Legio XVII: Battle of the Danube (8 page)

By the time September turned into October, most of the new construction was completed.  A thriving market was established with the local people and the fishing and hunting was good.  The people began to settle in for the winter and felt secure from attacks.

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Timur knew the three locations of the Suevi camps that patrolled the Danube and their approximate strength.  He knew the land around and between the Ulm, Munich, and Passau settlements was sparsely settled all the way up to the Danube.  This area comprised about 35,000 square miles (56,327km).  [That is equivalent to the U.S. State of Indiana or the Country of Austria.].  This is where he intended to settle his two tribes.  He and his Army commanders needed to develop a strategy to cross the Danube, destroy the three Suevi camps, and clear the land of the Suevi people living there.

The Army worked on the plans throughout the winter.  Scouts were sent out several times to identify crossing sites, determine the availability of wood to build rafts, locate deep woods to conceal the three Assault Groups, and identify road network leading to and from Ulm and Passau.  The information was developed and the plans were shared by only a few top Army Commanders.  To maintain the secrecy surrounding the presence of the two tribes so close to the Danube, the people were forbidden to enter an area within 10 miles (16km) of the river.  Army cavalry patrolled the area to ensure compliance.  Everyone knew something was afoot, but did not know the details.

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April 209 BC

The people were now venturing outside their huts more and more every day.  The winter had been very cold, but the huts and barns protected the people and animals.  Soon the draft animals were pulling plows instead of wagons as the first seeds were being placed in the fertile soil.  The people and Clan Leaders worked out who would farm where.  Small local streams were diverted to water the crops and a self sustaining settlement was setting down roots.

Troops trained throughout the winter, stood watch in the towers, or patrolled the surrounding country side. On November 210, Timur approved the Army’s plan to cross the Danube on 1 July, 209 and assault the three Suevi garrisons on or about 24 July. The process of selecting leaders and forces for the three Assault Groups began in earnest.  Mock Suevi forts representing those at Ulm, Passau, and Regensburg were erected and used to train the troops who would conduct the assault.  Food, animals, ropes, ladders, extra weapons, and so forth were assembled and issued to each Group.

Timur often spoke to the assault troops to encourage them. Timur’s instructions to Donar concerning the Suevi farmers living in the area were clear.  “Once the objectives were taken, the troops are to peaceably evict the Suevi.  I want you to instruct the troops to allow the farmers and other people in the area to gather their belonging and animals, load their wagons, and travel south to Munich and over the mountains to Innsbruck.  The troops are not to harm the people or steal their belongings.  Tell the people that they have 48 hours to pack up and leave.”  Timur did not want to create any more enemies than necessary.  He also envisioned a future alliance with the Suevi to join forces to prevent other tribes from crossing the Danube.

By mid June 209, Teuton forces had moved into position and were prepared to raft across the Danube.  A group of 20,000 men and 1,000 archers were concealed in deep woods across the river from Ulm.  Another 20,000 men with archers were similarly positioned across the Danube facing the Suevi garrison at Passau.  The third group of 40,000 men was poised to raft across the Danube well east and out of sight of the Suevi garrison at Regensburg.  To maintain security for the people, Timur directed that the remaining 10,000 men form a defensive perimeter around Two Lakes.  These men were sorely disappointed that they could not participate in the attack, but were chosen to remain at Two Lakes because of illness or injury.

Figure 4: Regensburg, Ulm, Passau, Munich (Goggle Maps
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On 1 July, all three Groups began to cross the Danube and move into their pre-assault positions.  It took 24, eight-hour nights to raft the men across the river.  Ten rafts with 10 men per raft were pulled back and forth every hour.  By the end of the 24th night, 80,000 trained, equipped, and motivated warriors were assembled and hidden not far from the Suevi forts.

The forts were a bit of a mystery to the Assault Groups.  They were surrounded by a 12 foot (3.6m) wooded wall with four guard towers and one gate.  The Suevi had not dug a ditch or thrown up a rampart; the walls were erected on level ground.  The Teutons assumed that the fort probably contained 300 individual huts.  But that was guess work since the Teutons had never been inside.  They also guessed that there was no platform around the inside of the wall for troops to stand on.  That meant that when they climbed over the wall, they would have a 12 foot drop on the other side.

The assault on the forts was timed to the changing of the guards in the four towers.  Every two hours, two men would arrive and two would leave each tower.  The Teutons planned to attack one hour after the change to allow the one group to get into bed and the new guards to get sleepy.

Since each Suevi garrison was comprised of only 2,000 warriors, the Assault Groups did not expect any serious resistance.  The plan called for the Teutons to quietly scale the wall and move to the door of each hut.  They would then light their torches and when the horn sounded, forcibly enter the huts.  They hoped to kill the Suevi before they could get out of their beds.

The plan directed that only 10,000 Teutons attack the Ulm garrison and the remaining 10,000 men were to march rapidly to Augsburg, some 54 miles (86.8km) to the east, and to begin evicting the Suevi.  After the Ulm garrison was destroyed, the 10,000 attack force was to march to Augsburg and join the 10,000 already there.  Their mission was to clear Augsburg and the surrounding area of any Suevi settlers and then prepare to defend against a Suevi counterattack.

The plan for the 20,000 men at Passau was similar.  10,000 men would actually attack the fort at Passau and the other 10,000 would march quickly to Landshut, 60 miles (96.4km) away.  After the Landshut area was reasonably cleared of Suevi homesteads, these 10,000 troops were to remain in place and prepare for the expected counterattack of Suevi coming out of Innsbruck.  The 10,000 men at Passau would perform the more thorough evictions between Passau and Landshut and eventually join the 10,000 men at Landshut.

