arguably the one with the longest use. After all, what is the purpose of a bayonet if not to turn one's riffle into a spear. Because of how long it has been used as a tool of war, and how many cultures separated by continent and time have developed their own, has dubbed the spear the "King of Weapons."
I will focus on four main areas: Standard, Javelin, Lance, and Pike.
For all intensive purposes, a spear is a long stick with a pointy end. After bludgeoning weapons like staffs and clubs, and it probably didn't take long for early humans to realize putting a pointy end at the end of their stick kills stuff good. Furthered when they put a sharpened rock, Obsidian (volcanic glass) and later on metal would further this killing potential.
While many are as tall as the user, longer ones add length which is the main advantage of a spear. The Length it has given you breathing room. It can be used in tandem with a shield, or with a pair of good hands for added strength. That said, the Greek Phalanx found a way to make shields strap on so they could use both hands and a shield needed. But this is not limited to this.
Shorten the spear, and you have a nice one-handed stabbing weapon like the Zulu Iklwa which had the same stabbing purpose of say most short swords. You could also keep the length and have a dart, like the illegal Lawn Darts from back in the day. Make it longer and you have a perfect throwing weapon like a javelin (although most normal spears could be thrown as well). Maek it longer, and you have a lance. Longer still and you have a Pike, which is one of the ultimate weapons. Because its simplicity allows it to take many forms, you can have lots of varieties.
Another advantage of the spear is how easy it is to train with. Everyone from the lowliest of peasant to the greatest of lords can train with it and make it work. And while the sword gets more glory, one has to look as say Zhao Yun as depicted in Dynasty Warriors or the film Red Cliffs that it can made of pure awesome. I remember watching one of the military history channels years ago, and they had an episode on 10 greatest weapons, they took a look at the pike in particular. In an experiment, they took a Rugby team and to see how long it could take to train them in the weapon. Within 2 hours they went from a group of rowdy men to marching in formation.
Its also cheaper to replace than say sword. A wooden shaft can be made, and the if all else fails, a new medal blade can be remade. The only reason they are not the main weapon now is the prevalence of modern firepower having gradually replaced it.
Out of the standard spears, my favorite 2 are the varieties used by the Greek Hoplites called a Dory. About 15 feet long, it had strong spear head on one end and a but spike on the other that had 3 main uses.
1. Counter Ballance. This was its main job. Made holding it level much easier and less strain on the warrior wielding it.
2. Plant in the ground for stability. This is largely for the occasional cavalry charge for support. Yes, most horses are smart enough to not run into a wall of spikes, but a motivated stallion can still charge an opponent. and there is this video from a group of reenactors.
3. If all else fails, something to keep stabbing people with. Weapons wear out, and sometimes a well-used spear loses its pointy end. This way you can still keep it if you don't want to go to your side arm just yet.
I also like the Boar Spear. More a hunting weapon than a war one, but as Forged in Fire Mentioned, it could be used there, it was made to keep a boar from killing the hunter. It does this by having a bar behind the pointy bit. With a regular spear, the boar might keep charging through, skewering itself more, but getting close enough to gore you with their tusks. The bar keeps the belligerent animal from doing this.
Javalins are meant to be thrown. They can be used in melee, but they tend to be lighter than a typical spear and therefor not as sturdy. That said, they can go quit a distance, and throwing spears and darts were probably the first range weapon invented by humans. They were often used by light skirmishers that carried several. Often used to harass enemy units, especially when fighting at the flanks of the enemy. They could also be carried by heavy units. Romans often softened up the enemy by throwing a pair of javelins at their enemy.
Its this type, the Pilum, is my favorite of their stuff. It had a long metal shaft, which gave it a unique look. While this made it easy to pierce enemy combatants, their primary purpose was to get stuck in the enemy shields. Most shields are largely made of wooden planks so once it got in its head would keep it in like a barbed quill. They would then make it difficult to wield so the wearer would have to either take the time to remove the javalin, making them a sitting duck, or drop it and leave them vulnerable. To deal with
One problem a javalin has is that once it lands you can take it out of the ground or your friend and throw it back. The Pilum solves this issue by its long shaft: It bends or breaks, making it useless.
Other than this, the main weakness of a javelin is they can only be thrown so far, gold winning Olympian arm or not. And you can carry so many befre you have to go back for more.
Lances are another fun one. From Medieval Knights to the first Nation Peoples of the American Midwest, the lance was a popular weapon for horseback. Sooner or later a horse born culture will develop the lance as its length made getting to the enemy faster. While a tournament lance would wall apart, usually by design, war ones less so, and with all the speed and power of a horse in full gallop focus on the point of the spear, you were bound to get maximum impact on the damage. Even in the time of the early fire armies, this was often a popular weapon with some units. While cavalry sabers with becoming more common for the remaining heavy cavalry (they would see their last hurrah at the defeat of Napoleon), The Winged Hussars of Polland and Lithuania still made used of them until about the 1500s I think. There they would charge an enemy formation, come bac for any lance that broke, charge the enemy and wash rinse and repeat.
I can see a couple problems with it through. The Length means that is will be heavier, and more akward than say a spear. One of the reasons why the knightly one has its handle shape that allows it to be couched in one's armpit. I see, depending on the style, most of it being used on the charge, but it could probably have some thrust abilities here and there.
Finally Pike. At over twenty Feet Long, they needed both hands to use, the length made attacking the with anything but a block of another hundred men with pikes would be just suicide. They could change face to deal with a side charge, but attacking their flanks or rear would have been the best ways to deal with them in combat short of your own pike formation. Said formations often had men armed with glaives with hooks to push up or hack the pikes. Most would be made with good sturdy poles so most would not break, but its believed the hook could catch some and allow itto be pushed up, and then you could swing the heavy blade down. Great Swords were also popular. Some of the more famous ones like the Swiss and German Flamberge (famous for its slam like swigles in its shape hence its name), or the zweihander (the latter being the closes we will get to a Final Fantasy great sword). THe later, besides being a big big, had a very large handle that made pushing up pikes even easier. With them aimed up, your firnedly ones can get to the men weilding them. Of course these men with the big swords being in the front lines were given the best pay.
They were very popular amongst the mercenaries, particularly in Italy and German States, during the renaissance.
A popular formation was often called the "Spanish Square" which was often used in Pike in Shot Formations. The Pike and Shot had units of pikemen march forward while soldiers armed with crossbows, and then firearms like the Aquabus, to support them. By the time Muskets reached the height of their popularity, most armies tossed the pike aside for the firepower. Until then they were support.
Speaking of which, the flanks were still in need of protection so units of men with breastplates, swords and shields for Spain and parts of Italy, and breastplates and halberds for German and Swiss armies. Pikes were often used on ships because their length made hitting the enemy easier. After a while, they were phased out completely, leaving them largely a ceremonial piece of the Swiss Guard (the Pope's personal bodyguard and technically the world's smallest army).
Their main weakness, besides the flanks, is range weapons and of course if you do whittle them down to a couple dozen men, you might as well go with a side arm.
So anything I miss, anything that helped people figure out their fight scenes? Anything to change in the future for posts like this?
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