ANST - DPSCLU,Local153 - Pavise Design Notes

[Keith Hood]

>
>> I would like to hear from some combat archers about a good size
>for a
>> pavase. It has been suggested to me that they be arm-pit high to
>allow
>> shooting over as well as around. 
>

That's a good height.  3.5 to 4 feet high, and 4 feet wide, is what I'd 
recommend.  That gives plenty of room to cover behind, and you can 
change your direction of fire before rising out of cover.

>
>Last I knew, pavise were penetrated/destroyed by any siege rock
>hit and some ballista fire, and considered impervious to arrow 
>or javelin fire. Double-check the War Rules before planning to 
>use these mobile barricades!
>
>> In all things I build I rely apon tricks I learned in the Theatre
>>and I think a pavase could be made exactly like a standard set
>>piece:  1x4 or 1x3 frame w/ 1/4 ply corner blocks covered in muslin
>>and painted to spec w/ a hinged leg in the center to keep it
>>upright. It would weigh only a couple pounds, but may be susceptible 
>>to wind ... comments? suggestions? 
>>
>Legs on both sides provide more stability and versatility. Muslin
>cover wouldn't gain much in terms of strength -- is it really any
>easier to maintain or paint than the bare plywood?  A central
>horizontal crossbar both increases strength and provides an improved
>attachment point for one-man-carry handles (and can also reinforce
>the "ideal" side handle points) If the central crossbar extends past
>the sides of the vertical pavise, it can be used directly as both of
>the handles -- which could possibly be connected temporarily on the
>field for even more stability. 
>

These are all good ideas, it's just a question of deciding how to use 
the thing.  The way to build a pavise depends a lot on what else you 
want to do with it.  For something meant only to stop arrows, I highly 
recommend the cloth-over-frame type because they are so much lighter, 
easier to handle, cheaper, easier to transport, and easier to make.  You 
can make cloth pavises with glue and fold them for transport.  They will 
stop combat arrows.

Under the conventions used at the Gulf War, cloth stretched over a frame 
will not stop ballista bolts or large rocks.  But, *neither will 
plywood.*  Unless they change the rules next year, ballista shots and 
large rocks wreck shields and pavises and kill anyone standing behind.  
Since real plywood doesn't give any more protection, why bother with the 
greater weight and construction difficulty?  I point out the Trimarans 
had several green-painted cloth pavises last year, used just to allow 
their archers to get closer to the walls, and they worked fine to cover 
them from return fire.

If the pavise will be used as field fortifications, merely set in 
position and left, it would be a good idea to stake it down.  But if it 
will be used in such a way that it has to be moved regularly, staking 
would be a bother.  In that case, you could simply weight the bottoms of 
the props, or attach a footer of some kind so the weight of the man 
behind the pavise holds it in place.


>
>Wheels, or maybe even skids, improve mobility. Otherwise, make 
>the handles OBVIOUS -- I remember a plan where the check-rope 
>on the side legs doubled as handles for two-man carries. (Hrmm. 
>My terminology may not be common / accurate. "Check-rope": 
>cord used to keep leg from opening too widely. If equipped with 
>prepared knots and wrapped into a notch on the leg, can provide
>pre-sets for different conditions)
>
>Consider the following: a short pavise which can be pushed 
>forward while the user(s) maintain firing posture. Either wheel or
>skid 
>mounted, with semi-fixed frames on either side of the span and 
>the upper edge reinforced / padded / rigged so the forward thrust 
>comes from the abdomen. Visualize a stomach-high wall slanted 
>at roughly 45 degrees above horizontal and providing cover from 
>stomach to ground, right-triangle frames on each end...
>

Sounds to me like it would be difficult to keep balanced.  But the idea 
of a pavise wall is sound Oriental strategy.  Early period Japanese 
armies used wooden arrow shields to form their front lines in both 
sieges and field battles, back in the days when the bow was the main 
weapon.  It could be quickly picked up and moved; kind of an equivalent 
to shield men forming a 'tetsudo.'

Rigging props or wheels again depends on what else you want to do with 
it.  For a mere arrow-stopper, I'd recommend a short prop on each side, 
rigged halfway up the side.  A central prop gets in the way, and to 
avoid it you have to kneel farther from the pavise, which increases 
exposure.


>
>Building from 3/4 inch ply with two-by frame and bolting the 
>frame on gives the possibity of use as a short ramp when 
>properly braced. Double-check the rules on both pavise and 
>ramp before opting for multi-role models, please. The frames 
>mentioned for the self-pushed short pavise become load
>bearing trusses in the ramp mode.
>

If the pavise will be used as ramp component, or to form an actual 
fighting wall to impede the other side, then you definitely need to make 
it from good lumber.  If it will be used for form a wall, drill the end 
of the prop and tie a large spike to it so you can stake down the pavise 
and make it harder for the other side to move.

This is where the engineers and war leaders need to put their heads 
together and work out what we're going to do.  The way we make things 
will depend in large part on the tactics to be used.  No point in making 
heavy or complicated devices if there's not enough people that know 
about them and are ready to use them.


      Tomonaga


-- 
A long bow and a strong bow,
And let the sky grow dark.
The nock to the cord, the shaft to the ear,
And a foreign king for a mark!

        -- Stolen from "The Song of the Bosonian Archers" --
               By Robert E. Howard, who should be
                 the patron saint of Ansteorra


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