[SS AAR] Cold Steel and the Cross: an SS 6.1 Teutonic AAR

[chapman104]

This is my first m2tw AAR im playing on stainless steel 6.1 with no submods
Difficulty: m/m
Campaign: Late

Chapter 1: The foundations of an empire

The Teutonic order had established a stable base of operations in the balkans in preparation for spreading the word of God (by any means they felt necessary).
The order was under the command of Grandmaster Gunther the Champion a mighty warrior who had also fought in the holy land against the saracens.


Gunthers second in command was the young and not overly loyal Maximillian who was one of those out here on his first crusade. He had grasped the basics of military strategy during his time as a squire but was yet to see battle against the enemies of the order.


Gunther had brought with him the goal of carving out a kingdom for himself as the crusaders in the holy land had and intended to use the "crusade" in the baltic to do this. He saw that in order to raise the money to finance his own kingdom he would need control of a larger part of the Baltic than he had at his disposal at the moment. Also the pagan menace of Lithuania had to be dealt with before pagans started causing trouble for the order and of course to keep up the illusion of the crusade being his only motive.

The island of Gotland seemed to be as good a place as any to start gaining control of Baltic trade and also could serve as as a forward base to attack scandanavia if the two kingdoms of Norsemen couldnt stay out of the orders affairs. Looking to the east the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius was vital for the pagans to get some of their most powerful cavalry so taking this could effectively cripple them.



He presented his plans to the senior members of the order and suggested that they request a crusade be put out on Vilnius in order to gain extra support and make more enemies for the pagans. The nobles felt this plan would lay the perfect foundations for future expansion in the Baltic and accepted the proposal after only a few minutes of dicussion.

In Riga a fleet was mustered under Admiral Welf and a force under Maximillian prepared to depart for Visby.



With the Gotland invasion under way Gunther made repeated requests for a crusade on Vilnius and struck an alliance with the Danes



After many requests the Pope finally gave in and called a crusade on the Lithuanian Capital.



Gunther soon joined the crusade and marched on vilnius, he was at the gates of the Grand Dukes capital within the year.



Next Update will feature the Battle of Vilnius

[stormer]

Good start, looking forward to this, +rep.

[chapman104]

Chapter 2: The cost of a crusade is always high

Gunther decided to make his assault on Vilnius before the pagan hordes brought up many more men than were already there. The Grand Duke could rely on 2 extra forces of men to support him against the orders attack but couldnt help but wonder if the Gods had would abandon him this day.



Gunther had his men man the seige engines and advance on the castle, praying they could take it before the reinforcements fell on their rear.



By some terrible misfortune both of the Teutons seige towers caught fire and collapsed forcing them to have to get through the gate and slowing their attack greatly.



The first reinforcement unit arrived but the cavalry of the crusaders managed to crush the unit of baltic spearmen with ease.



The gate was breached and the infantry poured in through the gate but the Grand Duke led a mighty counter charge and slew many a christian warrior yet the boiling oil torched a couple of his entourage as they cut down their foes.



The Grandmaster could stand by no more and brought his cavalry into the fray and they set about cutting into the Lithuanian guard.



The Grand Duke fell as he was overwhelmed by the Teuton cavalry but the square was still garrisoned by ducal spearmen and the prussian archers took to the walls in order to thin out the spears from afar.



The ducal spears went to the walls in an attempt to attack the prussians but they were stopped in their tracks by volleys of close range arrow fire.



Finally the castle was taken but the cost had been high due to the towers collapsing and the devastation caused by the berserk Grand Duke and his loyal followers.



The crusade was successful but had cost many young warriors their lives in the name of God and the Teutonic order. The first stage of Gunthers plan was complete and he prayed Maximillian wouldnt meet such mighty warriors so dedicated to their cause as he had.

Thanks for comments the next update will show how Maximillian fairs at Visby

[stormer]

Good update you should have built some ladders as well

[Antlion]

Great start, liking it so far. Hope you see this one out to the end. Def will subscribe if you do

[chapman104]

with hindsight i can see i should have but the towers seemed a good idea at the time

[Nole4694]

I dont build ladders when i should either. nice AAR sofar. +rep

[chapman104]

Chapter 3: The begginings of a Baltic empire


Maximillian waited at the walls of Visby for 2 years before finally making his assault and was preparing for quite the struggle against the Gotlanders. Having never faced a real battle before Maximillian was nervous, however his loyal bodyguards were well trained and some of them were veterans of the wars in the Holy Land.



