A 13TH CENTURY COLLISION OF CAVALRY

[Chris]

Thinking that it might prove entertaining to start the new year off with a "crash" instead of a "bang," I turned to page 48 of Lorenzo Sartori's spiral-bound IMPETVS rule book and started drafting fairly large orders of battle for a completely fictional contest between a multitude of Mongols and tons of Teutonic knights. This would be a first for me, as I have never - in my long history of solo wargaming - even considered staging let alone witnessed a battle involving Mongols and the heavy cavalry of the Teutonic Orders.

An impressive (some might opine ridiculous or unmanageable) total of 836 points of crusaders would engage an equally impressive total of 870 points of Mongols.

The first command of the Teutonic Orders was led by an unnamed but ruggedly handsome warrior prince, who was rated as an expert general. Making the best of an average command structure, this soldier-statesmen led the following formations:

5 units of Teutonic Knights (impetuous)
1 units of Crusader Knights (impetuous - 7 VBU)
1 unit of Crusader Knights (impetuous - 6 VBU)
1 unit of Med Cav (Knechte) with x-bow
1 unit of Med Cav Livonians
3 units of Livonian Horse Archers
3 units of Lt Cav (Turkopolen - 3 VBU)

This command added up to 483 points. Its VDT (total demoralization value) was 36 / 18. When 18 points worth of units had been broken and or routed, this command would quit the field.

The duke at the front of the second command, though a veteran of several campaigns, was only a fair general. He would have the following formations at his disposal:

4 units of Crusader Knights (impetuous - 7 VBU)
4 units of Crusader Knights (impetuous - 6 VBU)
1 unit of Med Cav (Knechte) with x-bow
1 unit of Med Cav Livonians
1 unit of Livonian Horse Archers
3 units of Lt Cav (Turkopolen - 4 VBU)

This command added up to 353 points. Its VDT was 35 / 18.

The Mongol opposition would be commanded by a couple of brothers. (Again, the names of this familial pair have been lost to history.) One was several years older and more experienced, and one was younger but showed signs of promise, of future tactical ability if not greatness. Both warrior-leaders were rated as expert generals and would enjoy the advantages of a good command structure.

Command A, under the leadership of the older brother, consisted of the following:

3 units of Med Cav (Guard)
6 units of Med Cav
8 units of Lt Cav

This command added up to 569 points. Its VDT was 51 / 26.

The younger brother rode at the head of Command B, which contained the following:

1 unit of Med Cav (Guard)
3 units of Med Cav
5 units of Lt Cav

He also possessed a single roll of destiny. This one-time roll allows the general to re-roll an unfavorable melee or morale result. Alternatively, he can dictate the roll be used by the enemy, thereby causing them to re-roll a favorable melee or morale result.

This command added up to 301 points. Its VDT was 27 / 14.

As my primary focus was on cavalry combat, I decided not to use exploration points, baggage and camps, or even terrain features. The planned action would take place on a completely open and flat piece of ground. My six by four-foot tabletop was divided down the middle and then further divided into three equal portions representing the left, center, and right sectors of the battlefield.

The general deployment of each army was decided by rolling a 1d6.

Die Roll   Teutonic Orders
1      Command 1 in the center and forward; Command 2 on the left flank, 30U back
2      Command 1 on the right and forward; Command 2 in the center and 20U back
3      Commands 1 and 2 in the center; 2 set up 20U behind 1
4      Command 2 in the center and forward; Command 1 on the right flank, 40U back
5      Command 2 in the center, 30U back; Command 1 on the left flank, forward
6      Command 2 on the right flank, forward; Command 1 on the left flank, 30U back

Die Roll   Mongols
1      Command A on the right flank, 40U back; Command B on the left flank, forward
2      Command A in the center, 20U back; Command B 20U behind Command A
3      Command B in the center, forward; Command A enters on left table edge, on Teutonic side of center dividing line
4      Command A in the center, forward; Command B enters on right table edge, on Teutonic side of center dividing line
5      Command A on the left flank, forward; Command B in the center, 50U back
6      Command A on the right flank, 45U back; Command B on the left flank, forward

A result  of  "forward" would place the command 15U from the center dividing line instead of the normal 30U (for 15mm scale), as per pages 19 and 20 of the rules.

