Legio XVII: Battle of the Danube (29 page)

The Roman with the arrow sticking out of his shoulder was cursing the fact that he wasn’t wearing his armor.  He was in pain, but could walk.  When they made it back to the hut, the Centurion mixed henbane and poppy juice with water and gave it to the wounded man.  He cut out the arrow and wrapped the wound with cloth to stop the bleeding.  He told two of the men to ride south to meet the Legions and report the incident.  He directed two more men to retrieve the thrown pila and drag the dead man to a remote part of the woods and bury him.  He then went up to the site to inspect it for evidence of a fight and to continue observing the Teutons.  He figured it might take a day or two before people began looking for the missing hunter.

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Manius and his 100 man Expedition Staff departed Bad Tolz the next morning, 3 June, at 8:00 A.M.  They were escorted by Servilius, his eight Maniples drawn from Triarii veterans, 100 cavalry (Manius had given Bethica’s Attack Group 200 horses from Servilius’ cavalry), 100 archers and 5 Scorpio.  Servilius had trained the men for most of the winter to act as a mini Legion, which duplicated the tactics he had used four years earlier at Patavium.  This formation served him well at the battle of Properi.

He presented a 200 man front with three men lined up behind each of the lead men.  The remaining 200 men formed a second line that could be used to attack the enemy flank or reinforce the first line.  The four Suevi and one Raeti Maniple were intermingled with the Maniples of Legiones XVII, XX, and V Etrusci.  After training together for five months, the men knew their positions and had confidence in the men around them.

The cavalry led the column and were followed by six Maniples, 100 archers, and five Scorpio pulled on hand carts.  Manius and the staff were next in the column.  The wagons followed them and the two remaining Maniples brought up the rear.  They easily covered the eight miles (12.8km) to Dietramszell and set up the Headquarters in the woods just south of the crossroads.  The cavalry never stopped; they pushed on to scout the surrounding terrain to the east, west, and north.  The group that went north made contact with the scouts who were watching the garrison at Munich.

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Calvus marched the 40 miles (64km) to Landsberg am Lech at a moderate pace, about 12 miles (19.3km) per day.  Each night when they stopped, the four Legions built a standard marching camp with a ditch, rampart, and palisades, but in a circular pattern much like at Bad Tolz.  When they stopped for the third night, they were within 4 miles (6.4km) of the River and Landsberg.  That evening he assembled his leaders and said, “Tomorrow, we need to ford the River and turn north.  At that point we are about 15 miles (24km) from where I plan to engage the Teutons.  The wagons will also cross the river and move into a hidden location in the woods on the far side.  They will wait one day and then move up the road to Bobingen where they will stay until we summon them.  The Legions will march 14 miles (22.5km) tomorrow and camp just inside the woods about five miles (8km) from our attack position.”

As Calvus was completing his orders to his Commanders, his Camp Guard, entered the tent and said, “Sir, a scout has just arrived from Augsburg with an urgent message.”

Calvus said, “Bring him in.”

When he stood before the group and saluted, Calvus said, “Give us your report.”

The scout recounted the killing of the archer the day before and guessed it would be a day or two more before the Teutons began looking for him.  He said, “Since the archers usually hunted to the north and east of the garrison and not in our direction, I wouldn’t expect anyone searching for the missing archer to come our way until they have exhausting the other areas.  I would estimate we have four or five days before they will expand their search.  Other than that, there has been no change in the Teuton garrison.”

Calvus thanked the man and dismissed him.  “Well Gentlemen, what do you think?

Caile, the Commander of V Etrusci said, “It’s 15 miles (24km) from here to our attack positions; without the wagons to slow us down we could be in our positions tomorrow night and begin our ruse to lure the Teutons into the valley the next day.  That’s three days after the archer was killed.  Based on the Scout’s report, I do not see how this matter affects our plan.”

Calvus looked at Caile for a moment as he tried to discern the truth of what he has just heard.  Then he looked around to see if anyone else had a comment.  When he saw none, he said, “I agree.  Let’s continue as planned.”

The next day, the Legions forded the river, turned right and began following the river.  The wagons crossed the river and went into an assembly area and were hidden by the forest.  Their instructions were to stay in position for one day and then proceed up the road east of the river to Bobingen and stop.

Calvus, his staff, and protective cavalry escort rode ahead of the Legions to the attack position.  When Calvus was last there, it was February and the woods were treeless, stark, and unfriendly.  Now, everything was bursting with new green and appeared peaceful and welcoming.  He found the Centurion in charge of the scouts and was told that nothing had changed in Augsburg.  No searchers had come in their direction, but he could see men moving off to the north and east.

As the Legions marched into the woods from the open fields by the river, they began gathering any daisy like plants they could find such as Sagewort and Wormwood to throw on the fire to repel mosquitoes.  They knew that hoards of the biting insects were waiting for them and would attack them all night without the protective smoke of these burning plants.  The men also carried a vinegar concoction and mint leaves to rub on their exposed skin.  As long as the fires smoldered, the Legions would sleep in peace.  Because of the thick forest, the Legions did not prepare their normal encampment, but were roughly organized in a circular pattern.

On the fifth day since leaving Bad Tolz, the Legions arose at 5:00 A.M., ate breakfast, and packed their equipment.  They stepped out of the woods at 8:00 A.M. and into the center valley leading to their attack position.  Cavalry rode ahead of the column and a few men walked in the woods on each side of the valley to provide early warning of an ambush.  The long column arrived at the open square in the woods at 11:00 A.M.  Calvus directed the Legions into their battle positions.

The two Suevi Legions and the Scorpio occupied the south side of the half mile (.8km) wide square.  Legio XVII and 500 archers went to the left, west side and V Etrusci and 500 archers moved to the right and into the woods.  Since they were three miles (8km) from the Teutons, in thick woods, and separated by a hill, Calvus permitted fires and the men ate a warm lunch.

