[What-if Battle] Alexander returns... with the Swiss

[kosmosje1]

He had to admit he had seen better days. His enemy to the east, due to emerge from the forest, his own men already roused and ready. To his south his knights, eager and fiery, his infantry shaken, but stiff. To the north, his re-enforcements, coming in today. The first pikes bristle in the forest. He has to give battle and he knows just how to do it.

I have a theoretical battle for all of you to have a crack at. It's been playing in my mind for a while and I wonder how you would work it out. One thing is certain: Alexander has to win.

Line of battle:
"Alexander"
4000 archers (early English longbow archers)
300 knights (13th century, mail-armoured with heavy horses)
2000 infantry present (levies, armed with shield and spear, armoured with light mail)
2500 infantry incoming (batches of 500, coming from the north, 1 batch per hour. Early Swiss infantry, armed with mostly halberds and pikes, little armour. Each successive wave is less battle-hardened, but each is motivated).
200 elite skirmishers (variety of weapons, your pick).

Enemy
23.000 heavy infantry (type Late-Makedonian; phalangites with heavy shields, heavy (ancient) mail and long pikes. Well motivated, but shorter in stature than the opposing forces)
2500 skirmishers (depleted and exhausted; they have been harrassed for a long time already. Armed with normal hunting bows, slings, spears etc. No armour, generally no shields)
500 light cavalry (skill-level like equites, no armour, small horses, short spears)

The generals:
"Alexander"
A military genius, but with little experience. For this instance, I've called him 'Alexander', but you can take any military tactic/genius you like yourself. This is about different tactics, not replicating Alexander.

As a general, he has enjoyed intelligence supremacy for a while already, thanks to a rear-guard of foresters that provide him with information. His troops are either directly loyal to him, or live in the area where the fighting takes place.

His army has been retreating for about three weeks, but in good order. He has waited for re-enforcements, but if he pulls out further west, those will become seperated from him.

Enemy
Solid, but uncreative. The commander has been forced to advance blindly for some time, yet he has done so because speed is essential in his campaign. He knows he is following an army through the forest, yet he doesn't know when he will be engaged. He also knows he has not been outflanked by the army, yet has had his men on constant alert for all the time.

His men are experienced; they have been fighting for almost ten years, yet weariness of war has set in. Age, also, is beginning to count against them.

The battlefield
It is the middle of spring and the grass is high. The field itself is a flat, dry field. The 'Alexandrian' army has been on-site for three days. On three sides, about three miles away (north, east and south) the battlefield is surrounded by forest. This forest is heavy enough to provide cover for men, but is passable for non-phalanx units.

On the west, the battlefield slopes down into a bog. This bog is raised high enough to not be muddy in most places (walking alone, you could pass through it with ease). The slope is not steep enough to hide large bodies of men.

The enemy army will advance down an old (Roman-style) road in a long column, emerging from the forest in the North-east. The road turns sharply south, running half-way across the battlefield. The road is slightly elevated above the battlefield, but offers no viable point for observation.

Victory condition
The enemy cannot advance further, or retreats.



How will you win this battle? If asked, I can put up some of my own theories, but I'd like to see yours.

[Poach]

Assign the archers, cavalry and skirmishers to a rearguard action to engage and (by virtue of numbers and superior skill/motivation) destroy the enemy skirmishing force. Cavalry is present to protect archers and skirmishers from enemy cavalry, 300 Knights can outfight 500 light cavalry. By the time his skirmishers are destroyed or so mauled as to no longer be effective, the Swiss infantry should be present in full force.

As such, all the enemy has is 23,000 infantry and no skirmisher or cavalry cover. His infantry advance to fight my own infantry will be bombarded by archer fire and skirmisher fire, and my cavalry will be free to flank his infantry (because his cavalry is already defeated or because they will be defeated when trying to stop the flanking) and attack from behind. His Phalanx will fall apart under heavy fire and my infantry will charge in the centre in when the cavalry hits them from behind.

With his centre buckling and his flanks still under harrassment from archers and skirmishers, his army should break, or will be destroyed piecemeal one flank at a time.

[TweSal LifeTukker [NL]]

All men in the front. Fight, fight and I win.