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This
article was written and formatted by Daved Kavanagh for Shields
of the Shattered Isle. If you wish to link to it please use the
email address at the bottom of the page
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A main part of the military tactics used by the Vikings, among others, was the use of Shield Walls to provide cover for advancing and defending troops. These would provide not only a parry for melee attacks but were big enough to prvide full cover from arrow, Spear, slingshot and other missile weapons. It is important to remember though that while a formidable force, a line of Shieldmen was not invunerable and the use of shiled formations would not, it can safely be said, be in isolation. In the formations below it would not be uncommon for the second rank to have spears protruding over and between the men in front since attacking with a weapon whilst in close formation is ardous at best. Never the less, a well skilled and drilled Shield wall must surely have been a headache for an infantry commander to attack or defend against. Below are some typical configurations which have been tested, through trial and error, and their effectiveness reviewed |
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This first arrangement is the one that we ourselves most typically
use. Its strength comes from overlapping the Shields in one direction
so at any point in the wall it is being braced by two men. This
is acheived by holding the shield (by the centre) and pressing the
left forearm hard against the overlapping shield of the man next
to you. We have found this to be both strong manageable. As with
the other tight formations, the front rank being able to actually
attack with a weapon is very limited suggesting that a second rank
with spears would be the best compliment. |
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 This
variation on the other hand, while providing more flexibility (see
boar-snout below) is less rigid and more difficult to keep. Unlike
the Fish-scale arrangement above which can be kept in shape because
the shields are firmly braced, here it is much more common for a
side to lag and bend the whole wall out of shape. As well as this,
although the centre shield is well braced the further from that
centre you go the less stable it becomes. The example here is only
13 shields, imagine how much more pronounced this would become with
many many more shields. |
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In this example the shields are noticably further apart, roughly
tip to tip. While difficult to keep in a straight line and evenly
spaced this provides excellent cover for men between and behind
the shields and allows even Archers or slingshots to shoot between
at oncoming troops while remaining protected. It is also a fairly
straighforward (though by no means easy) task to reform into any
of the other tighter formations. Skirmishers and spearmen can similarly
use the relative safety of the protective line from which to fight
and can duck back if the situation warrants. It is also possible
that a formation such as this might have been a show of force. A
large number of these large shields, each brightly painted, tip
to tip across the battlefield would have been quite a sight. As
that same line moves and locks together quickly and solidly and
begins to advance it is not too much to suppose that more than one
warrior on the business end might think twice. |
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This
variant shows one of the ways to form shields to protect from
arrows and other volleys. Notice that every other man stacks his
shield above the line of the others to create a higher protective
wall. And although it can become rather claustraphobic for those
on the bottom its certainly alot safer than individuals each hiding
behind a single shield, a feat more difficult for some than others.
This
last arrangement is a variation that can be made more easily from
the centre-out pattern than from the fish-scale as I mentioned
above. In this case a wedge is formed and filled with scirmishing
warriors and this protrudes from the remaining wall. The whole
wall then charges forward and attempts to "punch" through
an opposing wall, open out and the scirmishers (theoretically)
run amuk.
The only problem being that if you have a well drilled opponent
there is a countering move that more or less negates its effectiveness.
This consists unsurprisingly of doing exactly the opposite, making
an indentation into which the wedge fits. Having said this, the
momentum of the charge is often still enough to push through.
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n.b. This information has been gained through trial and error and our own experience. While the formations used may have a historical basis this article in no way implies that these are authetically accurate tactics and should be used for guidance only.