Elven Warriors

The extreme skill if each soldier, the quality of their weaponry and the much lower birthrates would mean each elf soldier is much harder to replace than a human would. This puts the elves in a similar position to the ents. Granted the problem is less severe, as reproduction is possible and there are more elves. But the balancing factor is that ents are much stronger, are harder to kill and have effective cannon fodder for protection. As a result, the elves would probably take a similar position to the ents in foreign policy – with war as a last resort. But it also means that dwarves, with their heavy armor and tactics based on closing the gap for strong melee combat would be a problem they would need to counterbalance. A similar problem would be faced with Mordor’s use of overwhelming numbers and a willingness to burn down anything that could provide cover.   In real life light infantry and irregular formations, recruitment often came from frontiers and hunting professions. Grenz infantry from Austri-Hungary were one such formation drawn from the frontier with the Ottoman Empire. At their peak they were 57,000 men - a solid quarter of the Austrian Army at the time. Jagers were recruited by William V, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel from his personal staff of game keepers, professional hunters and forest rangers. Basically, it appears that life on the frontiers and experience hunting makes transition to light infantry easier because the two rely on similar skills.   But there is a bit of a contrast between the two. The Austrian formations were distrusted. A history of mutiny and its members being drawn from ethnic minorities known for radical nationalism did not help matters. The Jagers meanwhile were supposed to be drawn from the most esteemed classes. This means middle class and patriotic volunteers making up the core of the Jagers. They were trusted to the point that corporal punishment was apparently rare compared to the rest of the army and merit was used for promotion.   Fire teams and infiltration tactics require trust, impressive communication skills and teamwork. Conscription is unlikely to allow for these to properly develop enough. So the elves would most likely not use conscription. Instead, they would rely on volunteers to fight.   General Martin Ernst von Schlieffen quoted in R. Atwood's "The Hessians" Mercenaries from Hessen-Kassel in the American Revolution", Cambridge 1980   Haythornthwaite, Philip. The Austrian Army 1740-80 (3): Specialist Troops. Reed International Books Ltd, 1995. p13.   The size of these formations in the Napoleonic Wars appear to vary. The Lutzow Free Corps originally had 2,900 infantry, 600 mounted troops and 120 artillery. But later this was changed to 82 officers and 2337 troops. The later suggests a more likely number for an elven army group, as that is pure infantry. I would suspect that the elven formation would be 2,400 strong total. This would allow for 80 platoons with 30 elves each. These would would be further subdivided into the 6 fire teams of 5 elves. This would concentrate the leadership at the lower levels, reduce total numbers of officers and conform to my rather clear love of even, round numbers.   Bigelow, Poultney. History of the German Struggle for Liberty. Harper & Brothers (1896). Volume II., pp. 105-107.

Their armor mirrors their focus on agility. In the movies, the inner layer was a silk shirt. On top was a thin mail hauberk. Then a form of plate armor was added that had six or eight strips of metal attached with leather. This allows for more flexibility. As does the fact that no armor covered the legs. The arms had individual segments that do not overlap or connect, but they are covered. Interestingly to me, the elves of Lorien used no real armor, just silk colored to provide camouflage.   It seems that this would be pretty solid in real life. Keep the thin, camouflage outer layer of silk. Leather would probably be quite good as armor as well. Game could easily be used to provide the leather and the brown tones would aid the camouflage. The strips of plate armor over the less flexible parts of the body like the chest and shins could be slipped under this or painted to be dull and earthy. Finally, mail does not restrict movement that much – something that would be important for how the elves fight. But the idea that the Lorien elves wear no armor appears stupid. Why would not use mail when it is available, provides protection and does not restrict movement?   Their shields were similar to kite shields in that they were as tall as the elves and had a profile similar to a cross. The main difference is that there are two holes meant to allow spears to be put through. This is stupid in my opinion as any opening in a solid barrier that lets things out also lets things in. When the whole point is to keep things out, that pair of holes seems to be an unneeded compromise of defensive power. But this was done in real life, so it is not totally illogical. But it must be noted that the idea of a kite shield for elves is a good idea if executed better. Given the fact that elves would prefer to engage at range, any enemy counter would also be ranged. This means a kite shield would be ideal as they provide better full body protection against arrow fire.   