Part 1 (Yes, Giant Swords Existed, BUT...)
   • Yes, Giant Swords Existed, BUT...  

The Landsknecht ("servant of the country", a German mercenary) is mostly known for his flamboyant outfits and the iconic Zweihander, AKA greatsword, a large twohanded sword. On the battlefield they supposedly used those to chop pikes and break up enemy formations. The evidence we have for this is surprisingly limited though.

So let's take a closer look at some historical depictions and written reports from the 16th and 17th centuries. I also added some personal speculation and an improvised demonstration for visual reference. Take it with a grain of salt, as I'm not an expert on military tactics of the time. I did as much research as time permitted, (which is linked below) but there may be things I've missed.

More thoughts on cutting polearms
   • Sword vs. Polearm  Can You Just CUT ...  

The foam greatsword I used as a prop is the Doppelsoldner by Calimacil
http://calimacil.com?aff=55


** Time Stamps **

00:00 01:02 Introduction
01:02 01:48 The Pike Square
01:48 02:38 What is a pike?
02:38 03:55 "Academic" fencing masters & skill vs. battlefield chaos
03:55 04:41 Spadone vs. polearms
04:41 08:10 Evidence for chopping pikes with greatswords
08:10 09:36 Shock troops, discipline, unit cohesion
09:36 10:17 More realistic movie battle: Alatriste (2006)
10:17 11:42 Pike squares: Not homogenous! Mixed weapons
11:42 13:02 How pikemen might keep themselves safe
13:02 19:30 Practical demonstration (sword charge / binding pikes / cutting in confined space)
19:30 21:21 Conclusion / outro


** Sources / Links **

The article on The Spadone Project
https://thespadoneproject.com/2020/03...

Landsknecht: The ‘Garishly’ Effective Footsoldier Of 16th Century
https://www.realmofhistory.com/2019/1...
Pikes: A Versatile and Deadly Weapon

https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/201...

Alatriste: Battle of Rocroi
   • Alatriste: Battle of Rocroi  

HEMA group doing 20 vs 20 pikemen fight
   • 20 vs 20 Pikemen battle formation  

High res picture of "Bad War" by Hans Holbein the Younger (14971543)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...


** Music **

Outro:
"Highland Storm" by The Slanted Room Records
https://theslantedroom.github.io/stev...
Used with artist's permission


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