SherWood Archers

[Mega Dux Bob]

I only remember Forlorn Hope with 2 hitpoints, they could annihilate generals!
And a bullet sponge wouldn't be made of people who could use two-handed swords because that took quite a lot of experience as far as I know. So they basically are the veteran troops.

They weren't using those two handed swords for hand to hand combat.

http://miniatures.de/html/int/nomenclature02.html

verlorne Haufe (G)
Forlorn Hope Literally a "lost bunch" of Imperial skirmishers, usually armed with two-handed swords and halberds, who ran ahead of the army to disrupt enemy pike blocks. Musketeers and arquebusiers were similarly employed. The task was very hazardous, and these troops were written off as casualties as soon as they were comitted to battle.

They were for breaking the enemy's pike shafts