Now, in the movies, elves only carried shielding in the Last Alliance of Men and Elves and the Battle of Five Armies. Otherwise they did not. In the most extreme cases, not even regular armor was worn. When in defensive battles, they normally operated from the tree canopies, where being hidden offered greater protection than defensive technology. At Helm’s Deep, the priority was on the need for speed and the ability to use bows. Shields like what the elves used in the movies cannot be used while firing a bow and the weight might have slowed them down enough to keep them from arriving in time. So for that battle the inadequate battlements of Helm’s Deep were used as a stand in for shielding.   We can assume based on the assumed draw strength of the bows that elves for all practical purposes are not weaker than humans in ways relevant to combat. But what is important is they would prioritize dual wielding melee weaponry and not use shields outside limited conditions. This means that their defense is limited. Using one hand to hold a sword means that less strength would be available, all things being equal, to block incoming blows. As a result, maces and axes would be devastating as they deliver much more power in their strikes. Remember – dwarves are known for their use of axes and probably would use war hammers and maces as well. This suggests to me that the dwarves are actually perfectly set up to attack the elves in the weaknesses of the elven combat style. Keep in mind that the impact from a dull ax can break bones.   Light infantry are specialized for speed and dexterity. So movement is more important than raw defensive power. So lighter armor that did not restrict movement or cause as much overheating were of more importance. So we can assume that brigantine and mail would be the preferred armor. Armor like what the elves prefer in the movies does have some logic, but I suspect that they would not be as good as mail. The kite shield seems logical for pitched battles, but I suspect that those would be rare for the elves. Instead the medium heater or targe shields would be the preferred options.

Skill in making weaponry is also likely to accumulate to equally high levels. This means that there would be less demand for constant replacement of weaponry. It seems likely to me that elven culture would evolve so that each elf would be responsible for forging their own weapons. They would custom make their weapons and armor such that while reflecting their homeland enough that they would be recognized on the battlefield, the set would also display the individual’s personal skills, wealth and artistic tastes. I would also expect that such sets of armor and weaponry would be a major status and coming of age rite of passage. At a given age or when they prove themselves worthy, they would be tasked with making it. Losing it or failing to properly maintain their equipment would thus be a major blow to personal honor and social status. The artistic tradition of the elves is so rich that we can expect the weaponry to be works of art in their own right as well.   One thing that I found interesting is that the Jagers of the Prussian Army after the Napoleonic Wars was a reliance on middle class volunteers who were responsible for providing their own weapons. This was in part why the Prussians put hunters in these formations - they already had rifles and experience in using them. This suggests to me another reason the Jager model would be borrowed.   The eyesight element does play to their traditional archery focus. They can thus handle stronger bows because they can aim at targets further away than humans. Also, aiming in lower light conditions would be aided. But they would not gain as much as you would think – the ability to hold the bow steady, understand airflows and predict the arrow trajectories all play a bigger role. Elves would be able to track enemies, notice enemies at night and despite attempted stealth. But in terms of actually hitting at ranges bows normally shoot at, they might actually be just as good as humans.   Whatever benefits they gain in archery comes from the grace and agility they have. Being able to draw an arrow and shoot does require a decent amount of those traits. Especially in battle where you will be doing it a lot. When one starts at a better default position the effects of battle can wear on a person longer before one has to quit. As noted in the hobbit section, it is entirely possible that due to the longer ranges, slings could be better for elves than bows. This is especially true if the elves are actually weaker than humans. Bows in the medieval period could easily have a 100 pound draw weight – which would take a toll on anyone in a battle situation.   