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Speed of a flying column


Jaak

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How fast, across Westeros, would be a flying column consisting of 50 to 100 horsemen, some spare horses - and one member able to fly and talk?

A major restriction of armies moving across Westeros is the need for communications, command and control, and scouting. And outside the few rookeries, it´s at most at the speed of horseman.

Meaning that an army on the move needs to send outriders ahead and around - and wait for them. We see what happens to Tywin´s or Stannis´ army when their outriders see nothing or else do not return.

How do you ambush a dragon, though? And a dragonrider a few thousand feet up sees more than any single outrider would.

A flying column including one dragon would be able to need no outriders, wait for no outriders, and not run blind into any obstacles, ambushes or traps.

If the enemies assemble thousands of men against a hundred - well, they need to close a net of many smaller units. And the flying column would be in position to spot the weakest links in the circle and sneak or at worst fight out, without engaging the superior foes.

So - how much did dragonriders train to escort flying columns?

Note that all of the above reasoning ALSO applies if the member able to fly and talk is a skinchanger flying an eagle. The crucial point here is aerial reconnaissance against a foe who has no aerial view, no telephones and no telegraph to coordinate response to a moving flying column.

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On 2/10/2019 at 10:49 AM, Jaak said:

How fast, across Westeros, would be a flying column consisting of 50 to 100 horsemen, some spare horses - and one member able to fly and talk?

A major restriction of armies moving across Westeros is the need for communications, command and control, and scouting. And outside the few rookeries, it´s at most at the speed of horseman.

Meaning that an army on the move needs to send outriders ahead and around - and wait for them. We see what happens to Tywin´s or Stannis´ army when their outriders see nothing or else do not return.

How do you ambush a dragon, though? And a dragonrider a few thousand feet up sees more than any single outrider would.

A flying column including one dragon would be able to need no outriders, wait for no outriders, and not run blind into any obstacles, ambushes or traps.

If the enemies assemble thousands of men against a hundred - well, they need to close a net of many smaller units. And the flying column would be in position to spot the weakest links in the circle and sneak or at worst fight out, without engaging the superior foes.

So - how much did dragonriders train to escort flying columns?

Note that all of the above reasoning ALSO applies if the member able to fly and talk is a skinchanger flying an eagle. The crucial point here is aerial reconnaissance against a foe who has no aerial view, no telephones and no telegraph to coordinate response to a moving flying column.

Nothing would be quicker, other than maybe a ship I would have thought.

Throw a glass candle in to the equation and that may not be so true.

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