Last Stand at Domyoji

After my rematch with Richard on Monday (see Sanada's Death Ride at Domyoji), I enjoyed another rematch with Peter (see first game at BatRep: Domyoji 1615 Game #2) on Thursday.  As in my rematch with Richard, Peter and I swapped sides to try our hand at commanding the other army.  Peter would take command of the Osaka Army while I took the reins of the Tokugawa Army.  Peter's riveting account of the rematch can be read and enjoyed at Rematch of the Battle of the Tombs.  I wonder if we saw the battle similarly?

Let's find out!

As a reminder, opening dispositions are as illustrated in the map below:

Initial dispositions

Tokugawa Army advances toward the enemy.

Wasting no time, Susukida attacks!
After disordering the enemy with arquebus fire,
Susukida leads an attack with his Samurai
but his attack is repulsed with heavy losses.

Losses were heavy on the defender as well.
Susukida follows up by sending his Ashigaru forward.

Persistence pays off!
The Tokugawa Right is driven back. 

Osaka Ashigaru pursue scattering the remnants of enemy
 Ashigaru spear and sending the Teppo reeling backwards.
Katsushige's Samurai are destroyed!

Still Osaka Ashigaru pursue swinging around to hit
one of Tadaaki's Ashigaru spear.
Likely surprised by enemy coming onto a flank, 
these spearmen retreat passing through Tadaaki's command.

Osaka continues pursuit but the Osaka rampage is halted
when it crashes into a solid wall of spears and then...

Susukida's spearmen are forced to retreat. 
The Tokugawa Right has collapsed!

Emerging from the ford through the Ishigawa River,
Takamasa leads a cavalry charge into the enemy rear.
This outcome was never in doubt.
The Osaka spearmen are cut down.  No chance of escape.

Ack!  What a start to battle!  The battle has only begun, and the Tokugawa Right and Center have been laid wide open by Peter's successful attacks.  With the loss of the Samurai and suffering from three sequential pursuits, I am already down five points on the Breakpoint Clock.  How do I recover from this mess?

I grab a tourniquet, stop the bleeding, and attack, I guess!  Well, before I can regroup, Peter's Osaka Army beats me to the punch!

Kitigawa's Ashigaru spearmen attack from the woods
trampling Masamune's Teppo before they get off a meaningful volley.

What the Osaka may not have foreseen was the ability of
Masamune's cavalry to counterattack.
Osaka Ashigaru are driven back in disorder.

In pursuit, the enemy falls under the hooves of
Tokugawa cavalry and are destroyed.

Masamune's success leads to a chain reaction from the enemy.
First, Sanada leads a countercharge but is repulsed...

Then, one of Sanada's body of Ashigaru spear attack.
They, too, are repulsed!
Perhaps this battle is turning around?

On the other side of Emperor Ojin's Tomb,
Masamune attacks with both Ashigaru and Samurai.

Osaka Teppo are driven back from the tomb.
Tokugawa fail to pursue!
The Osaka Army is being pushed back
nearly to the gates of Osaka Castle!

Battle lines drawn with much of the Osaka Army
pushed back to the brink.

OK!  Even though the Tokugawa Army took some tough licks at the beginning of the fight, the situation looks to have stabilized, and the Tokugawa are taking the fight to the enemy.  Now thoughts turn to whether I can drive them from the field. 

Peter has other plans!
Kitigawa's Samurai attack both of Masamune's foot.

Kitigawa's Samurai scatter the Ashigaru and
send the enemy Samurai scurrying away to the rear.

What remains of the Tokugawa Left is in retreat! 

Kitigawa's Samurai catch Masamune's Samurai
but heroic actions compel the Osaka to retreat!

Back on the Tokugawa Right, Tadamasa and his Samurai
 cavalry charge into Susukida's Samurai foot.
Weakened from earlier fighting, Susukida is sent packing.

Tadamasa pursues and Susukida's Samurai retreat off table. 

Back on the Tokugawa Left, Kitigawa has not given up his
pursuit of Masamune's Samurai. 
This time, Masamune's Samurai are caught and dispatched!