In the movies, the bows used in elvish armies could shoot 300 to 350 yards – which is a little ridiculous. But such ranges are some of the least implausible things in a series with dragons and eagles too big to fly. If we take the 100 pound draw weight of the English Longbow and its apparent 300 to 360 yard historical range, we can expect that the elven bows would have about the same draw weight. The bows of Lothlorien are apparently able to shoot 440 yards with a draw weight of 200 pounds.   In terms of constructing these bows, the wood of the Mallorn or yew trees were preferred. The heights of elven bows apparently reached 7 feet. The problem with this is that the arrows then needed to be 4 feet long. Which then meant thinner shafts to keep weight down and thus maintain range. The tips appear to be some compromise - broad heads that come to a narrow point.   The poundage for Lorien's bows was apparently around 200. Right. We can therefore assume that either the elves are stronger than I assumed or dumber. Granted, there are real life British Longbows that have been fired with 170 pound draw weights. But those are way to heavy to be realistically fired repeatedly in battles.   The Lorien arrows had a rather unique feature - spiral fletching. This granted them better range and accuracy. Yeah, you read that right. Rifled arrows. I guess if I can accept 200 pound draw weights, this doesn't seem that far of a reach. Theoretically anyway. Apparently this in real life is good for making arrows easier to recover and observe in flight. But they increased drag to the point the arrows go slower and shorter. This would probably only be used in training.   The smaller Mirkwood bows were 60 inches long with 30 inch arrows. They were in the 250 yard range. But this was not much of a bad thing. Typically, they would be used by elves hiding in and jumping between trees. The targets would be constrained by the same terrain. Which meant that a smaller bow would be more valuable than range. Also, there would rarely be targets beyond that range they would need to hit. These bows were also had a draw weight of around 150 pounds. These bows make much more sense when the elves would be firing the sort of higher volume and closer range shots typical of pitched battles.   Any melee weaponry also benefits from the agility bonuses elves have. So, there is no set of weapons this would default elves to using. However, a rapier and dagger combination has been used in duels before. However, it is suspected that this is not too common in real battles because it is too hard for people to manage two offensive weapons at the same time due to coordination limitations. Elves would not suffer from this near as much. Typically this was done with one weapon for defense and the other of offense. This would make it easier to use a weapon to redirect and deflect the enemy attacks similar to the hobbits. The daggers elves seem to be keen on using would be much better as a sidearm for them. In full battle, two rapiers or rapier and dagger would be the best bet. Legolas did use a system similar to this with two knives measuring in at two feet long.   Meanwhile, the agility of the elves is reflected in their movie weaponry. Spears are listed at 8 feet long and swords at 5 feet. Both are made in a slight S shape that made it easier for them to use sweeping arcs. Even the spear is meant to kill in slashes that benefit more from agility than the thrusts of traditional spears – which draw on more strength. Attacks are described as sweeps that slash across the enemy’s body or whirling strikes. The spear was alternatively used in broad sideways sweeps as well. Rank and file troops apparently were equipped with two handed swords, but Elrond had a single handed sword used in downward, circular arcs. There are no tips made for thrusting, and one side is sharpened for the entire length to increase the damage range. A full half of the length of the sword was its handle, which makes it a solid two handed sword. This has the benefit of better grip and strength. Meanwhile the extra length means that it can exploit the mechanical elements of levers to increase speed at the sword tip. This seems to be consistent with what one would expect from an agile and quick fighter.   Jagers were outfitted with hunting daggers and either a short saber or falchion. So it would not seem unreasonable to expect a similar longer, one handed sword designed for slashing to be the elves back up melee weapon. The full spear seems to be a bit of overkill as the elves would probably not be using the sort of tight ranks of line infantry much. The swords Elrond used would appear to be much more in line with their needs. But elves are also extremely agile - so Legolas with is long knives would also prove to be a solid side arm model. The two weapons using the whirling style combat would be devastating. I would imagine that some concessions would be needed to shields here. Instead of the larger kite shields, they would probably use smaller bucklers on each arm.

One thing I find interesting is the fact that the elves do not have much in the way of cavalry mounts. Which makes sense. Woods and mountains are not conducive to mounted warfare. But it does have the downside of robbing them of the light cavalry and mounted infantry wings that would be quite useful when the elves take to the offensive.

