[Bill Duncan]

I have posted this at SFI and FireStryker as well so if it sounds familiar it is.
would like to put together a text on mace, hammer, and axe fighting. The work that I have done using some of the single-handed sword techniques from Tahoffer and Fiore as well as just some of the top of my head since I am working by my self with a pell I don’t get a lot of feedback on what I have been doing whether it is right or wrong.
One thing I have been thinking is the fact that if weapons have a piercing back spike a longer bladed weapon such as a rondel dagger or some kind of long thin bladed dagger must have been used on armored opponents. Now before yall flame me the time period I have been looking in to has been the 15th century and unlike the century that followed from what I have seen the back spikes were not that long, if someone has info to the contrary please let me know. And since armor and arming coats would be a bit hard to get through with just a small back spike the longer blade would be needed.
One thing I have thought was that since there would be no edge damage done to the shaft what some of us call hard blocking would do fine and may help damage or destroy an opponent sword.
One problem I have come up with is the fact that most mass weapons are heavy and hard to stop and would on a miss strike leave you open to a counter strike what I have come up with is bringing it back around for a similar strike that either may hit or at least block and incoming counter strike.
A lot of this is subjective and may not lead anywhere but it has been fun to work on.
Does anyone have any ideas?
Another question I have is were to find a correct axe for this time period? Lutel makes a few are their any others? I have mainly MRL stuff because quite simply the price and it is close. Thanks for the help.
Dunc

[Gavin Kisebach]

I wouldn't worry to much about getting flamed around here, it just isn't cricket.

What kind of text, a book? A report, a fettbuch, an essay?

If you're going to go into any depth, I'd say step one would be to find as many sparring partners as possible, a pell isn't going to cut it. Might I also humbly suggest that you limit the number of impliments discussed, as "mass weapons" is a huge topic area. Start with maces, get a feel for how you plan to structure the thing, then add more weapons one at a time. Again, this is dependent on the size of the volume you'd like to create.

Good luck on your project.

[Bill Duncan]

Hey Gavin
Well it may seem a bit on the bold side (at least to me) but I would like to one day have this as a book mainly because to me this is one of the most over looked aspects of WMA. The weapons that I stated are the ones that were (IMHO) most used on the field. As you said, the structure will go like this. First will be information on the weapon and its parts then what would be the optimum size and weight for the type of fighting it would be used for (i.e., mounted or on foot) then on to the guards then strikes and counter strikes.
As far as using sparring partners, as soon as I find a few I plan to get some help.
Thank you for the kind words will keep yall updated.
Dunc

[Felix Wang]

Bill,

One bizarre suggestion, if I may. There may not have been much written about mass weapons in the West, but have you considered Central European sources? I know that the mace was a very popular weapon among the Polish nobility, up into the 17th century, so there may be something from that country. Also, Hungary made use of a type of axe (fokos?) up into the 20th century, so I understand. Russ Mitchell has mentioned something about it; and there may be Hungarian source material for its use. You might try and get a hold of him.

[Bill Duncan]

Felix
Thanks man I will definatly look in to this.

[Sean Flynt]

You should invest in a copy of Waldman's new book. It's not perfect, but it's the best source I know of for hafted weapons.

http://www.myArmoury.com/books/item.php?ASIN=9004144099


I'd also suggest reading Le Jeu De La Hache and Sidney Anglo's commentary on this French axe manual:

http://www.thearma.org/spotlight/lejeudelahache.htm

[Bill Duncan]

Hey Sean.
Well both the article and the book are great but what I am after is stuff about the smaller weapons not necessarily the large poll-axe style weapons.
I am a BIG 15th century fan, the XVIII and XVIIb is my favorite swords but I also like the falchion style swords of the time. The armor of the 15th was (IMHO) the pinnacle of form and function but I also love a brigandine and a kettle helm for its ease of motion. And I doubt that anyone could find more versatile weapons than the hafted weapons of this time but for me if I have to get up close to someone that’s literally a walking human tank I want a can opener and the axe and war hammers of this period are that.
I have looked for any kind of text on fighting with these style weapons and so far have only found this at SFI and it is quite good but I hope to do more.
here is what was at SFI
http://forums.swordforum.com/showthread.php?threadid=40839

