From: Sandy Petersen (sandyp@idgecko.idsoftware.com)
Date: Mon 08 Jul 1996 - 22:10:34 EEST
Peter Metcalfe
>To suggest that Celts could break a phalanx like a war elephant is
>After introducing a curious digression about a re-enactment of a
battle between >Union and Confederates, neither of which indulged in
phalanx warfare nor berserk >charges AFAIK,
You have evidently not read much on the tactics of the
American Civil War. In any case, Joerg's point was that seeing a
screaming mass of enemy soldiers pouring down upon one was able to
make me twitch even though I _knew_ that I was perfectly safe. In
fact, in at least one battle I _did_ break and run without
consciously deciding to do so (the rest of the unit routed, too, at
exactly the same time -- a fine example of the "group mind" at
work).
sheer >nonsense.
Except that they did.
>Phalanxes are designed to stop the people in the front (who would
The point of the furor celtica is not that it was some kind
be the most
>scared by the Celts) from turning around and running away.
This is not the intent of a phalanx's design, nor would
anyone who knew much about war intend this. Soldiers start to flee
from the _rear_ of a unit, not from the _front_.
of unstoppable terror, but that it was recognized as significantly
enhancing Celtic battle power. Obviously they could still be beaten.
Sandy P.
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End of Glorantha Digest V3 #18
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