Legio XVII: Battle of the Danube (6 page)

As the bulk of the Assault Team rounded the hut, they could see the Chief and continued racing after him.  Three of the men who came around the hut saw the fight going on at the doorway and moved in to help.  As they approached the body guards from the right side, one guard turned to block a sword blow as it arched down ward for his head.  He held his sword up and turned it sideways to catch the blade.  As he did so, another sword thrust into his ribs and lung.  He stood frozen, staring at nothing as another overhead blow split his skull.  The other guard turned to run, but was stabbed in the side and chopped in the back of the neck as he was falling.

The Chief realized his pursuers were too close and turned away from the stables; he ran for the woods.  His younger pursuers ran him down.  He spun around before they could strike him and swung his sword in a wide circle.  Fifteen young warriors now stood around him.  The other five quickly joined the circle.  The leader of the Assault Team stepped inside the circle and approached the Chief.  He asked him, “Where is out hostage?”  The Chief pointed to a hut.  Two men ran to the hut; broke down the door and emerged with the man.  He appeared unharmed.

When the Leader saw the hostage, he stepped closer to the Chief who raised his sword; ready to strike.  The Leader swung his sword at the Chief’s sword with such force, he knocked it out of his hand.  “Kneel,” commanded the Leader.  The Chief began begging for his life as he knelt down.  “Tie his hands,” ordered the Leader and a man stepped forward with rope and bound the Chief.  Knowing the inevitable, the Chief bowed his head in submission.

Minutes later his head was atop a 10 foot pole set up in the middle of the village.  His body lay at the foot of the pole.  The Strike Force paused to allow the men to urinate on it as a final humiliation.

The team along with the freed hostage walked back to their horses and rode with the good news back to Timur and the columns.

*******

Timur was overjoyed at the victory his troops had won, but deeply saddened that so many civilians had been killed.  The hostage had been isolated, but not injured and he was extremely happy to be back with his family and fellow soldiers.  He thought that he would be killed.  Timur immediately called for a meeting of his key military and civilian leaders to plan the next few days.

Timur said that he wanted the wagons to move out tomorrow morning, but not before they completed burying their dead, which numbered about 650.  He also directed that the Semnones’ weapons be gathered up from the battlefield and distributed to the men in the four columns.  The people had to take more responsibility for their own defense.

Timur noted that the terrain was becoming more open with rolling hills and grassy meadows, but that the number of small streams seemed to be increasing.  He said that the wagons could easily ford these streams, but the access and egress routes to and from them would become rutted, muddier, and soon impassable.  He directed his Army commanders to be prepared to construct short corduroy roads on each side of the crossing sites for the four columns.

Timur went on, “For this emergency with the Semnones, we circled every 10 wagons into a defensive perimeter and that’s about all that the terrain permitted.  From now on, I want 20 wagon circles.  The circumference of the circles will grow from 150 feet (45.7m) per circle to 300 (91.4m), but, more importantly, the diameter of each circle will increase from 48 feet (14.6m) to 96 feet (29.2m).  This will permit more room for the animals and provide a more concentrated force for defense as the length of the columns will shrink considerably each time we circle.”

Jennike rarely saw her husband during the day.  She was very proud of him and was often told by both military and civilian leaders of the good job he was doing.  Her wagon looked like all the others and was comprised of 20 people, relatives and body guards.  She wished for more privacy, but accepted this inconvenience along with everyone else.  During the trek, she was often seen walking alongside the wagon carrying her young daughter.  The only special consideration shown to the Chief’s wife was the constant presence of body guards.  This was not Jennike or Timur’s idea, but rather was insisted upon by the leaders of the tribe as prudent.

Timur similarly shared the harsh condition of his people.  When not meeting with leaders or riding out to the columns, he walked with Jennike alongside the wagon and carried the infant.  He also had body guards.  The only concession he permitted himself because of his position was to graciously accept the offer to sleep inside the wagon with Jennike as opposed to sleeping under the wagon or tarp that was spread out from the top of the wagon every night.  Jennike could count on Timur to show up in the evening to eat dinner with the circle, play with the children, and sleep the night together.

