Pike and Shot Tactics 1590-1660 (Elite)
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A good read. Recommended. --Miniature Wargames
This volume is much to be recommended --Military Illustrated
This volume is much to be recommended --Military Illustrated
Product Description
Throughout the 17th century large parts of Europe were depopulated during the wide-ranging and savage wars of religion and dynasty, involving all of the major powers. This was therefore a key period in the development of 'modern' infantry tactics, such as the use of pole-arms and muskets together - hence the popular expression 'pike and shot'. These infantry tactics involved different national schools on thought and practice, and were tested bloodily in great battles. This title covers the Dutch-Spanish wars of independence, The Thirty Years' War and the English Civil Wars.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The Osprey Elite books are a series of very influential, brief, and highly illustrated `dips' into the chosen subject matter. Of considerable importance to their target audiences, namely wargamers and general history readers who desire to know a little of the flavour of the subject, they are nevertheless self-consciously nothing more than accessible introductions to the subject. It therefore surprises me that other reviewers have criticised this book as being `unbalanced', or too short. It's an Osprey, not a thesis.
The thrust of the work is that the development of infantry units into smaller, more mobile, broader fronted formations, deployed into self-supporting linens, backed up by light field artillery; made possible the best effective use of infantry firepower to break up massed shock assaults by heavily armed but plodding tercios of pike and shot. This development was triggered by a contemporary rediscovery and re-evaluation of the classic republican Roman army. Due to the necessary constraints of space Roberts has had to adopt a rigorous teleological approach to his subject matter - the development of pike and shot tactics and the eventual supersession of the Spanish tercio system during one of the crucial phases of the `Military Revolution' being accepted as a given.
The development of infantry formations into a mobile, predominately firepower orientated system was a somewhat faltering process. The Dutch victory at Nieuport showed that the new system could work, The Swedish, who developed the Dutch style into their own, confirmed it at Breitenfeld (though, ironically, the allied Saxon army drawn up in Dutch style were routed), and Rocroi established it. However, before Breitenfeld the Spanish tercio system continued to gain battlefield success. In fact, once the Imperial and Spanish forces had learned to adapt their tercios to using similar tactics (crushing the Swedish and Protestant armies at Nordlingen), a new composite `German' system gained precedence. Roberts skilfully guides us through this process with a stunning display of military theory, ably backed by wonderful and lucid illustrations to reveal exactly how armies of the period fought.
My only minor criticism would be that little explanation is given to the reasons why the progressive German states who adopted the new Dutch tactics continued to lose against the Spanish and Imperial tercios. It would have been useful to have seen a paragraph or two devoted to the enormous costs involved in reforming armies to deliver Dutch style tactics. One of the key aspects of the Military Revolution being the necessary Financial Revolution needed to maintain trained armies in the field. The huge increase in trained junior officers and NCOs' required to implement the Dutch and Swedish style of warfare could only be done by State's with the wealth to sustain it. That is why the Dutch were able to train and maintain forces drilled in the new styles and the small German states weren't. In a similar vein, the perennial financial problems of the Spanish State meant as long as the tercio system could still provide battlefield success, there were pressing economic reasons why the Spanish were reluctant to change their system, other than adapting the tercio to enable more firepower to be brought to effect. This is reflected in the Spanish persisting with the tercio system right up until 1704.
Overall, this book provides an excellent and affordable insight into the development of pike and shot tactics in the first half of the Seventeenth Century and I highly recommended it to all.
The thrust of the work is that the development of infantry units into smaller, more mobile, broader fronted formations, deployed into self-supporting linens, backed up by light field artillery; made possible the best effective use of infantry firepower to break up massed shock assaults by heavily armed but plodding tercios of pike and shot. This development was triggered by a contemporary rediscovery and re-evaluation of the classic republican Roman army. Due to the necessary constraints of space Roberts has had to adopt a rigorous teleological approach to his subject matter - the development of pike and shot tactics and the eventual supersession of the Spanish tercio system during one of the crucial phases of the `Military Revolution' being accepted as a given.
The development of infantry formations into a mobile, predominately firepower orientated system was a somewhat faltering process. The Dutch victory at Nieuport showed that the new system could work, The Swedish, who developed the Dutch style into their own, confirmed it at Breitenfeld (though, ironically, the allied Saxon army drawn up in Dutch style were routed), and Rocroi established it. However, before Breitenfeld the Spanish tercio system continued to gain battlefield success. In fact, once the Imperial and Spanish forces had learned to adapt their tercios to using similar tactics (crushing the Swedish and Protestant armies at Nordlingen), a new composite `German' system gained precedence. Roberts skilfully guides us through this process with a stunning display of military theory, ably backed by wonderful and lucid illustrations to reveal exactly how armies of the period fought.
