K THE GREAT BATTLES OF HISTORY SERIES — Volume VIII CATAPHRACT — Battles of Belisarius and the Byzantines in the Era of the Emperor Justinian DARA + CALLINICUM + TRICAMERON * TAGINAE * CASILINUM TABLE OF CONTENTS Dara 2 Callinicum 4 ‘Tricameron 5 ‘Taginae 6 Casilinum. : 8 Sena Gallica (WAR GALLEY Scenario) . . 9 Berserker (Bonus Viking Scenario) ul a MARK HERMAN/RICHARD BERG game designNote on scenario balance in competitive play: It is suggested that the players use a bid system for which side plays the Byzantines (Romans) in the scenario. Each side secretly writes a bid (in army rout point equivalents) and then the players simultaneously reveal the amounts. The winner of the bid plays the Romans and reduces his army rout level by the bid amount. Dara NW Mesopotamia, AD 530 Belisarius vs. Perozes and the Persians ie | 75ill Historical Background ‘The operational problem facing Belisarius ishow to defeat a Persian offensive intent on capturing the fortified town of Dara Belisarius chose to fight a battle to defeat the Persian army instead of other alternatives, such as ambushes, because the objective of the Persian offense was Dara and not to penetrate deeper into Byzantine territory. This is known because the original cassus belli was the building of. fortification at Mindouos on the Persian border, which the Persians had. razed earlier. Peace negotiations were underway and the war didn't promise to be a long one. Hence, Belisarius chose to defend the town directly. Belisarius was faced with two major problems. First the quality of his local militia infantry was not of the highest quality. Prior to the battle he only had time to train them as archers, where he emphasized rate of fire over accuracy, and spearmen, who he leavened with his small force of professional infantry. Second, the Persian army was approximately twice the size of his own (25,000 Byzantines vs. 40,000 Persians, subsequently reinforced +0 50,000), Page 2 ‘The Persian army was not without its vulnerabilities. The core of the Persian army was its 10,000 man Immortal cavalry unit, The remainder of the Persian force was of mixed quality—the remaining cavalry units being of good quality, whereas the Persian infantry was poor. ‘The Persian army faced an additional problem. In this period, it was hard to control large armies due to the personal nature of command control. This span of control problem was ameliorated when an army was of the highest quality, such as Alexander's Macedonian army, led by exceptional officer corps such as had the Macedonians or the Carthaginian army under Hannibal. The Persian army contained neither of these attributes and hence would be unwieldy to command. ‘The Persians were limited to fairly low- complexity maneuvers such as frontal attacks. The large size of the army would tax its leadership to execute anything ‘more complicated Belisarius battle plan used a mobile (maneuver) defense against a Persian linear offense. To deal with superior enemy strength, he devised a defense based on a field obstacle supported by mobile flanks. The purpose of the trench was not to stop the Persians, but to channel their attacks to neutralize their strength advantage. It was not a fortification line, because it could be crossed at numerous bridges. The trench acted as a maneuver element in the battle allowing Belisarius’ reserves to cross it freely when counterattacking, while channeling enemy attacks as they develop. Additionally, the Persian army was predominantly cavalry which is strongest in open terrain, where its maneuver potential is strongest. The trench also acted to reduce the offensive maneuver potential of the Persians while enhancing. the defense’s maneuver potential. The defense was based on five interlocking elements. 1) Refused center, held by a mixed force of archers and spear infantry. 2) Forward flanks, held by mobile cavalry armed both for missile and shock combat. 3) Mobile skirmisher units forward of the trench, positioned to conduct missile crossfire and counterattack CATAPHRACT. into the exposed flanks of the enemy wings. 4) A small mobile ambush force hidden, behind a hill on the left wing to strike into the enemy when they were engaged at the trench. 