Legio XVII: Battle of the Danube (16 page)

“Davenhardt informs us that the bridge over the Inn River at Jenbach is well constructed and will support troops marching six abreast, but that the crossing must be conducted at night to maintain secrecy.  During the day, the Suevi will post guards blocking traffic to our camps on the south and north sides of the river.  The ruse for preventing civilians to access the valleys leading north and south from the bridge is that ‘soldiers are preparing homesteads for the refugees.’  And, in reality, we will improve the roads and clear the forest for our camps.  Legate, our estimate is that the Legion will arrive at Bad Tolz on 28 November.”

Caile said, “I like the plan and I applaud the effort you all put into this.  I have one concern; what to do with the Legionaries while they are waiting to cross the bridge at Jenbach.  As we all know, when troops have too much time on their hands, we have the potential for disciplinary problems.  I heard you say that they would be used to prepare homesteads for the refugees and I think that’s a good idea.  It keeps the men physically active and actually does some good for the people.  I want you to work with Davenhardt to develop a real plan.  By that I mean, I want homesteads surveyed, the forest cleared, and roads prepared.  Since the work force will be decreasing every night as troops cross the bridge, consider that fact into your planning.  When we arrive at Jenbach, each Legion should be assigned to a specific area to work.  This is important.  Let’s get it right.”

Caile then invited the architect to describe his plan for the camp.  The architect, stood up, and unfolded a large papyrus and pinned it to the wall.  On it, he had drawn the proposed camp to scale and marked its dimensions.  It showed where the Legions’ facilities could be placed such as the granaries, workshops, barracks, hospitals, storerooms, guard houses, the all important drainage systems, bathhouse, and location of the wells.  It included the ditch, ramparts, service road as well as towers 120 feet (36.5) apart.

Barns, stables and warehouses for the wagons will be outside the fort except, of course, for the horses of the Proconsul, Legates, and Tribunes.  He used a pointer to show each of the items and concluded by saying, “We will need an enormous amount of timber to construct approximately 700 wooden structures and build a wall almost a mile (1.6km) in circumference.  Based on what I’ve heard today, that wood should be cut and waiting for the Legionaries when they arrive to save time.  They will be in the cold until these structures are built.  I suggest you delay the training until January.  They will need the month of December to construct the camp.”

Davenhardt then suggested that a Suevi, Raeti, and Roman team comprised of camp engineers, architects, craftsmen, and training advisors form an Advance Party.  They would travel to Bad Tolz before the Legions depart Rome and begin the process of staking out the camp and supporting the Suevi effort to build shields and pila.  He volunteered that the new Suevi recruits, under Roman supervision, could begin to cut down the necessary trees to construct the forts’ shelters as well as firewood, as suggested by the Chief Architect.  One of the staff officers added that the Advance Party would have to dress like Raeti and Suevi and travel in separate groups over the Brenner to avoid detection.  Caile said, “If no one has any objection to the camp design, I will speak to the Proconsul to have the necessary men identified and sent north within the week.  Chief Architect, I assume you will be going?”

“Yes sir,” was the response.

After a short break, Caile said, “Now, let’s talk about wagons.  What are your ideas?  How many wagons are we talking about?  How many animals do we have?”

The Logistics’ Tribune in Legio XX started the discussion.   “Each Legion has about 200 mules to carry the Legionaries’ gear and another 1,400 animals to pull the wagons.  The total number of animals for our three legions is about 4,800.  I estimate the number of wagons at 300 per Legion or 900 total wagons for our three Legions and that is not counting the 50 Scorpio per Legion that are usually pulled by handcarts.”  He added, “Tents alone account for the need for so many wagons.  Each 8 Legionaries require a tent; each Tribune and Legate has his own; then add to that, more tents for the archers, scribes, engineers, cavalry, medical personnel, food, fodder, and spare weaponry and armor.  If the Scorpios are placed in covered wagons to hide them from view for the passage over the Alps, we can add another 25 wagons.”