HOW THINGS WERE ARRANGED
The deployment roll for the armored contingents of the Teutonic Orders resulted in a split deployment. The prince and his assembled forces were arranged on the left flank, while the duke and his complement of crusader knights took up a forward position on the right flank. In detail, the prince's deployment consisted of a first line containing a group of 3 units of Turkopolen on the far left. Next came a single unit of crossbow-carrying medium cavalry. The right side of this first line was held by a group of 3 units of light cavalry horse archers. A short distance behind these skirmishing horse the prince placed himself at the center of a 5 unit-strong line of Teutonic knights. Far to the left of this second line, there was a single unit of  Livonian medium cavalry. A small reserve of crusader knights (2 units, not in a group) was deployed in the left rear.

Over on the right flank, the duke's first line contained 6 units of cavalry. The left of this line included a group of 3 units of Turkopolen light cavalry. A unit of medium cavalry with crossbows was next in line. Further to the right, there was a single unit of medium cavalry and then a unit of horse archers. The second line was staggered, with the right side deployed a little forward of the left. The duke and 4 units of impetuous crusader knights took up station on the right. Another group of crusader knights, also 4 units strong, was posted on the left.

The battle plan for the combined forces of the prince and duke was simple and direct: They would close with and strive to destroy the Mongol army arrayed against them. 

The Mongol formations facing the duke were arranged in three lines. Eight separate units of light cavalry horse archers formed the first line on the Mongol left flank. Some distance to the rear, 3 groups (each of 2 units) of medium cavalry were positioned in support. The third line on the Mongol left flank consisted of a group of guard cavalry. These three units were under the direct command of the older and more experienced brother.

The younger brother situated his command further back and to the right of the main group of Mongol horsemen. (The Mongol deployment roll was a 5.) His first line consisted of 5 units of horse archers formed as into a group. The second line comprised 3 units of medium horse, also formed into a group. The commanding younger brother rode with a single unit of guard cavalry. These veteran warriors were stationed to the right and rear of the medium cavalry group.

The battle plan for the brothers was a bit more involved. The main force would engage the enemy with a combination of shooting and close combat. These horsemen would drive the crusaders off the field. The smaller formation in the center would delay and harass so as to protect the larger force.

HOW IT PLAYED
The light cavalry formations of the prince's command immediately started moving obliquely to their right. The heavier knights stayed in line for a few turns and then started to execute a slow wheel so as to orient the entire line toward the center of the plain. The smaller Mongol command responded in kind - at least with its light cavalry units. These also moved obliquely to their right. The medium cavalry moved straight ahead.

Arrows were soon flying back and forth between the Livonian horse archers and the Mongols. Surprisingly, the Mongols suffered more casualties and soon found themselves giving ground. There were a few episodes of close combat in this sector of the field. Here, the Mongols fared better. In the space of a couple of turns, a unit of Turkopolen light horse and one of Livonian cavalry were broken and routed. This was the extent of the action between the prince's command and the Mongol force led by the little brother. The main contest took place between the forces commanded by the duke and those commanded by the older brother.

As the Mongol left and Teutonic right were separated by just 30 centimeters, arrows were soon raining down on units unfortunate enough to find themselves in range. Many riders and a few horses fell and units were disordered on both sides. This did not prevent the light cavalry lines of both sides from mixing it up. Again, the Mongols secured an early advantage, beating up and then breaking a few of the Teutonic formations. The second line of the duke's command contained a lot of crusader knight units. These impetuous formations were avoided - for the most part - by the Mongol light cavalry. The duke could not control his knights. In fact, the unit he was riding with was targeted by the enemy and several Mongol arrows just missed the mark. The Mongols brought up their second line - the one with medium horse - and advanced against the crusaders. More flights of arrows were launched and the ranks of the knights began to show the cumulative impact of the Mongol missiles. On the far right of the sector, melee was joined between Mongol medium horse and a couple of crusader units. The Mongols rolled well and were soon pursuing and knocking more knights off of their mounts. In the center of this sector, the duke spurred his men toward the closest enemy formation. A confused melee resulted but the knights did well and destroyed their foe. Spotting another target, they urged their tired steeds forward. Mongol light cavalry fired more arrows and then retreated behind heavier friends. A fresh unit of medium horse charged the wounded and disordered knights. The crusaders absorbed the impact and fought the Mongols to a draw. Then, a nearby unit of Mongol light cavalry was thrown against the occupied knights and the additional pressure proved too much. The duke's unit was overwhelmed. The Teutonic commander did manage to survive the carnage and escaped to the friendly baseline. He would play no further part in the engagement.

