To advance or not to advance?

Started by fsn, 23 June 2020, 04:01:07 PM

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Ace of Spades

Quote from: Norm on 24 June 2020, 11:28:02 AM
But that was an impetuous counter attack by part of the Anglo-Saxon right wing. It does not look to have been ordered or made as part of an overall attack by the whole army .... i.e. it is doubtful that Harold saw that local counter-attack as a good thing.
Then again; we all know how that went so maybe it wasn't such a bad idea had the whole army joined in...

Cheers,
Rob
2014 Painting Competition - Runner-Up!

Duke Speedy of Leighton

You may refer to me as: Your Grace, Duke Speedy of Leighton.
2016 Pendraken Painting Competion Participation Prize  (Lucky Dip Catagory) Winner

fsn

26 June 2020, 05:54:48 PM #17 Last Edit: 26 June 2020, 06:01:18 PM by fsn
Well that didn't last long (as the ladies of Runcorn are wont to say to me.)

Guy de Guy, seeing the horde of Aethorial arrayed before him twitched nervously in his saddle. He glanced behind him and saw no sign of his infantry. There were some Breton archers but they were Bretons and so fit only for pig herding and cutting firewood. Besides they seemed to have been distracted by the plump geese of that farmstead. Coming up on the other side was Son Ray but he brought only some unarmoured cavalry who should have done a better job on scouting so his bloody infantry hadn't got lost. de Guy would have sat there all afternoon, ignoring the Saxon taunts and exposed, smooth, muscular taunting buttocks, but for the renegade Saxon in his troop. This was the infamous Ae, known to have been differently minded (by the grace of God) and stiff legged (by the grace of a Norse axeman) - yes is was Mad Lame Ae.  

"My Lord!" cried Ae, "shall we not sweep these rabble from our path?"
"Do you think we ought?" Asked the Norman. "They seem a bit ... fractious." Ae spat, narrowly missing De Guy's dainty foot.
"They will fly like rabbits before a fox!"
"Have we introduced rabbits yet? Or did the Romans do that? I'm never quite sure." Ae grasped his reins tighter and ground his teeth.
"My Lord. We must charge and sweep these peasants from our path. We may be few, but we are mounted on good horses, and are fully armoured. We charge and they fly and we can enjoy such sport. Besides, Norm says we're the best cavalry in the world."
"Oh are we? That's comforting. Jolly nice of him. What do the rest of the chaps think?

De Guy's men growled their assent, and clashed their spears against their long shields.

Ae grabbed De Guy's arm.

"My Lord," he said excitedly, "they come. Now we must punish their impudence."

It was true. Whilst de Guy was seeking counsel, Aethorial had shifted his post. The Saxons began to advance from the hills, spreading out so as to reach the river with their flank. Silently they came, slowly, determined and in good order.

"Charge!" Screamed Ae spurring his horse forward. The Norman heavy cavalry dashed forward, the hapless de Guy caught up in their stampede.

There was no time to deploy; the Normans charged straight at Aethorial and his Huscarls. These prime warriors stopped to received the horsemen, but the fyrd continued their advances, angling inwards.   There was no doubt of the result. The front line of Normans lost their mobility as they were hemmed in by axe-wielding Saxons to the front and the second line behind them.  
Just before the end as the Saxons bend in to take the Normans in the flanks.

What of the Son Ray? Seeing his father's charge, he is reputed to have yelled "by God's Blood! My father may not be a gelding after all!"
He spurred his cavalry forward, attempting to attack the left flank of the Saxons. Then, something remarkable happened. Saxon archers did something useful. I know. Who'd have thought? Anyway, that part of the Saxon army comprised fyrdmen and most of Aethorial's archers. as Son Ray attacked, they loosed as fast as they could. The Normans were more bewildered than anything, but were checked and discomforted. Before they could get to within spear length of the fyrdmen, they unravelled into a confused mess of milling horses and men shouting contradictory orders.    
Son Ray's cavalry failed to press home their attack.*


It was at this point I called a halt. What would have followed would have been naught but slaughter.  

It has to be said that the Normans had some abysmal dice throws. Guy Brown Saddle would never have ordered a charge - so obviously it was the Mad Lame Ae that did it. The Saxons managed to hold it together and were able to deploy without any interference from the Normans. The Normans were on something of a bad path as all their infantry managed to get lost, and the Breton archers decided not to be so daft as to irritate that many shield-chewers.  

Well that was fun! I think mayhap the Saxons showed remarkable battlefield maneuvering, but it was the Select Fyrd who did the damage when the Huscarls had stopped the charge. The lesser troops served mainly to extended the line to the river. The big surprise was the effectiveness of Saxon archery. I tend to (unfairly) think of Saxon arrows having rubber suction cups on the end, but this time they did the job.  The fact that they outnumbered Son Ray 3:1 probably helped.


*You may be asking who the chap with the yellow flag is. I dislike dice on tables, so use green, yellow and red figures to denote how much trouble a unit is in. Green is "that stings". Yellow is "what are we going to do now?" and red is "as one shepherd said to the other shepherd - let's get the flock out of here."  

Lord Oik of Runcorn (You may refer to me as Milord Oik)

Oik of the Year 2013, 2014; Prize for originality and 'having a go, bless him', 2015
3 votes in the 2016 Painting Competition!; 2017-2019 The Wilderness years
Oik of the Year 2020; 7 votes in the 2021 Painting Competition
11 votes in the 2022 Painting Competition (Double figures!)
2023 - the year of Gerald:
2024 Painting Competition - Runner-Up!

fsn

Guy de Guy's personality evolved until he was a bit like this chap.

Lord Oik of Runcorn (You may refer to me as Milord Oik)

Oik of the Year 2013, 2014; Prize for originality and 'having a go, bless him', 2015
3 votes in the 2016 Painting Competition!; 2017-2019 The Wilderness years
Oik of the Year 2020; 7 votes in the 2021 Painting Competition
11 votes in the 2022 Painting Competition (Double figures!)
2023 - the year of Gerald:
2024 Painting Competition - Runner-Up!

Duke Speedy of Leighton

Ok, why am I getting the blame?
You may refer to me as: Your Grace, Duke Speedy of Leighton.
2016 Pendraken Painting Competion Participation Prize  (Lucky Dip Catagory) Winner

fsn

26 June 2020, 06:43:59 PM #20 Last Edit: 26 June 2020, 06:53:10 PM by fsn
It's sort of implied in the name.  :D

Besides, history is written by the winners and the eventual winners were the Normans. The couldn't let Guy Brown Saddle take the blame, so you're a useful scapegoat.

Bit of a Captain Nolan.
Lord Oik of Runcorn (You may refer to me as Milord Oik)

Oik of the Year 2013, 2014; Prize for originality and 'having a go, bless him', 2015
3 votes in the 2016 Painting Competition!; 2017-2019 The Wilderness years
Oik of the Year 2020; 7 votes in the 2021 Painting Competition
11 votes in the 2022 Painting Competition (Double figures!)
2023 - the year of Gerald:
2024 Painting Competition - Runner-Up!

Ithoriel

History is written by the winners - but only if they can write. If they can't, then history is written by the losers, crossly .... never murder people more literate than you."

- review of Alaric the Goth in The Economist

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