Dwarven Mercenaries

In the Ancient Greek model I am applying to the rest of the dwarven militaries, there was a tradition of using irregular troops, like these raiders. They were drawn from the poor and considered cowards for using ranged warfare. However, irregulars were the troops that could break enemy cohesion through their ranged skirmishing. In this sense they would be a perfect fit for the dwarves. These mercenary groups would be drawn from the lower classes like the Greek units. They would need to be able to use multiple weapons - including ranged - to compensate for the fact small unit size leaves no room for allies to pick up slack. Which then means in larger engagements they would be perfect as light infantry.

Bucklers would provide shielding during transit. Normally the Greek Irregulars carried wicker shields. Toxotai units relied on Pelta shields for protection. The similar Peltast units use a wicker version with no rim and covered in sheep or goat skin. It has both a strap and central hand grip to carry it with. This strap was quite useful as it allowed the peltast to throw the shield over their backs when they were fleeing enemies.   Like hobbits, they would probably benefit greatly from their shields. But, these guys would be a bit stronger. For one, they are more likely to be engaged in war (centralized states, more dangers in their areas, more adventuresome). Then, they also have greater access to materials to make them. But like hobbits, their size means that a smaller shield would be more effective in a dwarf’s hands than a human. Thus, a heater shield could protect them quite well – but due to the strength of dwarves be made stronger at no extra cost to the user. Perhaps a buckler could be used for the everyday travelers and tower shields adjusted to the size of dwarves would be the ideal. In the movies, the shields were made of wood and reinforced with metal – but this seems unlikely for dwarves. Their strength and the plentiful access to metal would make full metal shields much more common.   Therefore, I think the general size and shape of the Greek Pelta would be retained. Just it would be made of solid metal. Historically, the insides of the shield would be covered in some sort of softer material for padding. The wicker might be retained for that purpose. The thickness of the metal on their shields might be thinner than the main Hoplites too.   The fact that mail is light and easily protects against a lot of things outside of full battle, they would probably wear mail as well. Gambesons would be good for the same reasons. Thus, probably a combination of the two for richer dwarves while the poorer ones not able to afford mail would use just gambesons. Like the real world peltasts, I suspect these dwarves would have full helmets but whould be more relaxed with the rest of their armor.

How would these raiding parties be used tactically in offensive operations? First, lets look at their likely equipment. Their raiding parties would probably be rather well outfitted. As wood would probably be the main thing they go out to get in daily life, axes would be their prime weaponry due to its practical dual use properties. The same with knives. But even in World War One, raiders used shovels, pick axes and brass knuckles. Essentially any tool that was big and could hurt would be used.   The height of dwarves is between that of a hobbit and of men. This would impact what sort of weaponry they would use. This would rule out wood bows for them. Due to the reduced draw length, they would not be able to get as much power in the bows. But crossbows would be amazing for them. This is especially true when one looks at the fact that crossbows require more skill to make and dwarves are great craftsmen and manufacturers. It is also possible that their skill in smithing would allow them to make shorter bows with the same or higher draw weight by using steel. If they can do that, they can actually become some of the most deadly archers in Middle Earth. Their rate of fire would actually be a bit quicker as well. The shorter reach would mean they can pull the bow back quicker due to the shorter distance to full draw.   For melee weapons, it would make sense for pole-arms to be the primary choice. This overcomes their major reach limitations. Swords do not work as well as for humans as it is impractical to use a sword taller than you are. I doubt that the classic axe would be well suited for a primary weapon either. Given the amount of wood needed for their furnaces, axes would be a solid dual use or good back up weapon. But like swords are liabilities due to the fact they limit the reach. A good, solid two handed sword could be a pretty good side arm for the battlefield though. This would leave the spear/pike as the main weapon, swords if that is lost in combat and axes in every day life.   The Greek Irregular weapons were bows with 150 yards and slings with 300 yard ranges. These slings were quite devastating, given the fact they could fire projectiles of lead, clay or stone. Often this made them more lethal than the bows. Their back up was a short sword. Javelins were the main weapons of the Peltasts.   I would borrow this a bit. We know that unlike normal state military formations, mercenaries would have no formalized equipment. They also would have to alter their equipment based on pay and mission. Also, they would be the light infantry of the main military. So, they would likely have some form of mini arsenal. The Peltast equipment would probably be what they would use for light infantry in pitched battles. But that would not be quite as good for assaults on gate houses. The sword would probably be ditched for axes. Finally, for escort missions and general raiding, I suspect a bow (with a few fire arrows) and their axes.

