Not yet aware of Jesugai's fate, Toghrul Khan still counted on his support once the ice was crossed. We can appreciate his consternation when he was greeted by the entire Military Order's contingent lined up along the South shore. The Duke was right behind him! Toghrul now knew that his second in command had been defeated and no hope of help remained. His army was trapped in the open between two enemy forces outnumbering him 2 to 1. He ordered the archers to attack the monastic knights ahead rather than turn back on their pursuers or wait for them to join forces. The attack was carried out in classic Mongol fashion: light horse archers advanced raining arrows on the Frankish knights inciting them to charge. Once the charge began and the archers retreated through the ranks of advancing shock cavalry to reform while the cavalry attacked. At first opportunity the Tatars feigned a pre-arranged rout and turned to "flee" allowing pursuit. Their horse archers once again rained arrows on the pursuers while the shock cavalry wheeled to reform and begin a repeat of the above maneuver (see Diagram). The brethren inflicted many losses on the enemy at first repeat of these maneuvers, but fared rather badly in the second and third cycles. The age-old tactic proved effective after all; even when carried out in a seemingly slow motion tempo over the slippery surface of the snow covered ice (no charge bonus was permitted and movement was as in rough terrain). A hundred knights or more fell to the frozen sea before the Duke's cavalry and archers got within range. Still under original orders, the Tatars continued their see-saw assault on the knights, completely ignoring their own rear, when Bentwood's one small catapult, brought along on sleds across the ice, began hurling rocks on their heads. Their impact on the already weakened ice started cracks shooting across the surface in piercing tremors under the hooves of the combatants. Attempts to escape were panic-ridden. After several horsemen broke through the ice, both the Tatars and the surviving brethren knights fled for their lives in confused directions. The single catapult succeeded in causing total disaster in all their ranks before the Duke's crossbowmen and archers opened fire into the melee. Many of the horsemen rode right into Bentwood's ranks to save themselves from an icy death and were taken prisoner by the Marnish knights, Toghrul Khan himself among them. But the Duke made certain no Military Order knights survived. He was sure these units could never be trusted and given this opportunity, he used it to rid himself of a potential threat in the future The Templars, especially, had earned a reputation for ruthlessly using their power for political gains. The other Orders, although less prone to such self-serving endeavors, were predisposed to support the Templars. Thus, the Teutonic Order, the Templars as well as the few remaining Schwertbrudder ceased to exist on Marnish soil after this darkest day in their recent memory. Even those few Knights who surrendered were executed on the spot. None were held for ransom! A handful of Hospitallers escaped, but they were later hunted down by Bentwood's henchmen to die in the dungeons of Hempen Rook. The forces which fought on the ice were organized as follows: Unit Size Unit Type Morale Class Description Marnish Forces 140 HC Veteran Secular knights (Duke of Bentwood) 80 HC Regular Mounted Men-at-Arms 180 MI Regular Crossbowmen 180 MI Regular Spearmen 100 HC Elite Knights I Gascon Free 200 HI Veteran Archers J Company 320 LI Militia Archers 700 LI Militia Levy 320 HC Elite Monastic knights (100 Templars, 80 Hospitallers, 140 Teutonic Knights & Schwertbruder) 2220 total Marnish troops (111 figures) Tartar Forces 300 HC Veteran Shock cavalry 240 MC Regular Mounted spearmen 300 LC Regular Tribal horse archers 340 LC Elite Horse archers 1180 total Tatars of Toghrul Khan (59 figures) With losses of a mere 15% in Bentwood's ranks, the Marnish Army remained strong after the snow and ice melted in April. Potential enemies were destroyed and invaders were vanquished; no opposition remained. The Duke was intent on wearing the Marnish crown in spite of Papal disapproval. He summoned all the Marnish lords to enfief them with the newly reclaimed lands in return for providing him with the means to influence the Church and reestablish the kingdom under his rule. Bentwood became king amidst great pomp and ceremony. CONCLUSION Throughout our campaign we tried to establish situations typical to our period, even when some seemed forced. To do otherwise would have been self-defeating as a learning experience. As long as we profess to pursue a historically based hobby, it is prerequisite that we restrict ourselves to areas bound by historic fact. What was shown by the Marnon Campaign is that imagination can be given full play in creating an enjoyable as well as historically accurate wargame, provided participants understand the characteristics and limitations of the period simulated. All the various aspects of our campaign were supported by information contained in the references listed earlier (see "Marnon 1231 -the Early Campaign"). The basis on which it was built closely parallels events and methods in Eastern Europe and the Baltic Seacoast during the 13th century Mongol incursion and later crusades against the pagans of Prussia, Lithuania, Livonia and Estonia by the Teutonic Order. Treachery and mistrust, with the accompanying vacillation of leaders and rulers, inept or ill-conceived and unsuccessful military, as well as political, leadership and ambition-fueled quests for power by nobles of stature were traits certainly not unique to Eastern Europe, but common throughout the "civilized" medieval world. This is not to say our period lacked capable leadership; quite the contrary-look to the likes of Waldemar 11 of Denmark, Jarl Birger (the rejuvenator of Sweden), King Mindaugas (who united the Lithuanian clans), Batu Khan (the Mongol invader) and Winrich von Kniprode (Grand Master of the Teutonic Order), to name but a few, active in the Baltic region at the time, who distinguished themselves by repeated demonstration of farsighted and inspired leadership of their respective subjects. Reasons behind our choice of period and locale for the campaign fie in wanting to examine closer this relatively unexplored area of medieval history. Once involved, we discovered it to be ideally suited to our purpose: the armies were small, topography easily reproduced, distances short enough for a fast moving campaign and the variety of doctrines and cultures; although not so vast as to complicate our efforts. Our choice was also sufficiently diverse to make study and research extremely rewarding and the play very entertaining. A development during these gatherings struck the author as being unique. That was our tendency to resolve any heretofore unencountered situation by devising rules, on the spot, to suit whatever was at hand. Among these will be remembered: Unit morale class advancement (Introduction) Method of mobiIization (The Early Campaign) Feudal system of military service (The Siege of Oxleaf) Siege warfare and construction (The Siege of Oxleaf) Parley results and procedure (The Siege of Oxleaf) Climate establishment (The Siege of Oxleaf) Phased orders for tactical battles (The Fall of Bentwood) Medieval history for identification (The Fall of Bentwood) Strategic option selection (The Rise of Prince Henry) Battlefield terrain setup (The Rise of Prince Henry) Open discussion and conspiracy among the players (The Duke Who Would Be King) More Marnon Part 5 Introduction Battle of Sunken Dale : 29 January 1233 Battle on the Ice : 22 February 1233 Marnon Marnon Campaign Part I Marnon Campaign Part II Marnon Campaign Part III Marnon Campaign Part IV Marnon Campaign Part V Back to Table of Contents -- Courier Vol. IV #6 To Courier List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1983 by The Courier Publishing Company. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com