Battle outside Damascus, 1148
Margret and Florian Richter, friends from Hamburg were over last week visiting Peter Dennis, Hadrian's Wall and us among other things. They expressed an interest in a crusades game and how could we disappoint. So we didn't. Michael set up a re-run of game that we played eight years ago as a battle report to feature in the up-coming 'Hail Caesar' rule book, although this time there were a few less miniatures. It's based on the combined forces of Jerusalem, France and Germany attempting to take the city of Damascus during the Second Crusade. The board was set up with the walls of the city at one end and various buildings and high walled orchards, typical of the suburbs, breaking up the ground between that and the entry point of the Crusader army at Mizzah.
The Muslim players, Margret and Alan, had a blocking force that was intended to stop the Crusaders forcing a crossing of the Baradas River (off table) and hit Damascus from a weaker side. They also had two cavalry forces, one that was helping garrison the city and the other that had been blocking a road south of the city. These last two 'brigades' would arrive on turn two.
We thought that Florian should control the German force under Konrad III. He also picked Baldwin III's force that would lead the Crusaders onto the battlefield which left Peter as King of France, Louis VII and his contingent. Each of the allied 'brigades' were roughly even with about four formed infantry units and at least one cavalry (see the Initial Deployment photo for force details). In the original battle Baldwin III, King of Jerusalem attacked first with King Louis in the second wave and Konrad III bringing up the rear although the Germans pushed their way to the front as Konrad was furious at the others slow progress against the blocking force. So that's how the game was begun with Baldwin already on, Louis on turn two and Konrad on turn three. The object was to seize the Baradas crossing point opposite or to take the city by surprise if they could. We used 'Hail Caesar' for the rules and Michael umpired.
The Muslims moved first and shuffled into a more extended line and forming an L shape with the closest building and the heavy cavalry moving to the far side of the small wood. The small unit of Napfa (Greek fire) throwers eagerly made their way to the roof of the closest house waiting to tempt in their enemy. They didn't have to wait long as Florian knowing that Mahomed was never going to come to the mountain, advanced purposely with his horse archers screening the march, the Hostpitallers moved to the left flank. Margret's two column's of horse now appeared from the city gate and at the far end of the table on the crusader's right flank. Alan sent out his horse archers to exchange shots with Florian's. Peter then arrived with the French and did an immediate right wheel to counter Margret's cavalry moving up his cavalry, crossbow and a spear unit to block the east-west road. Florian's Jerusalem spearmen were the first to be surprised by the flaming grenades from the roof top as they got too close, however, they survived the morale check even after being the main target for other archer units. The Hospitallers were uncharacteristically holding back from a charge as Alan tempted them with his Ghulam unit whilst peppering them with arrows to little effect.
Margret's Ghulams headed down the east-west road with the horse archer units spreading out to to either flank finding any enemy unit to plug away at. Konrad III then appeared and true to his nature Florian sent him and his knights through the lines to the front. Elsewhere, the crusaders were making slower progress with the centre and Peter's flank consolidating rather than advancing. A good deal of the crusader archery was aimed at clearing the roof of the Napfa throwers, which failed. Florian was now in a position to charge his German knights into Alan's Ghulams, backed up with the Hospitallers. It should have been a fairly even fight with the Germans having the advantage of the couched lance...unfortunately, the knights suffered badly, falling back and breaking. Meanwhile, Alan had pushed his fanatics into a position to charge a unit of Baldwin's spearmen hurling them in and doing great slaughter, they in turn were charged by Konrad's dismounted unit of knights which broke the fanatics. Peter charged his French knights at Margret's Ghulams, beating them and following them up the narrow road in pursuit while being attacked in the rear by her horse archers. It was at about this point that Baldwin's 'brigade' broke leading to more confusion in the centre as Margret's garrison cavalry started to get stuck in. The Hospitallers had initiated a charge at Alan's damaged Ghulams and were pursuing them backwards when news of their 'brigade' withdrawing reached them. With the Ghulams broken this meant that the Muslim blocking force was also broken. The way to the crossing point however was not clear as Margret's cavalry now barred the way.
With his cavalry, the dismounted knights and a spear unit broken Konrad 'brigade' was also broken. At the same time Peter had wiped out Margret's Ghulams on the road and as we normally don't count skirmisher units in the 'brigade' that force should also be have broken. But, it would have have been very mean to give Margret two brigades of eight units with only one in each counting as 'formed' (the Ghulams)...so Michael decided, in the end, that the Muslims were the victors. Also the crusaders never got near the river's crossing point.
Incredible display. I've loved the short narrative, concise and useful. Thanks for sharing!
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