Halberdiers: Swiss unifoms were influenced by German, Italian, and Burgundian fashion. The first record of the white Swiss cross dates to the Battle of Laupen, 1339. This appears to have been the major field recognition sign of the Swiss, and was fashioned from white cloth and sewn onto the hose or doublet. Later the cross appeared stamped on the halberd, the dagger and on a ribbon worn diagonally across the chest. It is uncertain as to what extent cantonal colors were worn.
There were two main types of horn employed by the Swiss. A smaller calling horn was probably used to rally crossbowmen and handgunners skirmishing in front of the main columns. The larger war horns or Harnsthorner-as shown above-were mainly used to create panic in the enemies ranks and to sound the general advance.

Pikemen: Contrary to popular belief, the pike was not especially favored by the Swiss during the early period of the 15th century. First records of its use in great numbers date back to 1425; doubtless this was in response to the shattering experience at Arbedo. The pike did not in fact originate in Switzerland, but in Italy. It is with the Lucerne contingent that the pike makes its first appearance among the Swiss. There seems to have been some caution on the part of the Confederates in establishing the pike as the principal staff weapon. Detailed military lists from Zurich dated 1443 show the pikes made up only a quarter of the city and cantonal contingent. Certainly as an individual arm the pike was an unmanageable weapon and a hinderance to mobility. During the march or advance the pike was either held about two feet from the point and trailed along on the ground, or carried in bundles on the train. This was due to the fact that the pike vibrated considerably which caused discomfort when held on the shoulder during a march.
Considerable training must have been required for its effective use, for it was only in phalanx formation that the weapon could realize its devastating potential. Historical reconstructions have shown that rigorous discipline and skill must have been required to master the pike in close formation, as it has been found that in the front four ranks of the square there was a danger that the pike heads of the fourth rank might pierce the necks of the men in the front rank. The pike measured on average 5m, weighed about 5lbs. and was composed of two parts; a haft of ash, sometimes pointed at the base, and a head which took on either a dagger, 'frog's mouth' or 'leaf' shape. The construction of pike shafts became a special craft in Switzerland by the later half of the 15th century, as the pike became a crucial weapon in the Confederates' tactical formation, and the cities usually appointed a special official known as the Baumeister to control the quality of such arms.
Other staff weapons attributed to the Swiss, notably the Mordaxt-a type of halberd with a long spike typical of the Zurich region-and the Lucerne hammer-a type of pole-axe with a hammer head of four points opposite a single point and carrying a long, straight spike on the end- date generally from the 16th century. Armor was expensive and heavy, although the lighter Milanese pieces soon found their way into Confederate armories. Captured sets were often kept and re-issued, and very often pikemen in particular (who were principally recruited from the lower classes) wore motley sets of armor. It can safely be assumed that those pikemen with full sets made up the front ranks of the Haufen, while those wearing only breast plates and minor accoutrements would have been delegated to the center and rear.

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