Legio XVII: Battle of the Danube (37 page)

Timur said, “Tell me what happen.  When did it all start?  Take your time.  We want to hear the details.”  The men all looked at their leader who then told the story.  The other men would occasionally inject some small detail as he spoke.

When the men finished, Timur said, by way of summary, “You never saw the archers who were shooting at you, but you did get a brief look at the men coming out of the woods to attack your group.  They had metal helmets that also covered their cheeks, large curved shields that protected most of their body, shoulder armor, and they threw spears with long metal points. Thank you for the information.  You did the right thing.  If you stayed to fight you would be feeding the vultures.”

Timur turned to Donar and the two men who each Commanded Groups of 20,000 and said, “Give these men several days to recover from their trip and incorporate them back into the Army.  He then dismissed the men and looked at his Commanders, “We still know very little about our enemy.”

During the next seven days, various groups of Teutons began arriving at Regensburg.  Some were in bad shape and had not eaten in days.  These men were from Ulm who had been building the bridge and the three groups of 500 that Donar had sent out as scouts, but had to abandon in his haste to leave Munich.  One group reported that he was missing 50 men.  None had anything further to add concerning the enemy.

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Manius led the Legions out of Dietramszell to Munich on two parallel roads and arrived two days later, the 20th.  The Teuton cavalry that Donar left to observe Munich watched them arrive.  The scouts were well positioned on a tree covered hill about two miles (3.2km) to the north of Munich.  Their horses were on the far side of the hill hidden in the brush.

They initially saw enemy cavalry enter Munich and continue north, east, and west.  These horsemen would stop periodically to look around, but no one approached the Teutons’ observation point.  The men on the horses looked like fighters.  These were not mere scouts.  They wore helmets, body armor, and carried shields and long spears.  The Teuton scouts knew not to tangle with them.

The scouts were curious to find out who they were fighting and decided to hold their position as long as possible.  They watched the enemy set up their encampments in a circular pattern with a ditch and walls and then go about the regular business of camp life.  They estimated that there were about 40,000 men.

When it got dark, a few crawled closer to one of the camps to get to a better look.  Some of the guards were outside the ditch.  They could see that this was a mixed force.  Some had armor while others had very little.  They all had large shields and long spears.  Satisfied, they crawled back to the hill and planned to send a rider to Regensburg the next morning.

The rider arrived at Regensburg on the 25th and was immediately taken to Donar.  He took the rider’s report and went to see Timur.  “Timur, we finally have some solid information.  One of my scouts just arrived from Munich.  He said we are facing a mixed Army of about 40,000 men.  They are not all armored, but all have large shields and spears.  They have hundreds of wagons. Some of the handcarts they pulled were carrying a weapon that looked like a large bow.  Their fort included a ditch completely around it and a rampart with log walls.  I expect more reports will be coming in every few days.”

Timur listened in silence only nodding his head now and then.  He was depressed.  When Donar completed his report, Timur said, “Finally, we have a better idea of who we are fighting.  Even though they may be from different tribes, they appeared to be similarly equipped.  They also appear to be a disciplined force with experienced fighters and leaders.  We have them on numbers, but they have the advantage in equipment and training.  I feel better knowing we are not facing a 100,000 man Army, but this Army seems very dangerous.  We can’t underestimate them.  Thank you Donar.  Keep me informed.”

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Figure 10: Munich, Ingolstadt, Regensburg (Goggle Maps)

Elitovius, Ansi, Atta, a few Suevi who could understand the Teuton tongue, and scribes that Joseph provided, interviewed prisoners at every opportunity.  The prisoners were bound with their hands behind them and lined up outside the interrogation tent.  They came with guards in groups of 100 men.  It was exhausting work for Eliovitus and the men helping him.  They asked each prisoner the same questions.  When Eliovitus heard something new, he would tell a scribe to write it down.  This went on for hours.

The next morning, the eight Legions set out for Ingolstadt.  When they stopped for the night, Eliovitus continued interrogating the prisoners.  Eliovitus had a routine at this point and the prisoners were in and out in less than 10 minutes.  He had learning a great deal already and was able to skip the basic question.  When he was about to call it a day, a large surly Teuton entered the tent and stood before Eliovitus.  Ansi sat next to him while Atta was standing to stretch his legs.

Unbeknown to Eliovitus, the man had loosened his hands while waiting outside and was preparing to attack.  When Eliovitus asked his first question, he spat at Eliovitus, reached into his waistband and pulled out a small knife.  He lunged across the table at Eliovitus.  Instinctively, Ansi raised his arm to block the thrust and took the point in his left forearm.  Atta saw what was happening and grabbed the Teuton’s wrist that held the knife.  Ansi flew over the table, blood streaming down his arm, and grabbed the man around the chest.  The guards grabbed for the knife as everyone fell to the ground.  The man was so strong that even four men could barely restrain him.  Then, he suddenly stopped moving.  A guard rolled him over and saw the knife sticking in his chest.  They guessed it hit his heart.  Eliovitus was grateful and outraged.  More than one person that night suffered his sharp tongue.

Ansi required a few stitches.  Everyone involved was bruised.  When Eliovitus settled down, he profusely thanked both Ansi and Atta for saving his life.

The next day, 23 June, the Legions arrived at Ingolstadt.  The Legions immediately set up their camp.  The ditch, rampart, and palisades were set in place and then the tents were erected.

