Warg Riders

No shielding could be used due to the strong two handed grip needed to keep the rider on the warg. Instead, the only protection they used was the rotting remains of fur, bone and hide taken from dead wargs and their killed prey. This would probably be the case prior to the orcs of Isengard fully coming into Saruman’s service. But afterwards as he gears up for war, mail would probably be provided to cover the orcs and the the more exposed parts of the wargs. Small shields would probably also be given out that could be worn on the back. The result is the death of the warg would not leave the orc rider as vulnerable as an infantry fighter.

However, the unique effects of the way the warg runs is that the orcs that ride them are not able to use traditional cavalry weaponry. The wargs buck so much in their normal running motion that aiming spears or bows would be too hard to be useful. The result is a reliance of sabers and other swords designed for slashing.   Borrowing again from the Qing again here, I will be assuming that the warg riders would be using heavy poundage recurve bows as their ranged weapons. Because of the strength of orcs, I think they would be able to handle more than a similarly deployed human. But mounted troop would be able to handle as much as an infantry soldier with the same strength. Plus, wargs are just a little too rough to ride and still get good shots. So I suspect that the bows would be more backups. Only an occasional shot in ideal conditions can be expected from the backs of their mounts. Thus I think their bows would fall in the lower range for Qing recurve bows of 130 to 156 pounds.

The normal orcs that Saruman used were given wargs – bigger, more violent wolves – to ride. Wargs are decently intelligent and even had their own limited language. To hunt, they would surround their prey, launch feints to distract them, then strike from their blind side. But such tactics added to their already formidable power – they are on average 5-6 feet tall, 15 feet long and 400 pounds. Add in the fact that their head resembles a bear and you get a rather powerful creature. This means that their final lunges at prey would be devastating just from the sheer power of the impact. The claws and jaws would make matters worse. To compound this, they would normally run slower but throw themselves into sprints that could go faster than horses. The fur coat would obviously not be as good as a normal set of armor, but is one of the better naturally occurring armor of any race. This is especially true of slashing attacks. Arrows, spears and sword thrusting might get through, but with more effort.   With their sheer physical power, the wargs would be able to charge head first into enemies. The body of the wargs was set up to handle direct blows. But pretty much any other species on the receiving end of these attacks would be killed or stunned from the blow. So the absence of the traditional cavalry weapons - especially the lance - would not be an issue.

Given these factors, the use of warg riders would probably be the same as in the movies – if a bit more aggressive. I would expect them to be sent out on patrols specifically to find and kill organized bands of Rohirrim and kill them in a defeat in detail operation. They would literally become the sort of wolf pack hunters that World War Two submarines were named after. Their power individually means they could operate alone deep into enemy territory, locate enemy targets, then regroup and attack. Their attacks would most likely be ambushes of groups on the move using similar tactics to what the wargs use naturally. They could also be effective as reconnaissance-in-force, a tactic used specifically to probe an enemy's forces. By attacking with less than decisive force, they can force a reaction by the enemy that reveals useful information or reveals a weak spot for the larger force to attack. Generally the commanders in these contexts have the option to retreat and report what they found or expand the conflict into a full engagement. The idea ultimately is to use the wargs to locate and rapidly exploit enemy weaknesses.   Warg riders can be expected to be effective at aggressive scouting. They would thus ride ahead of the main infantry formation to find the enemy. If targets of opportunity present themselves, such as isolated enemies or villages/camps, they should attack instantly. Side raids would be good for them as well. The normal light cavalry roles or observing and report missions and pursuit of retreating enemies would be the rest of their missions.

Training was a tough process. Many orcs ended up wounded and/or eaten by their intended mounts. Seeing how intelligent the wargs are for mere beasts, it seems that the relationship would be more of a temporary alliance for as long as the warg was willing to tolerate the orc rider. So to call them truly trained and domesticated would be a bit of a stretch.

Now, there is no statements in the sources I have about the supply networks of the wargs. But we can get some ideas. Their armor was often taken from the corpses of fallen enemies. Literally - horse rib cages was used for torso armor. While I think that their armor would be upgraded, it would not surprise me if the basic idea is used. We know that these units are best for raids and that Saruman is already open to using them and Wild Men to that effect. So it would not surprise me if these literal wolf packs would be unleashed in the area then left to raid their own supplies. This again fits with the scorched earth policy I suspect that Isengard would use.

Mainly these units came from the orcs of the Misty Mountains. Possibly orcs came from Moria as apparently there were weapon design choices similar between the warg riders and the Moria orcs specifically. Orcs were smaller than uruk-hai and the ones from the Misty Mountains already had some experience in riding them. So Saruman decided to not reinvent the wheel. He just let that relationship continue.