A cuirass with a hole in it after this test would be thrown back into the furnace!Ĭuirassiers still exist in modern armies, although their armour is now purely ceremonial.
This was the proofing mark, where a pistol ball had been fired into the cuirass to “prove” that it worked as armour. Historically, armoured cavalry were the direct functional descendants of armoured knights and the three-quarter-armoured “lobsters” of 16th Century armies.ĭespite the military mania for neatness and order, nearly all cuirasses had a small dent in them. A wise commander with a cuirassier force under his hand keeps it as a battering ram to hit the enemy at the critical point. Heavy straight swords are the weapons of choice. To this end, they wear back- and breastplates over leather padding – the cuirass – and usually wear reinforced metal helmets too. These are big men, mounted on big horses, and their primary task is to crash into enemy forces and engage in hand-to-hand combat.
Cuirassiers are heavy cavalry in Empire: Total War.Ĭuirassiers are heavy cavalry who still wear armour, who rely on the shock of impact to defeat enemies.
