Maisnon - Italian Wars BatRep 2

After Charles V's victory in the first battle (see: Battle of Maisnon), the forces were reset and a second battle undertaken.  Jake remained in command of Charles V's army while I remained in command of the French under Francois I.

Having gone down to defeat in the first battle due, in part, to a concentration of Spanish artillery, Francois needed a different plan for the upcoming rematch.  Since many of the French casualties suffered were caused by the expert artillery execution on the Spanish right, Francois chose to screen his left flank in order to protect the vulnerable pike blocks.  Screened by light infantry, Francois moved his heavy infantry quickly to close the distance to the Spanish army.

The French close quickly upon the Spanish

The French advance

Francois exhibited much more energy and aggressiveness in this battle and positioned his light troops and formed crossbowmen to harass the enemy while his pike blocks closed.  Having closed the range without suffering from missile fire, the two units of formed crossbowmen caught the middle Spanish pike block in a hail of bolts.  Casualties to the densely packed pike was beginning to tell.

Spanish pike caught in a crossfire

While the French crossbow were busy harassing the enemy, the two opposing pikes in the center of the battlefield collided.

Clash in the center

Push of pike

Receiving more punishment than given in the push of pike, the Spanish opted to fall back.  Not willing to allow the Spanish any respite, the Italian pike followed up on the retreating Spanish any attacked again.

Spanish pike retreat and the Italians follow up

Disordered from casualties and hemorrhaging men, the Spanish could not withstand a second charge.  The Spanish pikemen scattered.  Advancing into the vacated box, the Italians pause.  As two ships passing unseen in the night, the Italian and central Spanish pike blocks advanced beyond the immediate threat of the other.  French crossbow fell back in front of the approaching Spanish pike.

Pikes advance unmolested

Now, at this point in the action, a few questions were raised and some discussion followed.  After the Italian pike block advanced, having scattered the block to its front, the two enemy pike blocks were adjacent.  Facing in opposite directions, neither were in the others' ZOC.  Since turning a deep pike block is a doubly difficult maneuver, the Spanish chose to advance one box toward the enemy deployment zone.  The question raised:  Since advancing into a vacated box after a successful charge is mandatory, would a unit advance past an enemy that is on its diagonal?  ZOCs only extend into the front box not diagonals.  Should a unit successful in melee have the option of advancing or not when an enemy is on its diagonal?  Should an advancing unit be allowed a facing change to face an adjacent enemy?  Would such a unit advance to end with an enemy on its flank rather than to remain stationary and have the enemy to its front diagonal?  We continue to wrestle with these question.  Comments welcome!

Back to the battle.

With its right protected by cavalry and the Spanish gun to its front out of ammo, the Italian pikemen successfully made a change of facing.  With the central Spanish block out of the picture as it engaged French crossbow deep in the enemy rear, Francois managed to have three pike blocks converge on one Spanish block.  Unfortunately, the left most French pike block was destroyed by a combination of artillery and arquebus fire before it could close.

Italian pike turn to face the Spanish pike

Francois' pikes converge on the enemy

Flanked by the Italians and engaged to its front, it was inevitable that the Spanish block would succumb to the overwhelming odds against it.  With the loss of two of his three pike blocks, Charles withdrew from the battle. 

Two against one!

Francois avenged the loss from the first battle and gained a victory!  Losses were high for both but Francois held on to win the day.

What of the cavalry on the French right?  With a number of failed activations throughout the battle, the cavalry on the wing did little more than stare each other down.

Cavalry standoff

As in the first battle, this battle saw a number of brigade activations stopped cold with an Ace on its initial activation attempt.  In this battle, the number of initial activation failures was not tracked.  Consensus was that this count was high.  While advantage in ranged missile fire was held by the Spanish in the first game, the tables turned in the second game and Francois held the upper hand in that quarter.

Fewer rules' errors were made in this contest. Those unforced errors affected both sides equally.  Tactics are beginning to evolve on the battlefield and a rematch is planned.  To mitigate brigade failure on first activation draw, we will use Peter's (Blunders on Danube) suggestion to redraw a brigade activation card if the first is an Ace.