-SM Stirling, The Desert And The Blade (New York, 2016), Chapter Fifteen, p. 318.
We saw Woden give that gift here. (It's a search result. Scroll down.)
It is time I wasn't here but I had to link to those earlier swine-array references first.
Hail, Odin!
3 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
I think I've also seen mention of the swine array in THE DOG AND THE WOLF, last volume of THE KING OF YS, when Gratillonius and the Armoricans fought invading barbarians. If I recall correctly, Gratillonius was fairly contemptuous of the swine array, commenting that the old style Roman legionaries of his youth could have easily handled the swine array. Because the tactics, training, handling of both large and small units in the old Imperial army were superior to those of the invading Germans.
But, of course the swine array was better than nothing!
Sean
It's a lot better than the "Zerg Rush" mob swarm method... 8-). The Romans spent 300 years teaching the Germans how to fight -- often literally, by giving the ones who volunteered for the Auxiliary cohorts a 25-year course that they could then take back home. The half-naked hordes Julius Caesar fought became the armored hosts of the Volkerwanderung period.
Dear Mr. Stirling,
I agree! Militarily, the Germans of AD 400 were far superior to the undisciplined mobs faced by Julius Caesar. All the same, I recall reading of how Emperor Julian often defeated far larger German forces BECAUSE of the superior training, discipline, and unit cohesion of his armies. As long as such standards were maintained, the Imperial army could handle the barbarians.
Sean
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