I originally wanted to put in a different title that described exactly what we did in this battle, but I thought a "what would you do" approach to each step might be a little more interesting, so I've simply called this "Advanced Field Tactic" to keep you in suspense! =)
The Scenario
This was the second field battle. We fought on the Midrealm side and were lined up on our far right flank. Our unit, known as The Bog Troopers (or simply "The Bog", comprised of 3 celtic clans: Anglesey, The Concusare, and Galatia) consisted of ~10 veteran fighters, about half shields, and the rest were poles and spears, plus one archer (spears and poles are both represented as poles in the diagrams). To our left was a sizable Atlantia unit.
Note: we fielded over 20 fighters for most of the war, but the heat, rain, and the Pennsic Plague cut our numbers down drastically for this battle.
When the battle started, Atlantia marched right and so did we. Across from us were the Tuchux, who held back on the hill in reserve, and a smallish unit (maybe 20 fighters) who charged ahead of their entire army and appeared to be headed directly for us.
At this point, I believe, Atlantia stopped their forward progress to read the field. We kept moving forward, as did the unit across from us. It appeared that we might be in for a head on engagement. At this point blue has a slight up hill advantage, with the hill sloping upward both behind blue and to our right (their left).
What Would You Do?
Pardon me if I sound patronizing, but I think this is a good exercise for anyone. What would you do if you were The Bog? What would you do if you were the blue unit?
Now I think from the blue's perspective its pretty clear. They see what appears to be a loose band of rabble in front of them with no shinny hats and no belts. Most people in this case would likely charge straight into The Bog. Of course, we know that and we also know that we wouldn't fair well taking on a shield wall charge from a larger unit head on, so we didn't just stand there.
Most units that I know, if they were in The Bog's position, would have done one of a handful of things. They would have stood there and gotten rolled. The would have formed up a shield wall and charged straight into blue (and died). Or, if they employed slightly advanced techniques, they would have formed a shield wall and charged on a slight oblique, hitting the right half of blue.
Now I think from the blue's perspective its pretty clear. They see what appears to be a loose band of rabble in front of them with no shinny hats and no belts. Most people in this case would likely charge straight into The Bog. Of course, we know that and we also know that we wouldn't fair well taking on a shield wall charge from a larger unit head on, so we didn't just stand there.
Most units that I know, if they were in The Bog's position, would have done one of a handful of things. They would have stood there and gotten rolled. The would have formed up a shield wall and charged straight into blue (and died). Or, if they employed slightly advanced techniques, they would have formed a shield wall and charged on a slight oblique, hitting the right half of blue.
Personally I think all of those options are bad ideas. There are two other options that some of the smarter units might have tried. The Bog could also have held back to delay the engagement and draw the fight in with Atlantia (something we may have done if this unit was much larger). We could have run away and hid behind Atlantia (no need to do that in this case). We could have also moved in between blue and Atlantia to protect Atlantia's right flank as they moved to attack someone else.
I also don't like that last option because, though it helps Atlantia's mission, it places us in an unwinnable situation. Of the available options, I tend to favor those that allows us the most kills with the least amount of casualties. We can still protect Atlantia's right flank, but instead of as a shield, we can do it as a threat that pulls a unit away from them.
Note: delaying the engagement would actually have given us our best chance of success, but would also have taken longer to complete the fight. In a field battle, you are looking not only to maximize results, but to do it as quickly as possible so that you can move on to more fighting in the battle.
The Pincer Attack
I also don't like that last option because, though it helps Atlantia's mission, it places us in an unwinnable situation. Of the available options, I tend to favor those that allows us the most kills with the least amount of casualties. We can still protect Atlantia's right flank, but instead of as a shield, we can do it as a threat that pulls a unit away from them.
Note: delaying the engagement would actually have given us our best chance of success, but would also have taken longer to complete the fight. In a field battle, you are looking not only to maximize results, but to do it as quickly as possible so that you can move on to more fighting in the battle.
The Pincer Attack
We opted to shift our entire unit to the right. Kinsmen Llyr made the suggestion in order to gain the high ground. I agreed with his decision, though I actually preferred it to get us into an outside position. Its usually better to fight the enemy while placing their backs to enemy units.
Because we travel in a loose skirmish formation, we can reposition ourselves faster than just about any unit on the field. The call was made, and we redeployed to the right. At this point we had no idea what blue would do, nor what Atlantia would do.
Because we travel in a loose skirmish formation, we can reposition ourselves faster than just about any unit on the field. The call was made, and we redeployed to the right. At this point we had no idea what blue would do, nor what Atlantia would do.
From this position, Atlantia could have moved on to fight other fights, and blue could have turned their front to face us. Had that happened, we probably would have kept swirling to the right in order to limit the number of fighters that they could engage with, and we would have spread out and try to draw out smaller fights. Blue likely would have charged, and we would have given ground where they charged and try to attack them in their backfield.
Fortunately for us, three things fell into place that gave us a big advantage in this battle. 1) No other units came to support blue, which meant Atlantia had no one else to fight and there was no threat to our right flank. 2) Since Atlantia had nothing better to do, they mounted a charge at blue's right flank. 3) Blue attempted to protect their left flank by pulling spears and poles out of the back field (note: this is what we are taught to do at our local SCA melee practice and I think this is just simply a bad idea).
Fortunately for us, three things fell into place that gave us a big advantage in this battle. 1) No other units came to support blue, which meant Atlantia had no one else to fight and there was no threat to our right flank. 2) Since Atlantia had nothing better to do, they mounted a charge at blue's right flank. 3) Blue attempted to protect their left flank by pulling spears and poles out of the back field (note: this is what we are taught to do at our local SCA melee practice and I think this is just simply a bad idea).
Now if you don't know your rock, paper, scissors, remember that spears beat static shields, kill pocket beats a shield wall charge, and shield wall charge beats spears. When I saw blue move their spears and poles out on the flank, I looked to see where our shields were. I pointed out the weakness to our most experienced shieldman, and I pulled another shiledman to the front to set up the charge.
As soon as Atlantia was in about the right position, Kinsmen Llyr called the charge. Kinsmen Arundoor swept the spears, and the rest of The Bog charged through them, and into the back field. The battle was over in seconds with minimal casualties.
As soon as Atlantia was in about the right position, Kinsmen Llyr called the charge. Kinsmen Arundoor swept the spears, and the rest of The Bog charged through them, and into the back field. The battle was over in seconds with minimal casualties.
Key Points to Remember
Don't move into the middle of the field with no protection
Don't keep your reserves disengaged for too long
Take the high ground if you can
Take the outside position if you can
Attack the flanks
Protect your flanks....and not with a thin line of spears
Sweep a spear line with a shieldman
Charge spears with shields
Always be cognizant of your unit's position and how it relates to others on the field
Be sure to check out Pennsic - Part 1
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