Calvus figured he would use the next two days to prepare the battlefield.  He wanted the Suevi to dig a protective ditch in front of their position to give them the confidence to hold their position.  He directed the Scorpio to dig emplacements among the Suevi with over head cover to conceal them and offer protection against arrows.  Legiones XVII and XX were instructed to familiarize themselves with the woods and find a place to conceal themselves from enemy columns coming down the east, west, or central valley.  The battle plan called for these two Legions to attack and ambush any Teutons who came down the left or right valleys.

Calvus established his Headquarters about 25 yards (22.8m) behind the Suevi position.  That evening the staff and Commanders briefed Calvus as they did every evening on the condition of the troops, their positions, morale, number of sick, amount of food remaining, and so forth.  At the conclusion, Calvus said, “If all Commanders can report at tomorrow’s night’s briefing that we are prepared to offer battle, then early on 7 June, the two Suevi Legions will march the one mile (1.6km) up the valley, cross over the hill, and advance on the Teuton garrison.  All others Legions will remain in place.  We’ll talk more about this tomorrow night.”

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Landshut

Bethica led Legio XX, I Raetorum, and her two Suevi Legions out of Bad Tolz northeast to Rosenheim.  Her column consisted of four Legions, 1,000 archers, 100 Slingers, 100 Scorpio, and 500 horsemen.  It was a formidable force.  They covered the 25 miles (40km) in two days and spent the night of 31 May at Rosenheim.  Her cavalry patrolled as far north as Haag in Oberbayern, some 27 miles (43.4km) due north.

On 2 June, the long column arrived at Wasserburg.  The next day, the column passed through Haag in the early afternoon and split into two parts as planned.  Bethica went northwest to get behind Landshut with her two Suevi Legions, I Raetorum, 100 Slingers, 50 Scorpio, and 500 archers. Legate Justus led Legio XX, 500 archers, 50 Scorpio and 500 cavalry to the northeast.  Both groups had about 30 miles (48km) to go.  Since Bethica was circling slightly to the west, her column had a little longer to travel, maybe five to eight miles (8 to 12.8km) more.

Because of the warning she received from Headquarters about the Teuton garrison at Munich, she decided to march the last two days at night when they would be between the Teuton garrisons at Landshut and Munich.

Moving at night was much slower. The overcast sky hid the moon and it was pitch dark.  The long column halted frequently to ensure no one was drifted away from the main body.  During the day, Bethica placed her men in woods and everyone slept.  Fires were not permitted and cold food was the order of the day.  Guards were posted throughout the night, but Bethica knew she was vulnerable if detected by the Teutons.  The second night was easier than the first.  A bright half moon hung in the sky and the column maintained a steady pace.

On 6 June, Legio XX arrived at the bridge over the Isar.  They waited for darkness in the woods south of the river.  About 11:00 P.M., the Legion crossed on the bridge and waded across the river simultaneously to reduce the time the Legion would be exposed.  They immediately turned left and followed the river until they were opposite the settlement; they hid in the thick 50 yard (45.7m) wide undergrowth only 400 yards (365.7m) from 20,000 Teutons.  On 7 June, Legio XX was in position.  The 500 horsemen with mounted archers continued to the east, but at a walking pace.  To give the horses a break from carrying the rider and archer, both men dismounted frequently and walked alongside the horse.  Eventually, they linked up with the scouts who were observing Landshut and were led to thick woods with a clear view of the battlefield, but out of sight of the Teuton garrison.

About 1:00 A.M. on 8 June, Bethica moved her Legions and wagons into the pre-selected positions in the woods northwest of Landshut. Despite their fatigue, the three Legions quietly dropped their gear and moved to the hill about three miles (4.8km) from the Teuton garrison.  In order to get closer to the creek on the western side of the open plain, Bethica had to shift her right flank about half a mile (800m) west of her original plan.  Once she was satisfied that her right flank was was about 200 yards (182m) from the creek, the Legions dug a half mile long ditch in front of the hill; their defensive fallback position,.  Before dawn, Bethica escorted one Suevi Legion to the creek.  She told the Legate where to place the 2,000 men who would act as bait and where to place the remaining 3,000 men and 500 archers along the creek bank.  She told the Legate to build a barrier at the top of the bank to slow any Teutons attempting to climb up.  Before she returned to her main body of troops, Bethica emphasized to her Suevi Legate that he was free to use his initiative to reposition his troops should the situation change.  Since the men had worked all night, she decided to rest them on the 8th and attack on the morning of the 9th.

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Augsburg

All day on 6 June, Calvus watched his men prepare for battle.  The Suevi dug a 10 foot wide 7 foot deep ditch in front of their position; the Scorpio Commander integrated his weapons with the Suevi and dug protective pits.  The Scorpio were sited to provide maximum fire to the immediate front, but could also swivel and fire 45 degrees to the left and right.  Logs provided overhead protection from arrows.

Legio XVII and Legio V Etrusci and their archers searched for ambush positions at several points along the edge of the valley opposite the large open areas where the main battle would be fought.  It was assumed that the Teutons who were coming down the east or west valleys would immediately cut into the woods to join the fight in the center valley when they heard the sound of battle.  Where they would do this maneuver was the question.

That afternoon, Legates Vitulus and Caile along with their respective Maneuver Tribunes met to discuss their identical missions.

Vitulus said, “Our first operation is to possibly ambush a force equal in size to our own.  To me, that means don’t split my force into two parts.  I say that because I initially considered putting half my Legion on one side of the valley and the other half on the other.  When I thought about it, I realized that the entire Teuton group could turn and run into the far woods at the first sign of the ambush and overwhelm my Legionaries who would be standing in their way.”