Classical Indian with troops only for close combat?

[Hathroha]

Normally 3 archers were mounted on a elephant. These guys had to perform distant shooting. They lost their effect in close combat distance. Close combat to elephant was confronted by the escort infantry, supported more and less by mounted javelinmen/archer crew.


So why distant shooting should not be allowed for the (Classical Indian) elephant as well as for horse chariots and bullock chariots with archer crew (latters with same function)?

[Barritus]

Probably for the same reason that even massed cavalry archers don't get to shoot in close distant combat - not enough archers to generate decisive fire.

Not that I necessarily agree with the interpretation, but I'm guessing that's the answer which would be given by The Powers That Be.

[PatG]

I think that an arrow fired from point blank range from the back of an elephant above would be effective in close combat. I would guess that the escort troops worked to keep the attackers out of weapons reach of the elephant while the bow and javelins men picked them off.

Who gets distance combat bow fire and who doesn't has been attributed to the tactics used rather than the specific weapon. You could look at the foot, javelin bow combination in the same light as the phalanx. It puts three sets of weapon points against the enemy while only exposing one rank at a time to combat.

[Barritus]

I think that an arrow fired from point blank range from the back of an elephant above would be effective in close combat. I would guess that the escort troops worked to keep the attackers out of weapons reach of the elephant while the bow and javelins men picked them off.

Who gets distance combat bow fire and who doesn't has been attributed to the tactics used rather than the specific weapon. You could look at the foot, javelin bow combination in the same light as the phalanx. It puts three sets of weapon points against the enemy while only exposing one rank at a time to combat.

While I agree that arrows fired from the back of an elephant would probably be more effective than those fired from the ground, I'd submit that the major difference is simply the number of men shooting across a given frontage. There will simply be a lot more bows per metre in an infantry formation in four or eight ranks than there would be in an elephant formation. In terms of shooting effect, I think an enemy would be more worried about the effect of the foot archers' shooting than the elephants' crews' shooting.