He continued, “As we all know, it takes a lot of wagons to move a Legion.  There is an enormous quantity of food, fodder, and fuel that has to accompany troops in the field.  The engineers travel with heavy tools, ropes, saws, thousand of nails, and hammers to name some of their gear.  Extra weapons, shields, armor, and especially leather that’s already tanned are essential.  Since each animal can only carry or pull so much weight, the number of wagons and animals multiplies.”

Legate Caile then added, “The mules will stay with the Legionaries after we drop the wagons off at Trento to carry tents and food for use by the troops.  The mules may even be needed to carry the Legionaries’ pila and armor over the steepest parts of the mountain.  I can see that we are going to need to add 200 more mules to each Legion to carry Legionary gear that is usually carried in the wagons.  At Trento, when we drop off the wagons, some of the essential gear will be transferred to these mules.  Start working on getting 200 more mules per Legion.  Perhaps, the Raeti can help us out when we reach Trento.”

“So, as I understand it,” Caile summarized, “our challenge is to surreptitiously move 2,200 animals hauling over a 1,000 wagons across the Alps and into Bad Tolz without being seen.”  Everyone laughed at the absurdity of it.

Lugano then made an important point.  “Not all the wagons will cross the Mountains together.  It would be a spectacle to see that many wagons on the move and all heading to Innsbruck.  The wagons will need to be fed into the traffic stream at different times as the weather permits.  Some could cross in November and maybe in December, but the rest would have to wait until late April.  This implies that the 1,000 wagons will need to be parked somewhere and guarded.  I will talk to Timo about building a secure fortification to house the wagons and their animals until they are needed.  The fortification will have to be built along with winter huts for the drivers and barns for the animals.  That many animals will require an enormous amount of fodder.  We will need the help of the surrounding tribes.  The Raeti people will do most of the work on the fortification, but Roman labor and guards would be expected.  It may be impossible to hide all this activity from the surrounding people.”

Lugano continued, “There are only two ways to bring the necessary wagons over the Alps: the Brenner and Reschen Passes.  The question is how to do this and not indicate that a buildup of forces is taking place.”

Caile said, “We will use both passes and we know that not all the equipment will be needed by the Legions at the same time.  Some of the tents, for example, will not come into play until June, when the Army begins offensive operations.  The Legionaries, on the other hand, will need their tents as they transit the mountains.  We will not need the Scorpio.  In other words, the equipment has to be prioritized as to when the various items will be needed.  After we complete that, we can develop a timetable to actually move the wagons in a logical manner.  I want the junior staff officers to work on that.”

“Let’s break for now and meet again tomorrow morning.  I want to hear your ideas about deceptive measures we can use to move the wagon into Bad Tolz to avoid attracting attention.”

Before the group adjourned, Lugano asked Caile, “I need your help to help to send a courier to Timo, who is still enroute to Trento, to get his approval to build a fort to house the wagons and begin fabricating 10,000 pila.  Bethica also needs to be told to have her new recruits start cutting timber for the fort and gathering fodder for the animals.  Caile agreed and Lugano wrote it all down.  The next day two couriers raced off north.  They intercepted Timo’s slow moving convoy near the Adriatic coast by San Benedetto del Trento.  When Timo read the message, he told the couriers to tell Lugano that he approved the request and would begin the work upon his return to Trento.  He would also get word to Bethica.

*******

Once he received Lugano message, Timo was preoccupied with thoughts about all he must accomplish before the Romans arrive at the end of October.  He estimated he would have three or four weeks to pull it all together.  He had to select a spot in the wood not far from Trento to construct a cantonment area to house the wagon, horses, and draft animals as well as hundreds of drivers.  He had to properly fortify and winterize the fort.  All this meant he needed men to work on the site.  He had received 50,000 sesterces from the Romans to get started, but it would take much more.

