ABSTRACT
Throughout history, the classic cavalry attack was to ride straight into the enemy line, horse or foot, and try to break it. Germanic horsemen rode such attacks as well, but while this was best done with long spears,2 few Germani used long spears or swords: their horsemen “made do with shield and framea spear.”3 A major mode of attack thus must have been to throw spears from afar. This could be done particularly well when riding in a circle within throwing distance,4 a technique that added greatly to cavalry efficiency.
