Fighting with armor in movies.

[SteveSS]

I watched a couple of movies, Robin Hood with Russell Crow and Outlaw/King with Chris Pine. Both are good. Everyone is wearing chain mail armor but in battles, people are just swinging broadswords across the enemy's backs and taking them out. I would think it would take a skinny dagger or spear to pierce the body through that. Or hit an unprotected neck or leg. Maybe an arrow. What gives? I know it's Hollywood but is there a way to kill a soldier wearing that armor?

 

[Detective D]

Swords of the era were not made of steel sharp or good enough to cut other steel. So you are right, it would have to find a place where there was no steel to do real damage. This is why picks and spears and other pointy things were used as well.
You can find videos of people acting out a more authentic fight, and accounts from ancient books, but long story short the broadswords were used to bash people more than cut, and a lot of close combat fights were decided by armored fists and stabs, broad swings were for impact or luck. Knocking a foe off balance was better than a cut sometimes, depending.
Arrows worked too. Actual arrowheads from that era were HEAVY to be fired off ramparts, inertia would push the point through the armor. Nothing like the little razor blade edges hunters use nowdays.

it is all very morbid, but still interesting, to observe history's development of better ways to kill some one else in battle.

 

[#41]

Chainmail is pretty effective, but a broadsword at full swing may not penetrate it. However, chainmail flexes and a heavy blow is going to smash your spine and ribs... and who knows what other damage. I certainly would not want to find out.

 

[1STMP]

"Knights and soldiers carrying it when properly trained were able to cut off limbs and even heads with a single swipe." (the broadsword).
There use was not to attempt at
defeating chainmail armor. Which is
why you see some actors wearing
chainmail covering their necks and
arms. There was however, a great
deal of debilitating bone breaking
going on.
Interesting post.

 

[YY1]

IIRC the military channel had a documentary series on medevel weapons and warfare.

They did some pretty extensive testing and demonstration with different types of armor and weapons analyzing which was effective vs which and what kind of support was necessary as well as restrictions to movement.

Quite interesting.