4 ms·

Flying wraiths lack firepower, so they provide no real air support. Just fast transportation/communication.

me_me_me 7y ago
Strafing runs in WW2 were almost completely ineffective but all infantry were reporting huge morale loss when they were happening.
- saiya-jin 7y ago
  Strafing was quite effective against vehicles, trains, landed aircraft etc. But yes against infantry it didn't make much sense, something about going too fast in shaky airplane trying to hit tiny ants running randomly left and right because they noticed the plane well before plane noticed them
- lostlogin 7y ago
  saiya-jin notes that this might be true of attacks on infantry but on vehicles and trains the attacks were very very effective. In particular the German army was reduced to moving by night only in Normandy and the railroads were heavily targeted. Things came to a head in the battle of The Falaise Pocket with artillery and the airforces working together and the descriptions of the aftermath are truely horrific.
HenryKissinger 7y ago
The film does show them mowing down soldiers with their claws and inspiring terror in others: https://youtu.be/HX4KKkSKZAY?t=197 https://youtu.be/HX4KKkSKZAY?t=197
- arethuza 7y ago
  I seem to recall that one of the names for Angmar was "The Captain of Despair" - literally a terror weapon.
  - zipwitch 7y ago
    Obligatory pedantry: "Angmar" was the name of the northern realm which the Lord of the Nazgul once ruled as the "Witch-King of Angmar". We don't know what his original name was, although I believe there's a reference to him being a Lord of Numenor somewhere. Tor.com recently had a nice overview of him: https://www.tor.com/2019/10/31/exploring-the-people-of-middle-earth-the-witch-king-of-angmar-lord-of-the-nazgul/ https://www.tor.com/2019/10/31/exploring-the-people-of-middl... The only canonically named Ringwraith was Khamul, the Witch-king's number two. (Roleplaying game company Iron Crown Enterprises once put out some nice but totally unofficial names for all the Nazgul.)
Mvhsz 7y ago
I just rewatched the battle scene from the movie, and the wraiths took out a few trebuchets and a decent number of soldiers on the wall. They weren't effective against soldiers under any sort of cover, but picking up and dropping soldiers on the city would be a good psychological warfare technique. Gandalf is seen riding around the city telling soldiers to return to their posts. And the communication and intelligence that flying wraiths would allow is no small asset. Part of the advantage of a walled city is a view of the enemy approach while hiding your own formation. Good areal surveillance eliminates that advantage for the defending side.
- HenryKissinger 7y ago
  C2 Witch King: << Gothmog, I'm detecting a large movement 5 miles south of your position. They're not friendlies. >>
  - wbl 7y ago
    They are friendlies: the Witch King thinks the ghosts are reinforcements because they are flying Mordor flags. When they disembark the ruse is revealed too late.
KineticLensman 7y ago
... And extremely effective morale suppression of their foes, which is an excellent force multiplier for the armies of Mordor
z3phyr 7y ago
They lacked physical firepower, but they had metaphysical/magical firepower. I imagine they purposefully filled gondorian soldier's mind with dread and misery using their powers (think fighter planes with capabilities of high end electronic and cyber warfare capabilities instead of traditional weapons) If not for Gandalf using his own metaphysical powers to give hope to the soldiers, I imagine the gondorians would have become inactive with shock due to terror and dread in the airwaves.
- mcguire 7y ago
  Metaphysical chemical weapons.

Strafing runs in WW2 were almost completely ineffective but all infantry were reporting huge morale loss when they were happening.

saiya-jin 7y ago
Strafing was quite effective against vehicles, trains, landed aircraft etc. But yes against infantry it didn't make much sense, something about going too fast in shaky airplane trying to hit tiny ants running randomly left and right because they noticed the plane well before plane noticed them
lostlogin 7y ago
saiya-jin notes that this might be true of attacks on infantry but on vehicles and trains the attacks were very very effective. In particular the German army was reduced to moving by night only in Normandy and the railroads were heavily targeted. Things came to a head in the battle of The Falaise Pocket with artillery and the airforces working together and the descriptions of the aftermath are truely horrific.

HenryKissinger 7y ago

The film does show them mowing down soldiers with their claws and inspiring terror in others: https://youtu.be/HX4KKkSKZAY?t=197 https://youtu.be/HX4KKkSKZAY?t=197

arethuza 7y ago
I seem to recall that one of the names for Angmar was "The Captain of Despair" - literally a terror weapon.
- zipwitch 7y ago
  Obligatory pedantry: "Angmar" was the name of the northern realm which the Lord of the Nazgul once ruled as the "Witch-King of Angmar". We don't know what his original name was, although I believe there's a reference to him being a Lord of Numenor somewhere. Tor.com recently had a nice overview of him: https://www.tor.com/2019/10/31/exploring-the-people-of-middle-earth-the-witch-king-of-angmar-lord-of-the-nazgul/ https://www.tor.com/2019/10/31/exploring-the-people-of-middl... The only canonically named Ringwraith was Khamul, the Witch-king's number two. (Roleplaying game company Iron Crown Enterprises once put out some nice but totally unofficial names for all the Nazgul.)

Mvhsz 7y ago

I just rewatched the battle scene from the movie, and the wraiths took out a few trebuchets and a decent number of soldiers on the wall. They weren't effective against soldiers under any sort of cover, but picking up and dropping soldiers on the city would be a good psychological warfare technique. Gandalf is seen riding around the city telling soldiers to return to their posts. And the communication and intelligence that flying wraiths would allow is no small asset. Part of the advantage of a walled city is a view of the enemy approach while hiding your own formation. Good areal surveillance eliminates that advantage for the defending side.

HenryKissinger 7y ago
C2 Witch King: << Gothmog, I'm detecting a large movement 5 miles south of your position. They're not friendlies. >>
- wbl 7y ago
  They are friendlies: the Witch King thinks the ghosts are reinforcements because they are flying Mordor flags. When they disembark the ruse is revealed too late.

KineticLensman 7y ago

... And extremely effective morale suppression of their foes, which is an excellent force multiplier for the armies of Mordor

z3phyr 7y ago

They lacked physical firepower, but they had metaphysical/magical firepower. I imagine they purposefully filled gondorian soldier's mind with dread and misery using their powers (think fighter planes with capabilities of high end electronic and cyber warfare capabilities instead of traditional weapons) If not for Gandalf using his own metaphysical powers to give hope to the soldiers, I imagine the gondorians would have become inactive with shock due to terror and dread in the airwaves.

mcguire 7y ago
Metaphysical chemical weapons.