Battle Report 04/01/16

Later Carthaginians vs. Graeco-Bactrian

List Options: Hannibal in Italy, Graeco-Bactrian pre 151 BC

This is the revanche of the Graeco-Bactrian Invasion we played a week before. Since still training for the Suabian Open Tournament, both armies have been exactly the same as before. After the defeat of the Carthaginians in Italy by the Iranian lancers, they must have suffered severe by lack of supply or by homeland threats. Whatsoever, they went home and Hannibal finally managed this thing with the Romans. The victorious Hannibal now could go to help his ally Philip of Macedonia and therefore invaded the Graeco-Bactrians – by sea. What a bad idea! He put his galley to the disposal of Philip and then invaded the Graeco-Bactrians, seeking maybe a little bit for revenge for the year before. Hannibal invaded in spring. This is a battle in which the extraordinary Carthaginian Horse General Maharbal conducted a marvel maneuver, but of doubtful use.

Terrain

When the armies met there were little terrain features and Hannibal had to be careful. The Graeco-Bactrians defended a village and the armies deployed with that village on the very right wing of the Graeco-Bactrians. Directly opposing have been a gentle hill and a further one, but stoney and without flat surface, right in the middle of the battle field on the Carthaginian side.

Tactics

Against all those riders, Hannibal had to narrow the battle field as good as possible. He deployed the fortified camp directly behind the stoney hill, as his right flank guard. In front of that his accompanied elephant faced to the right to close the gap between the camp and the hill. Upon this, all the Gallic warband deployed. From there up the other hill, the Lybian Veterans stretched to the Cavalry, which hided behind that other land mark. In front of them, the Spanish and Numidian light horse command have been deployed, but in a 90-degree column to the battle line in order to use the maneuver flexibility to rule the whereabouts of its fight.

Graeco-Bactrians deploy

The Graeco-Bactrians put their camp near the village and their pike in front of them. Skirmishers guarded the village in ambush. In front of the pikes, light horses have been deployed. This line went far to the middle of the field by the Saka horse archer ally. Then the rest of the foot, a few auxiliaries and some not too good bowmen stood more or less in front of the stoney hill, backed by the feared Iranian lancers. Graeco-Bactrian horses guarded the far flank.

Battle decisions

The Graeco-Bactrian general might well be displeased with the deployment, refusing him battle on the open right half of the field. When the Carthaginian light horse screen moved forward, he ordered his knights to change into column and change location on the field. Would he contest the battle until they will be in charge again? The Spanish and Numidian light horses moved forward. Then they stood in an endless line directly opposing the light horses of the enemy. Both have been on equal terms or with a light advantage for the Carthaginians. Should they charge, finishing the matter before the lancers could go into action? Or would fighting near the enemy pikes and lancers mean that those will get the overhead soon, once the horses had been committed? 

The Graeco-Bactrian perspective: Iranian lancers in the foreground change position whereas the two opposing light horse screens stand indecisively. Background: Hannibal`s veteran spearmen

Hannibal, commanding the Gauls on the hill watched over the battlefield. He knew that he could trust Maharbal in any sense. This man would be capable of every maneuver Hannibal would demand. Still a few minutes both horse lines stood silent with occasional neighing of some horses.

Hannibal overviewed the field again. The lancers changed their place. They would need some time to redeploy. On the open field on his right, the part he intended to refuse, has been nothing than a few disrespecting archers and a number of light horses – far less than Maharbal could field. With the knights riding off, no reinforcement would help those men.
Hannibal decided: There he will win the battle. Signal was sent and quick as quick could be Maharbal let face about his troops, retired to the firm, now-in-charge veteran line, moved into column and galloped behind the hill, passing the elephant towards the open field on the right. The Graeco-Bactrians stunned.

Maharbal`s marvel maneuver: Face about, break off contact, retreat and slip away through the very narrow gap between spears and the hill with the gauls!

The Lybians and their Gaul cavalry flank guard advanced immediately against the opposing light horses, while the own horses deployed beyond the camp. The leading Spanish horses made a left turn and faced a few Saka archers, whereas all the Numidians went for the Graeco-Bactrian horses.

Maybe those would have deployed securely if it wasn`t then when a desert storm hindered the sight in a way that they merely saw a few metres and had to slow down significantly. This storm was short, but when the sand went to the ground again, the Graeco-Bactrians appeared dangerously close, with the Numidians not fully deployed yet. The Graeco-Bactrians saw their chance and closed in. In a short and heavy fight, the Graeco-Bactrian leader gave example to his troops on how to fight against Numidians. He soon has been surrounded by them and killed, but the impact of his charge has had such a great an effect that Maharbals light horse command broke and fled off the field.

Roman deserters guarding the Carthaginian camp watch the remainder of Maharbal`s Horses fleeing the field.

Meanwhile the veteran spearline has advanced towards the enemy and their light horse screen rode off. The lancers deployed in two groups and charged. With all feared enemies occupied, Hannibal then lead the Gauls to move off the hill and marched safely behind the lines towards the left wing, where they could start their charge against the Macedonian pikemen. A few of the Gauls have been released and charged downhill to the auxiliaries.

When the Iranian lancers crushed in the Lybian veteran spearmen, these stood firm all the line but of one single point. Unfortunately or not, the enemy breakthrough was exactly at the place where Hannibal lead the Gauls behind the line. They had to face the enemies as well and supported the spearmen to their best use. But this forestalled any usage for them against the pikes. The front stood grimly and the battle waged. After a while the mass of the Iranian lancers lost the forehand, retreated, disappeared and were killed. Then their general, in the middle of the fight, gave word to rally and recharge with fury and they went for their last blow. The few surviving knights pushed forward again to save at least their honour – and to the surprise to all the soldiers on both sides with overwhelming success: They crushed in and killed many of the Carthaginians. Shocked and not far from their own victory the Carthaginians had to regret an other defeat by those bloody Bactrians.

Reflexion

Again, the defeat of the Carthaginians happened due to the battle itself, not deployment or army composition. Maybe Hannibals plan on the far end of the field may have worked if he wouldn`t have had really bad luck at the fighting. Maybe Maharbal made a mistake by not commiting the Spanish horses to the Bactrian as well. But the main question of that battle whether the superb conducting of the light horse maneuver by Maharbal was of any use at all. Wouldn`t it have been better to face the enemy skirmishing horses in front of the main line immediately? The chaos on the middle of the field may have caused the all-deciding lancers to lose their formation. Meanwhile the Graeco-Bactrian horses might well have been repelled by the flank guards and the spears could have finally advanced to make an end to the battle. Maybe it also would have been advisable for the Gauls not to leave the hill and just wait until the end of the battle, although the danger for the spears would have been increased then.

Even with the fate of the battle wavering, finally they have been beaten and with some training, the Carthaginians will finish this Graeco-Bactrian matter soon!