The tortoise formation is a battle formation that existed among the Roman foot soldiers. It was intended to protect against arrows, spears and projectiles during the battle. About the construction of the "turtle", the features of this defensive technique and its varieties will be described in the article.
General Description
The construction of the "turtle" was carried out by Roman soldiers during the fighting of a defensive nature. On command, the soldiers lined up in the shape of a rectangle, while there was a minimum distance between each warrior. The front line of soldiers, holding shields in front of them, closed them, and the lines of soldiers behind the first raised them above their heads and the heads of the soldiers in front. The edges of the shields were arranged in such a way that they overlapped each other (overlap).
As necessary, the soldiers who were on the sides of the "turtle" formation deployed their shields in the event that the enemy tried to attack them from the flanks. Similarly, the soldiers stationed inthe last ranks, to protect against attackers from the rear.
Thus, a single, solid wall was obtained from the shields. The ancient Roman historian and consul Dion Cassius wrote in one of his works that the Roman construction of the "tortoise" was so strong and strong that it was possible to ride on the shields on horseback with a cart.
Use in battles in open areas
"Turtle" was used to defend against almost all types of throwing weapons. The only exceptions were projectiles launched by heavy throwing machines.
The ancient Greek philosopher and writer Plutarch describes the use of the “turtle” formation by the Romans in the battle of the Parthian campaign of Emperor Mark Anthony in 36 as follows: the Romans, descending from a steep height, were attacked by the Parthians, who began to send thousands of arrows in their direction, and at this time the Roman shield-bearers advanced to the front flank and began their formation.
They got down on one knee and then put their shields forward. The next row of soldiers raised their shields, covering the first rank, and so did the subsequent rows of warriors. This structure, similar to a tiled roof, served as a very reliable defense against arrows and spears that slipped off the shields without causing any harm to the defenders.
The Parthians, seeing that the Roman soldiers knelt down, took it as a sign of exhaustion and fatigue and began to advance. Approaching closely, the Parthians only had time to hear the Roman battle cry, as the rows of shields opened, andsoldiers attacked the Parthians. Using spears and swords, they destroyed the enemy in the vanguard, while the rest fled.
Flaws
The "turtle" type of formation of the legion, in addition to its advantages, had its drawbacks. One of its main inconveniences was that the high density of formation made close combat extremely difficult, restricting the movements of Roman soldiers. Also, the disadvantages include the loss in the speed of movement, since it was necessary to observe the density of the formation and the closeness of the shields.
Also, a weak point appeared in the event that it was necessary to confront heavy cavalry or mounted archers. The cavalry attacking the "tortoise" formation rapidly dispersed the ranks of the Roman soldiers, making them vulnerable to archers and spearmen. After the cavalry broke the Roman ranks, archers, spearmen and other light infantry destroyed a certain number of soldiers, which was enough for the formation to be no longer restored.
After the "turtle" was completely dispersed, the Roman soldiers became easy prey for the enemy. They had to flee or die on the spot.
Varieties of "turtle"
The soldiers of the Byzantine Empire had exactly the same type of military formation for defense. The difference is that it was called "Fulcon". The Byzantines also used it in battle with varying degrees of success.
In the early Middle Ages in Europe, in the German tribes, there was a similar military defensiveformation of warriors. However, there was a significant difference, which consisted in the fact that the soldiers, who covered themselves with shields, also put their spears in the direction of the enemy.
Thus, the warriors were protected by shields, and also did not allow the enemy cavalry to attack themselves, as the horses either stopped in front of protruding spears, or died along with the rider. However, this type of formation also had a weak point - the distance between the soldiers. Due to the exposed spears, it increased, which made them vulnerable to archers.
An interesting fact is that the turtle formation has survived to this day. It is used by the police when trying to disperse a large number of protesters or raging football fans. Rectangular shields are also used to protect law enforcement officers from stones.
