Battle Reports June 2004

Having vanquished the other Greek armies the Galatians and their Thessalian allies pushed on into the Peloponnese. Here they were met by a Lacedaemonian army comprising three regiments of Spartiate Peers, a similar number of

perioikoi and a slightly larger force of Peloponnesian League allies. Strong in foot the Lacedaemonian force was weak in cavalry, hopefully offset by the mountainous terrain.

The Spartan left was comprised of steep hills and rough going so a command of Thracian foot and light horse was tasked to occupy the high ground. Beyond their left were the perioikoi supported by javelinmen, then the Peers and their supports and finally the allies almost resting the left wing on another hill. To the rear of the hill were the Spartan cavalry trying to keep out of harms way knowing they were outclassed by the enemy.

As the Spartan army slowly advanced the Galatian dispositions soon became clear. Thessalians were heading for the high ground in front of the Spartan horse whose commander responded by sending his javelinmen to contest the ground. The Thracians were not opposed on the other flank and quickly moved to seize the hill on the right of the perioikoi as the Galatian Noble cavalry came forward with a number of warbands to their rear. The Spartan centre of Peers and allies was opposed by a wall of warbands slowly coming forward.

Action opened on both wings. The Thessalians pressed to the foot of the hill and found skirmishers there before them. A base of Spartan cavalry was obliged to come forward to protect the allied flank and was charged by the veteran Thessalian horse and pushed back. The Thessalian officer, used to total success, was appalled that he had not run completely over the hapless Spartans.

On the far side the Nobles halted in front of the perioikoi and showered them with javelins to which they could not reply. The Galatian centre now halted as the General tried to turn the flanks.

The shieldless javelinmen on the hill were being shot at by Thessalian slingers and Peltasts and coming off worse prompting a charge against the slingers that was driven off and a retirement in the face of advancing peltasts. The Spartan cavalry at this time were easily routed. However, the Thessalians could not stop their pursuit and although they destroyed the enemy horse they were in turn caught in the flank by allied hoplites and routed with great loss.

On the right the perioikoi were caught on the horns of a dilemma. They could not charge to drive off the Nobles as there were warband waiting in support to counter any such attempt which would leave the hoplites disordered as the Nobles evaded. So, they were taking a steady trickle of casualties with one base in particular suffering heavily.

Thessalian light horse now came forward to attempt the same against the allies but with warband much further to the rear these were driven off by hoplite charges and another base of Spartan horse coming up from behind the hill. So, once again the massed warbands started forward.

With Thracians parked menacingly on the hill above their cavalry the warbands to their rear now edged left to start up the hill but still the perioikoi were obliged to stand under the hail of javelins; the wounding of their officer did not help as he was distracted and unable to order a coherent attack. Back on the left reserve Spartan horse were being shot at by the Thessalian peltasts who had seized the hill but in doing so had exposed their flank to the javelinmen. These took the opportbasey and charged uphill into the peltasts and drove them back!!! Pressing home their advantage they then routed the peltasts but were cruelly taken in the flank themselves by the enemy slingers. Warbands now went up the hill toward the waiting Thracians who timed their charge to perfection and came barreling down the hill, crashed into the disordered Galatians and routed them.

The peers had been advancing slowly during this time and were now coming level with the perioikoi as the first central warbands approached. However, the nearest perioikoi base had suffered most heavily and in a final barrage of javelins broke and ran just as the first charges were launched.

The Peers drove back one warband and held another but the Veteran Galatian bodyguard got the upper hand and forced the other Peers back. The nobles then charged the remaining perioikoi who, weakened but not disordered, held the first charge but then collapsed due to their casualties in the ensuing melee. This freed up one base of nobles who drove into the flank of a base of Peers. With typical Spartan stubbornness they shrugged off this assault and routed the warband engaging the front before turning, badly mauled, to face the enemy cavalry. They could not survive another round against these fresher foes and broke in the next round.

With a base of Peers lost, another giving ground and the perioikoi destroyed the Lacedaemonian centre was exposed to Galatian cavalry and the allies decided to withdraw as more warband came up. After all if the Spartiates were being worsted what chance did they stand?

Lost again, what a surprise! Die were not too extreme though for a change. What did for me was the destruction of the perioikoi by javelin armed cavalry supported by warband. In hindsight I should have risked it and hoped to drive off the Nobles, through the warband thereby disordering them. Trouble was their commander was by that time wounded and unable to muster enough pips to do it.

Hoplite armies are vulnerable to a more mobile foe and that was proved this time. Could not use the skirmishers either to pester the warband; those Thessalian traitors give the Galatians just enough mobility to render them ineffective.