Sensing the battle won, the Mongols concentrated their arrows against wounded units and where possible, swarmed into close combat against others. In a matter of  a few more dice rolls, it was all over. The duke's command was past its breaking point. The surviving units withdrew, harassed by arrows all the way. Seeing his right wing fall back under mounting Mongol pressure, the prince gave orders for his command to break off the engagement and retire. Sufficed to say, his large formation of experienced knights were not all happy with the way things turned out. 

ASSESSMENT
Managing 1600-plus points of cavlary did not prove too taxing. As it turned out, a large portion of the Teutonic cavalry never made into melee or even near the long range of Mongol composite bows. The fictional contest was decided on the Mongol left / Teutonic right in just six turns of play.

I do not think that the determined deployment hurt the Teutonic effort. However, I do think that poor dice did more damage to the cause of the prince and his loyal duke. To be sure, the Mongol composite bow (a very powerful weapon - at least under IMPETVS) did quite a bit of damage against the Teutonic host. I was a bit surprised to find out that the battle was over before the Teutonic knights even had a chance to use their swords. (In one regard, I suppose it was a good thing that I did not or had not invested my treasure and time on preparing these units only to see them not take any part in the fight. See the Wargaming in General Board for the post titled "The Cost of Playing at War.") I do not think that the deployment really favored the Mongol brothers. They did roll pretty good dice, or they rolled better dice than their enemy did. Incidentally, the younger brother never had to cash in his roll of destiny during the quick battle.

Even though I used six-millimeter scale sabots and had no terrain features on the tabletop, this was an enjoyable wargame. The "random" nature of deployment added to the overall experience. using a 1d6 to determine where each command would set itself up allowed me to focus on moving, missile combat, and melee. Admittedly, this was not a finesse engagement but I think it was a fairly realistic and historically accurate one. While I am still not completely confident or comfortable with IMPETVS, I do believe I am getting better at it with each "miniature" battle. The only way to test this hypothesis would be to find a local tournament and conduct two or three actual experiments. Until then, I wonder if I could fit a 2,000 point game on my table?

[Patrick Waterson]

Nice action, Chris: random deployment does make a solo game interesting, although I would not inflict it on a live opponent!

Although the dice inflicted their customary occasional anomalies, the action did illustrate the superior controllability of the Mongol army, which seems to have been one of their great historical assets - plus having a bag of tactical tricks which their opponents usually had not previously encountered.

Keep it up, and for 2,000 points try a deep, multi-line deployment for both sides - and see how (and if) it changes the character of the battle.  Positioning of key troops becomes more important with large armies, so I would suggest eschewing random deployment for the 'battlewinner' contingents (the best troops, usually with the C-in-C) - either place them according to your best judgement or put them in the centre of the rear line.

For a more balanced action, treat the Teutonic (as opposed to Crusader) knights as non-impetuous.  Like most military orders, their discipline was superior to that of the average European knight - the Teutonic contingent can thus make a useful 'fire brigade' to go and sort out a developing problem in a key part of the field.

[Chris]

Hi Patrick,

Thanks for taking the time to read and to comment. Appreciated.

I do not know very much about the Teutonic Orders, I am afraid. I was going with the information supplied in the provided list. Your suggestion is well made, I think.

FWIW, am currently planning a similar exercise/experiment using Hail Caesar. This means more dice and less exactness - for lack of a better word - but I hope it will still prove entertaining.

Thanks again.

Chris

[Patrick Waterson]

Any time, Chris.

We do have some members who are very knowledgeable about the mediaeval military orders, and they might be kind enough to sketch out some useful details.  For the present, if interested, one could try:

Teutonic Knights
Knights Hospitaller
Knights Templar

These were the basic military orders, though there were several sub-orders, plus some unique to the Iberian peninsula (in connection with the Reconquista, regaining territory from the Moors).  They all shared the characteristics of strong discipline (although some Templars were occasionally prone to irrational impetuosity) and high fighting quality.

Again, this is just if interested. 

[aligern]

Chris, you might try:
http://web.archive.org/web/20110805101324/http://www.deremilitari.org/resources/articles/bennett1.htm

De Re Militari is a great site and this article is by one of our Vice Presidents.
Hve you got the Singshot disk from the Society Webstore? There are some Military Order articles in previous Slingshots.

Roy