Once again the powerful Burgundian Ordonnance army had come face to face with the mighty Teutonic Order. As always in these decisive, bloody affairs, the forces of both sides were eager to come to grips (after a three month truce during which neither of the generals had fought a single battle!), the troops honed and trained to their peak of readiness. All it took was for the armies to settle on a field of battle...and that was readily found.

This battle was fought between two 1600 point armies drawn from the NASAMW army revision lists for WRG 7th edition. Though many gamers have gone over to DBM, there are still those of us in northern New York and Canada who prefer 7th. This battle would prove a stubborn test of arms for both of us, as we would continue to play until there was a clear winner (actually, on a 4' x 6' table, the game ran for just under four hours duration). Bruce Taylor and I are regular opponents who try to get together every month, but are lucky to play five times a year.

The Burgundians opted to protect their western flank with a major water feature, coincidentally harboring a ship along the northern baseline. The Teutonics surprisingly had a large woods on their eastern flank, a large hill in their center and two smaller hills masking their western flank...they fully expected the Burgundians to place bombards aboard their ship and did not want the deadly fire to disrupt a well-though out battle plan(l) The Burgundians also had hills, placed so as to enable the numerous longbowmen to fire and defend from an uphill position, with stakes placed before them to dissuade the Teutonics from attacking. In a previous confrontation, the Germans did, in fact attack the longbowmen, charging uphill, into an obstacle and faced not only archer fire coming in, but two-handed cutting weapons as well. It was not a pretty sight.

Bruce, true to form, had loaded his boat with two heavy bombards and a unit of heavy foot armed with two-handed cut and thrust weapons. On his western flank, he stationed a unit of LI handgunners (eight figures), two units of LHI longbowmen (12 figures each>, with another LI handgunner unit between them. To their rear, a unit of SHK and mounted HI (6 figures each) completed the command. In the center of the field, Bruce had two MI pike units (16 figures each) with a unit of MI crossbowmen (16 figures) between them and another unit of LHI longbowmen to their flank. In the eastern sector, Bruce placed his CiC and another SHK unit as well as a coustillier HC unit (6 figures each). To their left were two more LHI longbow units, another MI crossbow contingent as well a group of LI handgunners guarding the far left flank.

The Teutonic set up with the intention of smashing the center of the Burgundians while delaying any possibility of the Burgundians sending their flank units to aid the units in the center. Unfortunately, Bruce had foreseen this transparent tactic and had planned accordingly by setting his knights up in a position to quickly move to the center of the battlefield.

The Teutonics set up with a LI archer unit on the western flank (8 figures), some Livonian LC next to them (8 figures), a large unit of Prussian archers (16 figures) screening two SHR and a HC contingent (6 figures each) and a 12 figure HI unit with two-handed cut and thrust weapon to their right. In the center, another HI unit flanked a HI handgunner/crossbow unit (16 figures). Next to them were another archer unit, a large Prussian archer unit and a contingent of Scandinavian mercenaries (18 figures). These units screened a m figure group of colonist MI with long spears and two more SHK figures) and a LC (4 figure) unit. On the right flank, a unit of Prussian LMI (16 figures) and a further small LC unit made up the rest of the German army.

Map of starting positions and opening moves

As expected, the Burgundians quickly sent their ship sailing south, expecting to pour deadly artillery fire into the ranks of the Teutonic knights. The Grandmeister, wise to this stratagem, kept his cavalry well screened by the intervening hills and with LI. Meanwhile, both armies marched toward each other, the Burgundian cavalry all heading toward the center of the field while the foot quickly took up positions behind stakes, where possible, otherwise forming up in support of the longbowmen.

The Teutonics tried a quick end run with a Regular, crossbow-armed light cavalry unit, but soon found 8 handgunners firing at close range a major deterrent. The German close order billmen (2HCT) and handgunners quickly crested the central hill and began to head toward the Burgundian positions with the SHK units in close support. The map shows the early positions and movement for the first few turns of combat.

With a blare of horns, the Burgundian knights tore into the German handgunner heavy infantry units, immediately routing it and causing a number of morale checking. Being of stout heart (mostly 'B' class regulars), the Teutonic cavalry were not overly bothered by this, in turn managing to swing onto the flank of a longbow unit in the center, but failing to break it in turn (they could pass the waver test fine, but try to get them to roll up...or even...no way). Fortunately, one unit which did manage to cover itself in glory was the Prussian regular "D" LMI foot unit which had marched straight up the eastern hill (held by two longbow units and a MI crossbow contingent), fired into the shieldless MI, disordering them, and then charging the disordered foot and routing them!

The Burgundians managed to pass the necessary waver tests, but finding an enemy unit in your rear does not do wonders for your armies morale. Bruce tried to bring his HC unit over to take out the Teutonic LC which had ridden down the LI handgunners (after three turns), but found himself in trouble when I swung s SHK unit over to cover my eastern flank. The resulting combat found the HC routing as well.

As the battle in the center grew hotter, the western flank was strictly a skirmishers battle until the Burgundians launched two LHI longbow units into the two Teutonic HI 2HCT units, after disordering and tiring them both with concentrated missile fire for several turns. This resulted in immediate routs and a number of waver tests, again passed. Enough of this. The Teutonic CiC crashed into the Burgundian CiC...the result being a total lock as the two SHK units could do little damage to each other. At the same time, the huge 40 man MI unit charged the entire Burgundian center, resulting in two LHI units evading and the hapless pike unit and crossbowmen being routed on subsequent melee rounds.

It was at this point that the Burgundian left crumbled. The Teutonic SHK unit crept around the flank of a LHI longbow unit and destroyed it in a grand charge (+3)! At the same time, the Scandinavian mercenaries poured up the hill and routed the now-shaken remaining LHI longbow unit. The Burgundian left flank suddenly had to retire from the battle. It was over.

Map of ending positions and interim moves

Again, a hard fought battle that came down to a concentrated attack, not on the enemy center, where initially my plan was to go after, but on the eastern flank, where the battle more or less developed. Now there will be those who will say that this is unrealistic...that medieval armies were not this maneuverable...that generals could not control their armies to such an extent. That is nonsense. For those of you who want the proof, read my book (Neglected Heroes: Leadership in War in the Early Medieval Period ISBN 0-275-95269-X, available from Praeger Publications 1-800-225-5800 HC $55.00) or The Normans and the Norman Conquest by R. Allen Brown, or P. Contamine, Verbruggen, Marshall, Smail, and any number of other astute observers of generalship during the medieval period. If there is any point which should be made here, it is that our rules systems are reflective of the abilities of the generals of the period, as to the tactics, that is up to the gamer.

Bruce and I had an enjoyable three and a half hour game, with a decisive conclusion and some insights as to what we could have done to improve our respective positions. All in all, WRG 7th continues to be my favorite gaming system.

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© Copyright 1996 by Terry Gore

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