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"The name "Zweihander" was actually given to them in modern times and at the time of their use they were just referred to as "Two Handed Swords"" Dude, "Zweihander" literally means "Two Hander" in Germany.
Knightstruth two handed sword in German is zweihander it was used for clearing out holes in the enemies pole arms ranks the phalanx. The swordsman was usually a strong 💪 man and he was paid Double the going rate for solders and they were very efficient and effective for their job they are used to reach out and touch someone who were holding pikes they were cut off the tips of the spears and the arms of the solders in the phalanx of pole arms men however the pole arms were quite deadly weapons in their own right
@@jamescreek1319 True about the name but it's been shown that there's no effective way to remove an enemy spearhead with a sword. Not only is the spearhead too mobile to effectively hit but it's not braced against anything and many polearm shafts were reinforced with steel. The idea that Zweihanders were made to chop off spearheads is pretty much debunked.
@@Knightstruth I think the current theory is that they were used to make space within the enemy phalanx, by pushing aside the pikes when the two pike formations had already engaged. Another name for two handed swords in german was Gassenhauer meaning alley-hewer, so it kinda makes sense.
The scariest thing about the video is how calmly he spoke about the wounds and deaths of people that were on the receiving end of these weapons. Very detailed too, I love it.
i love that you explain every entry in length instead of just naming it off and giving it a brief description. its a fresh change for once so thank you guy
one thing I love about your channel is that you go more in depth with the entries on your lists than most. I really appreciate the work and research you put into your videos.
I saw the flail in the thumbnail and came to post that the spiked flail was very rarely used if it even actually existed and then it said the flail was rarely used. So well done.
But that perticular flail used by Nazgul was basically just a joke. Because the people on set knew that it was not historically accurate, or even useable at all because of the rediculous size and shape. But if you look at the thumbnail as a whole you'll notice the rediculous sword in the other photo.
9:30 Incorrect. Maces were far too short to be used by an average peasant. The heavy weight meant that if the handle was to long it would be hard to control. And an average peasant with little to no armor could be cut down by a knight's much longer sword before he could even get within striking distance. However, that same sword was almost useless against a set of full plate armor, allowing the opponent to get close. To quote Peter Woodward on the mace: "This was a knight's weapon for use against other knights." So despite the classic image of 2 knights in shimmering armor going at it with swords, they were more likely leaving their swords, and slugging it out with their maces; trying to crush the flesh and bones underneath their armor.
The handle length has nothing to do with how easy a mace is to control it's the balance point that makes it sluggish also there were peasant versions such as the morning star and finally a knight will not charge a person with a blunt weapon because it's the most effective weapon against him
@@bork116 Again, the mace was only good if you could get close enough to use it. A knight's sword not only had a longer reach, but he was *trained* since a boy how to use it. He would cut down a lightly armed and much less trained peasant before they even got within striking distance with a mace. A peasant going against a knight would use weapons more like a billhook or a goedendag.
@Rostislaw Hilt You guys need to understand most melee infantry went to war with spears and other polearms. Swords and maces were carried as backup or special circumstance weapons. Why would you, as a peasant, ever want to risk going toe to toe with a fully armored knight, WITH JUST A SHIELD, when you can kill him just as quick with a halberd or poleaxe while making it easier for you to maintain reach and formation. And even with a good mace, you'd need to be pretty skillful to kill someone in full plate as quickly as movies make it seem.
I'm a long time subscriber and I have to say this video was brilliant! I had no idea about any elephants during war other than the movies and video games. I was truly impressed with this video thank you so much for taking the time to make this
Elephants were actually of very little use in the ancient military world. Both the Romans and Alexander's Macedonians had developed very effective infantry tactics to negate them, usually involving lots of arrows and javelins. Even worse, elephants were very difficult to control in battle and frequently could be sent into a panicked rampage through the ranks of their own army. A number of armies, particularly those of the Greek Successor states lost major battles because their own elephants stampeded through their own soldiers. The last time elephants were used by any European army in combat was Emperor Claudius's invasion of Britain in 43 AD. They had some useful effect because the Britons had never seen elephants before, and they were an irregular, undisciplined tribal army anyway. But no Roman general of any sense whatsoever tried to use elephants ever again.
"Or flaming pigs, whose loud squeals were said to terrify the elephants"...or simply trumpets as used by the Romans against Hannibal in the 2nd Punic war.