*******

After the battle, Donar’s second-in-command, met with the Commanders who had just fought the battle and together devised a plan of retribution.  Neither Donar nor Timur were told of the plan.  In retaliation for the Semnones’ attack on the columns, selected Army units were instructed to pillage the countryside.  They were given free rein to steal animals, personal possessions, burn down the dwellings, rape the women, and kill all military age men. This went on unchecked for two days.  The recipients of the cows, pigs, and chickens in the columns knew what was going on, but held their tongues.  They wanted the spoils of war.  The soldiers enriched themselves and had fun.

On the third day, Timur noticed smoke rising from several locations within the forest.  The plumes were too far away to be coming from the columns, so he rode to investigate.  He was outraged when he discovered what was going on.  He feared retribution from the surrounding tribes when news spread of these atrocities.  He ordered an immediate halt to the killings and pillaging.  He then identified the military leader who first proposed the idea and had him relieved of his position and banned from the Army.  He told the other Commanders that the entire migration was now in jeopardy.

*******

1 August 215 BC

As the columns approached the end of the Semnones’ land, Timur called in his scouts who had already traversed the land to learn what lay ahead.  He was told that the Danduti, Boiemum, and several smaller tribes occupied the next 100 miles (160.9km).  The scouts said that these tribes were loosely joined together with no universally recognized leader and no standing army.  The main concern of these tribes was the Boii located to the east that constantly raided their territory. They would not be concerned about the Cimbri/Teuton convoy passing through their land.  That was good news to Timur and his leaders.  Timur decided to slow the rate of march to 5 to 7 miles (8-11km) per day to rest the animals and people, allow more grazing time, and to winter over at the end of this phase of the trip.

Before the columns began moving again, the Clan Leaders requested a meeting with Timur.  When they assembled, Timur could see on their faces that something was not right.  One of the Clan Leaders was appointed by the others to do the talking.  “Timur,” he said, “The people are tired of traveling and want to stop and settle down.  They like this land and since the Semnones no longer have an Army to challenge us, the people want to stay here.

The Clan Leader’s proposal was not a surprise to Timur.  Jennike told him she had heard similar comments from the people around her.  This advance warning had given Timur time to think his way through an appropriate response.  “I know the people are tired of traveling and living out of a wagon,” he said, “To be honest so am I.  There are, however, several problems with staying here.”

“One, I suspect that when the Langobardi to our north hear that we defeated the Semnones Army and killed their chief, they will invade this territory and claim it for themselves.  We cannot fight them and win.  They are simply too large a tribe.  Another reason is that there are hostile tribes located to the east who have been raiding Semnones territory for years.  That will not stop.  I fear we will be engaged in constant warfare with them.  Third, this land offers no defensible borders.  Tribes like us will be crossing this land and ravaging the countryside at will.  Our people will not be safe here and would live to regret the day we stopped.”

“The land on the other side of the Danube by Regensburg is defensible.  The river is the border.  The Suevi are a small tribe and their neighbors will not be able to challenge us.  The land is available and safe.  Tell the people to trust me; we must keep moving.”

The Clan Leaders repeated Timur’s words to the people and they reluctantly agreed to continue the journey.

*******

The ensuing trek through central Germany consisted of a series of zigzags as the columns maneuvered around river and lakes.  It was worth the extra miles and time it took to avoid the hazards of conducting a river crossing.

The last significant hurdle for the migrants was to cross the Main River, still some distance to the south.  Timur decided to personally select the crossing site and embarked on a two week trip to do so.  In the absence of any real threats, he felt reasonably comfortable leaving the columns.

After what seemed an endless search, Timur finally selected an area between Schweinfurt and Bamberg, which he did for two reasons.  First, it would offer the easiest crossing, and, secondly, he found a spot where the river formed a large horseshoe.  This location would offer any attackers only one direction from which to approach the camp.  The river pretty much provided security on the other three sides.  The area was large enough to accommodate all 300,000 people and provided easy access to the river for drinking, bathing and fishing.

