Short Battle Report 04/05/02

Later Carthaginians vs. Patrician Romans

List Options: Hasdrubal in Spain, Eastern Romans

This battle is oddly unhistoric, since there a 700+ years in between those armies, though both are out of Book 2. I´d liked to train a new composition of a list and therefore, being asked which opponent I´d like, declared to like a challenging enemy. I never take the easy way!

Terrain

Though approaching Rome on a mountain trail with steep hills, the battle occurred on a more or less open field. On the Carthaginian side there have been two steep hills at the right corner, perfectly surrounding and protecting their camp. To the left, there has been some rough going terrain, placed in the center of the battlefield. Only on the far end of the roman side have been some steep hills as well as some rough going. The space between has been open.

Armies

The Carthaginian army has been a development of former experiences, so securing two save flanks instead of one flexible all-light-horse command. For this, one wing consisted of a Numidian ally, the other of Gaul cavalry and Numidian mercenaries. The main forces have been the Lybian Spearmen as well as masses of gallic and also Celtiberian warband fighters.

The Romans had - besides a negligible mini-light-horse command, two bulks of troops: One large body of superior auxiliaries and supporting psiloi and artillery, which deployed around the camp, and one large body of a combination of light horses as well as knights.

Tactics

The course of this battle has been clear for both sides: Whereas the Romans needed to give pressure with their knights, the Carthaginians needed to avoid this and turn the spear onto the faster knights.

Battle itself

Whereas the Romans hesitated a short time to look whether the Warbands leave the rough going terrain or not, the Lybian spear advanced at once, covered on their right flank by the gallic horses. The Romans decided them to be their main objective and rode towards them. Since the right carthaginian wing needed to be deployed in two columns due to the terrain, the light horse column didn`t manage to develop themselves accordingly before the knights push. this allowed the Romans to break this command, leaving the flank of the spear extremly vulnerable.

Reflexion

The Numidian light horses of the ally contingent of the left flank have been used to late to help the right flank. Such a maneuver may have saved the battle to the Carthaginians.