Even with the Tokugawa Army nearing the breaking point,
the Osaka Left has been vanquished and the
Center has been pressed back to the brink.
One good shove might break the enemy!

Unfortunately for Tokugawa, Osaka gets the next shove! 
Tadaaki's Ashigaru are pushed back. 

Masamune charges in leading his Samurai horsemen.
Sanada is forced to recoil but...

he countercharges when Masamune fails to pursue.

With Ashigaru spear in support, Sanada's charge is repulsed.
Masamune fails to pursue again!

Sanada orders one more attack to break the Tokugawa line.

This time, success!
Masamune and his Samurai turn to flee and Tokugawa Ashigaru
 are scattered as Sanada's Ashigaru advance into the gap.
The Tokugawa Army is broken!

Well!  That did not end as I expected!  I thought that the Tokugawa Army might have the upper hand until...they did not!

Great game, Peter, and very well played.  Thank you!  The Butcher's Bill shows that Tokugawa suffered more losses than the Osaka.  Peter's opening attacks really caught the Tokugawa Army off guard and reaped a pile of points as they slashed their way through the enemy battle line.  I thought I had the battle turned around near the end, but it was not to be.  Controlling both tombs, Peter is awarded a Major Victory.

Butcher's Bill

Game duration was about two-and-a-half hours.  

With this defeat, the five-game series shows the score as three victories for the Tokugawa Army against two victories for the Osaka Army.  What looked like a tough situation for the Osaka Army in the first three games, proved to be winnable in the final two games.  Richard and Peter learned a lot from their first games and put those lessons to work.  I may not have learned as much...

Anyway, this was a terrific series of battles, and I enjoyed them a lot.  Thanks to everyone taking a command in one of the games.  What is next on table?  Not sure but my WotR rebasing is almost complete, and I have a few new ideas to test out next time these Medieval armies take to the table.

Sanada's Death Ride at Domyoji

Richard and I took to the field for a rematch of our earlier Battle Among the Tombs game (see Battle Among the Tombs).  While the battle remains the same as before, we swap sides with Richard commanding the Osaka Army and I taking the Tokugawa Army.  In that first contest, Richard came out the victor by defeating my Osaka Army in fine style.  Having given the battle and victory conditions some careful thought, Richard figured that the Osaka Army has a better chance at victory than seen in our first game.  Of course, Osaka Army would have a better chance in this game,  I commanded the Osaka Army in Game #1!

Battlefield deployments

Opening positions

As a reminder, the opening situation is as shown in the graphics above.

For today's battle, Richard has written a most comprehensive battle report from our second trial.  I encourage you to pop over to his blog and read the battle from his Tokugawa perspective (see Domyoji, Can Osaka Beat the Odds?).  Richard has rendered the battle report so completely, I really cannot add much to his battle account, but I will try!  If nothing else, use Richard's account for a full battle overview. Use my account to augment Richard's storytelling and to zoom in on specific actions.

Here we go!

Two armies, arrayed for battle.

Tokugawa Right Wing shifts to the left on the advance...

while the Tokugawa Center moves up.
The two armies face off.

In a flash, Sanada leads his Samurai cavalry through
the Osaka battle line and into the unsuspecting enemy!

Not expecting to be attacked so suddenly,
the Tokugawa Center buckles.
Teppo are destroyed and Ashigaru spear are driven back.
Sanada fails to pursue.

Tadamasa, the commanding Tokugawa general, spurs
 his Samurai cavalry forward to meet the enemy.
Crashing into the enemy cavalry, Tadamasa fails to dislodge them.
Tadamasa recoils!
Counterattacking, Sanada charges forward.
In a clash of arms, Sanada feels the fight slipping away.
Encouraging his Samurai to redouble their efforts, Sanada commits Seppuku.

Sanada's sacrifice is for naught or is it?
The Osaka Samurai horsemen are scattered to the wind.

While the charge fails, Sanada's Death Ride succeeds
in opening up the entire Tokugawa Center.
His sacrifice buys a lot of time for the Osaka Army. 

