DBA battle report: Late Swiss (IV/79b) vs Medieval French (IV/64c)

Sometime history is written by the losers: medieval French (Jan) defeated 5 to 3 the Swiss invaders (me) after a long, strategic fight.  

The orders of battle:

• Medieval French (IV/64c) - The defender: Gen 3Kn, 3Kn (x5), 4Bd, 7Hd, 3Bw (x2), 4Cb, Art

• Late Swiss (IV/79b) - The attacker: Gen Pk, Pk (x7), 3Bd (x2), Ps (x2)

The terrain: the French wanted an open field, no much impediments for their horses: two plough, a gentle hill, a wood.
The Swiss picked the table side and went with the wood to impede outflanking on their right side, hoping the clouds over their heads did not start pouring water and transform the plough into rough muddy fields. No rain eventually, first PIP roll was a 2.
The French were happy (I guess) with the open space before them and just a gentle hill on their left.

The deployment:   The French packed up all forces in the center, with shooting units in the front (plus the horde) and the knights on their back. A knight and a blade on the hill facing the wood, just in case something bad might come out from between the trees.

 

The Swiss opted for a central block of pikes, with the fast blade protecting the flanks and the two arquebusiers hiding in the wood.

The battle:

BOUND 1 (France)   &   BOUND 2 (Switzerland)

2 PIPs for the French, 3 PIPs for the Swiss. The two armies studied each other, cautiously and slowly advanced towards the enemy, the Swiss pike a bit too close to the French bows. Some arrows flew, but out of target. The artillery stood idly and the French mounts chomp at the bit, whilst the Swiss swordmen and arquebusiers venturing into the wood.

France 0 - Switzerland 0

BOUND 3 (France)

The French broke the quiet (6 PIPs). Three knights and the general swiftly get out from behind the archers and begun an outflanking maneuver (the Swiss pikes gotta watch their left). Meanwhile, a rain of arrows pour on the Swiss army killing the blades and pushing back a couple of pikes. The artillery aimed too high: a big bang with no harm. Blade and knights on the hill started descending toward the woods.

France 1 - Switzerland 0

BOUND 4 (Switzerland)

The French impetus left half of the Swiss pike shaken, while the other half found enough energy to react (5 PIPs): they retreated and turned to face the upcoming French knights shock wave. The blades in the wood moved to protect the flank of the shaken pikes.

France 1 - Switzerland 0

BOUND 5 (France)

4 PIPs. The knights continued their outflanking maneuver on both sides of the battlefield, while missiles kept on harassing the enemy pikes. No casualties though, just one recoiling.

France 1 - Switzerland 0

BOUND 6 (Switzerland)

Not much to do for the Swiss, it looked like terror froze their souls (2 PIPs). The pikes on the left stretched the line in an attempt to slow down the horses' stride (one knight in a pike's ZoC). With the archers out of range, no harm came from the crossbowmen.

France 1 - Switzerland 0

BOUND 7 (France)

A sight of an array of pikes may be pretty scaring (4PIPs). The knight did slowed down their stride and restrained from impacted the Swiss lines, hoping the advancing bows could diminish the strength of the pike lines. Which they did: one recoil, one casualty.

France 2 - Switzerland 0

BOUND 8 (Switzerland)

Only the general had courage enough to act (1 PIP). He moved further leftwards and eventually stopped the outflanking maneuver. The fight went on on the battlefield without further casualties.

France 2 - Switzerland 0

BOUND 9 (France)

4 PIPs: why the hell those frog-eaters do not want to charge?!! The French didn't want to leave the enemy any way out and completed their encirclement on their left. They advanced also on their right wing: the blades moving forwards to control the arquebusiers in the wood, the men-at-arms galopping past the trees. Do they want to get to the camp? Arrows and cannonballs flew into the airs without precision.

 France 2 - Switzerland 0

BOUND 10 (Switzerland)

The Swiss woke up, took advantage of the French's hesitation (3 PIPs) and counterattacked: a tie and the Swiss general pushing a knight against the edge of the battlefield (one more push and ciao bambino). The crossbows pushed back pikes in the centre: no big harm. Instead, pretty encouraging outcomes for the Swiss. 

 France 2 - Switzerland 0

BOUND 11 (France)

The Swiss counterattack shocked the French and increase their hesitation (1 PIP). They couldn't do anything but continuing galloping towards the Swiss camp and struggling in the melee against the pikes. And the Swiss pikes stroke hard: two knights down. Did Fortune turn her wheel?

  France 2 - Switzerland 2
 

BOUND 12 (Switzerland)

The melee did not exhaust the Swiss (4 PIPs). The pikes charged the French general's knight squadron that resisted the attack. The arquebusiers got out of the wood and bravely engaged the French blades. Despite the flank support of their friend swordsmen, the arquebusiers could not do anything against the mighty blades but turned their back and flee through the trees.

France 2 - Switzerland 2

BOUND 13 (France)   &   BOUND 14 (Switzerland)

Some French archers run to help their general still engaged by the Swiss pikes (4 PIPs). Others moved in shooting range to the remaining pikes. Fortune did turn her wheel, no doubt. The pikes killed a knight unit and pushed back the French general and the supporting archers. Meanwhile, a French knight completed his move past the wood and got close to the Swiss camp.

The Swiss general (4 PIPs) ordered his pikes to converge towards the camp under threat by the approaching knights.

France 2 - Switzerland 3

BOUND 15 (France)    &   BOUND 16 (Switzerland)

The demoralized French (1 PIP) went for the weakest in the Swiss army: the arquebusiers, who could not resist the charge of the French knights. The Fortune's wheel turned again.

The Swiss camp remained under threat: the pikes continued their march towards the camp; the remaining arquebusiers also strode through the woods to provide additional support. Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the battlefield, other pikes  charged the archers (who resisted) and controlled the advance of the general knights (4 PIPs).

France 3 - Switzerland 3

BOUND 17 (France)

The French had enough and wanted to end the Swiss resistance (4 PIPs). The general knights charged the pikes; two archer units charged the pikes; other knights charged the Swiss swordsmen. The swordsmen resisted and pushed back the knights; the pikes, already exhausted by the previous clashes, capitulated. And the French drove back the invaders!!

France 5 - Switzerland 3