Timur’s plan for the 40,000 warriors at Regensburg was slightly different.  After destroying the garrison, he planned to keep 20,000 as a reserve force at Regensburg and send the other 20,000 to Munich.  His overall plan was to block all the routes from Innsbruck to the land he now claimed for his two Tribes.

On 25 July, at 1:00 A.M., 10,000 men equipped with ladders, unlit torches, and their battle gear began the five mile (8km) walk to the Suevi forts at Ulm and Passau.  They had rehearsed the route so often they could have walked it blindfolded.  They arrived at the forts at 2:30 A.M. as planned.  With the exception of a few sleepy guards in watch towers, the garrisons slept.  Multiple archers sighted on each of the guards standing watch to ensure a hit and fired simultaneously.

The men silently approached the walls with their ladders and climbed to the top.  When it was confirmed that there was no walkway on the other side of the wall, additional ladders were passed up and set down on the inside.  The men silently went to the huts and stood by the doors.  One by one the torches were lit and a single horn rent the quiet of the night; the slaughter began. Most men were still in their beds and received a spear thrust in the neck or chest.  Other, who managed to jump up, and grab their swords were cut down instantly.  Within 10-15 minutes, it was over.  The 2,000 man Suevi garrisons at Ulm and Passau would no longer patrol the Danube to ward off migrating tribes such as these Cimbri and Teutons warriors.

Meanwhile, 100 miles (160.9km) to the north of Ulm at Regensburg, a similar scenario was unfolding.  The 40,000 man Cimbri/Teuton Army rafted undetected across the river.  They also slaughtered the Suevi garrison posted there.  As instructed by Timur, each attacking forces at the three Suevi garrisons spared two Suevi men to return to Innsbruck to announce the Cimbri/Teuton invasion and their claim to the land.

Timur and Donar learned from the men they had spared that a few weeks earlier, a Tribe known as the Romans, allied with other tribes south of the Alps, had defeated a 13,000 strong Suevi Army and killed all the leaders at the Battle of Innsbruck.  This information further bolstered their confidence that no attack would be forthcoming from Innsbruck.  The land was now theirs and there was no one to contest their claim.  Timur proudly announced that soon 300,000 Cimbri/Teuton people would cross the Danube and settle into their new homeland.  Their migration was over, but crossing the Danube proved to be more difficult then crossing the Elbe or Main Rivers.

At Regensburg, the current flowed much faster, 5 to 7 mph (8 to 11kmh) and repeated attempts to build pontoon bridges across the 300 (91.4m) to 400 feet (121.9m) of water had failed.  Timur considered moving the columns to the southeast to try crossing at another spot, but the Quadi Tribe would not permit it without a fight.  Ferrying that many wagons across the river was out of the question as was going to the west since the Insubres blocked any westward movement.  For the first time during the migration, Timur was at a loss for a solution.  The people were content where they were by the lakes and were preparing for the coming winter.  In the meantime, he would continue to clear the conquered area of Suevi farmers and leave the people where they were until the spring.

There was, however, another possible threat of which Timur was aware.  The Suevi could enlist the help of other tribes to support them in their effort to expel the Teutons from their newly conquered land.  If the Suevi formed an alliance with the Raeti, Insubres, and Romans, he could face a serious challenge.  If that were to happen, he would need advance knowledge to properly reposition his Army.

Timur summoned Donar to discuss his idea.  First, he complimented Donar on the success of the three assaults to eliminate the Suevi garrisons and on the success of the ongoing clearing operation.  Then he outlined the way forward.  “There is a possibility that the Suevi will attempt to form an alliance among their neighboring Tribes to fight us for control of the land we now occupy. To thwart that effort, I will need to know if the Suevi and their allies are massing their forces in Innsbruck for an attack.  Here’s what I want you to do.”

“Among the Suevi farmers being evicted and sent south, find, say half a dozen young men to act as our spies.  Use family members as hostages, money, goods, women, promise of power and position; say whatever is necessary to gain their cooperation.  I want these men to resettle near the Brenner and Reschen Passes over the Alps.  Along with their normal life as farmers, I want them to constantly be on the lookout for troops coming over those Passes to Innsbruck.  They should also be aware of unusual wagon loads of grain or weapons; basically any activities normally used to support a buildup of forces prior to an attack.”

“Donar, find one mature, responsible Suevi to serve as the single contact for these spies.  He will bring us the information from the other spies.  Find a traveling merchant or trader of goods.  He must routinely travel over the Alps into our land and back to Innsbruck without raising suspicion.  Lastly, do not let the spies know the identity of the other spies.  If one gets caught, I don’t want him to be able to compromise the entire surveillance operation.  If this merchant has family in the area, hold them as hostages to ensure his cooperation.  Keep me advised of your progress on this.  It’s important.”

Timur continued, “Concerning the future, the people need time to prepare for the coming winter, so they will stay at Two Lakes until we can figure a way to get them over the river.  We have strong garrisons at Augsburg, Munich and Landshut.  They are patrolling and preparing to thwart any attack from the south.  Regensburg is being fortified and Two Lakes is defended.  I want to continue this pattern for 208 and most of 207.  If we’re going to be attacked, I think it will come quickly. In the summer of 207, I hope to lead the people over the Danube and into their new land.”