(History) Caracole by mounted crossbowmen ?

[Athos1660]

Interestingly, Leonardo da Vinci describes, at the end of the 1480's, a caracole (1) by mounted crossbowmen, probably inspired by what he saw on the battlefields, his acquaintances and his readings of Ancient books, some 50 years before the reiters actually use such a tactic with pistols.

See this academic paper (in French), B. Deruelle, Léonard et la caracole, Cromohs 19/2014 : https://www.google.com/search?client=sa ... 8&oe=UTF-8




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(1) A caracole, as a military tactic, is a "system whereby a deep formation of pistoleers could deliver a continuous barrage of pistol fire against a stationary target (usually a pike block) – each rank (or line) firing in turn then moving off to the rear to reload" (Pike and Shot, Manual).

[gribol]

I have got heard of something similiar to that.
Thats not exactly caracole, but very comparable thing.

So, in battle of Grunwald/Tannenberg 1410, cavalry of both sides pressed against each other many times and then they returned to their starting positions.
The single skirmish itself looked like this, that the first lines of troops fought hand-to-hand (knights/sergeants) and the rear lines fired from crossbows as they charged.
This tactic was repeated many times until the end of the fight.
In summary - mounted crossbowmen was moving many times forward and back shooting all the time.
We can say, that this can looks like some variation of caracole.

But, as i say at the beginning, I heard about it in one lecture and I am not able to confirm it in other sources at this moment.

[GryfoCezar]

I have got heard of something similiar to that.
Thats not exactly caracole, but very comparable thing.

So, in battle of Grunwald/Tannenberg 1410, cavalry of both sides pressed against each other many times and then they returned to their starting positions.
The single skirmish itself looked like this, that the first lines of troops fought hand-to-hand (knights/sergeants) and the rear lines fired from crossbows as they charged.
This tactic was repeated many times until the end of the fight.
In summary - mounted crossbowmen was moving many times forward and back shooting all the time.
We can say, that this can looks like some variation of caracole.

But, as i say at the beginning, I heard about it in one lecture and I am not able to confirm it in other sources at this moment.

That is completly different thing. Don't know what is proper English name, in Polish it's called "szyk kolumnowo-klinowy" (literally "column-wedge formation" in English). So basically: (L - lancers, C - mounted crossbowmen, obviously oversimplification)

L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L
C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C L L L
C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C L L L
C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C L L L
L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L

Two major differences were that they stayed in formation the entire time, and that the crossbowmen were there to aid the knightly charge, not as a unit of their own.

[Athos1660]

Interesting.

Assigning units of mounted or foot ‘shot’ (archers, crossbowmen, arquebusiers, musketeers, etc.) to assist friendly mounted troops against enemy mounted troops seems to have a long history !

[MVP7]

From what I have read, the practice of mixing light foot with cavalry seems to have existed as long as the cavalry.

It works really well in FoG2 as well. Couple light foot or massed archer units alone generally won't do much and are easy to overrun but when you have them mixed in with your flanking cavalry force they turn into a powerful force multiplier that can often disrupt high priority targets before your cavalry charges them are also protected by the cavalry's ZOC.

[gribol]

That is completly different thing. Don't know what is proper English name, in Polish it's called "szyk kolumnowo-klinowy" (literally "column-wedge formation" in English). So basically: (L - lancers, C - mounted crossbowmen, obviously oversimplification)

L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L
C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C L L L
C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C L L L
C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C L L L
L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L

Two major differences were that they stayed in formation the entire time, and that the crossbowmen were there to aid the knightly charge, not as a unit of their own.

Maybe that was too far-fetched an analogy on my part.
As I think about it now, maybe I should compare it more to the Scythian circle?
Anyway, basically the idea is always the same. Shoot them and don't get caught.