[Måns]

No medieval commander ever fought in the front unless it was abolutely necessary, that is if he was attacked. There duty is to pick a good defensive position behind the lines, preferably with a view over the battlefield and commanded through couriers. In critical situations, he had to charge into the battle with his personal bodyguard, which was often an elite force, and this had a tremdous effect of boosting morale, but it's nothing that was done regualrly, considering the risks and the small actual effect. If he would be slain, or even worse, his banner taken which would carry the word of defeat faster than anything, no one would stand fast. Remember the battle of Hastings, when the troops were broguht to halt the flight by Williams' personal bravery, they thoguht he was slain and ran away. At that moment, he sat up on a new horse pulled back his helmet and shouted: Look at me! I am still alive and the day is ours! Follow me! and lead his personal bodyguard and many knights in a charge against the following fyrdmen on the plain field who were completely slaughtered. His personal appearance on the field adn brave charge calmed the forces down, then he returned to position. When Faramir was in the front line, he could have controlled, at max the company closest to him, not even that if he was personally involved which he was. Company commanders are to do that, not the chief of the theatre of operations. That is bizarre to require that of him. If the men 50 meters to the left of him had started to flee, what would he ahev done if he ahd even noticed? Would he have disengaged and ran back, through the lines of his company and caught up with them? Nobody runs faster than a fleeing soldier.

On the effectiveness of eagles, it must have been fairly fine on single men and to some extent organized troops without spears. But they could have done nothing against, say a Spanish sqaure without the muskets. A forest of spears pointing upwards, swoop down at that, not comfortable. In this battle, their greatest achievement was that they rid the mountainsides of orcs and thus allowed the troops bound up in the rear to disengage, not to speak about the panic they must haev caused.

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