To the south, following his butchery of the previous year, Prince Umar was confronted with 2000 Catholic troops led by a confident Pope Urban III. The day got off to a good start for Umar as 250 troops, meant for the relief of Rome, had landed in Southern Italy by mistake and so were absorbed into Umars army, swelling its numbers to 1260. The Battle of Capua Vetere was a violent, savage affair that swung one way, then the other. Seeing the fortunes of each side ebb and flow Umar ordered that all Papal prisoners be executed whenever there was a pause in the battle. This was a battle of survival between 2 cultures, 2 religions, it was not a place for chivalry. Chivalry would get you killed and your people and your faith exterminated. Eventually the Almohads managed to break the Catholic armies morale and began to chase them from the field. Though totally exhausted, the surviving Muslim warriors pursued their fleeing foes, the elation of victory, the joy of *survival* giving them the energy they needed.
But up ahead on a hillside there loomed 4 regiments of Mounted Sergeants at full strength, calmly sitting on their horses. As they approached them, a feeling of unease began to spread through the Almohad ranks. Why weren't these horsemen fleeing? Why were they waiting there? Then they knew. The Papal light cavalry charged the shattered, scattered Almohads, inflicting heavy casualties on men who moments before were rejoicing at still being alive. Now it was the Muslims turn to flee and be run down. Back at the original scene of battle a handful of men witnessed the turnaround in fortunes. These men were reinforcements who had been held back due to their poor quality or lack of numbers or both. Many were survivors of previous battles where they had seen most of their comrades fall around them. They had been good enough or lucky enough to escape deaths clutches then and now here they were, watching an approaching foe cutting down their fleeing brothers in arms. Seeing how flight resulted only in death strengthened their resolve. "If we do not stand now, we will not stand at all!" shouted a lone Ghazi, clearly a veteran of many battles, as he walked up and down the thin ranks of troops – men who had not expected to see battle this day except as a last resort. And now the battle depended upon them - they were the last resort.
The first fleeing survivors approached their ranks. "Stand and fight brothers! Stand and fight!" shouted the lone Ghazi at them, but terror had control of their hearts and minds and they wildly stumbled past the few Almohads preparing to make a last stand. Then they were gone and the Papal cavalry came up the slope. The lone Ghazi became more and more frenzied as they got nearer, banging his shield, shouting oaths to Allah and exhortations to the men around him to fight or die. And then he was off, charging towards the oncoming cavalry. The dregs of the Almohad army followed him knowing if they fled they would surely die, but if they fought, they might, just might live. Now the tables were turned, it was the mounted sergeants who were overconfident and tired from chasing routing troops across the battlefield. They had not expected to meet any resistance and now here they were fighting and dying at the hands of a handful of Urban Militia, some Bulgarian Brigands and a lone, crazy Ghazi swinging his axe like a madman. And suddenly it was over, the surviving Papal cavalry was fleeing and there was no one else left to fight. The survivors collapsed to the ground in exhaustion and sorrow and pain. Tears of joy and grief and utter exhaustion ran down their dirty, sweaty, bloodied faces.
Only 300 Almohads survived the Battle of Capua Vetere out of a force of 1200 and only 20 of them were on the battlefield at the end, the others having been withdrawn earlier or having fled to save their lives. In a battle that was the closest run thing the difference was the 250 troops who as a result of a mistake by an Admiral had landed too far south and so joined Umars army rather than Ismaels. Among the dead was Prince Umar who had fallen earlier in the battle leading a cavalry charge. His body was found under a tangled, twisted heap of horses and men, Muslim and Catholic. The lone Ghazi was also amongst the dead. No one knew his name and it was impossible to recover his body from amongst the piles of mangled and mutilated bodies - they were too great to identify. But it was his courage and leadership that inspired the ragtag remnants of the dead Prince Umars army to make one last stand. As his body was never found and no-one knew who he was the rumour quickly spread amongst the survivors that he was actually an angel sent by Allah to secure victory for his people.
The toll of Catholic dead was horrific. Papal documents showed the army that morning had a strength of 1971 men. The next day the Almohad army buried 1909 of them in the bloodstained earth of Capua Vetere. Round 3 to the Almohads.
But what of Pope Urban III? Survivors recall seeing his flag at the start of the battle, but after that his actions are unknown, no eyewitness could recall seeing him at any point during the battle. He was later captured trying to flee to the north and executed on the spot. The Papal rebellion was over.
Tiny, yet indispensable units
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Re: Tiny, yet indispensable units
Originally Posted by Uesugi Kenshin
). He is actually not an Arab, but a European of some sort, his name was Lord _____ ______. I checked it right before I logged on the Org, but I forgot his name and it's on the other computer, I'll try again when I get on later.
"Suppose Jerry invaded England - and tried to screw your sister. Wot would you do?"
"I couldn't do nothin', could I? I'm in bloody North Africa!" 
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