05-07-2011, 02:16 AM
John, I have to disagree with your dissing of the early Imperial army!
The manuals and writings of the later sources seem to take all their references and ideas from the earlier periods, and then some!
The disciplin of the early armies was what bset them apart from the armies thay faced,
andnthe formations they kept whilen fighting.
It does mention the technique of leaping out of line and back in, which would be usefull to take out one of the barbarians who were prone to make single combat challenges!
The ~Roman army was what it was because it was usually better, if well led than the enemy!
From Varus to Adrianople, and probably many times unrecorded, Roman armies were lost
usually due to poor leadership and planning, noth the poor fighting quality of the troops, or the centurions in the line!
It was when the disciplin slipped and the agressive competetitive nature of the centurions and troops were allowed to over rule that disaster often struck, such as Ceasars men, Vorenus and Pullo in #Gaul etc, but not the norm where the lines were kept ordered and discipline enforced, that they were successful!8)
The manuals and writings of the later sources seem to take all their references and ideas from the earlier periods, and then some!
The disciplin of the early armies was what bset them apart from the armies thay faced,
andnthe formations they kept whilen fighting.
It does mention the technique of leaping out of line and back in, which would be usefull to take out one of the barbarians who were prone to make single combat challenges!
The ~Roman army was what it was because it was usually better, if well led than the enemy!
From Varus to Adrianople, and probably many times unrecorded, Roman armies were lost
usually due to poor leadership and planning, noth the poor fighting quality of the troops, or the centurions in the line!
It was when the disciplin slipped and the agressive competetitive nature of the centurions and troops were allowed to over rule that disaster often struck, such as Ceasars men, Vorenus and Pullo in #Gaul etc, but not the norm where the lines were kept ordered and discipline enforced, that they were successful!8)
Visne partem mei capere? Comminus agamus! * Me semper rogo, Quid faceret Iulius Caesar? * Confidence is a good thing! Overconfidence is too much of a good thing.
[b]Legio XIIII GMV. (Q. Magivs)RMRS Remember Atuatuca! Vengence will be ours!
Titus Flavius Germanus
Batavian Coh I
Byron Angel
[b]Legio XIIII GMV. (Q. Magivs)RMRS Remember Atuatuca! Vengence will be ours!
Titus Flavius Germanus
Batavian Coh I
Byron Angel
