Legio XVII: Battle of the Danube (38 page)

“The Hastati is going to take the full impact of thousands of Teuton spears.  The men need to keep their shield up and their heads down.  Rotate the Hastati quickly to keep fresh men in the fight, but tell them to protect their backs as they rotate.  The stress on these men will be enormous.  They will be fighting hand to hand while the air above them will be filled with spears and arrows.  Replace them with the Principe before they start taking too many casualties.”

On 1 July, they were within 5 miles (8km) of Regensburg and assembling in a cleared area. It was time to put those plans into action

Three days before the battle, the two Suevi Maniples that escorted the Suevi women from Landshut to Innsbruck rejoined their Legion.  They had marched 20 miles (32km) a day since 25 June and were happy to have arrived in time for the battle.  Three days later, the other two Maniples arrived from Innsbruck after escorting the women from Dietramszell.  They immediately joined their Legion.

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Figure 11: Ingolstadt to Regensburg (Goggle Maps)

On 25 June, Timur received his first report from the scouts watching Munich.  Since then, he received daily reports on the movement of the enemy.  He, Donar, and the other Commanders met continuously to determine their strategy.  The result was a flurry of orders and activity.  The Clan Leaders were recalled from their survey of the land; the people at Two Lakes were alerted and told to form barricades with their wagons; the fort was strengthened by implanting sharpened stakes in the ground adjacent to the walls; the ferry landing sites on the far side of the Danube was reinforced to a total of 100 men; and shields were wrapped with additional layers of leather to harden them.  The troops were drawn up outside the fort in their battle array and practiced maneuvering twice a day.

Timur wanted to send men to guard the people, but he needed all the troops he could muster.  He decided to take a calculated risk and keep all his troops at Regensburg.  That’s where the battle would be fought.  Any enemy attack on the settlement would only be a diversion.  He had 50,000 men; the enemy 40,000.  Despite the enemy’s hardened shields and long spears, he felt his advantage in archers and men could win the day.

The area around Regensburg was clear of forest for miles.  Any stratagem the enemy employed would be visible; there would be no deception.  Timur decided not to go on the offensive, but to wait for the enemy.  He also knew he could fall back on the fort if he had to.  He and his Commanders decided the battle would take place on the fields around Regensburg.

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As they stood in the clearing in full view of the large Teuton fort, Manius assembled his Leaders and reiterated his earlier orders.  “I want to form the Legions in battle array here in this clearing.  Form them in a triplex acies with Legio XVII and Legio XX side by side in the center.  Put Legio V Etrusci and Legio I Raetorum behind them.  I want the center to look like the strongest part of our line and hope that Timur will match our formation.”

“I will place two Suevi Legions on each flank; two on the left and two on the right; the cavalry will go to the extreme right flank and the archers on the other.  Keep the Scorpio behind the archers and out of sight.  Their primary target will be the Teuton archers.  Once we see where Timur places his archers, move the Scorpio to oppose them.  March the Legions to within 700 yards (640m) of the Teuton fort and stop.  That should provide a 400 yard (365m) separation between us and the Teutons when they deploy outside their fort.”

“If the Teutons simply watch us as we march out, I want to maintain this formation in place for a few hours to observe their reaction.  As far as they know, we may attack them or Timur may attack us, but I think Timur will want to size us up before initiating battle.”

“If Timur attacks us today, I plan to leave Legio XVII and Legio XX in the center.  I feel confident they can hold.  I will move Legio V Etrusci and Legio I Raetorum from their center position behind Legio XVII and Legio XX off to the flanks.  Legio V Etrusci will stand behind the two Suevi Legions on the left and Legio I Raetorum will stand behind the other two Suevi Legions on right.  These two Legions will act as a back up and be prepared to move forward and take up the fight.  Legio V Etrusci and Legio I Raetorum will also be prepared to move back to the center if Legio XVII and Legio XX get into trouble.  If our entire line is holding, I may order V Etrusci and I Raetorum to move to the extreme flanks and sweep around to the front to hit the Teutons on both their flanks simultaneously.  Be flexible and be prepared to change plans instantly.”

“If the Teutons do not attack us as soon as we take the field, I plan to begin the battle in approximately three days, but, on the day of battle, I will change the way the forces are currently arrayed.  I will put the four Suevi Legions in the center and the other Legions will be on the flanks.  The cavalry will begin the action.  They will ride out and destroy the Teuton cavalry after which they will return and wait alongside the four Suevi Legions in the center.  The cavalry will be prepared to charge through the gap that will open if the Teuton center charges our Suevi center while the Teuton flanks are being pushed back.”

“Once the battle begins, the archers need to run behind the Scorpio so the Scorpio can fire without fear of hitting them.  I want the arrows from our archers and Scorpio to drive the Teuton archers from the field.  They have the potential to do us a lot of harm and must be removed.  Listen carefully, if the Teuton archers begin to fire as soon as they take the field, then you must fire back immediately.  Don’t wait for our attack to begin.  If they start shooting, you shoot.  Is that clear?”

