V&V Battle Reports Thread

[phonicsmonkey]

The Third Battle of Innsbruck, 1123

After their Venetian appetiser the Prinz and his men were eager to taste the main Milanese course. As they approached Innsbruck their scouts returned and advised that the Milanese had broken off the siege and were awaiting in a nearby forest, on the steep slope of a mountain.

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At the edge of the forest Leopold ordered his men into battle formation. Knowing that his enemy outnumbered him in terms of spear, he stretched his lines somewhat but retained the basic array that had served him so well in the recent battle.

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The outriders spotted some of the Italians lurking amid the pines.

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Before the enemy had a chance to react to his presence, the Prinz moved to seize the higher ground on the Milanese flank.

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At risk of their lines being turned there was, for the Milanese, nothing for it but to advance up the hillside to meet the Germans' lines.

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The Reich's archers began their deadly sport.

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Leopold ordered his cavalry and his own bodyguard onto the right flank.

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The Milanese commander, although only a Captain with the unfortunately feminine name of Maria, was evidently a keen student of the classics. In response to the Prinz' manouevre he declined his left flank, instead ordering his men to advance in eschelon after the Thebans at Leuctra.

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The right-most Milanese spear clashed with the hardy men of the Reich, opening the melee - but they were clearly uninspired by their captain's tactical awareness (or perhaps unsure of his manhood) and became quickly demoralised as they fought alone.

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On the left flank Captain Maria ordered a detachment of spear to screen the Prinz' cavalry.

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Never was a suicide mission so bravely conducted.

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As his plans fell apart, so did the good Captain's mail shirt and he fell under his horse, melting the Alpine snow with his final hot breath.

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Carnage ensued as the Prinz and his knights rounded the Milanese flank and drove their lances home.

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All that remained was the chase.

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Like the Venetians before them, the Milanese refused the Prinz' reasonable ransom demands and a terrible series of ice sculptures was left to grace the slopes.