BHGS Challenge 2008 Game 2 vs Mick Woods' Hittite Empire
Mick and I had played a practice game on Friday afternoon, so I knew
his army. Since I had been using a different army for that game
(Trojans) I gave Mick my Order of Battle, to even things up. The evil
Hittite empire invaded the lush green lands of what is now Cumbria and
Urien's alliance faced them off on a perfect summer's day. The
terrain almost all fell on the British side of the table, with a large
gentle hill in the centre of our deployment area and both flanks
surrounded by marshes and wooded hills. The armies had clearly met on
a common invasion route, since unpaved roads arced from the centre of
our rear edge to run up both the Hittite flanks.
I deployed the Strathclyders on the left, their Wb(F) in column on the
road, with orders to head out as wide as possible to turn the enemy
flank. The pair of militia elements were to hold the left-hand wooded
hill as long as possible, giving time for the mounted to deploy
through and into the open spaces beyond. Elmet and Bryneich placed
4-deep formations of spearmen on the rising ground of the central
hill, with cavalry in reserve. The men of Rheged deployed a mixed
formation of militia infantry and skirmishers in the right-hand wooded
hill, while their mounted deployed in column on the road, hoping to
turn the Hittite right flank too.
Mick deployed the Hittites Reg Kn(O) chariots supported by Cv(S)
chariots and LH(I) facing Strathclyde's Wb(F) and Cv. Their centre,
a Reg Pk(F) and Gasgan Irr Wb(F) faced the Sp(I) wall. Their right
was a mix of Cv(S) and (O) chariotry, up against Urien's Cv(O), LH(O)
and Ax(I)/Ps(O).
The British moved first, and good PIP dice saw columns heading out
wide on both wings. On the right, Urien's men moved boldly and the
Hittite chariots were soon surrounded, with cavalry to their front,
light horse to their base-edge flank and militia infantry charging
them from the other flank. The numbers overcame the quality and they
tumbled.
On the left, the game was more cat-and-mouse. The Hittite Kn(O) and
Cv(S) chariots were more than a match for any of the Strathclyders'
and it was a matter of throwing the Wb(F) in and hoping that
sufficient stuck to work internal flanks, while the cavalry twisted
and turned and tried to pull the enemy chariots out of position.
In the centre, the Hittite infantry charged in without a pause for
breath, with their left flank supported by a few heavy chariots
detached from the ongoing saga on that wing. Things were tight here,
with the Gasgans in particular managing to do great execution,
particularly when the odds ought to have been against them.
Eventually, however, the effort of struggling uphill into superior
numbers told. It was touch and go though, with the Bryneich
spear-line being on the verge of breaking, only shored up by the
personal intervention of Morcant Builc. However, as the enemy finally
cracked, the panic spread and the Hittites ran for their lives. A 20-5
win to us, one command disheartened and over 20% casualties suffered.
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