Pike and Shot
Part 4

Battle of Hungary 1530
(miniature wargame replay)

The WRG Rennaissance 2nd Edition in Action

by Pat Condray

I don't want it to be claimed that I refused to try the 1979 rules. I did so, winning on a questionable interpretation of the evade rules and a highly unethical use of the siege rules in a battle on the open field throwing earthworks in the time it took enemy infantry to cross bowshot. Not only that, but I used a battlefield without my plastic windmill, but the photos didn't come out so Dick Bryant won't believe it anyway. Fortunately since my 1683 Turkish victory is undocumented and to tell the truth, somewhat lackluster, I was most fortunate in coming across a more colorful, decisive, and lively Turkish defeat set about 153 years before.

The 1530 game was a demonstration comprising part of the last session of the Smithsonian Institute's recent (summer 1981) seminar on Adult Wargaming. The players were the three Touhey brothers and Mark McGlaughlin, who are part of a 15mm WRG Renaissance gang active in far off Montgomery County. The demonstation, using a colorful assortment of Miniature Figurines, Mike's Models, Jacobite Figures, and probably others, represented a clash between Sulieman the Magnificient and the Holy Roman Emperor, although the forces involved suggest somewhat lesser ranks. The action was lively, and a decision was reached in a game that lasted from 6:00 p.m. to shortly after 8:00 p.m. I quote from their scenario as follows:

This evening's engagement takes place in central Hungary near Szekesfehervar (translation: White Swamp Castle), which is located on the Danube south of Budapest. An army of the Holy Roman Empire under Ferdinand, Archduke of Austria, faces the forces of the Ottoman Empire, commanded by Suleiman the Magnificient, Sultan of Turkey.

The two armies are typical of the forces involved in the bitter conflicts between the Empire and the Turk during the 16th Century. The Imperial army, like most European armies of the period, is composed largely of mercenaries; the Ottoman army is a feudal horde with a hard core of professional troops drawn from the only modern-type standing army of the period. Contingents of Hungarian mercenaries are present in both forces. A more detailed breakdown of the armies is shown below. Order of Battle

THE OTTOMAN ARMY

Army Commander: Suleiman the Magnificent (Larry Tuohy)
Sub-general: Tunch Belek, Sereskier of Rournelia (Justin Tuohy)
Silhidars: 10 heavy cavalry/mail, morale B, lance, mace, bow, sword, shield, barded horse
Roumeliots: 10 heavy cavalry, morale D, lance, bow, sword, shield
Anatolians: as above
Timariots: as above
Hussars: 5 medium cavalry, morale D, lance, bow, sword, shield, open order (Hungarians)
Jebelis: 10 medium cavalry, morale D, spear, bow, sword, shield
Azabs: 10 light infantry, morale E, bow, sword
Azabs: 10 light infantry, morale E, arquebus, sword
Azabs: 10 light infantry, morale E, spear, sword, shield
Tartars: 8 light cavalry, morale D, javelin, bow, sword, shield
Akinii: 6 light cavalry, morale E, bow, sword
Segmens: as above
3 heavy bombards with 5 crew each (2 of which are armed with halberds)

THE AUSTRIAN ARMY

Army commander: Ferdinand, Archduke of Austria (John Tuohy)
Sub-general: Philip, Palgrave of the Rhine Palatinate (Mark McLaughlin)
Knights: 6 extra-heavy cavalry, morale A, lance, mace, sword
Lancers: 6 heavy cavalry/corselet, morale C, lance, sword, 1 pistol
Reiters: 10 heavy cavalry/corselet, morale C, 2 pistols, sword as above
Arquebusiers: 6 medium cavlary, morale C, arquebus, sword
Hussars: 5 medium cavalry, morale D, lance, bow, sword, shield (open order)
Spanish: 16 heavy infantry, morale B, pike, sword
Spanish: 16 medium infantry, morale B, arquebus, sword (2 companies of 8 each)
Spanish: 5 heavy infantry, morale B, sword, shield
Landsknects: 16 heavy infantry, morale C, pike, sword
Landsknects: 5 medium infantry, morale C, arquebus, sword
Landsknects: 5 heavy infantry, morale C, 2-handed sword
Hungarians: 12 light infantry, morale D, arquebus, sword,
2 medium guns with 4 crew each

This evening's commanders represent a non-organized ungroup of Maryland and Northern Virginia gamers who meet on an irregular basis purely for the fun of it.

As shown in the map, the Christian force formed with its various classes of cavalry on the flanks and two strong parties of mixed infantry in the center with two batteries. A party of Hungarian arquebusiers held a large hill on the far right. The rightmost infantry force in the center was composed of landesknects-mostly pikes, with a handful of arquebusiers and about an equal number of two handed swords. That on the left was of Spaniards, who were blessed with a significant party of arquebusiers.

A numerically superior but equal point value force of Turks faced them with waves of various cavalry, practically all of whom included bows in their armament. The three batteries in the center were supported by a party of reliable infantry, behind whom the Grand Turk himself rode at the head of his elite mailed Spahis or whatever. A party of Janissary arquebusiers followed the right flank, preceded by light foot archers. Some parties of rather unreliable looking infantry followed the waves of cavalry on the Turkish left.

