Battle reports thread - King of the Romans PBM

[Ramses II CP]

West of Madgeburg, 1338

The Rescue

The Danish armies, if you're curious:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Fritz was angry. As usual. Word had reached him that the Danes were reinforcing Arhus in anticipation of his inevitable attack. Fritz strongly desired to march north from Hamburg and bring them to battle immediately, while the string of defeats they had suffered since Stettin were still fresh in their minds. While their veteran leaders were still mostly men who had already fled Fritz's armies.

Instead, though, he must march south and rescue his future Duke, Dieter Bresch. The man sat, with Tancred von Tyrolia at his side, behind the highest walls in what remained of Franconia with the largest army in the Duchy composed almost entirely of professional soldiers and had the gall to call for help. His brother Prinz Peter, in a valuable but delicate political position, had sought the burden of this battle, but the Danes had brought south powerful cannons with experienced crews. Prinz Peter was simply too important to the Reich, to Franconia, and to every cause Fritz held dear to allow him to run that risk, and, of course, what man could send his little brother into such a maelstrom without first diving in himself?

No man, thought Fritz, and yet I am still almost beside myself in fury! Why does providence so conspire against me? My proclamation has thus far gone almost ignored except by those few visionaries who can see it's value and now my Danish offensive is postponed to rescue the man who has insulted me and sworn revenge.

Smashing the door aside in disgust, Fritz strode into his HQ at Hamburg and glared at the man waiting for him, his mercenary captain, Robert, who immediately backed up and closed his mouth.

'Don't start. I know well what I said to you when we came to Hamburg, and that day will still come! Today is not that day. Today you must get the new mercenary spearmen and crossbowmen ready to march south. We've a hard job ahead of us as the rock of Franconia, Madgeburg, stands under siege by two immense Danish armies and her Count, my future Duke, does not wish to fight them alone... and tell Berchtold the enemy is reportedly bringing a sort of cannon I don't think we've seen before. If he could salvage them somehow they might be useful when we do finally march against Arhus. Now go!'

Moving deeper in the headquarters building Fritz sent aids scurrying to gather supplies, workmen, and wagons to be loaded. In the central chamber the captains of the Hamburg militia were waiting for him. Most of them were laughing and drinking, trading the same tired stories of their bravery in the Hamburg forests that they'd been passing around for months. Only the leader of the Forlorn Hope companies was grim faced and quiet. When Fritz came to the head of the table the men settled down.

'I hope you're ready to be heroes again, men. Madgeburg has been under siege for years and Dieter Bresch has finally come begging aid. Prinz Peter will be sending us some reinforcements, but most of the army will be drawn from right here in Hamburg,' Fritz's face darkened at the thought, and his captains sensed his mood and remained silent.

'Word has it the Danes are camped in two large groups across the bridge west of Madgeburg. The eastern group are veterans and elite soldiers with a battery of cannons more powerful than bombards. The group manning the actual siegeworks and holding the bridge are less experienced men, fodder for the first assault some might say, but still they will, by themselves, outnumber us. If we are forced to attack across the bridge I could not be confident of victory, not even if Dieter found the courage to sally forth to our aid,' Dim shock was setting in on the faces around the table. This was their leader's pep talk?

'That's the bad news. The good news is I believe these men will be weary of sitting around under the walls of Madgeburg and ill disciplined. If we can reach the bridgehead in good order and put some bombard shot in them before their own cannons can be mustered to answer, I am confident they will come to us rather than hunker down to dig more trenches. When they pack onto the bridge our ribault and crossbowmen will open up and scour them. Franconia hangs in the balance. If Madgeburg falls, Hamburg will be open to assault on two fronts.'

'Don't let that happen. Hamburg cannot fall again. Your homes may not be behind those walls at Madgeburg, but their fate is every bit as much at stake in this coming battle. Now, go and make your companies ready for travel. This is the last Danish army on Franconian soil. If we win, the line is redrawn north of Hamburg, and I swear we will hold it!'

Three days later Fritz's army arrived in the woods west of the bridge. From what his scouts could tell the Danes were completely unaware of their approach. These Danes had gotten sloppy, there were evidently no scouts across the river for them. Sitting on a concealed hillside near the west end of the bridge Fritz considered the terrain and drew up his plan for battle.

'Berchtold put your bombard near the bridgehead on our left, where you can fire down most of the length without endangering our own men. The ribault will be right at the western mouth of the bridge. If they can charge into a barrage from that they're sterner men than they look.'

'Robert the spearmen are to be arrayed in depth behind the ribault, ready to provide immediate support against a cavalry charge. The Danes are light on cavalry, God be praised, but what they do have is powerful. They cannot be allowed to leak through. Pick two of the militia crossbowmen and send them down to the river bank in a loose order formation. They'll have good shots into the enemy's flank if they reach our end of the bridge, and the formation should reduce losses. Put the experienced Pavise crossbowmen with your men on the right, behind your stakes just in case some cavalry do leak through. The rest of the crossbowmen should form tight ranks on the left. I expect them to fire in volleys to conserve ammo and maximize confusion during the Danish attack.'

