Germanic Warrior/Bio & Battles

There were numerous Germanic tribes that warred with each other just as frequently as they warred with Rome. They were unified by a common tongue and similar culture, but never formed a unified state. Unlike Gaul, the German lands were not wholly conquered by Rome. The first emperor, Augustus, had grand plans for an invasion of Germania. However, that dream died in in 9AD when Varus lost 3 full legions and supporting auxiliaries. For the rest of Roman history, the land east of Rhine and north of the Danube rivers remained primarily in barbarian hands. The legions would, of course, make retaliatory raids into the german territory, though it seems the Roman idea was to man only enough land on the far side of the Rivers to create a more defendable border. The kingdom of Dacia was indeed conquered and made a province at the beginning of the 2nd century. However, this land north of the Danube was controlled by a people of Celtic, Thracian, Scythian stock—considered to be separate people from the Germans.

According to Tacitus, the strength of the German warband lay in its infantry. Each warrior carried several javelins. Cavalrymen were equipped similarly, with only a very few armored. The quickest men were formed into units of a regular size of 100 men. They occupied the front rank, following the cavalry.

Tacitus was not especially impressed by the quality of German cavalry, yet Julius Caesar employed them to great effect in his wars. Cavalry were not meant as shock troops to burst through enemy lines. Their main use was in hit and run tactics, attacking the enemy flank, routing fleeing enemy infantry, and protecting the German flank.

Generally speaking, German warriors were not as well equipped as the Gauls. Tacitus states that iron was short supply in the German lands. This is born out by archaeological evidence. Very few domestically produced. long swords are found to be dating from the 5th cen. BC onwards. Spear points measure from 12-26cm. The spear appears to have been the predominant weapon, along with short single-edge daggers. A longer single-edge blade, the sax became increasingly popular starting in the 2nd cen. BC. Throughout their times Germans made use of Gaulic or Roman arms imported by trade or as booty.

Battle vs. Mohawk Warrior (by Cfp3157)
A lone Germanic warrior stands in a snow-capped land. His men had sailed across the ocean to find new land, for the Romans had taken most of their own. ''This land is new, no others dwell here. It is perfect.'' This is what the Germanic king had told them. But now, his Germanic tribes had gone to war with several other native tribes. One particular nuisance was the Mohawk, or Kanien'keha:Ka as they called themeslves, had defended the villages from the Germans and did so well. But now, they had begun to falter, slightly so. The lone Germanic stood amongst the dead bodies, having all other warriors fallen. He breathed in deeply, relaxing after the grim fight. But little did he know that one remaining Mohawk had been waiting.......

The lone Mohawk stood in a tree, his bow drawn and an arrow notched. He pulls back the string, aiming for the invaders back. He slows his breathing, preparing to kill all the invaders to show them how deadly the Kanien'keha:Ka are. However, the German hears the branch bend and raises his Shield. The arrow snaps into the Shield, quivering as it settles into the thick wood. The German roars  with battle rage, throwing his Spear at the Mohawk. Though he misses, the Mohawk quickly drops to the ground to dodge the projectile.

The Mohawk draws his Tomahawk and parries a thrust from the Germanic's short sword. The German then bashes the Indian back, sending him flying to the ground. The German then hacks to the ground, but the Mohawk rolls out of the way and kicks the German away. The Mohawk quickly gets up and draws his Hunting Knife, planning to dula wield his weapons. He feints a hack from his Tomahawk and moves in close with his Knife. He stabs down into the German's chest, grazing his shoulder and drawing the first blood of this private dual.

The German then headbutts the native, sending him backwards. He then slahes at the Mohawk's chest, leaving a deep yet not fatal wound. The Mohawk quickly disarms the German of his sword, sending it far away to the ground. The Mohawk moves with a hack from his Tomahawk and a downward thrust, but the German knocks him back once again with his Shield as he draws his Fire-Hardened Club. The Mohawk runs away to his own Club, and swings it into the Shield. The spike penetrates the Shield's thick hide, and the Mohawk finally gets rid of the Shield that has been his biggest problem the entire fight. As he tries to pull it out, the German smacks him with his Club, sending him back.

The Mohawk quickly runs over to the Germanic sword and runs away. The angry German chases the Mohawk, but he doesn't know the terrain as well as his oppnent. So when the German runs by the tree where the Mohawk was perched, he doesn't notice the Mohawk, sword in the wood and his bow in hand. He fires his last arrow, piercing the German's leg. The German falls down in pain, holding back his screams. The Mohawk grabs the sword and jumps over the German, planning to finish him off. However, the German rolls away and grabs the weapon closest to him; his Spear. He then throws his Spear, the projectile sliding cleanly through the Mohawk's side. The Mohawk grasps his stomach as he falls to the ground, his life slowly ebbing away. The German yells loudly in victory, his fist in the air.

WINNER: Germanic Warrior

Expert's Opinion
The reason the Germanic Warrior won was because his Shield blocked all possible attacks from the Mohawk and his mid range weapon was far superior than his opponent's.

To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here.

Battle vs. Han Warrior (by Samurai234)
In a large forest, a Han Warrior is walking back to his camp. He was supposed to go a battle, but his chariot was attacked by a Turkish warrior also in a chariot. Up ahead, a Germanic Warrior is walking across the forest, looking for another opponent after he defeated a Arab soldier. The Germanic Warrior notices the Han Warrior and hurls a Fransisca Axe, but it misses and hits a nearby tree. The Han, alerted by this, grabs his Repeating Crossbow, and fires 4 arrows at the German. The Germanic Warrior tries to duck behind his shield, but one of the arrows managed to hit him in the shoulder. Luckily, his armor prevented the arrow from piercing his skin. The Germanic Warrior hurls another axe, which hits the Han Warrior’s shield, rendering it useless. The Han Warrior grabs his Qiang, and charges at the German, who has his boar spear and shield. The Han Warrior tricks the German into opening himself, and stabs him in the leg. The Germanic Warrior roars in pain and uses his spear’s side prongs to disarm the Han. The German smiles, and runs in to finish his opponent off, but the Han manages to grabs the spear and throws the Han Warrior to the floor, causing him to lose grip on his shield. The German pulls out his Seax knife while the Han pulls out his butterfly swords. The German tries desperately to block the Han Warrior’s strikes, but the Han manages to get a strike on the German’s stomach. The German retaliates by slashes the Han in the arm. The Han unsheathes his Dao, while the German unsheathes his Grosse Messer. The two both clash, weapon-on-weapons, until the Han finds an open spot on the German. He thrusts forward and stabs the German in the neck. Blood splurges out as the German breathes his last. The Han raises his sword in the air and yells in victory.

Winner: Han Warrior

Expert's Opinion
Please consider a contribution by writing an expert's opinion as to why the Han Warrior won.

To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here.