The shield has been an important tool of war throughout most

>>1501285
>what was the best general purpose shield design
Plate armor.

>>1501285
>best organized warfare shield (tight formation)
Scutum
>best skirmishing shield (looser fighting)
Viking shield w/iron boss
>cavalry shield (passive protection when charging).
Heater

>>1501304
>Viking shield
I'm unaware of any differences between viking round shields and any other european round shields from the iron age onward (other than what's painted on them).
Pls enlighten me.

>>1501340
There isnt much, if any. Its just known as a "Viking shield" because thats what people associate them with.
As to OP, it mainly depends on the time period, weapons and armor being used. Heaters are better for plate periods, whereas kites are far superior for someone who is wearing less/ lesser armor.

>>1501340
>Viking shield

Its a "saxon shield", bit bigger in the north than in the south, and less flat, with the whole thing more cone shaped, and the boss bigger, probably so two shields can lock together when dueling or so you can press the enemy's weapon between your shield and their shield as he attacks, with the bosses locking it.

>>1501340
The shield was larger in diameter than most while being made of basswood which was lighter than oak and less prone to splintering

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>>1501285
Shield drawings.

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>>1501304

I'm gonna make a slight change to this

Best skirmishing shield is a Scottish Targe.

They're sturdy, light weight and have even more offensive abilities than a regular shield. That spike in the middle is great for piercing mail armor

>>1501285
>In this thread, we discuss what was the best general purpose shield design.
Going by human history? The round shield. /thread.

From Mesoamerica to the Philippines, the round shield is best general pupose shield. The shape covers the human body well while being neother big enough nor small enough for use in a formation or as a singular combatant.

Anything with a handle beats anything with straps

Fite me limp wristed betas that can't hold your own dick let alone your shield

>>1501918
Can't shield punch with a strap.
Can't stand your ground with a handle.

Its a trade off.

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>>1501918
The targe has straps.

>>1501884
not a good shield for the 2nd rank

>>1501999
What, you don't like your bro fucking you up the ass with a steel spike?

>>1502007
They are so drunk, that cant feel the stabing

>>1501304
>best organized warfare shield (tight formation)
>Scutum
>best skirmishing shield (looser fighting)
>Viking shield w/iron boss
You mixed these up. The Viking shield is far superior and specialized for tight formations, whereas the Scutum better favored looser formations, though it could operate adequately in tighter formations thanks to the discipline of the soldiers using them. Hell, the scutum's prononuced curve makes it impossible to lock shields in the same way early-mid classical hoplites or norsemen could lock their shields in tight formation.

The Marian Roman Legionnaire's advantage over the Greek Hoplite was that he could operate much more fluidly than the tightly packed phalanx, especially on uneven ground. The Legionnaire's advantage was its adaptability, but more often than not it was the Phalanx that won battles on flat ground in the Republic's wars against the Greeks, when there were no terrain obstacles and the battle was purely one of closely packed infantry. If anything, the Scutum favors looser fighting.

>>1501884

That depends. Most skirmishers wore very light no armour to avoid getting encumbered when the had to pull back, and so rellied on their shields for protection, mainly from arrows and other projectiles. Meanwhile the targe is too small for such a role, serving more as a tool for hand-to-hand combat, like an oversized buckler.

The viking shield/saxon shield would be much more suited to most skirmishers, being relatively light but still offering good protection from incoming projectiles. And it has no strap, meaning that you can ditch it quickly if neccesary.

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best against shooters

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>>1501285
Shields are for pussies.

t. True Savage.

I'm mostly ignorant to this matter, but did they ever have a spear-shield?

The other day I was using my autistic powers, and I had the best idea. What if there was a big shield like one of those Roman ones, and on the center of the shield, or between center and the top maybe, there was a small hole, from which you could place a long spear trough.

Maybe the shield would already have a built in spear, or maybe the spear and the shield would be two different objects.

Was this ever a thing?

>>1503522
Have fun getting stabbed in the face through your own hole.
Shields with spikes did certainly exist though.

>>1503522
>shield with a hole for a spear
That would mean your spear is stuck in your shield, so if you get attacked from anywhere other than directly in front of you, you are defenseless.

The best advantage of a spear is that you can offend a very wide cone of people in front of you, from the first, second, third rank. This defeats it.
Also your spear is stuck on one horizontal plane, so you will be hitting other shields, and can't go for feet or raised arms.

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>>1503506

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>>1503506
>t. tribes too pussy to close combat.
At least our ancestors weren't.

>>1503506
>>1504305
Those people are extinct, anon. They were forced into settled life and schools under Stalin, and now they are Russians.

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>>1504321
>tribes too pussy to close combat.
Sure. (pic).

>>1504336
You know where PNG is, right?

>>1504360
Not in Southeast Asia and whose culture isn't related to the Austronesian Boatnigger gangbang that is Insular Southeast Asia? They can't figure out metal for heaven's sake.

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>>1504367
>They can't figure out metal for heaven's sake.
Oh, you are one of those types.

>>1504297
>The best advantage of a spear is that you can offend a very wide cone of people in front of you
Because it looks phallic and you're displaying your male dominance?

>>1504380
No, because it will trigger them and they'll make a shitpost thread on /his/ about spears.

>>1503506
>>1504360
Googling that image gave me some siberian tundra tribe.

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>>1504458
You didn't even click on the fucking link you moron.

>russians look like pic related

Holy fuck, if you are going to google scholar at least click the fucking links.

if you allow modern day, the riot shield is literally the best shield ever invented material wise and overall usage. The fact that it took thousands of years for anyone to come up with the concept of a full body shield with eye holes is pretty baffling desu

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>>1504610
>The fact that it took thousands of years for anyone to come up with the concept of a full body shield with eye holes is pretty baffling desu

Well modern day riot shields and actual shield used in actual warfare vary greatly in their usage.

Riot shields are there to stay there, to stand through what ever the rioters throw at them.

Warfare shields are about mobility AND defence.

Not just defence.

>eye holes
pic

>>1504626
>shield formations
literally the most broken shit. Was there even a military tactic pre 1500's that could top this shit?

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>>1504634
>Was there even a military tactic pre 1500's that could top this shit?
Phalanx

Although it probably never happened you wouldn't walk that formation into one of Alexander's Macedonian Phalanx's.

>>1504610
>>1504626
to further this point look at the shield used in the Paris terror attacks, they are on wheels.

>>1501302
this guy gets it

>>1504634

encirclement

sustained missile fire

heavy cavalry charge at full tilt

Breton trickery