Dunc

[Felix Wang]

Bill,

You have encountered one of the vast unexplored areas of historical martial arts. There was a considerable literature from the Middle East, in particular the Mamluks, on both warfare and military training exercises. Getting to this material has proven to be quite difficult. I think there may be a few folks working on this (maybe some of the SESH in Singapore), and there have been a few exceedingly hard-to-locate translated documents. The furusiyahs may not be quite as important as the Holy Grail, but they are almost as hard to pin down.

[Bill Duncan]

[Christopher Blakey]

[Wolfgang Armbruster]

I can't help you with fighting techniques and stuff, but the kind of long thin bladed dagger you're talking about is probably a Panzerstecher (armor-piercer)

Here's the link: ttp://www.hermann-historica-ohg.de/auktion/hhm46.pl?f=NR&c=25997&t=temartic_1_GB&db=kat46_1_D.txt

Unfortunately there's no English text available, but here's some info:
around 1540, asymmetrical triangular blade, overall length: 39,5 cm.



Good luck with your project

[Elling Polden]

I have a few theories of my own when it comes to these weapons;

First, they can be divided into two types; "AntiPersonel" and "AntiTank".

One would believe that a AT weapon would have a longer shaft, to get more leverage. As it turns out, the opposite is the case.
Pre-plate, AP maces and axes are generally long hafted. Some of the medieval fighting axes found in Norway have handles that exceed a meter in length. Similarly, the maces of the era are long, with small metal heads, or studded bats.
These weapons where presumably used to place heavy blows from a distance, designed to power through enemy defences; knocking swords or shields away, to hit the unarmoured fighter behind it. Against such a target any hit might cause damage, or at the very least disorient or stun long enough to make more attacks.
I see them used on the battlefield, during the initial, intermediate range exchange of blows between formations, before the lines get entangled; After that, they are to long and awkward, and would be dropped in favour of a sword or dagger.

The AT versions of the plate era, however, are quite short, with sturdy shafts, sometimes even metal.
I see these used in a substantially different way.
Rather than long range swings, they would be utilized in close combat, the phase Talhofer refers to as "the war".
A fighter with a mace would seek to close, grapple, and place himself in a position where he can hit the opponent's head.
He would then literally hammer him, as quickly as he could, until the opponent stops moving.
Note that this is not the same as being dead.
Back spikes are in deed to short to kill efficiently; This is because they do not need to; Incapacitation will do just nicely.

Plate armour is so efficient that a single blow is unlikely to kill or incapacitate. Thus, the later mass weapons focus on manouverablity and a high attack rate; Gain the advantage, and hammer it home.
Gaining the advantage with a mace can be easier than with a dagger, since the target is bigger.

Similarly, there is a reason a carpentry hammer is the length it is; A longer hammer would mean more kinetic energy generated, but this does not necessarily equal faster driving of nails.

[Wolfgang Armbruster]

[Elling Polden]

Nah. Forget about the eyeslits. hit him in the head until he stops moving, the open the visor, and hit him in the troath.
Even if you hit the slit, you need 10+ cm of penetration before you actually hit the brain. Posible with a dagger, hard with a backspike.
Hit him in the head until he stops moving, pop the visor, and spike him in the neck. Or do it right away, if there is a opening. No bone, Lots of arteries, wounerable to crushing, good stun potential...

[Alex B.]

If you're interested in mass weapons, check out the 1459 Talhoffer.

Don't let this happen to you: http://img.kb.dk/ha/manus/th290/kamp0164.jpg

Both the 1467 and 1459 Talhoffers show mace and large shield technques, and I'd recommend looking at them after reading Stephen Hand and Paul Wagner's two sword and shield papers in SPADA.