He ammassed his troops and waited for his catapults to expend their ammunition before he made the first move. The catapults had little effect on the walls and when the ammunition had ran out he knew the time of battle was at hand



The ladders and the ram began to advance on the councillors orders and the rest of the army followed suit.



The ladders reached the walls to find them ill defended at the points they had attacked and got onto the walls with ease. The day seemed to be going well for Maximillian and he began to thirst for combat



The ram arrived at the gate only to have the raiders sally out from inside so the order militia charged to support the mercenaries. Maximillian could contain himself no longer and charged forth into the gateway smiting raiders left and right and leading the men forward.



The raiders shook like leaves when they saw the pleasure he took from slicing and hacking at their comrades. They turned and fled for the ones who didnt found themselves on the end of a Teuton blade and the really unlucky ones looked up to see Maxi swinging his blade at their throats in order to spill as much blood as he could.



The infantry turned off to deal with the Gotlanders who were coming down from the walls while Maxi and his men went to chase down those who fled to the city center.



Maxi fell upon those in the center like a man posessed and rejoiced in the slaughter of his enemies. His first battle had been a life changing experience for him he was now becoming feared as word spread of his actions.



The men sacked the town and now had a firm foothold on Baltic land and trade.
The men noticed the change in their commander from a young student of war to a vicious and effective commander.



Meanwhile the teutons enjoyed a period of relative calm as they retrained their forces and built up more men in preparation for the next phase of expansion. Gunther adopted his aide Seighard von Karnten into the higher echelons of the order due to his need for more field commanders.



The Teutons peacefully aquired the Danish port of Reval through the offer of nearly all their florins in order to remove a potential enemy from the area without war. However then something happened which would drastically change Gunthers direction of his expansion. The Republic of Novgorod attacked a small Teuton force on its way to Vilnius and sparked a war between the fledgling Teuton Empire and the grand Russian Republic.



Gunther could not waste time and allow the Russians to come at him he needed to attack as soon as possible and take advantage of unrest and rebellion in nearby Russian towns. He gathered some of his men from Vilnius and recruited many mercenaries and moved on Pskov with great speed.



Then something happened that noone could have predicted and that would draw the order into yet another front of conflict in the Baltic.
Norwegian forces landed on Gotland and besieged Visby. Maximillian now had his second battle upon him and relished the thought of it.

Next update will feature Gunthers offensive and maybe the defense of Visby if it is interesting enough

[chapman104]

Chapter 4: The Wolf and the Dragon

The defense of Visby was successful but not really worth a full report. It suffices to say that the Norsemen were repulsed wth few losses.
Gunther had gathered his forces and moved on Pskov where he found an army waiting for him with support from the castles garrison.



Gunther looked out across the plain as the slavic horde drew near. He waited as they came forward eager to spill some Russian blood.



As the russians closed in an almighty volley of flaming arrows and crossbow bolts collided with their frontline killing many and maiming yet more. But still they came.



The russian cavalry crashed into the order militia sending good prussian men flying through the air to their deaths and killing many of the catholic faiths defenders where they stood.



The Christ knights flanked the dismounted Druzhina and hacked them to pieces and began to chase them from the field.



Gunther charged the Russian left causing an immediate rout and led his nobles in chasing and capturing the fleeing slavs. All that remained was the issue of the garrisons reinforcements led by the russian general Voislav Istoma.



The Teuton cavalry charged Voislav and his kazaks and routed them almost instantly they gave chase but he somehow out-ran them and escaped the field.



The day was won by Gunther and the first steps had been taken in the new Russo-Teutonic war and likely it wasnt the last step they would take.



Next update: Phase two of the Orders expansion is presented to the nobles and a future threat to the order fades from history.

