G105 Battle of Mons Lactarius 552ADJavelinthrower: 4 banners won, 26 blocks lost.Nick P: 6 banners won, 19 blocks lost.The Goths were in a strong position, safe from the Byzantine cavalry so the task of the Byzantine commander, Nick was to tempt them off the hills and onto the wide flat plain below.A Byzantine attack on the Goth left flank immediately brought results with the Goths rushing to defend the broken ground and
Geberic leading his warriors out onto the flat ground. The Byzantine medium were pushed back but they responded with a cavalry action lead by the heavy bow cavalry of
John. There followed some intense hand to hand fighting which killed two Byzantine auxilia units and drew down from the mountains a further two warrior units to their death.
Geberic escaped with his life back to the mountains.With five Goth units killed and no serious Byzantine casualties, things looked bad for
Teia as, accompanied by two warrior units, he led his heavy infantry in a last gasp charge down from the mountains and out onto the plain to attack the apparently poorly defended Byzantine centre.
Narses and
John cried “havoc” and led a pincer attack on the hapless warriors with their heavy bow cavalry. The warrior units were badly injured and put to flight.
John boldly gave chase with his heavy bow cavalry to end the battle and there seemed no hope for the retreating one block warrior unit.But
Teia had other ideas, he used his heavy infantry to ambush the heavy bow cavalry of
John and killed them all, including
John! Emboldened by his success,
Teia charged his heavy infantry at the heavy bow cavalry of
Narses, who declined the offer to evade and prepared to give battle.
Narses heavy bow cavalry were slaughtered, with
Narses himself falling at the last.
Teia managed to put an auxilia unit to flight before the, now leaderless, Byzantines surrounded and finally killed to one block warrior unit that had followed Teia on his madcap charge.