Chariot Saga 7:

Nile and West Bank

by Kenn Hart

With all the activity going on the banks of the Nile it would have been easy to overlook the aquatic activities. Initially there were southern Egyptian [Blue] warships and cargo vessels at the quay, along with the Roman ones, whereas, the invaders had used rafts and papyrus boats as part of their assault. The unexpected arrival of additional southern naval forces began to change the balance of maritime power in favour of the defenders. I would have loved to relate the epic battle on the Nile between massed vessels from both sides but unfortunately this was not to be, basically because the northern Egyptians [Red] had beached their boats and rafts and had moved onto the land part of their operation.

Nevertheless, not be outdone by a simple thing like having no enemy on the water, I went for the direct fire option at troops on the riverbanks. Once past the ‘Gates of Horus’ the flotilla sailed towards the western shore and began to engage the Red Pharaoh’s Heavy Spear unit, the ‘Rigid Spears’, which had moved through the 4-Horse Heavy Chariots, [based on a somewhat Chinese design], in the confusion of the night. The lead chariot had wandered too close to the riverbank in the darkness, and had sunk to its axles in the soft ground just above the marshy, crocodile invested mud flats.

This mixed/armoured brigade, to use modern military terminology, had been tasked to advance along the Nile and halt just short of Abnub to await further orders. The ‘Rigid Spears’ were basically a support unit for those troops moving down the road on the other side of Sphinx Ridge from Gebel.

Apart from the mishap to the lead chariot and the confusion that caused their advance had been generally uneventful and in the growing morning light the ground, covered though it was by a light river mist, began to take on its form. With their shields slung on their backs and their spears over their shoulders, the heavily armoured infantry plodded on, with heads down and just concentrating on the shield of the man in front. The ‘Rigid Spears’ had no scouts out in front because they had not been issued with any light cavalry or infantry men, which was an oversight by their commander-in-chief [me!]

    [Wargaming note: When I initially planned, for want of a better description, the formation and roles of the various enemy units I completely overlooked the need for a scouting force in front of the main bodies, especially when moving at night over unfamiliar terrain. Should have known better, and it did cause some confusion for the enemy. I did realise this with the ‘Rigid Spears’ and put the infantry in front of the chariots, using the ‘bogged-in vehicle’ as a soloist tactic.]

Game:

The ‘Rigid Spears’ spearmen had been constricted by the terrain and had been forced into a long straggling column that meandered through the fields and clumps of palms that competed for the fertile soil on the banks of the Nile. The sailing vessels had come in very close to the shore and were in a perfect position to pour a withering arrow barrage into the exposed left flanks of the infantrymen, who were completely surprised by this attack. The column was completely disordered within a matter of a few minutes and the foot soldiers turned their backs on the ships archers and crashed inland through the trees and crops in order to get out of range. With their shields on their backs the casualties were reduced as they fled from the missiles from the river.

Although not a target of the ships the charioteers had noticed the attack on their infantry and immediately attempted to get away from the riverbank but the passable ground was very restricted and the unit got into a mess of straining horses, locked chariots and agitated crewmen. Not the orderly approach that had been planned, so meticulously. Eventually, without any attack from the ships, the chariots lumbered back towards Gebel.

The fleeing spearmen climbed the Sphinx Ridge and managed to get out of range of the ship borne bowmen. Up and over the crest of the ridge ran the panting infantry, spear long ago thrown away and quite a few of the heavy shields lay strewn on the ground between the river and the ridge’s peak. Combined with the dead and wounded it was easy to plot the progress of the unit in their need to escape the death spitting at them from the river. This sudden appearance of the fleeing troops was instantly noted by the reforming Blue Pharaoh’s [By Hathor Protected] spearmen who had been ridden down and through by the heavy shock chariots of their enemy earlier in the morning.

Alarmed at the cries and appearance of their comrades who were supposed to be advancing down the riverbank the heavy ‘Reborn of Maat’ spearmen of the Red Pharaoh came to a ragged halt. Their chance of a surprise attack in the rear of their enemy was lost, by the arrival of their Pharaoh’s routing troops. The ‘Reborn of Maat’ moved into a defensive formation until their leaders could ascertain what exactly was happening on their left, and now exposed flank. With shields locked together the ‘Reborn’ spearmen barred entrance to their formation by the fleeing troops, who flowed around them like rapids around a rock.

A large enemy formation, uphill to the rear and a reforming one to the front put the ‘By Hathor Protected’ spearmen in a very tight tactical spot and they edged quickly to their left, in an attempt to gain the protection of the causeway between them and the Nile. This was spotted by Uri of Hatti and he shouted at his small but efficient force to quickly get into formation in order to rid down the side stepping infantry, before they could reach safety.

Horses were coaxed into line bringing their heavy vehicles with them and just before they were completely ready to advance, their target disintegrated into a mass of fleeing figures who ran up and over the earthen bank which was the causeway! Uri of Hatti screamed his anger and frustration at the routing enemy, whose morale would not take another blitzkrieg attack, possibly from front and rear.

The road to Abnub was open on the western approaches.

    [Wargaming note: The hesitation of the Red Heavy Infantrymen to advance when they saw their comrades fleeing towards them and the reluctance of the Blue somewhat disordered Red spearmen to face the heavy chariots was the result of morale throws. There was no ‘soloist’ input required, just following of the rules and some poor dice throws.

    The ships causing the spearmen to rout on the riverside was again a rules decision but I felt, at the time, that it was very realistic in that it had been a surprised attack, from an unsuspected location, the troops were tired having marched all night and although the casualties were light in comparison with the size of the unit, the need of a few warriors to hide in the crops could/would have initiated a rout. Needless to say from my ‘Red’ point of view a great result but this was balanced out by the failure of the Elite Spearmen to stand in the face of the heavy chariots and therefore leaving the road from Gebel to Abnub wide open to enemy operations.]

Authors Note:

I have just returned from cruising the Nile [and what a memorable experience it was – highly recommended], so with actual knowledge of the topography and especially the heat in mind, I am looking at this battle with a slightly enlighten bias. That said, I will be able to use this knowledge for future Egyptian games, which will take place on the part of the Nile from Luxor south. It will have been noticed, some units were not well named!

More Chariot Saga

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