Siege Tactics, A Commentary on The Long Night

Just a quick little post in light of my slight disgruntlement with the defense of Winterfell this past weekend, though I totally loved the episode anyways. Also, I say 'quick', because the way my poll is going, people are reading this on a cell phone. Most of my posts are way too long for that!

So, 'siege' is often generally thought of as the super long process of starving somebody out, which is definitely not what the walking frozen dead were doing. Siege warfare can also result in a swifter assault of the castle. That's what I want to focus on. Not creepy starving. Ugh. No good way to combat that except to store up! Or, get used to eating rats, or people (please refer to my blog post on cannibals for further information).

Key siege warfare goals would include scaling the walls (siege towers, ladders), breaking through the doors (battering rams), or bringing down the walls (catapults, tunneling). Thus, these are the things you must defend against. In old wooden Motte and Bailey castles, fires were the best way. But let's focus on good stone castles. I think Winterfell is considered a 'concentric castle' perhaps reminiscent of 13th century Europe. I should have a post later about castle types.

Major defenses of the walls and doors would include crossbows, a good drawbridge (I just love drawbridges!! I can't explain it, they're just the coolest things.), and things like catapults. Catapults, especially their trebuchet variety (the strongest) were probably the best thing for assaulters to use to attack walls. While stones were the most common flinging media, wooden spikes, pots of fire, or animal/human carcasses were good choices. The animal carcasses were to cause problems with diseases, not to knock down the walls. ;)

But anyways - these can be used as a defense as well, as was done on the show in the very beginning (trebuchets with flaming projectiles). But instead of being OUTSIDE the walls, catapults were normally in open squares within the castle walls, or up on towers. Protected! You can aim the catapults from inside the castle to strike any nearing siege equipment (siege towers, bad guys' catapults, battering rams, etc). And obviously, you could send your rocks, spikes, or fire pots at the enemy lines from these nice, safe indoor places. THAT'S what I wanted, a rain of fire on the undead from inside the castle (since the dragons weren't exactly helping as much as they could've).

However, catapults were a bit brutish and not exactly fine-tuned enough for all the work to be done. The catapults need to be accompanied by humans all along the walls, firing arrows constantly through the crenelations, and pushing off ladders. We saw some of this, but just not enough to suite me. And what I didn't see at all? (though, the night was dark, maybe it was there and I couldn't see through the murk...) MURDER HOLES, folks.

Murder holes are holes above gateways, or extending out from the curtain walls (these are called machicolations). Whether it's a murder hole or machicolation (not as cool of a word), you do the same thing - dump rocks, burning oil, scalding water, hot sand, and even shoot some more arrows down on people's heads. I think hot oil out some murder holes and over the outside walls is a MUST, and I just didn't see it. Those undead needed to get on fire.

That said, I loved the episode, it was super fun, and I was fine with the darkness. But some more hiding behind the walls utilizing catapults, way more archers, and hot oil would've been wiser. Those poor pawns (Dothraki and Unsullied) sent out in front. :( *sigh*

I hope you like my thoughts on sieges. Please let me know your favorite siege tactic or weapon - either offensive or defensive. And feel free to opine on the warfare tactics on last weekend's Game of Thrones episode.