Big Shields

[gamerdude873]

I just want remind everyone that romans probably realized the weaknesses of such a large shield, namely the slowness of raising it for protection against over hand strokes. They trained their soldiers with DOUBLE WEIGHT swords AND SHIELDS, probably to account for the shields lack of mobility in combat, efectively allowing the soldier to wield the shield that much easier. I would agree that soldiers would rest the shield on the ground in combat, but given their training, they were definately not restricted to it. If they were, they would be as inflexible as a phalanx, which nearly EVERYONE agrees that legionnares were NOT. Legionnares were probably capable of fortress style combat, but so is a phalanx. What i think really set the Romani apart was that they could easily set up an impregnible defense, then turn on a dime and start moving around and maneuvering again. Their mobile, yet solid style allowed them to defeat phalanxes and even looser barbarian styles.

According to what I've been reading here, The soldier had either the option to manuever, or to stand his ground. His shield would be a bonus either way: it wasn't so big that it couldn't be moved, and he had been trained and exercised enough to do so with greater ease, but it was so big that it was difficult to bypass. If he moved, it would be like a fortress that suddenly sprouted legs. essentially, it's heavy calvary on foot, if you get my meaning. They aren't pinned into an inflexible formation, but their shields offer most or all the benefits of it. In spite of the a looser formation commanders would not have to worry too much about their individual soldiers being isolated and mutilated by infiltration into the ranks because the shield perfrormed so well.

In fact, I would go so far as to propose that the shield allowed rank infiltration to occur with far less damage to the front ranks than with other combat styles. If a phalanx was infiltrated, it was living on borrowed time.

In a charge, the objective is usually to knock the front ranks down or backwards. In a loose order formation with the scutum, (don't forget this shield was really heavy!) if the soldier rested it on the ground, and crouched down behind it, his center of gravity would be lowered, and the shield would be able to protect the soldier given its wieght and keep him on his feet. The body position probably angled the face of the shield slightly upward, thus helping to deflect the force, in addition to the shields curved surface. I can't be certain, but given the formation and if the shields were used this way, men, not just weapons, would be sliding off and bouncing off and tripping because of these shields in a charge onto the ground, given the usual space between each soldier. In other words, it was probably like trying to run into a smooth, slippery, rock solid boulder. Ouch!

Also, in a loose formation there are gaps in the front line. Unlike in a shield wall, which is a giant, continuous target, the individual soldiers would be much more difficult to hit (Smaller targets), and some enemies would either have to stop charging, or carry on through the holes in the front rank to the next row of soldiers to find a target that wasn't already swarmed by friendlies (don't want to get your head cut off by your own men!). The scutum would allow the legionnare to, at least for some amount of time, be able to fend off multiple foes, thus forcing due to lack of operable space on the enemy side, the enemies behind the ones he was facing to either sit around and throw rocks at each other, or try to get around him into roman ranks. Any enemies who tried to get around him into the back ranks would be undoubtedly killed by the second rank. I recall somewhere that the Romans placed their best soldiers in the front ranks. These men would be able to do just that, or they would be in the rear!

As for offense or charges on the romans part, i cant really add anything new. Only that the flexible style of "loose coherence" allowed them to outmanuever the inflexible formations while remaining solid and orderly enough to penetrate even more lax formations at bay.

Mind you, this is just speculation, I have no credits or resources, just my head and analysis of what's here. Sorry if i repeated someone else, and i haven't read absolutely everything, cause you guys have been writing a lot! Just my own little two cents and thoughts is all I wanted to add.

(GD873 Takes cover behind scutum as historians and people with actual evidence come to tear his ideas apart)