ADLG - Game Report 288

Andalusian Arabs (133) vs Justinian Byzantine (124)

Onto the Dorset Dodderers. Although I am local to Entoyment it took nearly an hour to get there, driving across the conurbation in the rush hour. For my first outing I was drawn against another Robin's Justinian Byzantines. I won the initiative and decided to attack in the plains. The left flank looked open and inviting for the Cavalry, and the flank where the Light Cavalry Command was scheduled to arrive. (Surely we weren't going to roll for arrival as poorly as I have in the last two games. The infantry was to the Cavalry's right.

With the wright of enemy cavalry bearing down on the Infantry Command, they refused their right and placed the Javelinmen in the rear in a field to protect the way to the camp. On the left the Cavalry have advanced, while the enemy Cavalry have withdrawn to the rear.

Ta Dah! The Flank march has arrived. The battle has settled down into one where we both have a preponderance of Cavalry against the opponent's infantry. Albeit that in my case the enemy's infantry is uphill!

After failing to break the Andalusian Infantry by fire the Byzantines have started to redeploy their Cavalry to either support their centre and right or to attempt a flank attack on the infantry line. On the left our cavalry are now in a position to engage the enemy infantry from the flank and rear.

The Byzantine's disengaged their cavalry from the right and the redeployed cavalry in the centre are now facing Andalusian Cavalry and Infantry. On the left the first enemy unit on the hill has been destroyed, but the line is still firmly in place on the hill.

The Byzantine archery from horse and foot continues to inflict pain. However, the remaining heavy infantry on the hill has been destroyed, but it stood for far too long! The Light Cavalry Command has exploited forward and in doing so it has failed to make the enemy camp and is hampered by the enemy light infantry in the gully.

Outcome

Declared a draw with the Byzantine's losing 11 of 22, while we lost 16 of 25.

Lessons Learnt

If the factors are in your favour and you can also engage from the flank as well, then attacks uphill can work!

The Light Cavalry were used too aggressively, we knew that there were enemy infantry retiring through the gully.