Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Mare Nostrum Campaign year 8: 3rd battle of Byzantium

Byzantium seems to be a very desirable place with 3 battles being fought there.  After taking Athens last turn, the Gauls and Germans have attacked Byzantium.  They had expected ods slightly in their favour but found that Pontus had reinforced the Macedonians with 2 divisions and they were actually outnumbered about 600 pts to 500.
The MacedoPonts are on the left.  The Macedonians on their right with their phalanx flanked by cavalry on the right and medium infantry on their left. The Pontic cavalry is on the far flank with their medium foot between them & the Macedonians.  The Barbarians put their 2 cavalry divs on their left (Germans on the flank) and their 2 infantry divs on their right (Germans on the flank).
The MacedoPonts advanced their cavalry on both wings and echeloned their infantry, phalanx forward. The Barbaians held their cavalry back & tried to charge forward with their warbands.  At first only the Germans advanced.
The Pontic cavalry smashed through 2 warbands on the far flank, but the other 4 German warbands charged on against the Pontic infantry.   The left end of the Gallic infantry has charged the end of the phalanx. Their cavalry protect the flank.  The German cavalry hang back from their superior foes.
While on the far flank the victorious Pontic horse is reorganising, the remaining German warbands are giving the Pontic foot a hard time.  Half the Gallic warwarbands have now struck the Macedonian medium infantry division.  The other half have broken the end phalanx.  The gallic cavalry are harassing the phalanx. The German cavalry is being smashed.
The Pontic & Macedonian medium infantry divisions are on the verge of breaking.  Another phanax has been smashed by the Galic warbands and the 3rd one is surrounded by foot & horse.  The German cavalry is verge of breaking.  
On the far flank, the Macedonian & Pontic medium infantry divs have both broken before the Pontic cavalry could come back to help out.  An attempt by the Macedonian cavalry to help the phalanx by attacking the Gallic cavalry has been beaten off.   It took two charges for the Gauls to do it, but the surrounded phalanx has been broken by converging attacks - this breaking the phalanx division. 

The MacedoPonts have now lost 3 of 5 divisions and fail their army break test. 

The battle started with the MacedoPontic cavalry sweeping all before them, but the barbarians stuck to their plan, got some good command dice to get the warbands quickly to the right place and it suddenly turned around. 

   

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