“I want to establish our circular fort about 1,000 yards (914m) from their fort, which would put our fort at the rear of our formation once we stop advancing.  If the Teutons do not attack us, keep four Legions facing the Teutons and four at work on the ditch, rampart, and palisades.  Rotate them after two hours.  If everything goes as planned, we will spend tonight inside the fort.  Put the Scorpio on the ramparts, but keep them out of sight.”

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Ever since the enemy entered the Munich area, Timur knew their every move.  He knew they were forming up into a battle array southwest of the fort and about an hour and a half away.  His Army was already outside the fort in a long line in five thick blocks of 10,000 men each.  His archers were on the right and his cavalry on the left.  His plan was to watch the enemy approach and adjust his formation as necessary.  His men were trained sufficiently to adjust their ranks quickly and without too much confusion.

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Manius knew that his men would be anxious as they approached the Teutons; some would be excited, some apprehensive, but all would be thinking about wounds and death.  To counter these feelings, he donned his battle gear, mounted his horse and placed himself in the front of the formations.  His two Attack Group Commanders rode their horses side by side 20 feet (6m) behind him.  The Legates rode in front of their Legions.  In the center, Legates Calvus, Valerian, Caile, and Lugano rode side by side.  The unique signum of the eight Legions bearing their name and emblem was carried prominently behind the Legates.

With a great blast of horns and a mighty cheer from 40,000 men, the massive Army moved forward.  The sun shone brightly with a slight breeze that cooled the 68 degree (20C) temperature.  The men were rested and ready to meet the Teutons.  Confidence was on the side of the Proconsul’s Army.  They had carefully planned and executed two highly successful attacks against 40,000 Teuton warriors.  They were battle tested, highly trained, and trusted their equipment and Commanders.

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The Teuton warriors, including their leaders, strained to see their enemy.  All they could see was a swirl of dust and a large moving mass of men.  As the Proconsul’s Army drew closer, the Teutons could make out horses and lines of shields with pointed spears protruding from the tops.  They were apprehensive and their fear only grew the closer they got.  The Army they were looking at had slaughtered two 20,000 man units.  The seven men who survived the Battle of Augsburg were accorded the honor to stand together in the front ranks.  They looked at each other and pursed their lips.  More than the others, they were fearful.  They wondered if they had escaped death at Augsburg only to die here.

Timur and Donar could almost feel the dour mood of the troops.  They felt it also.  The outcome of this encounter was in doubt and they knew it!  Nonetheless, Timur mustered the confidence to ride across the front of his Army waving his sword and encouraging the men.  They responded enthusiastically.  They needed a confident leader to stir them and ignite their fighting spirit.  Donar joined Timur and spoke loudly about the families in the settlement, the good land they now occupied, and the bright future that lie ahead.  The exhortations of Timur and Donar were effective.  It calmed the men and instilled confidence.

Timur and Donar felt that everything that needed to be done had been done.  They could only wait to see how the enemy was arrayed on the field and react to an attack.  When Timur could see better, he ordered his flanks to extend to the left and right.  He was too bunched up in the center and the advancing enemy line over lapped his forces.  Once they extended, the lines were of equal length.  Manius saw this shift in forces and expected it.  He noted that they accomplished the move quickly and efficiently.  He said to himself, “These men are trained.”

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Manius stopped the advance about 700 yards (640m) from the Teutons’ formation.  The Legates rode to the rear of the troops who strained to see the Teutons across the field.  It was obvious that there were more Teutons.  Suddenly the silence was broken by the sound of numerous horns that gave the signal to prepare to snap their shield to the front.  The men had been carrying their shields in the walking configuration on their left side.  When the horns sounded again, 40,000 shields simultaneously swung to the front facing the Teutons.  A few seconds later, the horns signaled “rest” and the edge of the shields were lowered to rest on the ground.

The men adopted a more relaxed stance and prepared to do nothing but stand.  They were allowed to talk, but had to maintain their position.  Manius was allowing time for the engineers to lay out the camp’s center point, ditch, and rampart.  After about 45 minutes, Legiones V Etrusci and I Raetorum who stood behind Legiones XVII and XX, stacked their gear, moved away from the formation, and began digging.  They were joined by two of the four Suevi Legions.  The remaining four Legions stood in place.  The Scorpio and archers were massed to the left rear to face the Teuton archers.

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Timur, Donar, and the men thought the attack was coming when they saw the shield suddenly face to the front.  But then, the shields were lowered and they could see some troops moving to the rear; everyone relaxed.  Timur was concerned that this could be a trick and since he was still facing about 20,000 men lined up for battle, he decided to keep his men in place.

He focused his attention on the center two groups.  He could see the armor on their shoulders and the unique helmets they wore.  Occasionally, he got a glimpse of armor wrapped around the upper torso.  He thought to himself, “These must be the men who attacked us at Augsburg.  If their shields resist arrow strikes and their body armor can stop a sword, they will be hard to kill.”

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After about four hours of steady work on the ditch, it was completed.  At 4:00 P.M., Manius ordered the Legions to march inside to continue working on the rampart and palisades.  The Scorpio went first to keep them out of sight.  Guards were posted on the ramparts while the rest of the men continued working.  After another three hours, it was mostly completed.  The wagons and mules were led in the back gate.  Manius planned to move the wagons outside the fort once he could discern Timur’s intentions.