Unsullied and Urban Combat

[Old Rusty Coin]

You'd think by now the Unsullied would have figured out that spears and shields are not much good for close combat. Why aren't these guys bristling with swords, knives, daggers, axes, cudgels, brass knuckles, nunchuks, etc, if they're going to serve as protectors and enforcers in a crowded casbah city? Instead, they "have a mill."

[Leto Atreides]

They have been trained their whole life to be a field army and lack the leadership to adopt new strategies. Daenerys and Grey Worm failed.

[Khal Boner]

They are killing a lot of SOTH but there never seems to be enough of them in the fight. Allegory of the insurgency in Iraq maybe.

[Perfidious Algernon]

Unsullied are the best in the world at one very specific thing: phalanx warfare. But you get that by making them into automatons. They aren't capable of adapting their tactics, and using them as police or any kind of guard that's more than just ceremonial is a very bad idea.

Incidentally, they'll be thrashed by Westerosi knights because they never trained to take on armored opponents either.

[Alaynsa Starne]

This is, in my opinion, one of the weakest points of the Meereenese plot line this season. The Unsullied are most effective in phalanx formation, but that doesn't mean that they're completely useless in hand to hand. Their extensive training should make them highly proficient in hand to hand, especially against a former cushioned upper class that has always had slaves do the fighting rather than doing battle themselves. Cornering an Unsullied while he is alone, vulnerable, or intoxicated and then managing to gang up on and kill him is one thing. Untrained fighters killing renown professionals who are the most prestigious in their field in open battle is another. The show builds up the Unsullied as the greatest soldiers in Essos, but then expects the viewers to suspend disbelief as they wind up being completely ineffectual when necessary for the plot. It's a bit inconsistent.

[lmanion]

Also isnt there supposed to be 8000 of them? They always seem outnumbered 5 or 10 to one even in daznaks pit surely you would bring more than 50 or 100 with you if you have 7000 plus still alive?

[Led]

Their extensive training should make them highly proficient in hand to hand, especially against a former cushioned upper class that has always had slaves do the fighting rather than doing battle themselves. [...] Untrained fighters killing renown professionals who are the most prestigious in their field in open battle is another.

Why do people always assume that those doing the fighting for the Harpy are the former slavers themselves, rather than for example sellswords?

[Pies are coming]

Also isnt there supposed to be 8000 of them? They always seem outnumbered 5 or 10 to one even in daznaks pit surely you would bring more than 50 or 100 with you if you have 7000 plus still alive?

And who patrols Mereen then?

[lmanion]

Well even if she took 1000 to the pit there are still 6000 plus leftover

[Alaynsa Starne]

Why do people always assume that those doing the fighting for the Harpy are the former slavers themselves, rather than for example sellswords?

That's possible, but the show made it seem like a popular movement of civilians and by civilians, particularly with the scene in which Daario outs one of the Sons who was hiding in a private home and the scenes involving the prostitutes. Unless I've missed a line or a scene in which it was suggested that the Sons were sellswords hired to do the bidding of the slavers, it's something that the show has failed to clarify. However, even if the ones wearing the masks are sellswords, the Unsullied are still supposed to be the best of the best. The sellswords could be great, but the Unsullied should still be at least on par with, if not better than them, based on what the show has told us.

[Nihlus]

What do you think happens when you take mindless, physically weak, inflexible "soldiers" purely suited for one outdated formation and then place them in urban combat? Especially when Daenerys probably doesn't have that magic potion to give them anymore?

[Takyon]

Sometimes, that new car you bought just doesn't drive well.

The Unsullied were bought because they were valuable and disciplined fighters, but it's not as if they were ever battle-trained. The Sons of the Harpy are probably made up of former pit-fighters who - unlike most of the Unsullied - have experience killing in melee combat. It's hardly surprising that the army Dany stole turned out to suck.

[Visenya Stark]

The Unsullied are trained with a sword, shield and spear. But for the purpose of the plot, they don't carry any swords (even after being ambushed in narrow alleys).

[jarl the climber]

Sometimes, that new car you bought just doesn't drive well.

The Unsullied were bought because they were valuable and disciplined fighters, but it's not as if they were ever battle-trained. The Sons of the Harpy are probably made up of former pit-fighters who - unlike most of the Unsullied - have experience killing in melee combat. It's hardly surprising that the army Dany stole turned out to suck.

I think its a mistake to assume that none of the Mereneese nobility know how to fight. Some of them probably have been trained in combat and military tactics their entire life.

[Net-Viper X]

I don't think its a matter of people of Meereen not knowing how to fight, its that the Unsullied have been trained non stop since they are six years old. Their entire life is devoted to fighting and training for war, all day, every day, they have no other hobbies or purpose but combat. Noone in the noble ranks of Meereen is going to have anything even approaching that level of training.

[jugdesh258]

Saw this yesterday. Was not sure so I ignored it. I happened upon it yesterday. The book says that Shield, spear and short sword are standard equipment of Unsullied.

So on the show they never have a sword? How about grey worm in the scene were Selmy B bought it.

Romans used phalanx and might be expected to throw pilum if the mood should strike them then draw short sword or gladius

[RSasoiaf]

Well,

The true elefant in the room here is:

How the hell did Danny take the city if she has no troops capable of close quarters fighting????

Its not like she took the city on an open field phalank kind of batle you know.....

I seem to remember something envolving sewers and infiltrating the city with some troops...then fighting some fierce street combat to open the gates for the rest of the army.

So....if they could do that.....they obviously have some forces able to fight on close quarters.

[lwh523]

They are killing a lot of SOTH but there never seems to be enough of them in the fight. Allegory of the insurgency in Iraq maybe.

Seems reasonable to me. I did not expect them to be killed so easily.

[Destiny's Warrior]

They are killing machines, but like most well organized armies, they struggle with guerilla warfare.

[averde]

They are killing machines, but like most well organized armies, they struggle with guerilla warfare.

Pretty much this.

Even despite this I do think it's one of the weakest points in the show that they expect the audience, who was told two seasons ago how lethal these guys are/ trained since birth in war, to believe the scenes where a few unsullied lose to just a few more rich guys in masks with knives. Either explain why these rich guys are very skilled at close quarters combat or give them a great many more men in those scenes.