My only minor criticism would be that little explanation is given to the reasons why the progressive German states who adopted the new Dutch tactics continued to lose against the Spanish and Imperial tercios. It would have been useful to have seen a paragraph or two devoted to the enormous costs involved in reforming armies to deliver Dutch style tactics. One of the key aspects of the Military Revolution being the necessary Financial Revolution needed to maintain trained armies in the field. The huge increase in trained junior officers and NCOs' required to implement the Dutch and Swedish style of warfare could only be done by State's with the wealth to sustain it. That is why the Dutch were able to train and maintain forces drilled in the new styles and the small German states weren't. In a similar vein, the perennial financial problems of the Spanish State meant as long as the tercio system could still provide battlefield success, there were pressing economic reasons why the Spanish were reluctant to change their system, other than adapting the tercio to enable more firepower to be brought to effect. This is reflected in the Spanish persisting with the tercio system right up until 1704.
Overall, this book provides an excellent and affordable insight into the development of pike and shot tactics in the first half of the Seventeenth Century and I highly recommended it to all.
21 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
As a book I'd hoped to see for a long time, I probably shouldn't be surprised when it doesn't quite live up to expectations. Whilst by no means a "bad" book, it is a little unbalanced. It seems upon reading that the author is keen to demonstrate an evolution in tactics from the self-conscious classicism of Nassau's infantry battalion drills, through Gusatvus' peculiarly Swedish interpretation, to the composite "German" model of the later Thirty Years War and English Civil War. This is actually very well done for both infantry and cavalry, with ample diagrams and contemporary quotes to illustrate and support his discussion. However, there appears to be a curious lack of interest in the Spanish/Imperial tercios, with little more than a page and a half devoted to the workings of a formation which proved the mainstay of Dutch and Swedes opponents until the early 1630's. I'm not sure if it was the author's intention, but there is a clear implication that the defeat of the Spanish army at the Battle of Nieuport in 1600 somehow "proved" the superiority of the Dutch system; the fact that Tilly - whose troops fought in this now discredited formation - consistently defeated the armies of every more progressive enemy general during the Bohemian and Danish phases of the Thirty Years War doesn't seem to register!
The artwork is adequate - the reduction of the original paintings to the pre-requisite A4 robs the reader of a chance to really examine the excellent renditions of the troops inset into the panoramic illustrations of formed units.
Overall, it's a good book which serves as a useful framework to tie together Osprey's other works on the period, even though some of the individual titles (the "Campaign" books on Edgehill and Lutzen, and the Gustavus' Swedes in the Men-at-Arms series) may actually do a better job of describing formations and tactics.
The artwork is adequate - the reduction of the original paintings to the pre-requisite A4 robs the reader of a chance to really examine the excellent renditions of the troops inset into the panoramic illustrations of formed units.
Overall, it's a good book which serves as a useful framework to tie together Osprey's other works on the period, even though some of the individual titles (the "Campaign" books on Edgehill and Lutzen, and the Gustavus' Swedes in the Men-at-Arms series) may actually do a better job of describing formations and tactics.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Excellent introduction to an overview of development tactics 1/2 17c.
It is a short description of the evolution of military tactics.
Unfortunately, the scope of the book does not have a focus on details.
It is a short description of the evolution of military tactics.
Unfortunately, the scope of the book does not have a focus on details.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Olvido de bases
El libro es interesante. Sin embargo, a mi parecer, deja en el tintero los orígenes de la guerra moderna. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Alejandro Farnesio
As good as it gets
From the author's Last Word on page 62:
"Contemporary evidence for any battle in this period is fragmentary, whether from surviving accounts, from records of pay, muster or... Read more
"Contemporary evidence for any battle in this period is fragmentary, whether from surviving accounts, from records of pay, muster or... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Gareth Simon
Frustrating
First of all let me state that I am usually only moved to reviewing books which I have purchased and been disappointed with. Having said that, I really wanted to like this book. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Canberra Junior
Good in parts
I came away from this book with the impression that the author had an awful lot of knowledge to cram in but wasn't sure quite how to go about it in the space available. Read more
Published on 9 April 2010 by MJB
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