Sweboz Wedges

**DavidSmith** · 05-31-2007, 03:48

According to Tacitus, Ceasar and other ancient historians, the Sweboz (and other Germanic tribes), fought in what is loosely translated as 'boars-head' or wedges. Should the Sweboz infantry have that special formation capability?

Dave
http://www.miniwars.com

**Marcus Cornelius** · 05-31-2007, 04:30

Unfortunately, I don't think it is possible to give the wedge formation to infantry. Even if it is possible, wedge doesn't do much.

**blitzkrieg80** · 05-31-2007, 04:57

it allows honorable death- vanguard first

isolation is not helpful along a shieldwall, although forcing a hole in your enemy's does work occaisionally... sadly enough, the USA Civil War has similar battleline tactics

on a more serious note, the wedge formation was very much used by the Germanic tribes and should be accurately represented- but is it only for cavalry?

using the wedge formation with cavalry in RTW doesn't do much, so it's accurate to warfare

**QwertyMIDX** · 05-31-2007, 05:36

I know we tried this a long time ago. We couldn't get it to work then and I don't think anything has changed since.

**russia almighty** · 05-31-2007, 06:08

I don't think I've ever figured out how to use the wedge .

**kalkwerk** · 05-31-2007, 06:58

Originally Posted by russia almighty

I don't think I've ever figured out how to use the wedge .

The wedge formation is only good for one thing. If you want you cavalry to move in between two enemy units without actually attacking them, so that you later can make a charge in their back. For the charge itself a normal formation is always better in my experience.

**Kralizec** · 05-31-2007, 11:10

I suppose you could edit the "horde" formation to look like a triangle, but I don't think it would actually do anything.

Cavalry wedge is pretty useless - the wedge of a full strength cavalry unit is longer then infantry formations are deep

Originally Posted by Kalkwerk

The wedge formation is only good for one thing. If you want you cavalry to move in between two enemy units without actually attacking them, so that you later can make a charge in their back. For the charge itself a normal formation is always better in my experience.

I just form them into a collumn in such cases.

**QwertyMIDX** · 05-31-2007, 18:36

Originally Posted by Kralizec

I suppose you could edit the "horde" formation to look like a triangle, but I don't think it would actually do anything.

Yeah, and I've been told that units route using the horde formation too, so everyone would start routing in a triangle.

**Shigawire** · 05-31-2007, 19:20

Vikings did this too, they called it "Svinefylking" - I'll check A Handbook of Germanic Etymology and see if I find something similar.

**The_Mark** · 05-31-2007, 20:12

Originally Posted by QwertyMIDX

Yeah, and I've been told that units route using the horde formation too, so everyone would start routing in a triangle.

Exactly. Also, the wedges would always point to North.

**BigTex** · 05-31-2007, 19:26

Originally Posted by Kralizec

I suppose you could edit the "horde" formation to look like a triangle, but I don't think it would actually do anything.

Cavalry wedge is pretty useless - the wedge of a full strength cavalry unit is longer then infantry formations are deep

I just form them into a collumn in such cases.

If you edited the formation to be as compact as possible and maybe boost their mass you might get something. Might look a little similar, but the result would look more like roman wedges.

I've found using the testudo often allows you to force a gap in an enemy line, and results in few casualties.

**Rhipsaspis** · 05-31-2007, 20:11

From what I've read (not a whole lot on the germans so don't take my word as law), it would seem that the "Boar's Head" wasn't intended as a wedge shape, it started off as a square but as it approached enemy lines for the charge the senior warriors along with the chief would rush forward first (the chief being front and centre with his retinue either side) with the less experienced men on the flanks having a tendency to hang back, thus producing the "wedge" shape that the ancient historians attest to. I'm sure one of the team can fill us in