Pikemen (ETW Unit)
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| Recruitment Cost | 536 |
| Upkeep Cost | 160 |
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Pikemen
Unit Description
Pikemen carry long spears of a type that would have been familiar to the soldiers of Alexander the Great.
Despite the fact the firepower is the key to battle, "trailing a pike" into battle is more gentlemanly than carrying a gun. Pikemen are shock troops relyin on mass and impact in melee. Pikes are not without their uses: a solid wall of spear points is a formidible barrier to any cavalry attack. Pikemen still march into to battle because not every European nation can afford (or find)enough guns for everyone. Sending men into battle with an obsolescent weapon is better than sending them forward with nothing at all.
By 1700, most European generals realised that pikes and pikemen where hopelessly outdated and outclassed on a modern battlefield. Pikemen had been a vital part of all infantry formations, protecting musketeers from cavalry and being the "shock" element in melee combat. There was a fatal problem for pikemen: a musket could kill at a distance, and once a decent bayonet was developed,pikes really did lose their point!
Although a brilliant general in every (other?) respect, Maurico de Saxo, the great Marshal General of France, remained an advocate of the pike even in the 1740s. By then, it was obvious that pikes were useless against massed musket-armed infantry.
Statistics
Factional Differences
Unknown at this time.
Tactics
Pikemen are incredibly out dated in E:TW. They were widely used in the 1600's but the musket has become too much of an adversary now. However Pikemen are great melee units in the Early Era. As Musket firing drills aren't really advanced your Pikes can get close to the body of muskets. A melee based unit is always better at hand-to-hand combat than a musketeer who has a Rifle Butt or Plug bayonet.
However by the Mid Era your men will be cut to pieces by advanced firing drills.
The only consistent use is the fact that the 'Spear Wall' tactic is devastating against Cavalry.