'The militia spearmen will back your longbows on the right. Forlorn Hope companies will stand station at either side of the bridge in case the spearmen falter or are pushed back. Our light cavalry will screen to either side, and I will sit on that hill to the rear and watch for Danes attempting to ford the river or the advance of the second army. We don't have good information on the companies in the second army except that they've a veteran core and excellent cannons. Keep your heads down.'

'Now move! I want that riverbank occupied before they can crawl out of the siege holes, and shot in them as soon as they assemble into companies!'

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

(Note the 'Cannot retreat' icon on Dieter's face. If I lose, Dieter and Tancred die with their whole garrison. Holy Unexpected! Why didn't anyone warn me?)

By the time Fritz's men had assembled to his tight specifications the Danes had rallied on the east side of the bridge, and were starting to call taunts across. Fritz gave them no time to settle in, ordering the bombards fired despite a slow company of militia crossbowmen deploying right in front of them. Two of the crossbowmen were badly wounded by the near miss.





Four volleys from the bombard saw some losses on the Danish side, and their men began sorting out for a sally across the bridge. Their commander still didn't look too worried. Perhaps Fritz's narrow front and the spearmen masking the ribault crew caused the captain to underestimate the number and strength of troops he was facing. It was a mistake he would not live to regret, as the first volley from the ribault cost him his life.



The rest of his men continued with their attempted assault, but their ranks were disorganized and they were forced to pause their advance several times under murderous fire. At last a few scattered dismounted Feudal Knights mustered the will to charge between ribault volleys, and Fritz's mercenary spearmen moved forward to engage them and protect the ribaults.



The Danish attack rapidly turned into a horrific rout. Fritz told Robert to conserve his men's arrows, but let the slower crossbowmen fire at will.



The Dane's haughty Chivalric Knights now attempted a charge, but the bridge was clogged with confused infantry and corpses, and their charge broke ranks before it could really begin. The battle was going well. Fritz took a moment from his hilltop to survey the second Danish army. They had deployed in the woods, so it was impossible to see their forces in any detail, but it was clear that they were waiting for the confused morass of the first army to succeed or rout before committing themselves.



To the north Fritz could see that Dieter had sallied from Madgeburg, but he was avoiding engagement as well. Perhaps that was for the best, with no artillery he would be chewed up by the second army, and if he struck the first army he'd be caught between them and their allies. Or perhaps he was simply a coward. The man had fought well before but now declined battle and Fritz hadn't been able to sort that out yet.



On the east side of the bridge the Danes were assembling for another attempt. Fritz ordered his men to hold their fire and cleared the spearmen back from the ribault. This time the Danish mounted crossbowmen led the attack, and bore the full brunt of a combined bombard and ribault volley. Then the crossbowmen unloaded on the Danish infantry and the first Danish army broke to a man. Warily watching the second army's banners Fritz ordered Peter's Mounted Sergeants to give chase and harry the first force from the field.



Because of the limited pursuit many of the routing besiegers escaped, but Fritz knew the real test would come now. Did the veteran Danes intend to cross now that the bridge was clear, or would they wait to let Fritz cross and then bring him under fire from their cannon brigade?

As it turned out Peter's light cavalry exceeded their orders and attacked an exposed cannon team which had been turning their weapons to bear on the sergeants. While they chewed through the resolute but unsupported cannon team the second Danish army began to move forward with the two remaining cannons.



It seemed they would try the bridge rather than let Fritz's cavalry harry them. Again Fritz wondered if the narrow front he presented caused the enemy to underestimate the strength of his remaining army. His crossbowmen were all weary from constant firing, but otherwise his forces were essentially intact. Still the Danes came forward, led by dismounted Huscarls under familiar banners...



Gott im Himmel! thought Fritz, those are the banners of Prince Godfred! After we slew him at Stockholm I saw those banners at the head of the men of his house, who chased us back to our ships. Those Huscarls will not break, and if they know I am here then I now know why they will cross the bridge. I must come forward to rally the men when they make their assault. All will depend on destroying those companies.



Before he could ride forward Fritz heard an ungodly series of booms sound echo across the field. The Danish cannon were many times louder than his bombard or even the rippling roar of his ribault. Crossbowmen and spearmen died with that sound in their ears as two of the four shots fell into Fritz's tightly ranked soldiers.



The Danish advance began immediately after those first shots went over their heads. Their captain rode in behind the first company of foot Huscarls, who did not hesitate as the ribault opened up on them.



Fire arrows and bolts lanced in as soon as the ribault volley ended. The Huscarls ran headlong into the withering fire with no hesitation, preparing to charge.



Bolts fell like rain out of a clear sky. The first rank of Huscarls had been hard hit, clearing a path for the ribault to fire into Captain Karl's War Clerics. Karl, leading his men at the front, was the first to die. Still the Huscarls came on, at a run.





Now an answering volley of arrows poured across the river and into Fritz's left flank, thinning the ranks of the Forlorn Hope on that side significantly. Fritz knew this was the moment of truth, and he rode forward while shouting orders for his reserve spearmen to reinforce the bridgehead. With a crash the wall of enraged Danish steel met the braced and prepared mercenary spearmen, whose line immediately buckled. More cannon fire added to the noise by landing amidst the crossbowmen at the riverbank, but missed the spearmen. Fritz screamed for the diminished Forlorn Hope to either side of the river to charge!



