Roman Army

https://docs.google.com/a/student.egsd.net/document/d/1BR7loFxt6qiuIe-S3axyPIhfiFXxspu1UhWT58Lep-Q/edit

Over their history, the Romans faced off against a plethora of enemies who used widely varying tactics. They were forced to improvise to defeat their foes on many occasions. Due to this improvisation, the Romans would have been ready to defeat any number of unknown foes. This raises the question, how would the Romans have dealt with fantasy armies, or armies that emerged too late for them to fight. To answer this question, one must analyze Roman tactics, and the tactics of those they never faced.


The Roman army fought in an organized fashion, which allowed them to defeat their early unorganized enemies. They used a modified version of the Greek Phalanx, which gave them infantry power, but more mobility. They used javelins and stabbing swords, but rarely used bows, and placed little importance in cavalry. The Romans would first throw their Javelins in battle and then march forwards in an organized fashion, driving back the enemy. Other tactics included the tortoise (pictured above), which kept the Romans safe from ranged attackers.

The Imperial Walkers, seen in The Empire Strikes Back, were siege machines used by the empire to attack fortified rebel positions. These monstrosities were used in a similar fashion to elephants, as a shock weapon, as well as massive army breaking weapon. They could fire long distances, but had little mobility, and were very slow. This allowed the rebel alliance to eliminated them at the Battle of Hoth by flanking and surrounding them.

The Orc armies in The Hobbit were similar in nature to the barbarian armies the Romans faced during the early empire. The orcs had an overall strategy, but little organization after the battle began. They charged en mass at their enemies, and would attempt to fight individual soldiers on the enemy side. Some more complex tactics used by the orcs included attacking a city left undefended, and use of flying creatures to harass their enemies from above. The orcs used overwhelming numbers to their advantage when at all possible, in addition to surprise tactics.


Finally, the Viking armies of the middle ages used raiding tactics to harass the European coastline. This allowed them to terrorize the continent for hundreds of years. They would raid unprotected areas like monasteries, and then dissapear back into the sea. On land, the Vikingsused a shield wall to protect their forces, similar to Roman tortoise tactics.

Sources

"Viking Weapons and Warfare." BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 21 Dec. 2014.

The Empire Strikes Back. Dir. Irvin Kershner. By Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan. Perf. Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Billy Dee Williams. Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation, 1980.

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. Warner Brothers UK, 2014. Film.

Watkins, Jack, ed. The Encyclopedia of Classical Warfare. N.p.: Metro, 2011. Print.

Santon, Kate, and Liz McKay, eds. Atlas of World History. N.p.: Parragon, 2011. Print.