+Maraak . Nor I think you are confusing the term Dopperhänder for Doppelsöldner. The Doppelsöldner are the frontline guys who got double pay for taking on riskier jobs. They were Landsknecht mercenaries who were often trained with the Zweihänder.
Martin Stich ...and carried the Katzbalger (which we cant figure out the etymology for) as a sidearm. And I didnt confuse Dopperhänder/söldner. Im well aware of both of them. The former is just much more obscure.
Boiling oil is a legend. Oil was rare and extremly expensive. Never defenders would think of spilling something who could keep food from rotting. Other mixture did exist, with wax,straw and pine resin called pitch. Boiling pitch did stick to the armor and body and burnt terribly well.
more likely trench warfare, the Polish used cavalry in ww2. an exposed mg could be targeted by artillery or snipers ect and a concealed nest has flanks, but miles of entrenched soldiers behind barbed-wire, mines and other obstacles, and what's the cavalry to do if it got to the trench..? no logically the tank was developed to counter trenches and evolved as the new cavalry.
though the mg 42 should have got an honorary mention, even after decades of automatic fire being used the mg 42 still managed to demoralize and strike fear more than any other mg.
The elephant's feet was actually it's biggest weakness. A charging elephant could be stopped with simple Caltrop spikes thrown on the ground. This is the reason the Elephant disappeared from Western battlefields in the early centuries BC. Only India and Siam continued to use elephants into the later centuries and incidentally they didn't win many wars.
Zwiehanders were used in conjunction with other weapons, not as whole units, and the spikes weren’t only partially for piercing, their main function was to get better grip on the armor
After scrolling through the comments I have come to the conclusion that maybe 1% of the human population know the difference between a flail and a mace. There are also a surprising amount of people that think swords are heavy as hell. I thought that ridiculous myth was crushed YEARS ago. Anyway here's some meager info. 1) The thumbnail contains the LotR Witch Kings FLAIL. A mace's head is attached directly to the handle. It doesn't swing on a chain. 2) The particular SWORD in the thumbnail is what is known as a BEARING sword. They are not used in combat. They are exaggerated weapons intended for use in parade and ceremony. 3) COMBAT Greatswords/ Twohanders/ Zweihanders (all the same thing) typically weighed 5lbs (2.2kg) to 8lbs (3.6kg). With those as heavy as 8lbs (3.6kg) being relatively rare. 4) More common swords/longswords typically ranged between 2lbs (.9kg) to 4lbs (1.8kg) with a 4lb (1.8kg) sword actually being considered relatively HEAVY. 5) A full set of plate armor weighed in at around 50lbs (22.2kg) or so. The weight was evenly distributed over the body. Knights could run, jump, and climb with a fair bit of mobility. They could climb on a horse without assistance, they didn't need a damn crane. 6)The heavier plate suits you see and read about are specialized JOUSTING suits. They are WAY overbuilt and just meant for competing in tournaments. Those guys DID need assistance to get on a horse, but still not a crane. 7) Maille was very effective armor and was used throughout the middle ages, even AFTER plate armor came around. It fell out of favor due to it being VERY time consuming and thus also expensive to make. NOT because it wasn't effective.
Also the sword in the thumbnail was actually used in real combat, it holds the record for the largest sword used in combat' it's TRUE google it. Other then that all which you say is true
2 minor complaints...maces flanges and spikes were not to "pierce armour" they were to bite into the surface to prevent the mace from slipping. They were also not a peasant weapon, the heavy weight results in a very short effective range, an unarmoured person trying to use those on an armoured person with a sword would be gutted like a fish before they could even enter their effective range
Quite good list, just a few minor errors: The *war scythe* could not cleave helmets. Sturdier falx or billhooks could just do that. *Zweihänder*/Flammberge usually can't be grabbed at their blade during combat. If you do, the bulky crossguard would come into your way. The secondary crossguards however helped to protect you from incoming blows. The leather wrapping on the blade was for transport purposes. The same goes for slinging it on your back. Just try to unsheathe a Katana from your back and you'll see that this is about the longest blade possible to do so. The *mace* was a knightly weapon. Peasants could not afford them. They had weapons with wooden shafts. Halberds and poleaxes are preferable due to the range advantage (you don't wanna take the extra step with a mace when you're facing a knigth with a longsword, unless you got really good armor). When peasants used maces, then they were actually warhammers, or baseballbatts with spiked steel rings. A swordblow was far more damaging to a peasant than a blow from a mace would be even on an unarmored opponent. The main point of a mace was to stun your enemy so that you could stab him with a dagger in the gaps of his armor. It had moreover the advantage that it could damage articulation so that the knight became trapped within his armor. Poleaxes on the other hand were able to cave in the armor so badly that even a single hit on the breastplate could rupture your internal organs. While most of them were knightly weapons too, peasants had their cheaper versions.
