Posts: 599 Location: Brooklyn, NY
Fri 15 Feb, 2008 12:50 am
I am a sword &
shield fighter in the SCA and have fought against polearms and two-handed swords often. I have also participated in experiments where we put on steel leg greaves and allow for low leg shots. I also study WMA in the tradition of Liechtenauer, so I have a prospective on both systems. I fight rapier too but that has little bearing here.
In the case of sword & shield vs longsword (or polearm) we have to match weapons and armor, as has been mentioned before. We can assume that the shieldman will have mail or leather armor, a light norman style helmet and either a long kite or a heater with greaves. Greaves seem to appear after 1250 in combination with mail. A polearm or longsword seems to require plate armor in order to have a chance. Since we can't move plate back in time let us move the mail covered shieldman forward into the 15 th century.
One of the issues that was raised is what can the shieldman do to a man in plate with his sword. From my experience in the SCA I know that if I can close the distance and get my shield on the hilt of the two-handed weapon, the two-handed weapon can not easily generate a good swing. Its a game of "sticky fingers" for the shieldman. Keep your shield on his weapon and follow it where it goes. So the shieldman is safe but how can he beat the two-handed weapon. I often get hit with rattan-wood on my 12 gage, 9 lb helmet that is similar to a greathelm. I can take one hard blow no problem. That is all I am ever suppose to get. I say good, the other guy stops swinging. Occasionally, the other person does not hear me and I have gotten two hard, back to back blows. Consecutive blows make a big difference vs single blows. I have had to sit down after consecutive blows. I think 7 or 8 consecutive hard blows would knock me out. People have gotten concussion in the SCA through their helmets. Mind you that this is with rattan swords that absorb some of the impact and helmets at the high end of historical helms with a half inch of cell foam. Most 15th century bassinets are lighter then SCA helms and steel swords strike harder then rattan-wood.
From the prospective of the longsword (or polearm) it is ideal to fight the shieldman from the edge of their range. If he can backpeddle, the two-handed weapon can make horizontal strikes across the top of the shield or thrust into what ever corner the shieldman is looking out from. Low shots are good at that range too. Even if the shieldman has a long kite, a longsword (especially a polearm) can generate enough force at the bottom to rotate the shield and open up other opportunities. If he sheildman has greaves, a longsword (especially a polearm) can still do damage. Even if the leg is not broken you feel a wave of pain up your leg from the impact. The heater will likely attempt to sword -block any low leg blows. Most polearms can also effectively hook a shield at longrange and follow up with a thrust. If the sheildman closes, the two-handed weapon has three main options. (1) A hard check, followed by more back peddling and range fighting. (2) Rolling to the shield-side with a high horizontal strike to the head. (3) Throwing his shoulder into the shield and striking back with the false edge of his sword over the top of his shield on the sword-side. The shieldmans helmet will likely be under 3 lbs and any high horizontal strikes or stikes with the false edge over the shield will have him seeing stars.
What I said above applies mostly to singles combat or small skirmishes. Mass battles are won by organization, planning, logistics, discipline, troop maneuvers, technology and troop numbers. Its far more complicated then this type of soldier vs that type of soldier.