The Battle for Gallaecia
Having successfully routed the Celteberians in the previous
two battles the Carthaginans marched into the Celteberians stronghold of
Gallaecia to end the campaign once and for all. With their final bastion threatened the Celteberians
were forced into a corner, this was a must win battle to prevent the
Carthaginian’s capturing their homeland and ending the war. After much pondering the Celteberian general
reorganised his commands, making two powerful warbands each with a screen of
light infantry to protect them. His cavalry was tasked with protecting the
flanks and possibly turning the enemy line, all going well that is…
Craig’s Celteberians
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Left Division
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Centre
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Right Division
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4x Med Warband
2x Lusitanian Light Infantry
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4x Med Warband
2x Lusitanian Light Infantry
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2x Med Cav
2x Light Cav
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Kent’s Carthaginians
Kent organised his on force as follows (or similar to this)
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Left Division
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Centre
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Right Division
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1x Libyan longspear
2x Italian Hill tribes
2x Gallic Warband
2x Skirmishers
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1x Libyan longspear
2x Italian Hill tribes
2x Spanish Scutarii
2x Skirmishers
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1x Med Cav
2x Light Cav
1x Italian Hill tribes
1x Spanish Scutarii
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Turn 1: The Celteberian warbands surge forward screened by their light infantry.
On my right flank the light horse advance to pepper the opposing light horse.
Not to be lulled in by the light horse the Carthaginian line marches forward en-mass.
On the Carthaginian right the Spanish and Italian infantry flank the Celteberian light horse and pepper them with javelins disordering one unit which retreats.
Turn 2 the warband remain stationary while the light infantry moves forward to harass the Carthaginian line.
The Celteberian light horse pulls back out of the Carthaginian noose.
In the Carthaginian turn their line unleashes a hail of missiles which manages to destroy one of the Lusitanian light infantry- grrr...
While on the far left my light infantry are harassing the Gallic warband, inflicting a few hits on them.
Kent sends forward his own skirmishers to deal with my light infantry and protect his main battle line while his elephant lumbers forward.
On the right flank one of my light horse units rolls badly for a break test and is destroyed.
The battle lines close in the centre. Kent charges with his Libyans who win the combat forcing my warband back. The Libyan heavy infatry are close to being shaken in the melee but follow up the retreating Celteberians.
On my turn I throw forward my centre command to try to destroy Kent's centre. The arrow highlights where the second Libyan heavy infantry unit got its wired crossed (a blunder) and retreated back two turns, leaving he flank dangerously exposed. If only I can capitalise on this...
Arrghhh! In my own turn rather than listening to their general the Celteberians stood round discussing the latest goings on in their Gallaecian homeland (poor command roll) and so missed the opportunity to roll up the Carthaginian flank.
The opportunity is lost. Kent rolled well for his command roll and the Libyan spears and Italian infantry double timed it back into position shoring up the exposed flank but I did manage to flank and destroy the Italian infantry. In the centre though it si not going so well, Kent's Libyans win the combat and destroy two of my warband units and other units are thrown back in disorder! My centre is starting to crumble.
On my left I throw my warband are disordered.
In Kent's turn his infantry fell just short of my warband's exposed flank. However, my centre command has all but broken (3 units destroyed) and my battle line is "slightly" exposed.
This is not looking good! I've sent over a unit of medium Spanish cavalry to bolster the line as I try to rally my centre but unfortunately lose another unit this turn and the Celteberian centre collapses.
Unfortunately though the Libyan Heavy infantry on the Carthaginian left destroy my warband and break my other large unit. The surviving Celteberians melt away and their leaders sue for peace.
Another great game, I had my chances but again Kent used his troops well and I learned a lot. I really don't like trying to grapple with the Libyan heavy infantry so was trying to pepper their supporting units with javelins to disorder the and remove their supports, which kind of worked. My sending forward my light infantry to harass tactic nearly worked too and if anything showed I need more light infantry! I think 1 per warband would do well! My plan was to send the light infantry a couple of moves forward so they could retreat, fire javelins (or evade) then retreat again before the Carthaginians struck my line, I probably needed two more units of light infantry to do this a bit more successfully but was sound in theory.
A good fun game once again and very enjoyable.
Next time Kent, next time....
Craig
