Hobbitry in Arms

12 under normal conditions. Possibly as high as 150-300. There were two other battles hobbits were involved with. The first was the Battle of Fornost. In this battle, mainly men and elves march to defend against the forces of the Witch King marching on the once great human kingdoms west of the Misty Mountains. A company of hobbit archers (so at most 150) was sent as the Shire was nominally part of the kingdom under attack. This battle led to the destruction of Angmar as a kingdom, but the realms of men in the area were gone as well. The other was the Battle of Greenfields, in which some orcs invaded the Shire 200 years before the events of the Lord of the Rings. I have no information on what tactics were used. But ultimately the hobbits came out on top.

Another problem for the hobbits beyond the reach is the ability to block and deflect enemy melee attacks. So, some sort of shielding would be essential. Probably this would be a buckler. These are much smaller than most shields and impractical for the larger races of Middle Earth. But they provide much more protection for creatures the size of hobbits. Now, a heavy blow would still damage a hobbit pretty bad as the shield would not stop force from being transferred to the body. Thus arms can still be broken and the hobbit flung backwards with greater ease. This is much preferable to the outright and instant death that would have otherwise befallen the hobbit, but is still not good. Bucklers though have the potential to help the hobbit deflect blows much more easily.   A shield would be good as mentioned before to deflect blows, thus an effective evasion aid. But, it would also be useful in getting in close. As the size of the hobbit means enemies would have few options besides a downward strike against the head, even a small shield can be angled to protect the head. The hobbit could then provoke such a strike, deflect the blow away then rush towards the knees of the opponent. As a lot of plate armor has a weak spots at the knees and this would be the closest part for the hobbit to hit, this seems like it would be the best move to handle regular melee combat.   Gambesons are thus a very good choice for them. They are the cheapest and easiest to make of all the forms of armor. As there is no centralized state available to finance armor for troops, anyone armed will have to finance it out of their own income. This factor is important in another regard as well – gambesons are the most likely to be useful in normal life. One certainly does not need full plate armor when working on a house or in the garden. But the harm that can come from these tasks can be effectively protected against by gambesons for a fraction of the cost. While they are never going to be as good as plate or mail, gambesons are more effective than one would expect against a wide range of damage types.

Mainly archery.   Saruman's army at the time he invades the Shire is described as ruffians – untrained brigands with no discipline or quality equipment or resource base. The hunting bows that the hobbits use against them fit with what would be useable for a hobbit and effective against this sort of enemy. You wouldn’t need many kills to cause a rout against such an army. A well placed shot to an eye or neck can kill even at lower power. Such shots would not have to be the norm when the damage needed to cause a rout is low. Also – the slings that the poorer hobbits would use were popular with Spanish troops in the Middle Ages to kill light infantry.   The only solution to the physical limitations of the hobbits would be to reduce the size of the swords proportional to the size of the hobbits. This then means that short swords, knives and those sort of things are probably the best melee options. While short swords are good for hobbits, daggers would be the ideal weapon due to the ease at which they can be concealed or disguised as a normal utility knife. Why this matters will come up more when I discuss tactics later. Pole-arms do overcome the reach issue but have the problem of being heavy for such a small creature as a hobbit. Proportional reductions is size must occur with pole-arms to make them light enough – eliminating their advantage.   The result of this is that the range issue is still a problem. There are two main work arounds – ranged weaponry and tactics. Ranged weaponry poses a similar set of issues as melee actually. Strength is needed to get enough power to do lethal damage. Throwing knives and arrows don’t actually do anything if they hit the target but don’t penetrate the skin. The longbow has a draw strength of 100 pounds – which is a problem. They also are too tall for hobbits. Short bows don’t have this length issue but still require solid muscles. Shorter arms also means less distance they can pull bow strings and the speeds they can throw knives.   What ranged weaponry can overcome this lack of power? Crossbows. They have mechanical means to get the power needed to be lethal. But like mail and swords, crossbows would likely only be found in the richer households that also are more adventuresome – thus mainly just Frodo and Bilbo. No one else in the Shire would have both the need for such firepower and the resources to get one.   Slings would also be quite effective. They work essentially as extensions for the human arm, are cheap to make, rely on materials that are dual use and the Shire has in abundance, are easy to conceal and have extreme ranges. Apparently ancient slings could hit targets 400 meters away. Apparently Roman sling stones were also drilled out to either use poisons or to cause the stones to whistle when thrown. Either one of these would play to the strengths of the hobbits. Poisons would counter the strength limitations of hobbits. The whistling could cause terror in enemies when used correctly or a distraction when the hobbits are attempting infiltration or ambushes. Clay shots were also heated so they can set things on fire. Stone – a very common material – was also used in real life slings. Lead was common as well, but unlikely for the Shire due to very low levels of industrialization.   Interestingly, this does open up the possibility for clubs and maces to be very useful. Because of the shape of the legs, thrusting strikes are more likely to be deflected. But, swipes and slashes – such as from clubs and swords – are much less likely to deal critical blows.