Original Christian orders called for awaiting attack in place. However, the left wing commander was on hand to order out his cavalry in person if the need arose. The Turks, typically, launched a sucession of mounted archer waves against the hafted line, beginning the slaughter with the customary hail of arrows.

The result varied. On the far left of the Christian line no serious counterfire was possible, the arquebusier zupfred being in reserve. However, since the front line cavalry were armored the damage was only moderate. In front of the Spanish the advancing horse archers ran into a hail of lead from the numerous arquebusiers, and were actually thrown into disorder. The handful of landesknecht skirmishers did little damage, but enabled the Hungarian hussars (the only Christian horse archers) to more than trade even. On the first round, I believe the Hungarian arquebusiers outranged the advancing horse archers.

After a bit of potting around, the two armored reiter units on the Christian left attacked. They were, I believe, Papal troops-you can hardly get more Christian. One actually closed, meeting lances with sword and pistol. The left most unit, making an educated guess that an attempt to close would provoke evasion, trotted up and fired pistols at close range. At the same time a party of rather low grade Turkish horse rode up the hill on the far right to attack the Hungarian arquebusiers. The gendarmes next over had support orders, but for some reason didn't execute them. Perhaps they were supporting one of the other units. In any case, the mounted rabble somehow bounced off the improvised weapons of the Hungarians. That, with the success of the attacking reiter and the continued devastation of the horsemen in front of the Spanish square made things look good for the Holy Romans. The guns by now, were shooting at each other, so nothing was coming of that.

On the following turn the pistol firing reiter caught their opponents with the sword before they could evade. However, the medium lancers in the second Turkish line charged the larger party of Papal reiter and broke them. I looked for the Christian general, who was on hand, to hurl the gendarmes of his second line at the attackers, but he trusted to the weight of the reiter to at least slow up the Turks. They didn't, and the second Turkish cavalry unit to hit the Hungarian arquebusiers went right over them. Clearly things had swung, for the moment, to the Sons of the Prophet.

The next move of the Christian cavalry commander on the left was to try to slow the victorious Turks up with his arquebusiers zu pferd. Montecuccoli a century later was to quote Marshall Tilly as being accustomed to say that he would never have seriously considered using arquebusiers in a military engagement, and the old gentleman seems to have had a point. The poor fellows didn't have either pistols or breastplates! They crumpled in an instant. This, in turn, took the charging Turks out of range of the gendarmes who had wheeled to get on their flank.

At this point, of the four squadrons of Turks originaly on this flank, a small one was departing the field ruined, another beginning to rally, as were the reiters who had charged them, one pursuing the arquebusier, and the other still suffering in unequal contest with the Spanish. In a fit of conscience the Grand Turk, sending his elite reserves behind the infantry towards the far right of his line, spurred forward to bring off the squadron facing the infantry.

With both flanks crumbling, the Christians sent the Hungarians hussars forward to attack the small squadron of horse archers they had been exchanging arrows with, and on the far left, leaving his rallying reiters to face the victorious Turkish squadron, they launched gendarmes and reiters across the front with orders to ride down any cavalry they might happen to find. The first such body of horse were those the Grand Turk was in the process of salvaging. That of course turned the whole thing around.

Pushing on, the Turkish squadron that had been doing all the damage moved on into the rallying reiter without reforming. Benefiting from the lancer bonus and the charging horse bonus, they met rallying troops at the halt. I didn't quite understand all of the factors involved since both sides were disordered, but, in any case, the reiter were driven back. At that point, however, bonuses were gone. It was armored swords against medium lancers at the halt, and the armored swords won. Now one Turkish squadron was gone (as were the arquebusier, horse and foot) and two routed, with another rallying.

All that might not have been crucial except for the following points:

    A. The surviving Turkish squadrons were out of position (easily remedied).

    B. There was no quick way for the Turkish horse to take advantage of unsupported Christian infantry-they were top heavy with pikes. (A minor problem.)

    C. Sulieman the Magnificent ws headed for the hills at an extended gallop with thriee Christian squadrons closer than his nearest formed cavalry (Enough to ruin his whole day!).

I was intrigued by the game and fascinated by the assortment of 15mm figures. My unquestionable favorites are the super detailed Miniature Figurines, although, like all the other players I have talked to, I would be happier if some of their horses would shift into second gear, if not higher. More surprising, however, was the degree to which the somewhat dwarfish qualities of a series like Mike's Models become acceptable to the eye when viewed from the customary angle for 15mm wargame figures - mostly down.

Accustomed though I am to glancing sideways at my flats, the 15mm rounds seem to demand a downwards glance. An Imperial general on barded horse who proves mostly super detailed hat and horse armor from the side is quite natural to the downward glance.

If this battle remains unillustrated, I can only blame the Smithsonian, whose glaring red brown table tops provided 16th century Hungary with a shiny red clay terrain ill suited for close range flash photography and 15mm wargames demand close range. if no photographs come out with this report, you'll have to take my word for it, the little varmints were a lively and colorful bunch.

More Renaissance

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