01-30-2017, 10:53 PM
(This post was last modified: 01-30-2017, 11:42 PM by Dan Howard.)
Keep in mind that lamellar and scale armours have a lot of lacing, which is very susceptible to moisture. The weight of these armours can double when they get wet. I like this quote from Sakakibara Kozan, describing the problems with Japanese lamellar:
"When soaked with water the armor becomes very heavy and cannot be quickly dried; so that in summer it is oppressive and in winter liable to freeze. Moreover, no amount of washing will completely free the lacing from any mud or blood which may have penetrated it, and on long and distant campaigns it becomes evil-smelling and overrun by ants and lice, with consequent ill effects on the health of the wearer."
An ice battle on the Danube would involve several of the issues described by Sakakibara and would definitely cause problems for anyone wearing scale/lamellar.
The Romans tried to address the problem by using metal staples. The best solution was to replace the lacing with mail.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mail_and_plate_armour
"When soaked with water the armor becomes very heavy and cannot be quickly dried; so that in summer it is oppressive and in winter liable to freeze. Moreover, no amount of washing will completely free the lacing from any mud or blood which may have penetrated it, and on long and distant campaigns it becomes evil-smelling and overrun by ants and lice, with consequent ill effects on the health of the wearer."
An ice battle on the Danube would involve several of the issues described by Sakakibara and would definitely cause problems for anyone wearing scale/lamellar.
The Romans tried to address the problem by using metal staples. The best solution was to replace the lacing with mail.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mail_and_plate_armour
Author: Bronze Age Military Equipment, Pen & Sword Books