He also needed to begin creating Roman style pila for the Suevi Army.  As he thought about the pila, he decided to equip his own Army, or at least, the 5,000 men he had pledged to provide in the war against the Teutons.  The cost of all this was growing, but the Romans paid well.  He thought about how to mobilize the silversmiths and iron workers to manufacture the pila in a manner that would maintain secrecy.

He decided to use the 2,500 men that accompanied Legio XVII over the Alps in June.  They had fought well against the Suevi and were experienced warriors.  That meant he still had to identify another 2,500 men to reach his goal of 5,000.  He decided to put Lugano in command of this Legion and have him lead it over the mountains to Bad Tolz.

Improving the winding path over the mountain was an easier task.  He had climbed it several times while hunting and knew it well.  He could easily find men to do the work.

*******

The next morning, the Planning Group picked up where they left off the previous evening.  Davenhardt started it off. “There are about 100,000 displaced Suevi farmers moving east and west of Innsbruck looking for new homesteads.  They will need a vast array of items to sustain themselves in the coming winter such as food, construction tools, fuel, clothing, cooking gear, and eventually farming tools.  Transports loaded with relief aid from generous tribes to the south of the Alps could provide a rationale for a great number of wagons crossing over both Passes.”

“I like that,” said Caile “give me some more.”

Lugano spoke up, “King Timo and Rosa could conduct a diplomatic visit to the Suevi in Innsbruck combined with a humanitarian relief column as soon as the Legions’ wagons arrive in Trento in November.  They could conduct another visit in May when the Pass reopens.  Anyone watching would expect to see extra wagons accompanying an entourage of this size.”  He added, “The Suevi could establish legitimate buy-and-sell markets places at Innsbruck and west of the settlement to provide goods to the residence and refugees.  These same wagons could also carry concealed military hardware.”

Caile liked what he was hearing and added, “All these wagons would have to have false bottoms or be covered to hide their real cargo.  Curious onlookers would have to be kept away from inspecting the contents.  All this is going to involve a lot of people and that means we can expect that someone will leak what is really happening unless we go about this right.  The men selected to drive the wagons to the north end of the Passes must be non Romans and drawn from trusted tribes on the south side of the Alps, primarily the Raeti.  Davenhardt, we will then need Suevi drivers to take the wagons to Innsbruck and beyond.   Ideally, these Suevi drivers would stay with the Legions for the entire campaign.”

Caile wrapped up the discussion by saying, “We must also develop a reason to have the wagons move to Jenbach and up the valley to Bad Tolz.  Additionally, wagon traffic must be seen going both ways over the Passes.”  He then stood up to leave and said, “I commend all of you for your dedicated work on this.  Put this information into a formal briefing and let’s see what the Proconsul has to say.”

Tribune Andreas then said, “Sir, before we break, I have something to add.”  Caile stood for a moment, stared at Andreas, then sat down with a perplexed look on his face.  “Legate, you may recall that Proconsul Tullus gave me the responsibility to develop a plan for the 1,000 new recruits who would become available to us in December and another 1,000 in March.  I am prepared to give you my ideas.”  Caile was embarrassed; he had completely forgotten about this issue and now saw why Manius had appointed one individual to be responsible.  The new recruits were easily forgotten since they existed only in concept.  Caile thanked Andreas and said to continue.

“My proposal is that immediately after the graduating Legionaries’ one week home vacation, we designate a capable Centurion to march the 1,000 men to the fort at Trento that’s being built for the wagons.  This will count as their advance unit training.  Along the way, the Centurion will have them encamp, prepare for ambush, initiate various combat formations and so forth.  The march north will be conducted at various paces to build their endurance.  Once at Trento, they will assist in building and guarding the fort.

When the second class of 1,000 Legionaries graduates in March 206, I will personally lead them north to Trento and conduct similar training enroute.  In April or May, depending on the weather, I will lead the 2,000 new Legionaries and the Maniple from Legio XVII over the same route used by the Legions in November.  We should arrive at Bad Tolz before the Legions begin the summer offensive.”