08-30-2016, 03:52 PM
Flinging the standard into the Macedonian phalanx did cause massive casualties, which is what the Praefectus Socii had in mind when he did it, because the Paeligni were being driven back. By throwing the standard into the enemy's ranks, he forced a merciless counter attack, which halted the phalanx's advance, giving time for the rest of the Roman line to form.
I'd be wary of making generalized claims about reluctance to kill, especially anything modern stemming from Grossman's On Killing or On Combat, or SLA Marshall. Both are incorrect and have largely been discredited.
From my own experiences in combat and from my extensive reading on the subject, people don't generally fear killing, they fear risking their lives and getting hurt. Give them a sword and most will be reluctant to get close and use it, but give them a javelin and few would be hesitant to throw it. Give them a spear, they'll fight better than with a sword (given an additional bit of reach), but distance of the enemy is still close enough that their fears may get the better of them. Give them a pike that outreaches the enemy line, they will advance with vigor and enthusiasm. Give them ranging weapons like slings and bows and a hundred meters of open space and they will have no reluctance to kill. This holds true for modern warfare as well, the more distance the easier it gets, defensive stand off is the essence of the most efficient infantry weapons in history, short swords are rare for a reason, because they involve the user getting so close to the enemy that they themselves are at a high risk for death or serious bodily harm...Those willing to repeatedly risk their lives in close combat would be rare enough that they'd make up a minority of a Roman century. And this was the day and age where virtus was paramount and a life lost in battle was not something to mourn sadly.
"Out of every one hundred men, ten shouldn't even be there, eighty are just targets, nine are the real fighters, and we are lucky to have them, for they make the battle. Ah, but the one, one is a warrior, and he will bring the others back.”
This is the truest quote about soldiers I've ever heard, as accurate for ancient warfare as it still is for modern warfare.
I'd be wary of making generalized claims about reluctance to kill, especially anything modern stemming from Grossman's On Killing or On Combat, or SLA Marshall. Both are incorrect and have largely been discredited.
From my own experiences in combat and from my extensive reading on the subject, people don't generally fear killing, they fear risking their lives and getting hurt. Give them a sword and most will be reluctant to get close and use it, but give them a javelin and few would be hesitant to throw it. Give them a spear, they'll fight better than with a sword (given an additional bit of reach), but distance of the enemy is still close enough that their fears may get the better of them. Give them a pike that outreaches the enemy line, they will advance with vigor and enthusiasm. Give them ranging weapons like slings and bows and a hundred meters of open space and they will have no reluctance to kill. This holds true for modern warfare as well, the more distance the easier it gets, defensive stand off is the essence of the most efficient infantry weapons in history, short swords are rare for a reason, because they involve the user getting so close to the enemy that they themselves are at a high risk for death or serious bodily harm...Those willing to repeatedly risk their lives in close combat would be rare enough that they'd make up a minority of a Roman century. And this was the day and age where virtus was paramount and a life lost in battle was not something to mourn sadly.
"Out of every one hundred men, ten shouldn't even be there, eighty are just targets, nine are the real fighters, and we are lucky to have them, for they make the battle. Ah, but the one, one is a warrior, and he will bring the others back.”
This is the truest quote about soldiers I've ever heard, as accurate for ancient warfare as it still is for modern warfare.
