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Message: <blockquote data-quote="reff42" data-source="post: 4095464" data-attributes="member: 60989">The Franks threw their axes immediately before hand to hand combat with the purpose of breaking shields and disrupting the enemy line while possibly wounding or killing an enemy warrior. The weight of the head and length of the haft would allow the axe to be thrown with considerable momentum to an effective range of about 12 m (40 feet). Even if the edge of the blade were not to strike the target the weight of the iron head could cause injury in any event.In one description, one of the two iron nails that held the iron shaft in place was replaced with a weak wooden pin that would break on impact causing the shaft to twist sideways. Gaius Marius is sometimes given credit for this modification. Most later pila were constructed such that the iron shank would bend on impact; early pila do not seem to have had this characteristic. A pilum, having penetrated a shield through a small hole and its shank having bent would now be difficult to remove. It is likely that the shaft would hit the ground and thus stop the charging enemy in its tracks.The art of knife throwing was first used in martial or in hunting applications. It has been incorporated into the martial disciplines of the Japanese as well as some African and Native American tribes. In these cases, however, throwing a weapon when fighting is generally thought of as a risk. If unsuccessful it can leave the thrower without a weapon. It bears noting, however, that many warriors traditionally carried two or more weapons at the same time.Given the real world's one-hit-kill tendancy, throwing weapons are cool. At the very least, the heavier ones were very effective at destroying or immobilizing the enemys shield.</blockquote>

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