Command is critical to the success of the light infantry. What can be accomplished with light infantry under solid command is the "foot cavalry" under Confederate General Stonewall Jackson. He was able to use extreme audacity, initiative, understanding of the local terrain and ability to inspire his men to move his infantry into areas so fast it appeared they were mounted. The result was he would often appear in unexpected locations that posed planning problems for Union leadership. Lincoln ordered extra men be held in reserve to defend Washington DC. Meanwhile, General McClellan was so unnerved by the fear of the "foot cavalry" that overabundance of caution cost the Union victory in the Peninsula Campaign.   Jagers were also very interested in solid command. Where most officers at the time were nobles, Jager officers were promoted from the ranks based on merit. Due to the focus on small unit actions, the junior officers promoted this way held significantly more power and influence than similar ranks in line infantry.   The French had a version of infiltration tactics called grignotage or nibbling. The idea here was essentially the same. But the French version relied on smaller, more methodical operations. The original French theorists focused on dealing with local resistance and limited objectives that could be dealt with using small units. Granted, it was a modification of the human wave attacks the First World War was famous for, not true infiltration tactics. But it can be incorporated into that mindset. If commanders are given what constitutes a high value target, they can apply these to prioritize and find the soft, high value targets of opportunity and exploit them.   So, in the mission oriented tactics that these models typically are a part of, the senior commanders decide what the objectives are and what is acceptable in seeking those objectives. This is then communicated to the junior officers who are tasked with meeting those objectives. The junior officers are not told exactly how to do that. Just intent of the senior commanders and the objectives are sent down.   It is assumed that the junior officers know the local conditions better than the general staff. Which means they are in a better position to make judgement calls on how, when and where it is practical to act. Basically, the junior commanders are given an objective, time frame to reach it and what is considered enough resources to meet those objectives. The junior officers are then trusted to do their job. The result is a high degree of tactical flexibility. The local commanders are to be as unconstrained as possible and free to act as they see fit. If they act contrary to the dictates of senior officers, that is in part the resultl of poor communication regarding what that intent is.

The benefits they gain in archery due to their eyes would mean they are great scouts. Being able to patrol large areas, kill enemies at larger ranges or identify high value targets and monitor the large open areas at the fringe of elven territory would be greatly enhanced. They would also be great long range assassins as a result. It also suits the style of combat used in the large scale battles we see them engage in – infantry with melee weapons and a shield wall that provides cover for archers shooting over them.   Remember those forts and watch towers I mentioned? These would be perfect places for elves to see their enemy approaching from long distances. It would also not be hard to use these as platforms to conduct raids. Should an enemy army approach, these places could send out a small number of troops to strike in the middle of the night. It would not have to kill many enemies. Simply burning a few wagons of supplies or tents, killing or capturing officers and the like can be quite effective. Especially when facing orcs, who are apparently notorious for routing if their commanding officers are killed.   Their equipment and biological strengths suggest that they would be ideal for light infantry. Light infantry, as you would probably guess after my commentary elsewhere, is meant for loose formations. Often they fight in front of the main army. Line or heavy infantry is meant to fight in the battle winning dense formations able to do and absorb massive amounts of damage. The light infantry is meant to break up these formations in the enemy so that the allied heavy infantry can have an easier time. Almost as important is keeping the enemy scouts from getting close enough to discover the exact size and location of the main force. The formations used often mean light, sporadic combat often not decisive or meant to be.   This means the light infantry focus on speed and mobility more so than firepower or armor. Thus they are better used in contexts against soft targets and surprise. They also have to avoid getting hit rather than taking the hits that come. For this same reason, hiding becomes more essential. When used properly, light infantry are quite effective in delaying the enemy, harassing their formations, disrupting their supply lines, raiding camps and convoys and provoking the enemy into idiocy and rashness. At the same time they are quite useful in scouting and killing enemy scouts before the enemy can report back. Any context where speed, stealth and surprise confer disproportional advantages, one should rely on light infantry. One other area in which light infantry shine is where terrain is too restricted to use the mass formations needed for heavy infantry to be effective.   