There was also an abundance of game animals throughout the area.  Red squirrels and boar were the most common, but there were sufficient weasels, rabbits, deer, moose, ducks, elk, fox, bears, badgers, marten, and muskrats to feed his people during the coming winter.  The river was another food source.  It was filled with salmon, trout, carp, and whitefish.

*******

When the Langobardi tribe to the north of the Semnones heard about the defeat of the Semnones’ Army, they launched an immediate attack and eventually claimed the entire Semnones tribal area as their own.  The Semnones people were driven from their homes and the area resettled with Langobardi tribesmen.  The Semnones were now without a homeland and destined to wander until they could find a receptive host.  Starvation and the coming winter would kill many.

Chapter II:  Defeat of the Suevi

215 to 211 BC

When they arrived at the Main River, they were within 100 miles (160.9km) of Regensburg, their destination.  The last 100 miles had been uneventful in terms of hostile attacks, but filled with the usual miseries of mud, rain, broken wagons, hunger, birth of babies, and death of old people.  The wagons were showing increasing signs of wear and tear and it was taking longer and longer to make any distance.  The people praised Timur for successfully bringing the migration this far without significant loss of life, but they needed a rest.

Long before the wagons arrived at the river, Timur dispatched his bridge builders to construct one pontoon bridge across the river at Hassfurt, which is between Schweinfurt and Bamberg.  He did this intentionally since the four columns would arrive at the crossing site in a staggered manner and could all use the one bridge without causing a massive backup.  He also needed time to place each column independently in the horseshoe formed by the looping river.

The people rejoiced that they could finally stop traveling, but dreaded the work of building a fort and all the necessary building required to survive the winter that lay ahead.

Before the pontoon bridge was in place, Timur instructed his horsemen to swim the river and begin patrolling south of the river. The cavalry was becoming a force that could scout as well as fight on horseback.  He wanted to ensure that no threats lie in waiting across the river.

The Marcomanni Tribe and their smaller allies, the Naristai and Quadi, controlled the next 100 miles of territory and were known to be unfriendly.  Mentally, Timur prepared for the biggest challenge of the migration.  He learned the combined tribes could field an enormous Army of 100,000.  He feared that if he didn’t handle this final leg of the journey correctly, his people would be slaughtered.

Using the lessons learned while constructing the bridges across the Elbe, the builders lost no time in preparing roads to the single crossing site, securing the anchor points, and assembling the individual pontoons.  The river was less than 200 feet (60.9m) across and was slow moving.  The weather cooperated and the work moved apace.  Timur arrived just as the last pontoon was lashed into place.  He then rode across the newly built bridge amid the cheers of the hard working builders.

The western most column arrived at the crossing site first and crossed without any difficulties, much to the relief of the builders.  The column cleared the bridge and was escorted to its camping area just as the second column arrived at the bridge.  The entire operation seemed to be moving with military precision.

Once the river was successfully crossed without opposition from the Marcomanni, Timur sent out scouts to find the Marcomanni’s main camp and to announce their presence, their peaceful intentions, and need to winter over in their land.  The scouts departed with gifts of exquisitely made weapons, jewelry, copper ingots, and several cows.

Timur gathered his leaders to discuss the preparations for the coming winter.  The four columns were grouped closely together in what could be described as four large circles. The leaders discussed the importance for the people to construct sturdy wooden huts, barns for the animals and wagons, and wooden roadways throughout the large camp to avoid turning the area into one big mud pit.  Timur put the Army to work constructing a wall of dirt and logs to block the open end of the horseshoe.  It was a huge undertaking that extended for four miles (6.4km).  Army Commanders were also busy with contingency planning should the Marcomanni attempt a raid or want a full scale battle.

As the days and weeks passed, trees were felled, huts began to rise up, and the defensive wall crept across the landscape.  People fished and hunters went out daily to search for deer, boar, and any other edible animals.  Food was abundant and the work progressed.

