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Defending the Deeping Wall-mistake

Discussion in 'Lord of the Rings' started by pinkring, Aug 6, 2013.

  1. pinkring

    pinkring Well-Known Member

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    Ive been analyzing the Battle of the Hornburg and I think the Rohirrim made a huge mistake (applies to book and movie, since the tactics were essentially the same, pack a bunch of men on the wall and the rest on the gate) by manning the Deeping Wall.

    The Deeping Wall is very important in a siege, since it covers the stream and thus the castles water supply. But the defenders merely had to hold til dawn. The 2nd role the wall plays is to cover the causeway. While it does, a large part of the garrison can be pinned down, just as they were, by an assault on the wall. Thus the advantage of side shotting the causeway is nullified by the greatly increased frontage of the wall.

    Think about it. If the wall isn't manned, the Urks have to assault a 2000 strong Hornburg keep on a very narrow front. Theyll have a slightly easier time breaching the gate but there will be vastly more Rohirrim packed into that hallway and plenty of reserves to rotate in. With the ladders, there's no way they can get Urks up fast enough to overwhelm the archers up there, since they could deploy 500 behind the gate, 1000 on the upper walls, and have a 500 man reserve. It would be a slaughter.

    Of course, if the wall wasnt blown, the Urks probably wouldnt have overrun the castle in time anyway but they would have an easier time than if the entire force was packed into the Hornburg
     
    #1 pinkring, Aug 6, 2013
  2. blackstone

    blackstone Well-Known Member

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    If Rohirrim would left Deeping Wall undefended the fortress would be taken more easily, there are about ten thousand orcs (Uruk-hai and those half orcs and probably normal mountain orcs) and some two thousand of Dunledings. Saruman's army had enough numbers to overwhelm them, if wall was left unchecked it mean that rohirrim would just give up position and close themselves in the keep, they didn't defend the dike cause it was bad postion for defense but huge wall seems better, you can shoot the orcs and thin their ranks a bit, find cover from missiles of the enemy (the only weak spot is the culvert), also from the courtyard behind the wall is an entrance to the caves where many refugees took cover taking also much provisions (in the book once wall is breached those who hid in caves are cut off from the keep). Closing your army retreating without fight from good position isn't a smart move, while it might be difficult to man the entire length spreading your forces on a wall would allow to hold the line of defense for a long time, without opposition orcs would just use ladders to pass over and they wouldn't even have any special inconvenience. Laying siege to the keep immediately isn't much of a help for defenders, the onrushing forces of Saruman are slowed down and slowly weared down when they had to fight for capturing the wall. After all Deeping Wall is the first line of defense, strong and reliable, they could not know that such explosion which can blow up stone is present on the field of battle.
     
    #2 blackstone, Aug 6, 2013
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