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Post by Jason Aiken on Feb 2, 2016 13:16:41 GMT -5
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Post by Von K on Feb 2, 2016 15:21:11 GMT -5
Thanks Jason.
I remember reading the Cimmerian one when Deuce posted it on the old forum, but wasn't aware of the others.
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Post by trescuinge on Apr 26, 2016 21:42:17 GMT -5
Did Howard read Sir Charles Oman's 'Art of War in the Middle Ages'? It gives detailed descriptions of the feudal knight, the Swiss pikeman, and the English archer, all good prototypes for the elements of Conan's Aquilonian army. The Gundermen for instance are fierce, steadfast pikemen who are famous as mercenaries. Oman on the Battle of St. Jakob an der Birs sounds alot like Howard: www.kartenplanet.ch/schweiz/basel-land/15048/mathaeus-merian-die-schlacht-bei-st.jakob-an-der-birs"The battle of St. Jacob, mad and unnecessary though it was, might serve as an example to deter the boldest enemy from meddling with men who preferred annihilation to retreat. Possessed by the single idea that their phalanx could bear down any obstacle, the Confederates deliberately crossed the Birs in face of an army of fifteen times their strength. They attacked it, broke its centre, and were then surrounded by its overwhelming numbers. Compelled to 'form the hedgehog' in order to resist the tremendous cavalry charges directed against them, they remained rooted to the spot for the remainder of the day. The Dauphin launched squadron after squadron at them, but each in its turn was hurled back in disorder. In the intervals between these onsets the French light troops poured in their missiles, but though the clump of pikes and halberds grew smaller it still remained impenetrable. Not until the evening was the fighting ended, and then 6000 Armagnacs lay dead around the heap of Swiss corpses in the centre. Louis saw that a few such victories would destroy his whole army, and turned back into Alsace, leaving Switzerland unmolested."
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Post by deuce on Apr 27, 2016 19:14:53 GMT -5
Did Howard read Sir Charles Oman's 'Art of War in the Middle Ages'? It gives detailed descriptions of the feudal knight, the Swiss pikeman, and the English archer, all good prototypes for the elements of Conan's Aquilonian army. The Gundermen for instance are fierce, steadfast pikemen who are famous as mercenaries. Oman on the Battle of St. Jakob an der Birs sounds alot like Howard: www.kartenplanet.ch/schweiz/basel-land/15048/mathaeus-merian-die-schlacht-bei-st.jakob-an-der-birs"The battle of St. Jacob, mad and unnecessary though it was, might serve as an example to deter the boldest enemy from meddling with men who preferred annihilation to retreat. Possessed by the single idea that their phalanx could bear down any obstacle, the Confederates deliberately crossed the Birs in face of an army of fifteen times their strength. They attacked it, broke its centre, and were then surrounded by its overwhelming numbers. Compelled to 'form the hedgehog' in order to resist the tremendous cavalry charges directed against them, they remained rooted to the spot for the remainder of the day. The Dauphin launched squadron after squadron at them, but each in its turn was hurled back in disorder. In the intervals between these onsets the French light troops poured in their missiles, but though the clump of pikes and halberds grew smaller it still remained impenetrable. Not until the evening was the fighting ended, and then 6000 Armagnacs lay dead around the heap of Swiss corpses in the centre. Louis saw that a few such victories would destroy his whole army, and turned back into Alsace, leaving Switzerland unmolested." The problem with this thread is that it inevitably degenerates into this type of thing. Each new essay from Holmes about a Hyborian Age army then degenerates into talking about the culture that spawned it. Then you have all these posts talking about "Hyperboreans" or "Gundermen". All of that needs threads dedicated to each country. It's been said before (by REH, not least) that a nation's military reflects its culture. Holmes looks at the military culture of each HA kingdom. That can't be done in a vacuum, thread-wise, in a coherent fashion.
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