Actually the mace was usually used by armored knights against other armored knights. The main weapon that the infantry used against armored knights was the halberd.
That's true. Actually, boiling water was the most common liquid for this kind of purpose. It's ubiquitous and eas to handle. Why use oil when water has exactly the same effect?
I think this is one of the less objective and more of a fun knowledge video that this channel has produced. Can't say I am impressed, but still entertaining never the less.
There are mistakes by modern research standards, but i am pleasantly surprised about the accuracy of this vid. Overall those lists are getting better. And they tend to begin to give the artisans and people of old the recognicion and praise they deserve. Nice. Kudos to the producers.
Documented examples cutting through metal helmets ? I would LOVE to see them. Even a sword cannot cut through a metal helmet. It would of course depend on the quality of the metal the helmet is made of but even then it would not cut through. It would rather break the person´s neck or cause other damage. This is why helmets were invented. Not to be cut through.
Where do you find this kind of information? A sword of any kind can NOT break trough a historically accurate helmet! "zweihanders" tip would break/wear off. They were not that heavy (5-8 lbs/2.3-3.6 kg), yes it might create a small dent to a helmet but armor is not that weak, at least proper armor. And of course a warhammer spike will do damage to a helmet but we are not talking about warhammers, are we? And by the way, the warhammer will not puncture every single time, will it? In conclusion... NO, YOU CAN NOT DO SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO A HELMET WITH ANY KIND OF AN SWORD! Instead of attacking innocent people with no experience at the subject, and try not to say stuff you learned from games or movies or where ever you find your so called information.
Eddie 'JaggSauce' Gluskin piercing =/= cutting. Of course you'll pierce through with the spike of a warhammer, since all the force of the blow is concentrated on a tiny point. Literally noone that has ciriticized this video has said that piercing through armor is impossible. Cutting through it however is just bullshit and it's right that it got called out.
MrTubularBalls thats a funny idea, but if you're looking for a serious answer, I can tell you. So here goes my very unscientific explanation: Swords are all about balance. They are so versatile because their center of gravity is exactly inside the grip since the weight of the blade is balanced out by the pommel which was often made from a heavier material like lead. This means that moving the blade around is very easy as you dont really 'feel' the weight of the blade. It makes the sword a comparatively fast and versatile weapon that doesn't tire you out as much when you use it. Axes or warhammers are all about applying the maximum amount of force from a swing onto your target. As such, they are not balanced at all, their center of gravity lies close to the hammerhead/axe blade thing which makes swings that much more powerful, but means that you have to put in more effort when wielding them and that they are harder to control. Once a warhammer is in full swing its almost impossible to stop it without taking damage whereas a trained swordsman could parry the swing of a sword quite easily because it had less force behind it. TLDR putting a hammerhead on a sword would ruin its balance and make it unusable. It would also be hard to just use it as a warhammer with a blade since you would need to grip the blade to actually swing the hammer.
"Keep the sand out of your weapons, keep those actions clear...move fast and clear those murder holes, ill see you on the beach". - Tom Hanks (Saving Private Ryan)
What's with the Greek Fire? It was a very dangerous weapon because it could burn underwater but nobody really knew how it was made. The closest substance similar to it was napalm. Napalm was used by the US Army in the Vietnam war with it's ability to stick to objects or enemies and it was not possible to extinguish Napalm with water
Those Elephant Calvary drawings and paintings lack the tusks being replaced with metal blade "tusks" similar to 2 handed swords for mowing down infantry and breaking pike formations While it was possible a war elephant could freak, it was trained to be around battlefield conditions so just like trained war horses War Elephants would rarely freak from battlefield conditions......loosing its driver was a small risk for well trained War Elephant as they could follow commands from one of their spotters (more then one handler one river on back 1 spotter on each side that could take the drivers place...had to make sure driver doesn't accidently drive Elephant into own formations when side stepping/rotating)
The broad sword is scariest for me, it wasn’t used for cutting primarily, it was used for crushing and breaking bones and intimidation with cutting as a bonus. Imagine a big ass Celtic warrior charging at you with a sword as long as you
The most horrific weapon in hand to hand fighting was the 'Dane Axe'. A 5 to 6 foot long shaft with a flared cutting edge which could cut a man in two and kill a horse with one blow. It was used by the Vikings and Saxons. The housecarls who used them were SERIOUSLY physically strong and were very proficient. Make a video about this!