One of the more important functions of the light infantry is keeping enemy advances from surprising the main army. By operating in a loose formation placed in front, they will be the first to make contact. The light infantry's traditional ranged focus means they can do damage to the front ranks on contact. While not enough to really hurt them, typically this would at least slow them down. But the loose formation keeps ranged counter fire from being as effective. The result is warning the main army and costing the enemy surprise and momentum. That alone can turn the tide of a battle.   Decentralization would be key. Controlling units to the same degree as line infantry would be difficult when light infantry operates 100-200 yards ahead of the main units in open order formations. The Jagers were supposed to operate in advance of the main formations. In fact this was the point. They needed to be far enough out that they could see farther and effectively engage the enemy on their own. Ideally this was 100-200 yards. This distance meant that theoretically cavalry could support them easily or they could fall back under the protection of the line infantry in a crisis. But they were often sent out in pairs so that one could support the other more easily. This says to me that the practicality of that backup was limited. In fact, the other forward operating Jagers were unlikely to be much aid.   In the elven context, I suspect this would mean the fire team or squad would be the core organizing level. Their corporals would effectively have real battlefield command.Their effectiveness then relies on their intelligence and daring. Real life fire teams are intentionally structured and created to allow for tactical flexibility as part of a larger formation. But they do not work well in massed infantry formations. The result is a sort of reinforcing cycle. Once the elves decide to switch to fire teams, the use of mass formations will actually suffer due to the training and equipment not being suited for this.   In real life, fire teams of roughly 4-5 people are expected to be able to cover 50 meters in constricted terrain. The forests and mountains of the elven domains would be ideal for this range. Hence why some of the Elven bows had shorter ranges. But the real ranges especially in defensive positions would be based on whichever is shorter - visibility or weapons range. Typically this means at most 500 meters in open terrain. But the elven superiority in eyesight means that they would just be limited by terrain and bow ranges.   This means that an army based on these small, independent but reinforcing teams would be ideal for raiding, skirmishing and hit and run attacks. Such formations would be ideal for conducting ambushes and protecting against them. Plus scouting and low intensity battles in contested ground or where enemy troop density is light. Such operations are perfectly suited for hit and run tactics. The attacks do damage to the enemy but do not take or hold territory. The result is a loss of strength in the enemy but no corresponding losses in allied troops because retreat occurs before the forces needed for significant defenses or retaliation can become effective.   These would be highly useful in the long term even if short term decisive victories would be rare. The constant tension that arises from the never ending raids can lead to a loss of morale, decline in trust in the competence of the senior leaders, exhaustion, tensions and confusion. Supplies can be stolen - which then feeds the raiders while compounding the above issues for the enemy. Specific things that the enemy needs can be denied them. This can either be due to the actions itself or by inducing fear in the enemy leadership such that they are not willing to risk the offensive actions needed to complete objectives. Critically important would be the possibility of capturing people for interrogation that might know vital intelligence.   One major role elves would excel at would be long range surveillance. Essentially, small teams (beginning to see a theme here?) operate deep behind enemy lines with little to no backup. Depending on the conditions, real world teams sent out on these missions would be expected to last 7 days without resupply or support. The key ability for these teams would be the ability to remain unseen. They must rely on their ability to survive against enemy forces most likely significantly larger and often without back up. The easiest way to do this is simply not be seen. The result is that these teams would most often just gather intelligence and send information back to their allies.   But it is entirely possible to strike at important targets. But this, as one can guess, needs to be done with caution. As a result, targets that can cause disproportional damage to the enemy can be hit. If the target would disrupt the entire enemy operation, then it would be worth it. Basically, if the destruction of the target is worth risking the team and would be more useful than the intelligence that could be gained, it should be hit. Also, if the target cannot be repaired in time or done without, then it is worth hitting. The ability to get to the target, carry out the attack and get out must be taken into account. Lastly, there are targets with political and economic value to the enemy that should it be lost would cause a catastrophic or cascading system failure. Like the destruction of the One Ring for example. Should these be successfully be assaulted, then the risk becomes worth it. Essentially, this means that the elves would be perfectly placed to operate using ambushes, raids, blocking infrastructure and sabotage. This possibly also means placing booby traps in critical passes the enemy must march through.   