Once again the Spartan army with Peloponnesian League allies (brigade consisting of 5 Hoplite bases) took to the field to defend Greece against the invading foe, this time being Augustan Romans. As usual, steep hills and orchards dominated the field of battle. However this time the Hills were mainly to the Spartan right leaving an open plain for the Romans to exploit. Initial deployment had the Spartan brigades spread across the battlefield whilst the Roman General aware of the small size of his force (16 bases v 23 bases) deployed in the plain avoiding the hills.

The initial turns resulted in the main Heavy Infantry brigades being unmasked along the plain and the Roman Heavy Cavalry being spotted to the fore of the Roman lines. The Roman General noted that his best troops appeared to be facing the Spartan Peers. At first no Spartan cavalry were seen so the Roman General sent his mounted troops (two veteran heavy, and one Moorish light, cavalry bases) forward to slow down the Spartan advance with showers of javelins.

By turn five all brigades had been spotted with, the Spartan right being revealed to consist of Thracian light troops, both infantry & cavalry. In response the Roman left sent forward a mix of Auxiliary and Symachiarii bases to contest the high ground. Advancing Spartan peltasts came under derisory bow fire from the lone auxiliary archer base. The Roman cavalry had started to whittle down the opposing Hoplites resulting in the Spartan heavy troops charging out to force the Romans back.

The Roman line halted apart from Auxiliary bases moving into rough terrain on the Spartan left. The Spartans continued to advance with the Spartan Levy cavalry appearing on the flank of the Peloponnesian Hoplites to threaten the Roman Cavalry. By turn 8 the main battle lines were getting close, the Roman Cavalry withdrew behind the legions to give support and also provide a reserve to halt a developing flanking move through the hills by Thracian light horse. On the Spartan left a base of levy horse charged a forward Roman Auxiliary base in rough resulting in a draw. Also a braced Peloponnesian Hoplite base charged into an average legionary base pushing them back.

The next turn saw the main battle lines clash. The Spartan Peers pushed back opposing Praetorians and legionaries but the supporting Perioiki and Peloponnesian Hoplites were being worsted by the 1^st Cohort and veteran legion bases. The next few turns saw the Spartan left being held up by opposing Auxiliary bases with Spartan horse and allied Hoplites being routed. On the Spartan right the Thracian forces (light cavalry and medium infantry) came to grips with the opposing Roman troops causing the Symachiarii to rout. In the centre the Romans lost two legion bases but with one base of Peers being held up by the Praetorians and another taken in the flank by Heavy Horse the rest of the Spartan line started to crumble, with braced Hoplite bases taking heavy losses when they routed due to Roman pursuit. As usual the Spartan General ( Paul) following on in the footsteps of his ancestors started to lose his leaders to wounds causing command and control problems.

The Spartan right wing overwhelmed the Roman opposing forces by turn fourteen. On the Spartan left the Roman Auxiliary bases surprised everybody by yet again forcing back and then routing new opposing Perioikoi and Horse.

The rear of both battle lines were being filled by routing bases but better Roman command and control saw Roman Legion bases keeping close contact as they broke the Spartan line.

In the centre one base of Spartan Peers had became shaken by heavy horse, with the second base of Peers starting to lose against the Praetorians. Also at this point the victorious leader of the Spartan right died from his wounds.

The Spartan General threw in his remaining Horse supported by Hamipponi against the legions behind his front line but they suffered badly. The surviving base of braced Peloponnesian Hoplites split after breaking the Roman line to be faced by Heavy cavalry and legionaries.

On the Spartan right, the forward Thracian light Horse came to grief when faced by a lone base of Moorish light cavalry, the loss of the command’s leader resulting in the failure of a second Thracian light horse base to move up in support.

The melee phase of turn sixteen resulted in the Greeks losing single base’s of Peers, Hoplites, levy horse & light cavalry to rout, the Romans lost an Auxiliary base also to rout on their left. At the same time the Roman leader on the Roman left flank was wounded by the opposing Thracian infantry, later to die in the next rout phase.

The Roman centre continued to overwhelm the opposing Greek troops: the remaining base of Peers was being pushed back by the Praetorians towards a reforming Legion cohort. The 1st Cohort destroyed the opposing levy horse only to be attacked in the rear by a base of Periokoi which caused them to become shaken.

The next two turns saw the Roman commander redeploy his heavy horse to face the advancing Spartan right. However the Greek General's morale fell when the 1^st cohort faced up to the Periokoi and comprehensively beat them in the next round of melee whilst at the same time the last base of Peers fought to the last man but could not stop the advance of the Praetorians. Once again the Greeks ran for the hills.

A good long game with the Roman heavy armour proving decisive. Command and control was important with the Romans losing one leader and the Greeks two to battle field wounds.

I have just read Jon's report on our latest game and would like to point out that the Greeks did not "run for the hills" but retired in an orderly fashion to the rear. I know I lose every game but I like my troops to retain a little dignity!

Encounter at the Pass