How did snow affect combat with cavalry and melee weapons?
Especially in the era of the ancient Celtic and Germanic peoples…?
Did you ever try to run in shallow water? If you did, you will notice you hardly move at all, at great cost of energy. Running or charging through snow is a good deal worse.
Apart from that, Celts and Germanic people normally didn’t fight (much) in winter. In summertime, big battles were very rare either. Far more usual were cattle raids. The bigger raids you can consider battles, I guess.
Until very recently, winter was not the time for warfare. Troops stayed in barracks or camps, trained, cleaned and repaired weapons and in general prepared for the next campaigning season. Caesar’s winter raids were very unusual.
O Neills March – Seán O Riada
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