There is a distinction between high value and high payoff targets. While the commander of a mission would likely be free to hit either, they are distinct concepts. One would be prioritized over the other based on conditions and current priorities. High value is a target that if denied the enemy the enemy would not be able to function. Something they both currently have and need to keep in order to win. An important commander or the only facility that produces critical war materials for example. The Isengard Dam would be one such target. High payoff targets are those that friendly forces do not have but would greatly benefit from securing. Think an important bridge or mountain pass for example.   Such raids and strikes are quite good at hitting high value, soft targets of opportunity. So, in the right context, this raid based model can be solid in bogging down the enemy invasion and stopping dire and imminent threats. While the elves would probably be more able to identify and exploit these compared to other races, this cannot be counted on to work in all cases.   No doctrine is complete without allowances for offensive actions and attacks on hardened positions. How would this happen? Well, World War One provides us with a solid inspiration in German Infiltration Tactics. They were based on small unit actions, directed by junior officers and used against the impressive defenses of the era's trench systems. Like traditional light infantry, speed and maneuverability was seen as more important than heavy protection. So the heavier armor was eliminated in favor of knee and elbow pads to protect the soldier while crawling. The assault units would have as many types of weapons as possible to make sure they could handle as many types of threats as possible.   The idea is to use cover and suppressing fire to achieve tactical surprise. Key to this working, the assault formation would need to get as close as possible without being seen before the attack is launched. In real life contexts like the Brusilov Offensive, this meant 70 yards charged at full speed. Night time would be ideal for the prep work and opening charge. The goal was to do as much damage as possible as fast as possible so that the enemy could be defeated before they knew what hit them. This meant no proper coordinated reaction or time to get reinforcements.   Instead of taking the hard points, they would bypass them. This then means finding and attacking the weakest points. Hence why I keep focusing on soft targets. By doing this, a positional advantage is gained. The assault teams do this by advancing in small, independent but reinforcing teams. But these are very limited in their own right. They could get around this to a degree by shooting from a particular position until it becomes untenable. Then they can retreat to another position.   In this framework, the costly attacks would not be needed. Instead, the strong points would be cut off from their allies and isolated. Their supply lines and communications would be cut. Attempts to break out could see the enemy exposed to the sort of hit and run attacks the elves have the advantage in. Ideally though these enemy formations would simply be left behind and made irrelevant. Thus any one position would become unsustainable even without direct assault. Thus, infrastructure targets like roads, supply storage, bridges, headquarters, wagons or ships would all be hit rather than fortified strong points.   Gudmundsson, Bruce I. (1995). Stormtroop Tactics: Innovation in the German Army, 1914-1918. Praeger Paperback. pp. 46–78. ISBN 0-275-95401-3.   Distributed Operations is a very similar idea used by the US Marine Corps. Again, it is centered on maneuver warfare and small, highly trained units. But it differs from traditional Mission Tactics of World War 1 era armies in that it is spread across a large area of operations. The aim is to intentionally use separation and coordinated, independent actions. The small units will use close combat to disrupt the enemy's access to key terrain and avenues of approach. When this is used in the "disbursal" mode, distributed units spread out to scout and secure lightly defended infrastructure. This would be ideal for exploiting mobility to seize better positions to fight from. The "Coalesce" mode is essentially the reverse - units concentrate all of their firepower on large, heavily defended targets of opportunity and high value targets. The idea is again cutting off the enemy so that they lose their ability to move safely. Then the newly isolated sub units become sitting ducks for defeat in detail.   Schmidle, Robert E. "Distributed Operations: From The Sea". www.mca-marines.org. Retrieved 2 August 2014.   We can also assume that the equivalent of sniping could be quite effective in the hands of elves. Their ability to conceal themselves would make them masters of stalking enemies long enough to identify who is important. Then, their bow ranges allow them to hit their targets from relative safety. This is quite effective in killing officers and specialist positions, such as communications or engineering roles. Fire arrows could be incorporated into the arsenal of elves deployed in this role in anti- material roles - an actual real world use of snipers. Such attacks can be quite disruptive for the enemy due to the confusion, lethal impacts and surprise. The seeming inability to predict, prevent or respond to attacks make this even worse.   