Favorite medieval war tactic?

[Albatross_Viking]

Whats your favorite battle tactic from the medieval times and some years forth and back?
Mine is probably the hit and run tactic, among others used by the mongols (yes, i know that riding around the enemy shooting some arrows at them and then riding away again may seem a little cowardly. but i dont care, its a usefull and smart tactic anyways ).

A_V

[mrkovach]

Kill the enemy...
Ha, no, I prefer to lure them into the woods, where my mercenary bandits are hiding to impale them with a barrage of javelins, decimating their ranks!
O

[Blue Moon Knight]

I like the hit and run tactic as well.

[Teherean]

Here's what I'd do:
I'd first bombard the enemy using any missile or projectile I had.
Then, I'd execute a short cavalry charge, taking out their primary ranks and then retreat.
(In between, I'd have a section of archers or fast infantry set up on the left or right of the no-man's land.)
I'd then pull back my cavalry and wait for the enemy to break his ranks and chase me. Then the previously set up flankers will attack the pursuing army from it's sides, were there is lower defence. I would then close in the pursuers between my main army and my flanking army.
Repeat this untill the enemy force is depleted or is retreating.

This is much like the hit-and-run tactic used in the battle of hastings (1066 AD) by the Normans. Me likey Normans :3.

[Albatross_Viking]

Mrkovach, i like that tactic too
And Teherean, thats a good idea too. The thing i would think is best against such a tactic is a formation of well trained pikemen, soldiers with large shields (to stop the misiles), and longbowmen. In case they are smart enough to know, that the cavalrys retreat is a trick, they will be quite dificult to defeat. But else, its a very good mass-destruction tactic.

A_V

[Kevin1990]

I still love the old tactic where they wait for people to invate the castle walles and then just shot fireballs to the enemy's
very brutal but this a good tactis also wich one is cool is the one where they had wholes in the castle wall where if the enemy comes to close they let hot lava thruw the hols onto the enemy
again a very brutal way to go

[Albatross_Viking]

Yes, sending burning oil down on he enemy from the battlements is a brutal, but very usefull tactic.

A_V

[Ben the lego king]

I don't know if this is "really" medieval but when El Cid was concurring Spain he talk with his troops and get ideas and tactics.

[DO+1]

My favorite tactic is infantry advancing in a tight formation with crossbow and hand gonne support

[fenris]

form a shieldwall and advance... ans let god sort them out...kiss... keep it simple and stupid...

[Laird Cashman]

I like the "Spears-then-Arrows-then-get-the-beep-outta-there" tactic. Kill the enemy!

[JoshWedin]

I like winning.

Josh

[mystuffiscool]

I like winning.

w00t! BEST TACTIC EVAR!

[Napoleon]

As a student of ancient, medieval, and Napoleonic tactics, hit-and-run is a very good tactic. It was used by everyone, from the Mongols to Jeb Stuart. It is not my favorite, because I find it a cowardly un-manly tactic to be used only by terrorists, savages, and barbarians.

My favorite medieval one is the Roman turtle formation and the Greek phalanx/pike wall formation. The turtle formation worked very well, blocking arrows and if I remember correctly, scaring horses. It was vulnerable to rear attacks, though, so it didn't always work perfectly.

The Greek phalanx/medieval pike wall is my favorite. A well-trained regiment of pikemen is nearly invincible; marching forward destroying everybody in their path. With a few swordsmen in the back to turn away attackers, it was one of the most powerful moves on the battlefield. The fact that they were used until the 1700's should show you their usefulness.

[Hound Knight]

Personally I like flanking and pincer maneuvers, with cavalry.