Explanation: While the pike, a spear that could be 20 feet long, was the primary weapon of Renaissance Europe, a smaller number of specialists were retained by the famous mercenary groupings of the Landsknechts. Already a flamboyant bunch, those with two-handed swords (‘zweihander’) were given double-pay and expected to get into the thick of things disrupting enemy pike formations and causing havoc to earn that fat paycheck!
Not inaccurate as a comparison! The zweihanders really were diving straight into the teeth of a very deadly foe, intentionally and repeatedly, to disrupt them for other forces to take advantage of. I don’t know that the poor bastards on SEAD and DEAD get double-pay, though I imagine they’d be happier if they did!
“Sold” is a soldiers pay (and, consequently, a soldier is someone who is payd “Sold”). So yes, it refers to the double pay. Be aware, that Söldner would translate to mercenacry, not soldier!
Explanation: While the pike, a spear that could be 20 feet long, was the primary weapon of Renaissance Europe, a smaller number of specialists were retained by the famous mercenary groupings of the Landsknechts. Already a flamboyant bunch, those with two-handed swords (‘zweihander’) were given double-pay and expected to get into the thick of things disrupting enemy pike formations and causing havoc to earn that fat paycheck!
Modern day equivalent https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Weasel ?
Not inaccurate as a comparison! The zweihanders really were diving straight into the teeth of a very deadly foe, intentionally and repeatedly, to disrupt them for other forces to take advantage of. I don’t know that the poor bastards on SEAD and DEAD get double-pay, though I imagine they’d be happier if they did!
My comparison would probably have been the tunnel rats in the Vietnam war, good on you for finding something even more modern
Doppelsöldner is what they are called for they fight alone. The big stick is as dangerous to allies as to foes so you are very likely to not survive.
Doppelsöldner means “double soldier”, which I always thought was a reference to them getting paid more.
“Sold” is a soldiers pay (and, consequently, a soldier is someone who is payd “Sold”). So yes, it refers to the double pay. Be aware, that Söldner would translate to mercenacry, not soldier!
More like “double mercenary”, as Söldner specifically refers to a professional soldier-for-hire