[stormer]

Good update. +rep

[stormer]

Good update. +rep

[chapman104]

Chapter 5: The Passing of a Champion


Gunther sat in the keep of Pskov dwelling on what he should do next to bring about more stability to his new kingdom. He was fighting a war on three fronts and feared the Poles may attack him due to their alliance with Lithuania. What Gunther needed was peace on at least one of these fronts. He needed to be able to reduce the strain these wars were putting on the economy. By this stage Gunther was growing rather old and tired and realised the glorious days of his youth were gone. He sent an emissary to his second in command Coouncillor Maximillian to request his presence on the mainland.
Just as the messenger left another burst into the chamber shouting that Norway had lost its King and his bloodline had ended pulunging the kingdom into civil war and rebellions. This was the miracle Gunther had needed and he began to plan how he would deploy the Councillor when he returned from Gotland.



Gunther realised that the only settlements Lithuania could attack were Vilnius and Konigsberg which were both heavily fortified. Neither of the reamaining pagan towns were worth the manpower needed to conquer them so he turned his attention further north. He looked a the Russian held province of Finland which was dominated by a mighty fortress at Turku with few men in the garrison. Then a most audacious plan came to him.
While attacking Finland he would also launch a lightning strike on the incredibly wealthy capital of Novgorod and completely remove all Russian influence from the Baltic.



Gunther sent emissaries to the LIthuanians in order to stabalise the southern front of his lands. They returned with news that...



He sent orders to his subordinates after the council of nobles agreed to put phase two of the orders expansion into effect. Maximillian was to gather troops and mercenaries from Pskov and strike at the heart of the republics power and trade while the young Rudeger von Frankfurt, a kinsman of the Holy Roman Emperor, would gather men from konigsberg and mercenaries from Finland and conquer the fortress of Turku.





Rudeger arrived in Finland and took it with incredible ease due to the armies of the Republic of Novgorod being called to defend the capital.
For Maximillian however things would not be so simple.
He arrived at the gates of Novgorod to find a substantial force in the garrison and ample men to bring reinforcements to defend the city. Maxi however had grown confident during his battles in Gotland and decided to attack anyway hoping his men could defeat the garrison before the reinforcements arrived.



The time came and the Teutons moved forward with a mix of towers and ladders to prevent the repeat of Vilnius. The crossbowmen on the walls opened fire to try and slow the tide of catholic crusaders but they could not stop them. The ladders scaled the walls and the Councillors army ascended them eager to bring death to their enemies.



The mercenary axemen climbed onto the battlements to find that the Russian berdiche axemen awaited them and a brutal clash of mighty two handed weapons took place with casualties mounting for both units.



The gate was taken with ease as most of the Russians were at the walls and Maxi led his men in and looked at the grandeur of this magnificent city that he was conquering.



His infantry followed only to hear the sounding of warhorns and the pounding of hooves as Russian light cavalry crashed through the gate into their rear. Maxi ordered half of his infantry to hold them whil he led the rest to the city center.



Maxi's infantry units that he ordered to the square faced some tough resistance from the garrisons captain and his spearmen. Maxi drew up his nobles at their rear and crashed into them causing havoc and confusion among them.



The captain fought bravely but was struck down by the overwhelming numbers of warriors who assailed him. The square was taken but the fight wasnt over yet.



The crossbows and axemen of the reinforcements arrived too late to save the cavalry and under fire from the newly occupied city and a charge from its new garrison they fled.



The day was won and word reached Gunther of Maxi's conquest and he knew he had found his perfect replacement as Hochmeister this day in thecapital of his enemies.



Gunther died in his chamber at Pskov shortly after this victory but he would not be forgotten. He had commanded assaults on Vilnius and Pskov and masterminded the plans to carve out the orders baltic empire he would be remembered for centuries as the champion of Prussia and the ravenous wolf of the Baltic.

(Keep the comments coming and constructive critiscism is also welcome)

[Nole4694]

Very good whens the next update?

[chapman104]

it shouldnt be too long. sadly i havent got the screens from the campaigns first heroic victory cos fraps wasnt turned on

[Gobmech]

Nice AAR. I'm afraid I'll have to +rep you.

