ADLG - Game Report 219

New Kingdom Egyptian (14) vs Kyrenaen Greek (58)

It was aback to a Saturday gathering in May at Entoyment to allow us to trial our armies for Attack. I only made minor change to the army by moving the mediocre bowmen to the centre command, and the light infantry bows to the smaller command. My first opponent for my Egyptians was Pete’s Greeks, where I was attacking in the plains. The Egyptians deployed with the infantry commands in the left along the coast and in the centre with the Chariots doing their thing out on the wide-open right flank.

The Army will advance by the right.

Doing their own thing, the chariots have already lost one of their number – but at the same time they destroyed a Greek chariot!. On the left the odds are certainly in the Egyptian favour who have already moved beyond the enemy main line.

The battle has exploded into three separate fights. On the right the Chariots and Sherden are trying to roll up from the right. In the centre the two opposing lines are locked in combat. While on the Egyptian left the fight seems balanced despite the fact that we are behind the main enemy line.

The Greek main line is starting to collapse as its right flank suffers losses. While on the Egyptian right the Greeks are now in a parlous state.

Outcome

An Egyptian win by 11 losses to inflicting 26. The smaller army one the day.

Lessons Learnt

The benefits of a sound deployment.

This time the economy of effort force, the left wing, more than achieved its goal.

I am still not sure that there are sufficient numbers in the army.

ADLG - Game Report 218

Achaemenid Persian (64) vs Greeks Athenian (88)

Following the Persian’s outing against the Gauls, Kevin thought it would be sensible to bring me back down to earth with a fight against their classical foes – the Athenians. I decided to attack in the plains. With wide open flanks the Persians deployed with their cavalry on the right, with the Immortals to their left in the centre, and the Sparabara on the right. The goal being to inflict as much attrition before contact as possible. However, a cunning Athenian deployment of their light infantry meant that most of the bow fire was wasted on the lights rather than the infantry line.

The left of the line was hoping to contest the plantation at an advantage only to be caught by a Spartan Hoplite unit. This was not going to end well.

The sparsity of casualties along the Athenian line is testament to the Persian poor shooting and the effectiveness of the Greek light infantry to protect their line. On the right the Athenians are trading to space for time, and leaving very little space for the Persian Cavalry to run amok.

On the left the sole Sparabara unit is now facing off alone against its Spartan foe. In the centre contact has yet to be made and still the bow fire is failing to inflict meaningful casualties on the armoured hoplites. On the right we potentially have Immortals behind the Athenian line, whilst the cavalry fire for effect against the Athenian left flank.

And as predicted the cunning Athenians extended from their column and attacked the flanking Immortals. Meanwhile the rest of their line attacked destroying two Immortals on first contact.

The Athenians then seized their opportunity and overran the remaining Immortals and broke the Persian line.

With their advantage in numbers, and the holes in the line they have created the Athenians burst through. The Persians only reserves, their included commander cavalry units have been committed to battle.

Outcome

An Athenian victory by 17 to 27.

Lessons Learnt

How to screen a line with lots of light infantry – deploy then so that the light infantry bases overlap two of the line they are protecting. At the expense of not being able to move the lights and line as a group.

The Persians are probably more effective as a Cavalry heavy Army rather than a medium infantry heavy army.

Mixed sword or spear and bow units must inflict casualties on their opponent in order to have any chance of winning the subsequent combat.

ADLG - Game Report 217

New Kingdom Egyptian (14) vs Mycenaean (30)

Time for a second practice with the Egyptians, I decided not to tinker with the list at this stage. I was faced off against Kevin’s Mycenaeans, with Achilles. He also wanted the practice as he would be using the same army at Attack in the 25mm Competition. In this deployment the Chariots with their supporting Sherden warriors were on the right, with the two infantry commands in the centre and the weaker of the two on the left. Once again, I was attacking in the plains.

Despite the Mycenaean’s greater numbers my line overextended theirs. Would there be an opportunity for an envelopment? It would probably all depend on the outcome of the Sherden against Achilles.

And the Sherden are the first to make contact, with Achilles, but with a minor contact on the centre’s left. The Chariots are trying to leverage their bow fire to weaken the Greeks.

The Sherden are fighting bravely but to no good effect. The Chariots have moved in to contact to support the Sherden and to exploit the gap that has opened up. And for once the Guardsmen have managed to despatch their opponents as have the unit to their right! However, all along the line the medium spearmen are faring less well and are starting to look very sick.

As predicted the left of centre has suffered significant casualties, and the way to the camp is open, bar two lonely light infantry. In the centre right The Egyptians have almost achieved a breakthrough, but it is likely that Achilles on the Greek left are now poised to move against the chariots.

The Egyptian breakthrough has come but at a price as its flanks perish; a case of the flanks not taking care of themselves - so much for the wisdom of General George Patton!

A spirited fight back from the Sherden on the left gives the Egyptians some hope of a victory, or at best a draw. However, the fortuitous rallying of a number of Greek units means that the Egyptians do not secure the draw they were looking for.

Outcome

A Mycenaean victory by 27 to 24, with the Greek’s only 2 of from a mutual destruction.

Lessons Learnt

This army has run its course potentially.

At least the Sherden on the right kept Achilles busy enough that he couldn’t unduly influence the battle.

ADLG - Game Report 216

Achaemenid Persian (64) vs Gauls (88)

Robin invited me to a game, and I decided to go with something completely different. I hadn’t used the Persians for a while and I had recently dusted down and finished additional cavalry units (they were Peter Laing figures, and they had been waiting in the led pile to be finished for about 45 years) so I thought it would be an excellent opportunity to give them an outing. Another reason was that I had not used mixed units swords and bows or spears and bows, and this would be a good starting point.

Robin decided to defend in the Forest, not least because he anticipated that the woods and brush in the centre would be a nice distraction. I placed the Immortals with their cavalry out on the right flank. To their left were two identical commands with Sparaba (Medium Swords and Bows) with supporting light troops and an included Medium Cavalry included General.

We advanced in echelon with the right leading. I was less concerned about the centre as I knew the Gauls would be slowed down passing through the wood in the centre.

Given the slowness of the Gauls in the centre I decided to close up the line on the left of the wood, in order to deliver the maximum possible bow fire and start to attrit the enemy before contact.

As you can see the casualties from bow fire are starting to mount. However, despite the casualties they have inflicted the immortals are in grave peril of being de-immortalised! The Persian horse are doing what they do best which is to sweep around the flanks and cause all sorts of mischief.

It is a case of “would the last Immortal please turn out the light” on the right, and that is despite the success of the Cavalry; what it has achieved is to remove the enemy left as a threat. In the centre the Gauls have made contact and are losing even more casualties while the general in the centre is poised to move down the enemy flank.

The right flank is now protected by an Immortal, and the cavalry. While in the centre the Included Commander as proved his worth as he starts to roll up the Gauls line from their left.

Outcome

A Persian victory by 15 to 28.

Lessons Learnt

A battle of two halves. When the mixed bow units inflict sufficient attrition before contact, then they can possibly win, when they don’t they lose.

A lesson for both Robin and myself to stay out of the woods (or any other difficult terrain) as it can seriously impede your movement.