What exactly made this formation so powerful?

>>1545898
Watch as this thread gets no reply while some bait post gets flooded with (you)'s.

I'm bumping this thread for you OP since I don't know the answer.

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>>1545898
the illuminati

>>1545898


Well, for starters, most infantry lines, even in late antiquity, weren't perfectly solid. ESPEICALLY when you were facing a coalition of some sort or say, the Achmaenid empire. Usually, the contingent from one city or district or whatever would have its own little unit, and it would be placed next to the next city/district, and there'd be a bit of a gap between them, which was also useful for letting lighter troops filter in and out in front of your infantry.

If you want to try to slip in a gap between two formations, obviously the narrower wedge will do better than a line or a double line.

Secondly, if you're using some sort of ranged weapon, even just a thrown axe or javelin, it enables easier concentration at a single point, since your men on the outer edges can throw in, while still having a more or less clear and straightforward line of vision at the target, and not having to turn around to throw at "that guy over there". Also, because you know where your guy at the tip is, and that's going to be the point of impact at a charge, it eases coordination as to where you should throw that weapon; if you're in a double line, it's less clear where the leader is and where the point of contact is going to be.

Lastly, it means that if you're trying to force your way through a narrow point in the enemy line, you'll have a small bit of contact initially. When you have a bunch of horses charging, it's not all that easy to turn around; and if you start in a line, you've got to keep charging in that line, or your own people are going to slam into each other, which is bad. A wedge allows to conserve the momentum of your charging speed, and focus it over a narrower area.

>>1545898
What this guy said >>1545934
And also

http://military.wikia.com/wiki/Flying_wedge

>>The use of this formation enabled the concentration of missiles against a limited front and thus was used not only to smash into the enemy line, but to also add to the effectiveness of long range, usually hurled weapons like javelins and hand axes. As an infantry formation it is attested by Frontinus to have been used by the Romans in Pydna against the Macedonian line of Perseus.[1] It was also used to great effect by the Roman legions, with the wedge proving effective in campaigns in Britain, such as during Boudicca's Revolt, where a greatly outnumbered Roman army used it to defeat the Iceni. In the Late Roman army, several cavalry units were designated as cuneus [equitum].

>>1545898
Control.

The ability to maneuver is one of the biggest advantages cavalry has on the battlefield, but horses don't really hold formation while on the move the way human beings can. Human riders can make them form up and trot in straight lines well enough, but at a gallop the stampede instincts of a horse will begin to take over. At that point, if the formation is a large circle or square, the charge can start to break apart as horses form local herds that split off randomly or funnel into several different gaps. This has its uses, but most importantly it's almost impossible to stop without each individual rider hearing the order and fighting with his steed to swerve and retreat in time.

A leader out in front, however, will effectively guide the heard by only having to control his own horse. If he feels the charge is suddenly too dangerous to fully commit to, he can turn and easily take the herd with him without having to make complex orders and regroup the broken formation later. If he sees a particular weak point in the enemy, he can guide the cavalry to it and not have to worry about break away units crashing uselessly against strong points in a line.

When calvalry charges, they don't want to ram, because that'd hurt the horses and possibly break a leg. But they'll still do itif they have to, and the infantry knows that

The goal is to force infantry to run or dive out of the horse's way. The pointed tip leaves the enemy line somewhere to run to (on either side) while the wedge formation keeps them running. It forces the enemy line to either split in half and run away from eachother, or be trampled/gutted