When they engage in combat in resource gathering or escort missions, they would probably try and use brute force to crush the enemy before it devolves into a drawn out battle. Small groups are not well suited to this sort of long engagements. Meanwhile, they would not be set up for ranged combat. Thus, getting in close as fast as possible would be key. Then, using their superior strength and armor, they would engage in melee combat. Their strength would mean that they would probably be well suited for switching to grappling with their enemy should they need to. Once direct combat is engaged in, the strength could play to their advantage, as they simply exhaust the enemy party.   If they were sent out to explicitly to attack, different rules would probably apply. First, heavier, steel helmets and thicker and slightly larger shields would be issued. These units would be trained to be highly mobile, flexible and allowed to improvise and adapt based on local conditions. Recruits would be recruited from the most aggressive, athletic, youngest dwarf soldiers and given special training. But they would suffer higher attrition. As a result, they would be given higher pay, more rations and better leave time.   Raids in the traditional sense would target convoys, supply lines, bridges and exposed outposts. Or they would strike at isolated enemy units in wooded or mountain terrain. Basic guerrilla attacks on soft targets. Junior officers would have the authority to attack when they saw opportunities or to retreat without orders. Such attacks would see the raiders penetrate as far into the enemy territory as possible, killing and capturing as many enemy troops as possible. Supplies would either looted to sustain the operation or destroyed. Officers would be priorities for capture or killing if extraction was not possible. Ranged weapons would be more popular for these missions as more damage sooner would be beneficial.   But such groups would also be great for storming important enemy strong points in a siege. As such, surprise attacks on gatehouses or towers in the middle of the night would be a common tactic. Similarly, classic smuggling raiders into the city or fort under siege in wagons bringing in “supplies” would be ideal for these troops. Like all raids, the goal is to get into position using stealth and wait for some distraction. To borrow from World War One tactics, this would be catapults and trebuchets opening fire as the raiders break through to do major damage to the interior of the fort. As that happens, the regular infantry would attack in full force to mop up the defenders and exploit the opening.   In sieges, the killing of sentries quickly and quietly and/or opening gatehouses would be the main goals and probably be the first targets for raiders. Burning barracks and supply storage areas or wells could be devastating as well. The full exploitation of surprise would see all targets getting hit at the same time, so that the supplies and barracks are burned as the gate is opened. This in turn is the signal for bombardment of the walls and ladders being moved to the walls.   During World War One, small units patrolling under the cover of darkness would actually cross into no mans land, approach outposts from the rear and take prisoners. Australian units would even get in competitions with each other to see how many prisoners they could bring back. Their affect on German morale was significant, keeping whole divisions on edge. Two separate raids with a total of 8 men were able to capture 100 men, one of which attacked in the middle of the day. Two brigades were able to essentially use aggressive raids to penetrate 1,000 yards deep into German lines along 4,500 yards of front – which are huge numbers for the war. These raids I propose the dwarves use can be quite effective even against modern firepower and heavily fortified targets.   Such raids cannot be expected to hold territory. Ideally, they would produce a breach for rank and file troops to move in behind them. Disruption of defensive lines, fortifications and logistics would be where raiders would shine. Similarly, shock attacks by such raiders could cause routs – especially if they were able to penetrate enemy lines without detection and attack from the rear. This could break enemy units and lead to a decisive victory. The pattern is always raiders use stealth to break through enemy weak points and skip the strong points to do damage. The former strong points now find themselves cut off, surrounded and attacked by the regular infantry from the front. Given the desire to be quick as to not lose money on the war, this would probably be what dwarves would aim for.   Now, the Greek Hoplites relied on their Peltast units to protect their flanks. There were also cases where light infantry were able to provoke the enemy phalanx into breaking ranks and charging the light infantry. I suspect that similar uses would be in store when the light infantry was called to fight along side the main dwarf armies. In this use, javelins and swords were preferred. They would throw the javelins at attacking enemies and move out of the way of the attack. This owuld allow the enemy to filter in between the Peltast ranks, allowing the more nimble troops to break up the Hoplite blocks. This allowed them to kill the enemy much more easily.   Typically, they would be deployed on the flanks to protect that vulnerable portion of the formation. Similarly, they would move over difficult terrain where the phalanx couldn't. In one on one fights, they would lose against Hoplite Phalanxes. But their lighter equipment and ranged ability means they could harass the hoplites and retreat in the face of attacks. Doing this gave the skirmishers the advantage. A cylce of baiting the enemy to attack then retreating would ideally cause disorder in the hoplite ranks which the Peltasts could then exploit.   But the Peltasts had shields, swords and helmets. This meant they were more effective at close range than other light infantry they were likely to engage. This meant that they could attack aggressively the enemy skirmishers. This then made it easier for Peltasts to attack the flanks of the enemy phalanx.