[chapman104]

yay rep. ill try to post the next update tomorrow. maxi gets himself into quite a war with one of his neighbours

[chapman104]

Chapter 6: Warriors of Christ

Since the orders foundation every Grand Master had gone on a crusade against the enemies of the Lord. Maximillian was in his 50's and although he had taken the capital of the order's main rivals in the eastern Baltic he had never been on crusade. Maxi couldnt allow himself to die without having been on the most holy of wars and figured he may aswell use it to expand the orders Baltic front at the expense of his only potential catholic enemy.
The Poles had been making war on the Holy Roman Empire for the past 3 years much to the displeasure of the Pope. The Pope excommunicated them and Maxi saw this as his chance to cripple the Poles and have his allies unite against them. In 1277 Maxi requested a crusade on Krakow and the Pope granted the request and called all Catholic kings to answer the call to war.
However Maxi wasnt going to attack Krakow as the Pope thought. His plan was to use his crusader army to rid himself of the Lithuanians while their only city was undefended and then advance on the mighty fortress of Thorn to secure the south of the Baltic coast as his own.

Maxi moved on the Lithuanian capital and took it with minimal resistance causing the collapse of the Grand Dukes regime, leaving a small garrison behind he advanced on Plock and sacked it destroying all buildings and leaving it for bandits to pillage.
Then came Thorn.
The Garrison was larger than Maxi's army and had more cavalry and archers and the same amount of infantry. Maxi now saw that this was to be his day of judgement and that this battle was his chance to prove himself in the eyes of God.
The garrison of Thorn left the city to meet Maxi in the field. Led by Wlodzimiercz they met Maxi in battle in the Winter of 1280.
Maxi arranged his force in the conventional formation of archers in front, cavalry on the flanks, infantry in the middle and his 2 catapults behind.
The Poles advanced under artillery fire with the bodyguard of Wlodzimiercz taking many casualties but Wlodzimiercz himself was unharmed.
Polish archers moved to within range of the Prussians, hunters and mercenary crossbows and a lengthy exchange of missiles took place.
Then the arrows ran out.
Infantry from both sides collided in the center of the field as steel bit into the flesh of many Prussians and Poles. The melee was brutal and both sides were filled with hatred for one another which simply served to fuel the battle.
The elite christ knights that had campaigned with Gunther routedtwo units of polish nobles and then massacred the polish archers.
Wlodzimiercz entered the fray on the right flank of the infantry melee and began to cut into the macemen maxi hired on entering polish lands.
Maxi saw his chance. He saw the colourful robes and shining helm of the enemy general. He had to make his move. He had to make it now.
With an almighty battle cry he led his nobles into the fray and swept aside all before him. Wlodzimiercz cut down one maceman and then another but then felt a cold sharp pain in his chest. He looked up to see the menacing horned helm of the Grand Master and knew his time was at an end. In one swift movement Maxi took his head from his neck using his truty blade and held it aloft on his standard.
The Poles turned to see the leaders head and the mighty Teuton warriors cutting the right to pieces. They turned to run but as they did the returning christ knights crashed into the retreating men killing to and fro as they went.

Many Poles fell that day and not one soldier that left Thorn returned to it.
Maxi had proven himself but had to make sure that there wouldnt be a Polish counter attack as his men were war weary after taking 3 cities and fighting a huge army of Polish warriors.

The Battle of Thorn would be remembered throughout history as a great victory for Germans over their slavic neighbours and Maxi had his moment of crusading glory.



Meanwhile the crusade target of Krakow had not fallen after many sieges and even the Pope himself fought and died in Poland but eventually the English took the city and the poles were finally given some respite.
Maxi negotiated a peace treaty with the Poles which gave him stettin meaning that there were now only two factions with access to the Baltic and they were firm allies.



The establishing of the Hanseatic League in Riga brought great increases in trade for the order and they were now a real force to contend with.
If they wanted the entire Baltic then they would have to fight the Danes but neither side wanted to engage in such a war which would cost many lives on either side and the loss of honour for the one to betray their ally put the kings off any war.

[strife1013]

sweet! + Rep

[chapman104]

strife i hope you dont mind but i may steal your sig as that is quite a picture you have there

[Aldgarkalaughskel]

Back To The Future

Who are you? You look familiar to me...
I'm your older self. I came from the future..
Oh no! So I'll be wearing this damned helmet ALL MY LIFE!
Take it easy, we both know it's just for the posing to the camera.
Okay, okay. Now state your business. Why are you here?
To warn you. The Order is grave danger.
You lie. We have a powerful empire, and our record is almost perfect.
It's not about the conquest, it's about the mission of the Order. Novgorod. They're still on the map.
What? You can't tell me what to do... hey wait...
*disappears*