An interesting historical tidbit on the war elephant is that in the British Army up until fairly recently slang for having seen real combat was "I have been in the tall grass and seen the elephant" or simply "seeing the Elephant" as a euphemism for real combat. This was immortalized by Rudyard Kipling in his poetry about war.
No, elephants are NOT considered hooved animals. They have toe nails, not hooves. Their soles are extremely tough however, and the elephants sheer weight would crush enemies.
No, they are NOT classed as hooved animals. I have a Bachelors of Science in Zoology, and my main focus was mammals. Elephants are Pachyderms. They do not have hooves, and are not considered hooved animals.
learning alot. thank you. war elephants? I have heard of, but no detail until now. oh and the broad sword with two hand guards... why have I not heard of this until now? Good job guys
warscyth was super ineffective, have you ever seen the steel armour or sword were made off? Scythe would just bend or shatter, i have my doubt it would be able to deal a lethal blow to a well build soldier with thick cloths instead of steel armour. What was used to were the mentioned flails.
Hahaha you had to pick the Elephant picture with it's cock hanging out? haha it made laugh though:) I might have said this before but I love your videos, I've watched a lot of top 5's so I've heard about most of the things that's being mentioned before BUT you explain it in such detail and have such great pictures for visual effect aswell, I am one of those who have it easier to learn when I watch something than hearing / reading about it so the combo of great informative explaining and great visual pictures is just awesome!
"The name 'Zweihänder'(Twohander) was actually given to the swords in more mordern times, and at the time of their use they were in general just reffered to as 'Two-handed' swords" ... wat
If you are going to mention elephants, then you should also include Egyptian chariots. A squad of chariot archers could match the rate of fire of many modern firearms
There was one problem with elephants though, one which the Mongols exploited heavily when they faced the Khwarezmian Empire. When the Khwarezmian forces brought elephants into battle the Mongols persistently shot the elephants in the legs whilst they were still integrated in their ranks. After a minute of constant pain the elephants would stampede though their own lines, killing hundreds of their own men. The fatal flaw of these fearsome creatures in war, I think
You mentioned scythes but I don't think you said anything about halberds? I would've dpne the opposite as halberds were far better in battle and a threat to both infantry and cavalry.
Michal Poláček But they still aren't scythes, just a part of the "family". I mean, if "thing B was developed from thing A" is a reason to not mention something we might as well only talk about stuff made during stone age.
jokuihmehyyppa the common peasant couldnt afford such a weapon. I think what was scary about the scythes was how effective they were compared to the cost.
cpt white beard not very,tho. Scythes wouldn't be effective at all,not enough weight. An improvised version could be potentially deadly,but it would be more of a spear and not a very good cutter
Cannon, Billhook; longbow and crossbow; greek fire (used like a flamethrower or thrown pots); fire ships; napalm; cluster bombs, fuel air mix; machine gun.
If you think maces are that effective against armour I am guessing you haven't watched any HMB or BotN. Takes a lot of hits from a mace to do damage to someone in plate. And no way to they crush chests through plate.
VileScarMind IIRC they were mainly a counter to chain mail that was good at blocking regular blades but worse vs smaller things such as spikey maces etc..
The main point of a mace is to stun your enemy so that you can end him with a dagger. However, they can also screw up the articulation of your armor fast. To cave in armor or kill someone with a signle strike you need a poleaxe or a twohanded warhammer.
VileScarMind you do know what shock is right.....if I wear a helmet in foot ball I can still easily get a concusion....if I bash in you're three inch armour cause I'm a knight who's trained to do so, I'm sorry you getting negatively effected
You can't fool me thumbnail. That mace was used by the Witch King of Angmar in the battle of Pelennor fields when he fought against Eowen, the niece of Theoden King of Rohan during the siege of Minas Tirirth. The Witch king was killed in that battle.
The swords of number three are quite impressive. In German there are several names for this kind of sword. One which matches it quite well is 'Gassenhauer'- translated literally it means "Alley Chopper".
It's amazing how they were able to train elephants to become war machines in battle.. and using their trunks to pick up and throw enemy soldiers. How do you do that with such a massive creature? And how did they have this knowledge in such ancient times?
