1066 English vs Normans using Field of Glory

This is a historical match up of 1066 English vs Normans using Field of Glory (3^rd Edition)

 

The armies were as follows, both armies are entirely undrilled troops and listed in order of march:

 

The English.

CiC field commander with two subordinate troop commanders

2 units of 8 bases of poor quality fyrd, heavy foot, protected, offensive spearmen

4 bases of light foot with javelin and light spear, average

4 LF average sling

4 LF average bow

8 good quality fryd, HF armoured, average, offensive spear

8 good quality fryd, HF protected, average, offensive spear

8 good quality fryd, HF armoured, average, offensive spear

8 good quality fryd, HF protected, average, offensive spear

8 Huscarls, HF armoured, superior, heavy weapon

8 Huscarls, HF armoured, superior, heavy weapon

8 Huscarls, HF armoured, superior, heavy weapon

 

The Normans

CiC field commander with two subordinate troop commanders

6 Foot archers, LF, average, bow

6 Foot archers, LF, average, bow

6 Crossbowmen, LF, average, crossbow

8 Spearmen, HF, protected, average, defensive spearmen

8 Spearmen, HF, protected, average, defensive spearmen

8 Spearmen, HF, protected, average, defensive spearmen

8 Dismounted Milites, HF, armoured, average, offensive spearmen

8 Dismounted Milites, HF, armoured, average, offensive spearmen

4 Breton Cavalry, Cavalry, protected, average, light spear, sword

4 Breton Cavalry, Cavalry, protected, average, light spear, sword

4 Veteran Milites, Knights, armoured, superior, Lancers, swordsmen

4 Veteran Milites, Knights, armoured, superior, Lancers, swordsmen

4 Bodyguard Milites, Knights, armoured, elite, Lancers, swordsmen

 

Army match up 

Looking at the differences between the armies, the English are a mass of heavy foot. Tough head on but they’ll need terrain to secure their flanks and they’ll be slow to react to enemy breakthroughs. The Normans have five mounted units, two agile Breton cavalry and three hard hitting knights. They also have the advantage in light foot – useful to pull the English out of line. However, they only have 5 units of heavy foot to the English 9, so they’ll want to stretch the English out to get an advantage

 

Deployment

The Normans won the initiative roll and chose Agricultural terrain. The English chose the compulsory open field and as much bad going as they could. The Normans got the gentle hill and chose open spaces. The English managed to secure their left on a vineyard, there’s an open field to their right. It’s really too wide a gap between the two but they make the best of it with Huscarls in the centre and fyrd on the flanks with the fyrd dregs in reserve.

 

 

 

The Norman centre and left. Foot Milites are in the centre held well back between terrain and screened by light foot (out of shot). On their left, two units of Milites are in reserve and a screen of light crossbowmen and Breton cavalry are thrown forward.

 

 

The Norman right. The gentle hill has fallen very nicely for the Normans, and they’ll occupy it with spearmen screened by LF Bow. Further out are the bodyguard Milites and some Bretons. Facing this lot the English have just four bases of light foot javelins.

 

 

Turn 1. The English have fewer skirmishers than the Normans and more impetuous troops, so they can’t really stay put. Besides, their right flank is in the air, so they push forward along the line. The Norman crossbow LF on their left turn to support their LF bow chums in the centre and the left wing Bretons advance to slow the English.

 

On the Norman right, they rush forward their spearmen to dominate the hill while the mounted push forward.

 

 

Turn 2 and the English continue to push forward with their centre and right while the Normans attempt to driver in the English skirmish screen. The superior Milites edge forward – not ready to commit yet but don’t want to be trapped in front of the bad going.t of the bad going.

 

 

The English left flank is having to wheel to the left to stop the Norman mounted getting round them but they are losing touch with the Huscarls to their right. A unit of the poor fryd from the reserve comes up to fill the gap.

 

 

Turn 3. With two units of Milites to deal with Harold orders the reserve fyrd to be brought up on the right in case of a breakthrough. They won’t last long against the Milites, but they might keep their attention for long enough.

 

 

Turn 4

 

In the foreground the English LF retire to the safety of the vineyard under pressure from the Norman combination of Breton horse and LF Bow. The LF are now able to tempt the Fyrd to charge forward but they resist the urge, to the rear of the fyrd the poor reserve is coming up to plug the gap. In the centre, the English LF can make no headway against their Norman equivalents and retire. The Huscarls move forward.

 

 

On the Norman left the Breton cavalry withdraw having forced the English armoured fryd to face them down. The Milites creep forward aiming for the protected fyrd and the Huscarls.

 

 

Turn 5. The sneaky Norman crossbows have expanded to tempt the fyrd but they pass their test not to charge. The armoured fryd are driving back the Bretons. If the milites don’t commit soon they’l be outflanked.

 

 

Turn 6. The Huscarls charge to drive off the enemy skirmishers. The English generals join the men about to be charged by the Norman Milites

 

 

The superior Milites charge in. The Huscarls hold the charge and the Normans will break off at the end of the bound. However the fyrd disrupt at impact, though they survive the following melee.

 

 

On the English left, the Norman spearmen have left the hill and the elite Milites have moved forward to a position where the fyrd in front of them will still be tempted to charge the LF, but if the fyrd charge too enthusiastically they’ll hit the elite lancers. All the fyrd (including the poor ones!) are tempted to charge.

 

 

Turn 7.  The English general on the left tries and fails to persuade the armoured spear not to charge. But they charge slowly and thus don’t hit the milites. The two other fyrd units declare charges on the Norman spear (better then testing not to charge and having one go in on it’s own). The poor fyrd disrupt at impact but hold in the melee, the other combat is a non event but the fyrd are now overlapped.

 

 

Not looking too good on the other English flank either; the protected fryd become fragmented. However the Huscarls have pinned the mounted Huscarls against the vineyard  and the other two Huscarl units are now in charge range of the dismounted Milites at last.

 

 

The dismounted Milites charge in against both Huscarl units. Next to them, the superior mounted Milites try another charge against the third Huscarl unit. At the end of the turn both dismounted Milites are disrupted, but the superior lancers have disrupted their Huscarl opponents.

 

 

Turn 8. It’s all kicking off on the English centre and right. One of the dismounted Milites units has broken and their bow LF friends will eventually flee off table as a result), but at the same time the superior lancers have broken the protected fyrd. Worse, the other unit of lancers has driven their Huscarl opponents down to fragmented and will break them shortly after.

 

 

On the English left the armoured fyrd are now blocked by the elite knights, and the other two fyrd units have lost bases and cohesion. Surprisingly, at the end of this bound, the poor fyrd manage to rally to steady.

 

 

On the right, the routing fyrd break through their poor countrymen and the milites pursue in. Disrupted and poor, they rout at impact. The other mounted milites stop pursuing the Huscarls and turn to face the flank of the next Huscarls in line.

 

 

On the English left, the average protected fyrd have broken on base losses. The Norman spearmen pursue keenly and hit the armoured fyrd. To help them out the elite Milites charge as well. At top, the English general is now fighting in the front rank of the poor fyrd, in a desperate (and doomed) attempt to take down a Norman unit.  The armoured fyrd seem happy to fight two enemy units and the knights have to break off. The English have now lost 8 attrition points to the Norman 3.

 

 

Turn 9. On the English left the poor fyrd break through base losses, but the armoured fyrd keep on fighting. At 10 attrition points the English are on the brink of defeat.

 

 

The English Huscarls finish off the dismounted Milites. Unfortunately they don’t pursue far enough and get caught in flank by the lancers, who fragment them in the melee. and that’s the end of the English army.The English are broken and the Normans have lost 5 attrition points.