The First Sheriff reports to the Mayor. Being the main law enforcement officer may sound like a big deal until you realize that the police force of the Shire consists of only 12 hobbits primarily concerned with loose livestock. They did have the power to deputize hobbits as bounders – the volunteer border patrol aiming to keep out “Strange folk”.

What we see when hobbits engage in battle is that the hobbits are unsurprisingly not the best warriors, but adept at the use of ambushes, guerrilla tactics and concentration at strategic points. They did not try and fight the ruffians on open ground. Instead they forced the enemy onto ground where the hobbits had the advantage. They also focused on killing leadership. This seems to play to the same strengths I suspected they have.   The combination of the weapon and armor choices I discuss is tactics based on ambushes and other hit and run tactics. One can be effective by using sneak attacks to kill enemies. Basically the best way for a hobbit to kill their enemies would be to get in close and finish them off before they even know the fight is occurring. This is good tactical advice for any engagement but essential for hobbits. Assassination is likely to be common as well. A single hobbit can kill high ranking commanders, burn supply wagons or other actions that can be devastating even if an outright battle is not conducted. This works to their size quite well as their size makes it easier for them to hide, move silently and possibly even pretend to be a child. Yeah, hobbits should be the dirty fighters and guerrilla warfare masters of Middle Earth.   Should one on one combat be forced, the hobbits should rely on their ranged weaponry to harass their enemy into making fatal mistakes or killing them at a distance. When in close, the main focus should be on agility. This means quick, light blows aimed at death by a thousand cuts or a strike on a critical exposed weak point, such as a gap in armor leading to the neck. Defensively they should aim to dodge attacks, evading rather than absorbing blows. The heavier weaponry of the enemy can also be used against the enemy by the hobbit seeking to draw out the fight. Instead of rushing, they can play defensive, waiting for the enemy to tire and expose themselves. Otherwise, the kill them before they are able to respond is the best course.   Now, the enemy would probably aim for the head of the hobbit, because that would be the closest thing to hit. A solid enough downward strike from a human sized opponent could easily transfer lethal force to a hobbit even if they are using a helmet. Thus, a plate helmet would be the most useful of all pieces of armor for a hobbit, but not enough to justify in my mind. Evasion remains the best defensive option.

Most equipment would be provided by the individual hobbits in question.

The funding would be miniscule. There is a government that is a mere formality. No real pay can be expected. Thus membership is based around short term mobilizations and part time activities.

Recruits would come mainly from the borderlands and a few more adventuresome residents of the Shire's core. These would be the sherrifs and those connected with Gandalf. Read the Baggins, Tooks and Brandybuck families.

Historically it was loyal to the human kingdom of Arnor. Later its loyalty was transferred to the Reunited Realm. Commanders such as they were were the Master of Buckland and the Thain.