The scouts returned from the Marcomanni camp with some interesting news.  The scouts reported that the Marcomanni were fully aware of the approach of the Teutons and had observed the river crossing and ongoing construction of the winter camp.  The Chief of the Marcomanni asked to know the final destination of the Cimbri/Teuton migration.  When told it was Regensburg, he approved.  When the scouts asked him if his Army would allow the Tribes to stay by the river and not be attacked, he told them yes.  He said he has no ill will towards the two Tribes and will even tell his people to trade with the Cimbri/Teuton people.  He thanked the scouts for the gifts and sent them back with gifts of his own.

The scouts learned later while talking to several men guarding the Marcomanni encampment that they had just suffered a devastating defeat at the hands of the Boii Tribe to the east.  Their Army had been decimated and the people wanted to replace the Chief.  There was no desire to initiate another war for any reason.

This was exciting news for Timur and the Army, but Timur wanted confirmation to ensure they were not being lulled into a false sense of security.  Riders went out in all direction to talk to the people and their Clan Leaders in the guise of establishing a system for the people to barter and trade goods.  When they returned, the stories were the same.  The Marcomanni had been badly beaten and posed no threat to the migrants.  Now it was time to rejoice!  Still, Timur insisted that the Army not lower its guard.

Timur left the pontoon bridge standing to allow hunters to cross and look for game north of the Main River.  He ordered a gate constructed on the south side of the bridge and manned with 100 warriors.  Four gates were constructed on the four mile (6.4km) wall to protect the migrants from any attack coming from the south.  The walls and gates were manned 24 hours a day.  Soldiers were also directed to help the people build barns for their animals and wagon.

*******

A story began circulating among the people about an incident that occurred three months earlier in column number 3, the same column in which Timur and Jennike traveled. It was not uncommon to hear of a wagon with a broken axel, but this one had personality and spread like a summer fire.  Initially it was more gossip than anything else.  Before the year was out, just about everyone had heard the story about Gloggr and his family.

The incident happened during the muddy passage through the Langobardi’s land.  A man named Gloggr was sitting in his wagon holding the reins while his wife, two boys, and two daughters walked alongside the wagon or pulled handcarts.  The mud was about 6 inches (15.2c) deep and deeper in spots.  It had rained without ceasing for days.  When Gloggr heard his rear wheels begin to scrape the side of the wagon, a sure sign of a broken axle, he reined in the oxen.  Since the surrounding forest came right up to the road, when he stopped his wagon, everyone behind him had to stop.  There was no way to pass.  Tempers immediately began to flare.  People far in the rear of the column had no idea as to the cause of the halt, but were used to the constant delays some, of which, lasted for hours.

Gloggr stepped down from the wagon into the mud and saw that the two rear wheels were canted inward and leaning heavily against the sides of the wagon.   He got down on all fours and crawled under the wagon to look at the rear axle.  When he was directly beneath it, he rolled onto his back for a better look.  At that moment the cracked axle gave way, the wheels snapped off and the full weight of the wagon dropped heavily onto his chest, pushing him down into the mud.  Hundreds of pounds rested on his sternum, which cracked under the pressure.  Gloggr screamed in pain.  Only his eyes, nose, and mouth were above the mud.  He could barely breathe.

The driver of the wagon behind Gloggr’s saw what had happened and began calling for men to help lift the wagon.  Within seconds men came running from the wagons lined up behind Gloggr’s.  The man who called for help took charge.  He shouted for men to hold the oxen and the front two wheels steady so the wagon wouldn’t slide forward, while everyone else lifted the rear of the wagon.  Within minutes, Gloggr was pulled out.  The mud itself had almost killed him, but had also saved his life by cushioning his body.

As he was dragged to the side of the road, the men got to work replacing the broken axle.  In no time, the work was completed and Gloggr’s pain wracked body was gently lifted into the wagon.  A man volunteered to drive the oxen to allow his wife to care for her stricken husband.  Because of the mud, none of his ribs were broken and the crack to his sternum was minor, but painful.  It would still take three months of rest and no work for him to fully recover.

Men and women in the column took turns doing his work.  They fed the oxen, maintained the wagon, gathered fodder, helped with the meals, and drove the wagon.  The entire time, Gloggr lie in the back of the wagon and rarely spoke.

