Cross-posted from the Game of Thrones thread:
Quote:
Originally Posted by blankall
Mounted bows aren't taking down formations of shielded soldiers. That's now for melee once the lines have been broken or against undisciplined groups of troops.
|
The Mongols used their mobility and incredible rate of fire to focus fire on a section of the enemy line and tear a hole in it. This tactic worked even on formed troops with shields - the amount of fire they could pour into a 50-yard section of line in 5 minutes was astonishing. Then they'd focus on another section, tear another hole. Once the defending line was broken up, they could flow through and fire at them from all directions.
Mongols didn't charge formed troops head on. They didn't have the huge horses or the armour that European heavy cavalry used. But they were still unstoppable in their time because firing powerful bows from the saddle at an incredibly fast rate was a technology that their enemies had no answer to.