Tokugawa Center regroups and begins to advance.

Seeing the center falling back upon itself,
Tadamasa orders his Left forward.
Masamune, commander for the Tokugawa Left attacks!
His Ashigaru spearmen are repulsed with heavy casualties
as they crash into Kitigawa's Samurai.

Then, Masamune leads his Samurai cavalry into a charge.
Driving the enemy back, Masamune's Samurai will not pursue.

With his cavalry stalled, Masamune orders his Samurai foot forward.
This time, the attacks succeed.
The enemy is driven back in disorder.

Tokugawa Samurai press on!

Despite suffers heavy casualties, the Osaka Right holds!
Masamune's Samurai are repulsed!

Kitigawa wastes no time in counterattacking Masamune's Samurai.
Masamune's Samurai recoil!

Half of Masamune's Left is in flight
 in search of safety at the river.

With the Osaka Right stable and wanting to avenge Sanada's death,
the Osaka Center goes on to the offensive.
Ashigaru spear skirt Emperor Ojin's tomb
striking enemy Teppo in the plowed field.
Failing to get off a volley as the enemy closes,
the Teppo are destroyed without much effort.

To the left, a second body of Ashigaru plunges into the Tokugawa line.

Unsupported, Katsushige's Samurai are thrown into disorder
and head for the rear. 

A third Ashigaru spear, this time from Susukida's Left Sonae,
attacks into a disordered body of Teppo.
The enemy is cut down where they stand.

All is not going Osaka's way, though.
Tokugawa counter attacks!
First, the loss of the Teppo near Ojin's Tomb is avenged
by putting the enemy to flight...

but also by driving back the enemy in the center!

In pursuit, the Tokugawa are not so lucky.
Their attack is stopped cold by a resilient defense.

In a follow up attack, the stubborn enemy is destroyed.

On Osaka Right, Kitigawa keeps the enemy under pressure. 
First, Tokugawa Ashigaru spearmen are driven back...

with pursuit scattering enemy Teppo
as the spearmen flee back to the ford.

The Tokugawa spearmen cannot escape.
They are caught at the ford and butchered.

Both armies are becoming exhausted
as both teeter on the breaking point.
Susukida begins withdrawing units back
 toward the safety of Osaka Castle.

Tokugawa are not through yet!
Tadamasa attempts to catch the enemy
 before it can flee to Osaka Castle.

Tadamasa leads his cavalry into the enemy...
but is repulsed!

Seeing the failure, a body of Ashigaru are sent forward.
This time, the enemy is put to flight!

These last exertions brought both armies
dangerously close to the breaking point. 
One more loss from either side and an army would break.
Fortunately for the Osaka, two units managed
 to withdraw back into Osaka Castle.

With the bonus awarded for withdrawing Osaka units off table and back to Osaka Castle, the Army Breakpoint Clocks (ABC) stand at 3-6 in favor of the Osaka Army.  Seeing that only mopping up actions remain to accomplish, the Tokugawa Army sees no path to breaking the Osaka Army.  Tokugawa withdraw from battle.

Victory to the Osaka Army and Richard!  Having seen three previous Tokugawa victories, Richard wondered (in his battle report) whether the Osaka Army could beat the odds.  The answer to that question is a definite "Yes!"  Congratulations, Richard!  Well done!

The Butcher's Bill demonstrates just how hard this battle was contested.  The difference in this game rested upon the two units that Richrd managed to withdraw off table.  That was the deciding straw.  With a difference of three on the ABC, Richard is awarded a minor victory.  

Butcher's Bill

Wow!  That was a hard-fought contest.

Richard's opening gambit of giving Sanada a "Death Ride" tore apart the Tokugawa Center and set the timetable back at least two turns.  I was not expecting to see that level of aggression from Richard.  What a surprise!  A nasty surprise at that!

My Tokugawa Army was within reach of critically punishing the enemy more than once, but failed pursuits and unexpected repulses put me on the back foot every time.  Game duration about three hours.

Great game, Richard, and very well played! Thank you!