Even before the migration began, he was known as a grumpy, sour, and extremely unfriendly individual.  His wife and children also looked unhappy and never socialized with their neighbors.  He did his work and minded his own business.  A friendly greeting or smile was never returned.  People learned to ignore him, but felt sorry for his family.

By September, Gloggr was pretty much healed and able to resume his responsibilities.  For the last three months, men and women had given freely of their time and energy to help the Gloggr family.  Those same people stopped by to inquire as to his health, but, in truth, mostly sought to be thanked for their extraordinary sacrifices.  One by one, they walked away not only disappointed, but also angry.  Gloggr never uttered a word of thanks and pretty much told his would be visitors to mind their own business and to leave him and his family alone.  The outrage among the volunteers was palpable.

The uproar over Gloggr’s behavior caused such a disturbance in the camp that it was eventually brought to Timur’s attention.  Abusive behavior on the part of husbands was not unheard of among the migrants, but the outrageous lack of gratitude on Gloggr’s part could not be tolerated.  Before considering any action, Timur wisely talked to Jennike.  She suggested that she meet with Gloggr’s wife before Timur confronted Gloggr.

Gloggr’s wife was used to evasion and lying to avoid beatings from Gloggr, but she feared lying to Jennike, the Chief’s wife.  The story Jennike heard was appalling.  Gloggr’s wife said, “My husband beats me and the children, and he may have killed a young runaway girl who had joined the convoy.”

“Go on,” said Jennike.

She told Jennike that Gloggr had taken the 13 year old off into the woods to gather firewood, but only he returned. She said, “I don’t know for sure, but I think he might have killed her.  He’s been acting strange and he won’t talk about that girl.  Even the man in the wagon behind ours asked me, “Where’s the young girl?”  I wouldn’t be surprised if he raped her and then killed her.”

That afternoon, Timur, the Tribal and Clan Leader, and Jennike met to discuss what to do.  Jennike asked to be allowed to talk to Gloggr before taking any action.  Gloggr was summoned.
Jennike met with Gloggr in a room off the main meeting hall.  He was searched for weapons by Jennike’s guards before they sat facing each other across a small rectangular table.  Two guards stood immediately behind Gloggr and two stood next to Jennike. 
Under Jennike’s skillful prodding, Gloggr completely broke down.  She learned of his abusive childhood and the behavior of his father towards his wife and his daughters.  Gloggr was simply imitating what he had seen as a child.  When asked about the 13 year old girl, he adamantly denied any involvement in her disappearance.  He maintained she ran away.

Word quickly spread throughout the camp that Gloggr was suspected of killing the girl and that Timur was going to pass judgment on Gloggr the next day.  Many hoped he would be executed.  When Gloggr appeared, he was a broken man.  He knew he was guilty and feared he was going to be executed.  He stood in front of Timur with his head bowed awaiting his fate.  Timur, surrounded by his Leaders and many of the people in Gloggr’s Clan, spoke to Gloggr in a firm, no nonsense manner and said, “Gloggr, there is no proof that you killed the 13 year old girl assigned to your wagon, but all signs point to your guilt.  Therefore, you will not be executed for murder.”

“It has also been brought to my attention that you are disrupting the harmony of the people with your obnoxious attitude and behavior.  Your Clan and Tribal Leaders feel you are not fit to remain a member of the Tribe and have recommended to me that you be exiled.  My ruling is that you are hereby exiled from the Tribe for life.  You have 24 hours to gather your belongings and leave.  If at any time, you are found within one mile (1.6km) of the settlement, you will be killed.  Gloggr, if I hear that you beat your wife or children when you return home to get your things, your head will be upon a pole for all to see.”

Gloggr was greatly relieved; exile was certainly better than death.  In 12 hours, he was out of the camp and in the woods about five miles (8km) away.  He planned to build a temporary hut for shelter and hunt and fish for his food.  He figured he would eventually seek to join another tribe in the area.

Neighbors and Gloggr’s two boys helped the family survive without him.