So, how would large scale battles take place if this is the main model they would be operating under? Well, lets look at how actual reconnaissance tactics for a second here. Normally, the forces tasked with reconnaissance operate in very limited ways. They exist just to get information and return to their allied formations. This means stealth and weaponry geared primarily for self defense or killing enemy patrols or recon units. But there are two more heavy duty versions - reconnaissance in force and reconnaissance pull.   The first is sending larger groups out to do recon work. Normally, these would be too large to really hide easily but too small to win a battle if they encounter the main enemy force. The result is essentially forcing the enemy to reveal their location, force size and how aggressive the commander is - all useful information. The local commander is free to either fall back to their allies or engage the enemy they find. This fits quite well with the overall trust in lower level officers that I feel the elves would base their operations on.   From my understanding, the engagement scenario creates the recon pull idea. Here, the forces on reconnaissance detects weak points in the enemy position that can be exploited. The recon in force troops can break into these weak spots that create gaps. The rest of the army can then move into these breaches. This allows for bypassing strong points, outflanking actions and damage to rear areas and supply lines. All of these are consistent with how I see elves fighting major wars.

One of the side effects of their immortality is the extreme skill that individual warriors are able to accumulate over years of training. Which is essential for light infantry. Light formations require higher levels of training and fitness to be effective. Training also needs to instill in the troops greater levels of independence and initiative. Part of this would be the ability to recognize high value targets, infiltration tactics and an understanding of the best time and place to strike soft and high value targets.   Voltigeurs were admittedly from the Napoleonic French Army and thus used guns instead if bows. But they were selected for their sharpshooting ability and trained to be skirmishers. Their training focused on marksmanship, taking cover and initiative. Chasseurs à pied formations were French light infantry from the 1840s and later. Their training also focused on marksmanship but also on executing field maneuvers rapidly.   In order for the fire team model to work, quality small unit training for soldiers is needed. Just as important is experience of the members working together. We can assume that the elves would often train together to get this working relationship developed. They might also be rotated across many areas of the elven domain so that this training gives them better understanding of the whole kingdom.   At an individual level, it is critical that the individual elf be masters of the bow. So training would be a core part of individual training. But unlike the Gondorian archers, I suspect that the elves would need to be able to hit at much further ranges. Granted, in a battle, they would focus on similar ranges to Gondorians. But the elves would be much more interested in hitting a commander at long range. Or setting fire to a ship before it can land its troops. Or set fire to supply wagons and camp sites. Plus, the full range of the bows would be needed to make sure the enemy does not close the gap. If the enemy does get in close, there is no back up.   Also quite important would be the ability to be stealthy. Sneaking up on enemies to either kill them or observe their movements would be critical. This then in turn requires more training in finding cover and using camouflage. Because of the focus on independent and small teams, the training would likely emphasize the same ideals of modern day special forces. Namely, these are speed, stealth and the ability to do huge amounts of damage quickly before successfully retreating. This means operating in a low profile until the need to strike. Almost if not more important is self reliance and adaptability.

If we remember from the biological features of Elves, they are able to walk on snow without leaving footprints - suggesting extreme lightness. They also require less food. And they are able to walk and sleep at the same time. This means they have natural advantages in all areas of military operations. They can get to places much faster due to the ability to walk and sleep. The food consumption means that the same supplies would last them longer than it would for all other armies. This grants the advantage to the elves on both sides of sieges. Plus they would have less of a problem with their supply lines and baggage trains. This then reinforces their ability to move fast and presents fewer vulnerabilities when on campaign.

Now, elves would most likely be operating within striking distance from their bases. This would most often be the blockhouse forts or their watch towers. These would likely have a set of supplies for the garrison. Plus the obvious refuge from enemy attacks. This means that we can assume that the skills associated with wilderness survival and long term survival in hostile territory.