Infopanel 38

Tactics

Clever tactics were essential during Viking raids, as the relatively small groups of seafarers had to behave cautiously in countries with much larger populations in order to survive and obtain loot. Their approach stands in stark contrast to the common image of Vikings today, as propagated in films of the late 20th century. In these films, the Vikings are usually portrayed as a savage, uncontrolled, and often heavily intoxicated band of fighters. In reality, the opposite was probably true in most cases, as sources show. 

One of the most important components for a successful raid was the element of surprise. This was easy for the Vikings to achieve thanks to their fast ships along the coasts. When a Viking ship traveling at 6-10 knots became visible on the horizon 5 nautical miles away, the land dwellers had only about half an hour to flee with their goods! 

One strategy that was used extremely skillfully by both Vikings and Normans was to switch sides at the right moment as mercenaries and always commit themselves to the highest bidder without paying too much attention to loyalties.

It was also important to have places of retreat for the night or for wintering. The Vikings preferred to use islands for this purpose: whether in England, France, or Ireland; traces of Viking camps can even be found on the river islands of the Rhine and Seine.

Other survival strategies included avoiding unnecessary risks: if the enemy was too powerful, it was safer to avoid battle.

However, the most important and, to this day, most effective means of military success was maximum publicity: glorifying one's own deeds through poetry and stories – and embellishing them accordingly – in order to instill the necessary respect in one's opponents was a proven method ... and a lasting one: after all, the Vikings are still talked about today as feared warriors!