5) A strategic reserve of his houschold cavalry unit, held behind the center of the line. ‘The overall battle plan would see the forward flanks first disrupt the enemy cavalry wings with missile fire, then counterattack the enemy columns when they were astride the trench. The trench would neutralize the enemy strength advantage and make them vulnerable to shock counterattacks. Additionally, the forward geometry of the flanks naturally broke the cohesion of the Persian linear front, creating open flanks for the mobile skirmisher units of Masengeti Huns to attack. The refused center would reduce the exposure of the less-experienced infantry, while creating a missile kill zone to break up enemy attacks in front of the trench. The refused center also acted as a refuge and covered maneuver zone for the mobile skirmishers and other mobile forces as they moved across the front from flank to lank. The small half squadron of Heruli Huns was positioned behind the hill on the left to act as an ambush force. ‘At the moment when the enemy right wing was fully engaged on both its front and flank, this force would envelop their rear and pursue the broken elements. The strategic reserve under the direct command of Belisarius would be used as a mobile reserve to attack into the flank ‘of a successful enemy penetration or as fresh troops to pursue a broken enemy. The battle unfolded according to Belisarius’ plan. First, the Persians brought up cavalry and infantry skirmishers who were driven off by the Byzantine missile fire. Then, the Persian right wing attacked Belisarius’ left flank where the missile fire disrupted their units who were then channeled by the trench. ‘The Byzantine left wing in concert with the mobile skirmishers counterattacked into the Persian right wing forcing it to withdraw. At that moment, the ambush force attacked the Persians, causing large casualties and destroying the offensive "Playbook‘The Great Battles of History, Volume VII capability of these forces. The ambush force and the mobile skirmishers reformed into reserve just as the Persian Immortals attacked the Byzantine right flank. The high quality of these units and the more ‘open nature of the right flank forced the Byzantine forces back, but a timely counterattack by the Masengeti and Herulian Huns into the flank of the Persian Immortals, in coordination with the commitment of the strategic reserve, drove back the Persian attack. The trench acted as an obstacle to the retreating Persians, who suffered approximately 80 per cent casualties on that wing. The Persian army was broken and retreated to the fronties. Belisarius conscious of the Persian culture chose not to pursue Vigorously to avoid a tactical reverse. Belisarius’ application of 2 maneuver defense supported by a field obstacle decisively defeated an enemy force twice his strength. The reason, as foreseen by Belisarius, was the neutralization of the ‘enemy size, maneuver potential and linear ‘cohesion by the trench supported by well- timed mobile counterattacks into exposed enemy flanks. Belisarius’ battle plan maximized his force potential while minimizing his enemy's capabilities Belisarius won because he knew what the capabilities of his and his enemy's forces, and used a brilliant battle plan and the superiority of maneuver warfare over linear warfare Historical Scenario Belisarius’ army isa traditional Byzantine army which uses local infantry levies and professional cataphracted cavalry as its shock arm, The infantry are a mix of light infantry archers and spear-armed medium infantry. We debated about making these infantry heavy, but for the most part they ‘weren't professionals and they were rarely fully-outfitted with body armor. The cavaley component of the army is another calculation on our part. Byzantine armies ‘were usually around 15,000 men or fewer, with the proportion of infantry to cavalry In this battle Belisarius has 25,000 troops. Our feeling is that the mounted arm didn’t get larger, but instead the infantry component was around one-for-one. Copyright © GMT Games, 1999 expanded, reducing the proportion of cavalry to infantry t0 about one-to-two. ‘The Persian army is around 50,000 strong. We believe this figure given the events that lead up to the battle. This gives the Persians a two-to-one advantage. ‘However, most of the Persian infantry is poorly trained and of uneven quality. The same can be said of Belisarius’ infantry, but they are on the defensive, behind a ditch with a refused center. The Persian infantry must attack and this is difficult for mediocre troops. The Persians also have their heavy cavalry Immortals who we have given two ratings. The reason they were called the Immortals is that the unit, unlike most units of this era were always kept up at full strength. Hence we evaluate the unit to have mixed quality (TQ.6 and 7) due to recent additions to the ranks. This is the main shock unit of the Persians force. Sct up all of the units in the indicated setup hexes. Byzantine Deployment All units face east Unit/Leader Hexes Belisarius [OC] 1314 Bouzes 1508 A John 1520 Pharas (Heruli) 1402" Sunicas (M.Hun) 1512 Simmias (M.Hun) 1516 ‘Thracian Cataphract 1-6 1605-1610 Armenian Cataphr. 1-6 1619-1624 Buccelleri Cataphr. 