Monday, 27 November 2023

Normans vs Anglo-Danes - posted by Andrew Bennetts, 22 November 2023

1066 and all that (sort of 😃)
John Calnan came for a visit last week, bringing with him his Anglo-Danes and against which I dusted off my 1066 Normans. The game was 450AP and so, with two huge clumsy armies, subtle tactics were conspicuous only by their absence 😉
John drew up with a massive, 52ME, centre of Select Fyrd fronted by Huscarls (including the Royal Huscarl Bd(S)), to the right of which was a substantial Viking force (36ME) which tried to stretch out to a difficult hill on the extreme right garrisoned by some Irish. His more open left wing was held by a relatively small (a mere 21ME) command of Ps and Huscarls with a few Cv(I) in support who tried to anchor themselves around a small gentle hill.
I faced the Vikings with a solid force of Dismounted Milites (Bd(O)) supported on the outside by a small command of Knights who had started in ambush behind a convenient hill. The main force of Knights, under the watchful eye of Duke William, faced off against the Anglo-Danish centre, with Ps(O) screening the Royal Huscarls, to give the Knights a clean run at the lesser troops. Finally, the Breton wing of Cv(O) advanced to challenge John's relatively weak left flank.
William's Knights charged in at the first opportunity and in fact were quite successful, knocking off more than a few of the Huscarls (Bd(O)) forming the Anglo-Danish front rank. Wary though of being caught in a standing fight in the enemy bound, they used a Feigned Flight to rally back and reorganise, a timely 6 pips for John preventing any disorderly pursuit.
Meanwhile, the Dismounted Milites and Vikings were bashing away at each other indecisively although the small group of Knights on that flank would ultimately prove a point of difference. On the other flank the Bretons rounded the gentle hill, engaging the Ps on the hill and the Cv(I) trying to cover their flank. In the process, the Anglo-Danish General became isolated and was overcome which, with their other other losses, led to their left flank breaking.
In the centre, William's Knights had charged again, inflicting more casualties and this time staying in the fight, luckily avoiding serious loss in John's bounds before inflicting more damage in each of their own.
After well over 4 hours of hard fighting, we decided to wind things up so that John could get on the road back to Hamilton. Despite both the Viking and the main Anglo-Danish commands each taking considerable damage, they were both still 8ME from breaking and the fight would have gone on for quite some time more.

So a 15-10 to the Normans and a reminder of how long it can take to get an outright result at 450AP with armies like these! 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/824840264342234/posts/2474654066027504/

The Anglo-Danes face up to the Norman advance

The Anglo-Danish deployment

The Norman deployment, Bretons nearest the camera.

Daniel Wade
Perhaps I wont be building another horde Army after seeing what 450 points of Normans look like.

The serried ranks of John's Anglo-Danes, Huscarls in front with up to 4 ranks of Fyrd behind!

The Bretons advance against the Anglo-Danish left

The first Norman charge goes in......
Gavin Pearson
Massive long lines - great look
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The Feigned Flight fails to draw out any incautious Anglo-Danes while the Vikings and Dismounted Milites slug it out in the foreground.

Vincent Cholewa
I have wondered about feigned flight and how well it might work (or not).
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  • Andrew Bennetts
    Vincent Cholewa This is certainly the first time I'd tried it with Kn(F) and as its traditionally associated with Hastings it seemed worth a go. Care is required when trying it against mounted however, even with LH, as there is real risk of stragglers getting caught by impetuous pursuers.
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  • John Edmundson
    Vincent Cholewa It must be one of the hardest rules to get right.

The Bretons steadily overwhelm the Anglo-Danish left, whose now isolated General can just be seen bottom right

The Viking line is starting to break up against the combined attacks of mounted and dismounted Normans as Irish mercenaries look on from the safety of their steep hill.

The second Norman charge in the center drives deep into the Anglo-Danish line









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