Across the river there was a break. The swordstaff militia, eager to reach the battle, abandoned their cannon crews and left the rearmost one exposed. Immediately Peter's veteran sergeants charged them, preventing them from firing any further shots. Only two cannons remained operational, and they were trapped in the middle of the Danish militia's advance.



At the western end of the bridge arrows still fell like rain into the dismounted Huscarls, and still they slew the mercenary spearmen like berserkers out of legend. Prince Godfred's Honor Guard was determined to redeem themselves and despite the odds they were certain of victory. Now they were joined by the rest of the Danish heavy infantry, whose will to fight was more questionable.



Already Fritz's spearmen were at half strength or less, and slowly a gap was widening between the edge of the bridge and the spearwall. Fritz spurred his horse over to the longbowmen and shouted at Robert, 'Those Huscarls! They're the Honor Guard of Prince Godfred, whom we butchered at Stockholm. Stop wasting arrows on the back ranks and target those men at all costs. If you impale a few of our spearmen it's no matter, they're dead anyway!'



An enemy cannon shot landed again on the south riverbank, amongst the crossbow milita there, and the exhausted men routed. Fortunately the second shot flew directly over Fritz's head, into the woods on the hilltop he'd once observed from. Fritz blew his horn to rally the crossbowmen before they could cause a doubt in his hard pressed infantry.



Fritz's companies of Forlorn Hope had been all but destroyed. His mercenary spearmen were all shaken and barely holding their ground, but many of the Danish banners lay fallen in the mud and blood as well. Fritz was forced to commit his final infantry reserve, the militia spearmen from Hamburg, on the right. On the left there was no reserve, so the mercenary Pavise crossbowmen, low on ammo, were ordered into the melee as a stopgap measure. If this didn't work Fritz would risk losing control of the battle to lead his personal guard against the Huscarls.



An errant bombard shot kills a pair of Peter's sergeants across the river, but the other bombard's accurate shot starts a rout among the lesser Danish infantry. Finally the pressure relents and the spearmen stop retreating. The gaps at the sides of the line close as the non-veteran Danes flee, and Prince Godfred's Honor Guard, reduced to a few dozen men, are surrounded and gradually hacked down. Fritz had already seen Berchtold go down under a Danish axe, and now he ordered the bombard and ribault crews to fall back from the battle entirely.



The remnants of Prince Godfred's Honor Guard Huscarls, who had been the first into battle, were now the last at the front with the will to see it through. They fought to the death, abandoned by their allies, and took a host of Germans and mercenaries with them. The last Huscarl laughed as he fought, killing three of the Hamburg militiamen despite pair of bolts stuck in his chest. Robert personally drew back an arrow and obliterated the berserker's face.



Across the river the sergeants were at last able to silence the final Danish cannons. The crew fought valiantly, killing several of the cavalrymen, but fell to a man in the end. Now the Danish swordstaff militia, in their tight, orderly ranks, advanced slowly across the bridge. Fritz's infantry had all but ceased to exist. Of two whole companies of Forlorn Hope Fritz had four men left fit for battle. Of three companies of mercenary spearmen there were, at best, eighty who could still serve, and those were the men that had been butchered despite tripling the Swordstaves at Hamburg. A similar number of the Hamburg militia remained, fresher and still eager. Berchtold's cannon crew had refused to withdraw and still held their cannons ready. Half the crossbow companies were out of bolts, but Robert's men had saved a few arrows. Would it suffice?



On the far side of the river Fritz could see that Dieter's advance guard had come onto the field, but Fritz was determined to leave them no work. He ordered his cannons to open with a volley which scythed through the densely packed Danes. Then Robert ordered a series of massed volleys against the advancing militia, who were wading through pools of blood and shoving corpses into the river just to make room to walk. Before they could come to grips with Fritz's depleted spearmen a second bombard shot cut through them, and their front rank turned to flee.



It was the end. Every Dane was now dead or in flight. Fritz sent the Albanians after the fleeing Danish army, and then spurred his own guard forward. Tancred had joined Dieter on the field and after killing a few routers Fritz rode over to speak to them. Saluting Dieter, Fritz said simply, 'My duty is done.'



Holding up his hand he forstalled Dieter's attempt to speak, 'I am a soldier. After these past few years all I know is fighting. I do not wish to fight you, but if you will not put me in front of an enemy I know not where I will find one, only that one will be found. The truth of me, the heart of me, is in battle, and when I am not in battle I find there is often little good in me.'

'Use me, my Duke. Send me north to be a plague on your enemies.'

Pausing a moment to look back towards the bridge, Fritz returned his gaze to Dieter and went on, 'If you would make sure what work I am good for, ride down the the bridge and see. Now, I've some fool prisoners to see off. For the Reich!'

Turning rapidly Fritz rode back to his victorious army and had his personal guard begin the work of slaughtering the Danes who had surrendered on the bridge.

(Forgive the ugly screenshots, I had to turn my settings down when the bolt barrages began.)