1-4 1113-1116 Heruli Foederati LN 1 1402" M.Hun Foed. LC 1-2 1512, 1516 ‘Numeri MI 1-13 1612,1617, 1411, 1412, 1414, 1415, 1417, 1418, evens: 1310-18 Auxiliary LI-B 1-8 1611, 1618, 1413, 1416, 1311, 1317, 1013, 1016 Auxiliary LI-J 21-22 1313, 1315 “ * = See Special Rules for Heruli setup. Persian Deployment All units face west Unit/Leader Hexes Perozes [OC] 3214 Pitames 3206 Barasames 3222 Light Infantry 1-10 3209-3218 Militia Inf. MI1-10 3409-3418 Saracen LC 1-8 3202-3203 3402-3403 3226-3227 3426-3427 Cadiseni LN 1-10 3204-3208 3404-3408, Immortals HC 1-7 3219-3225 Immortals HC 8-14 3419-3425 Special Rules Andreas vs. The Persian Pair Play begins with a Champion Challenge [9.6] between the Byzantine Andreas (6/ 6) and the Persian Pair (4/6). The player with the winning champion receives the benefits of 9.65. Historical Note: Andreas, a personal attendant to Bouzes and a sorestling trainer by trade, faced off against two unnamed Persian champions in succession and dispatched them botb. For play purposes, we combined the two ‘engagements into one. First'Turn Command Restrictions ‘During the first game turn, only Persian leaders and Belisarius can activate Page 3Byzantine Cavalry Pass Through ‘The Heruli and the Masengetae Hun can move (not rout) through friendly cavalry or infantry without receiving any cohesion hits. The unit that has been passed through must make an immediate TQ. check, ifit fails it gains one Cohesion hit. Wind ‘The account of the battle speaks to the fact that the wind was blowing with sufficient strength into the Persian army that it affected their archery. To account for this all missile fire in a westerly direction (NW-SW) has a reduced maximum range by one and has +1 added to missile fire die rols, Arrow Supply For purposes of this scenario, there are no missile reloads. When unit becomes “missile no,” it remains in this state for the remainder ofthe scenario. The acount of the battle relates that, at some point, in the battle there was a significant reduction in misile fire probably due t0 a lack of Byzantine Foederati Command The Heruli cavalry unit canbe commanded by Pharas or Belisrius only ‘The M.Hun cavalry units can be commanded by Sunicus, Simmias, or Herulian Setup Secretly deploy Pharas and the Herulian cavalry unit within five hexes of hex 1402, but not east of hexrow 2000 inclusive (record this on a piece of paper). The frst time the unit moves or an enemy unit is about to enter its deployment hex, place iton the map. Historical Note: Pharas the leader ofthe Herulian balf squadron suggested to Belisarius just before the battle that bis unit would be mare use as an ambush force (later codified into doctrine in ‘Maurice's Strategikon). Belisarius doubts the layalty of Pharas, whom be delies will wait until be sees who will ‘win the battle before deciding which side te will attack Belisarius forces Pharas to become his bleed brother thus ensuring his Ioyalty ‘Trench Hexsides The trench was not a fortification, but a field obstacle. It was meant to channel the Persian attacks to neutralize ther superior numbers and make them vulnerable to counterattacks. The trench was meant to be a point around which Belisarius could conduct maneuvers across his front without Persian interference. The refused center also protected his low quality infantry and cause the Persian wing attacks to expose their interior flank to the Masengeti Hun counterattacks. Units can cross the trench, as the gaps were reasonably numerous and wide. Its cost +1 MP to cross a trench hexside. All shock combat where all of the units are attacking across a trench hexside is shifted. IL on the Shock CRT. ZOCs extend across the trench for missile fire only. Units that rout across a trench hexside are eliminated, Dara ‘The trench was dug within a stone's throw of the walls Dara, This would put the trench within range of archers on the wall. Some secondary accounts of the battle mention this, although Procopius is silent ‘on the subject. ‘The archer units on the wall have their range extended by two hexes (range of 7) due to the height advantage of the walls ‘Ac ranges of 6 and 7, the hit die roll for missile volleys is O and only causes one cohesion hit. An archer unit on the wall may move along the wall at a cost of 1 MP per wall hex. A unit on the wall is considered on top of the wall and cannot conduct or be shock attacked from adjacent hexes. A unit on the wall may not leave the wall for the duration of the scenario, The wall hexes cannot be entered by any other units except at the gate hex. ‘The gate hex may only be entered by routing Byzantine units. Once they enter the gate hex they are removed from play and are considered eliminated for all game purposes. Ifthe Persians can enter the gate hex at any point in the scenario, the Byzantine army rout level is halved for the remainder of the scenario. CATAPHRACT Retreat Edge Persians: Eastern edge of map Byzantines: Dara gate hex 1019. Once a unit has entered the city through the gate hex it cannot be brought back into play and is considered eliminated. Army Withdrawal The Persians army