That evening, after the regular briefing by the staff, Manius asked Elitovius to tell the Legates what he learned from the prisoners.  By this time, everyone had heard about the attack on Eliovitus.  He rose from his seat, stood, and faced the assembled Legates and staff officer.  He was not a polished speaker, but he could communicate his ideas in a clear, logical, and coherent fashion.  “I am happy to be here with you tonight,” he said and drew a round of applause.  “I want to thank these two Legionaries from Legio XVII for saving my life, Ansi and Atta.  Please stand up.”  Again the Commanders and staff applauded.

He told the group that the prisoners showed no reluctance to talk to him either singly or in groups.  They were proud of what they had accomplished and were eager to share it.

Eliovitus summarized the Cimbri/Teuton history starting in Scandinavia.  He mentioned Timur their leader, their long preparation to migrate, the rebuilding of the Army, and the hardships of the 700 mile (1126km) migration.

He talked about the organization of the Army, Donar their Commander, and their equipment.  He went into great detail about the simultaneous attacks on Ulm, Regensburg, and Passau.  He included details of garrison life at Augsburg and Landshut specifically noting the lack of any military training.  He mentioned their future plans to move the people from the Two Lakes area to Karlsruhe and then southeast to the newly constructed bridges over the Iller south of Ulm.  He concluded his presentation by telling the group that the Clan Leaders were currently exploring the new land and identifying settlement areas for the various clans.  He had spoken for about 30 minutes and never once referred to his notes!

Manius thanked Eliovitus and he departed with Ansi and Atta.  The Proconsul stood up and said, “We’ll all have to think about that report and how it may bear upon our operations, but two things caught my attention.  First, the Teutons don’t attack as a single mass, but are divided into fighting groups; the smallest is 100 and the largest is 20,000.  That means they can maneuver and shift forces around the battlefield.”

“The second item is the fact that their people, the women and children, are about 20 miles (32km) north of Regensburg on the other side of the river.  That’s a serious vulnerability.  Any perceived threat to their people would weaken their morale.  Let me know in the days to come if you can think of any other strength or weakness we should consider.”

Manius then addressed Rasce, his cavalry Commander.  “We just heard that the Teuton cavalry is small and barely combat effective.  With that in mind, I want you to take 300 of your men and 300 archers across the Danube and parallel our march on this side.  When we arrive at Regensburg, I want you to remain out of sight and await my order.  Have some of your men standing by at my Headquarters who can find you quickly.  When I order it, I want you to attack the ferry system the Teutons have built to get across the River.  Cut the ropes and cast the ferry adrift.  Then appear to ride to attack their settlement, but leave the archers at the ferry site.  I want them to think you are going to attack Two Lakes.  Ride a short distance then circle back, but stay out of sight of the fort unless the Teutons try to cross the river.”

The next morning, the Legions began to parallel the Danube on their way to Regensburg.  Because of a lack of roads, the Legions were forced to travel in one long column that stretched out for miles.  Rasce pushed out his cavalry to 15 miles (24km) to provide early warning of any approaching Teuton Army and had a detachment at Regensburg observing the fort.  Manius felt he would know if the Teutons deployed to move against him.  He slowed the march to 10-12 miles (16 to 19km) a day to allow the men to maintain their morale and conditioning.  On the second day after leaving Ingolstadt, he stopped for two days to allow the men to use the Danube for bathing, recreation, and relaxing.

On 29 June, the Legions continued the march.  At noon, the long column separated into two groups to take advantage of a parallel road that the cavalry discovered earlier.  During the approach march to Regensburg, Manius and his Commanders discussed how to fight the battle.  Manius had already decided on an initial plan.  He said, “I want to employ the tactic used by Scipio in Spain during the Battle of Ilipa where he deceived the enemy by changing formations at the last minute.  That may change when we get a better look at Timur’s Army and the terrain, but for now, that’s my plan.”

Manius said, “We have the initiative.  I’m counting on the fact that Timur is wary of us after his two defeats at Augsburg and Landshut.  He’s unsure of how we fight and what weapons we have.  I don’t think he will take any risks such as to try to out flank us even though he has the advantage in numbers.  I think Timur will match the length of our front whether we spread out or close it up and wait to see what we do next.”

“Initially, I want Timur to see us with as wide a front as possible: six Legions on line.  Form the Maniples with10 Legionaries facing the Teutons and 10 men behind each front man.  I want all 20 Maniples of the Hastati on line with 20 yard (18m) gaps separating each Maniple.  This will give us a front of approximately 2,280 yards (2,080m/1.3mile/2km).

Put the Principe 30 yards (27m) behind the last man of the Hastati and the Triarii 100 yards (91m) behind the last man of the Principe.    The depth of the Legions will be 150 yards (137m) except for our center which will be 300 yards (274m) deep.  The depth of the formation will keep the Principe out of range of the Teutons spears, but within range of Teuton arrows.  I’m assuming the depth of the Teuton formation will also be about 300 yards.”

“On the day of the attack, we will eliminate the gaps between the Maniples and present a solid front 1,200 yards long (1,097m/.7mile/1km).  That will cut the length of our front in half.  If the Teutons keep their original formation, they will overlap our flanks by 500 yards (457m) on each side.  Don’t let that bother you and explain it to the men so they don’t panic.”

“When Timur sees our shorter front on the day of the battle, I believe he will quickly shorten his front to equal ours and in so doing, his units will lose all cohesion and simply pile up one behind the other.  We will attack at the height of their confusion and uncertainty.  I want to wear the Teutons down and not give them a chance to recover. I’m counting on the shock of the pila to add to their confusion.”