withdraws when it reaches 109 Rout points. ‘The Byzantine army withdraws when it reaches 102 Rout points Size and TQLevels Rout Quality Persian 364 273 40% 0.75 Byzantine 248 251 40% 1.01 Play Balance This one can be quite balanced, if the Persians play well and soften up the Byzantines with their missile fire, while turning a flank. If you are the up-the- ‘middle type, this scenario is less balanced. Callinicum Eastern Syria, AD 531 Belisarius vs. Alamoundaras and the Persians i EG Historical Background Belisarius next met the Persians when they invaded Northern Mesopotamia under the Sassanid ruler of Persia, Kavadh The Persian army had completed its raid and Belisarius was pursuing it at a safe distance to ensure that it would leave Byzantine territory. On the day of battle, the Byzantine army, if one believes the sources, forced Belisarius to engage the Persians in battle. My belief is this was post-battle propaganda on the part of Page 4 : Playbook‘The Great Battles of History, Volume VI Procopius to put the best spin on the defeat. Regardless of why the battle was fought, it did occur and the Byzantine army was defeated when the Persians executed an across the battlefield envelopment of the Byzantine Saracens, breaking the flank and the back of the Byzantine army. Byzantine Deployment Alll units face east nit/Leader Hewes Belisarius [OC] 1413 Bouzes 1710 A.John 171s Arethas (Saracen) 1720 Longinus (Isaurian) 1706 ‘Thracian Cataphrset 1-6 1710-1712, 1608-1610 Armenian Cataphe. 1-6 1713-15, 1616-18 Buccellesi Cataphe. 1-3. 1412-14 Tsaurians MT 1-4 1704-1707 Saracens MI 1-6 1718-1723 Persian Deployment All units face west nit/Leader Hexes Alamoundaras [OC] 2718 Azarethes (Persian) 3008 Cabades [a] (Persian) 3018 Saracen LC 1-8 2715-2722 Persian LC 1-10 2705-2712 2805, 2813, Immortals HC 1-7 3007-3010 3107-3109 Immortals HC 8-14 3017-3020 3117-3119 4 = Cabades is the name of the Persian king, ‘but he was not a leader in this battle, We have used him because once again we needed another leader, Copyright © GMT Games, 1999 Special Rules Feast of Lent Due to the time of year, most of the Byzantine army had been fasting for Lent. This factor played heavily onthe Byzantine ‘army when the battle reached its critical phase. To simulate this, at the end of every ame turn after the seocnd game turn, the Byzantine player during the rout phase makes a die roll. If the die roll is a 2-9 there is no effect. If the die roll is a 0-1, then all units in the Byzantine army immediately have their TQ reduced by cone for the remainder of the game. Any unit that would now rout as a result of this one time change is immediately routed its movement allowance toward the Byzantine retreat space Fording the River ‘The Euphrates river can only be erossed bby Byzantine units at hex 1302 (the island hex) and only when retreating. Otherwise the river cannot be entered or crossed. Partial land spaces are in play. Any unit forced to retreat into the river is eliminated. Persian Command Restrictions ‘The Persian leaders Azarethes and Cabades may not issue Orders or Line ‘Commands to Saracen units. Retr Persi Byzantines: Hex 1302 Island. Once a unit hhas entered the Island through the ford hex it cannot be brought back into play and is considered eliminated Army Withdrawal ‘The Persian army withdraws when it reaches 80 Rout points. ‘The Byzantine army withdraws when it reaches 60 Rout points. Size and TQ Levels Rout Quality Persian 204 183 44% 0.90 Byzantine 139° 152 39% 1.09 Play Balance This one can be quite balanced overall. The Byzantine flanks are weak, but Belisarius isa force to be reckoned with. The key is often based on when the spécial rales take effect in the scenario, Tricameron Near Carthage, AD 534 Belisarius vs. Gelimer, King of the Vandals AP Historical Background In AD 533, Justinian launched a campaign to reconquer the western portions of the Roman empire that had been lost to the barbarian invasions over the last century. Belisarius commanding an army of approximately 15,000 men (6,000 cavalry and 10,000 infantry) began his campaign by first invading Vandal North Africa, He landed south of Carthage and marched on the city. His advance elements were attacked ten miles from the city (Ad Decimum) on September 14, The Vandals were dismounted. A sudden charge by the Byzantine cavalry routed the Vandals. Belisarius took possession of the city the next day. Gelimer, the Vandal king, was encamped with his army 18 miles from Carthage while Belisarius rested and reorganized his army. In 534, Belisarius rode out and attacked the Vandal encampment, which ‘was positioned behind a stream. A back- and-forth battle was resolved when Gelimer fled the field. Later, Gelimer was captured and sent to Constantinople as a prisoner. Belisarius was temporarily recalled before launching his invasion to reconquer Italy. Page 5