047.Poitiers_b - "What if" Gun variant - WDS Age of Longbow Volume I
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| Rating: | 0 (0) |
| Games Played: | 0 |
| SM: | 2 |
| Turns: | 25 |
| Type: | Stock |
| First Side: | Side_A (ALB1) |
| Second Side: | Side_B (ALB1) |
Date: 19 September 1356 - Size: Medium - Location: near Poitiers, Poitou, West Central France
Scenario Briefing: What if Gun variant - Two years after the decisive French defeat at Crécy the Black Death had devastated Western Europe, killing between a 1/3 and 1/2 of the population and temporarily halting the conflict between England and France. John II succeeded to the French throne in 1350 and made various reforms to try to improve the effectiveness of the French army. In 1355 the English resumed several major chevauchee raids in France, although only Edward the Black Prince's raid in the south was really effective. A French treaty with Navarre in September 1355 was perceived as a threat to English held Gascony, so the Black Prince launched a fresh offensive in early August 1356, perhaps with the intention of joining forces with his brother John of Lancaster's army operating in Brittany. The decision to capture Romorantin castle delayed the Prince's army long enough to give King John's French time to mobilize and give chase, while any prospect of combining forces with Lancaster before risking battle was now out of the question since Lancaster's army had been prevented from crossing the Loire.
On 17th September, Gascon scouts skirmished with the French and it was clear that the enemy army was nearby. With supplies running low and reluctant to risk encountering the French army while on the march and vulnerable to cavalry, the Black Prince decided to establish a good defensive position and wait for the French to attack. Since the following day was a Sunday, neither side was willing to fight and the Cardinal de Périgord attempted to negotiate a bloodless solution while the French gathered their forces and the English dug in and made their position as strong as possible. Remembering the vulnerability of horses to arrows at Crécy, the French king decided to dismount most of his army and fight on foot. However, around 9am on 19th September, it seemed that the English were planning to retreat, so a small force of French cavalry were send forward with dismounted troops and crossbowmen in support to prevent this. After these horsemen had been shot to pieces, the first line of French infantry under the Dauphin attacked. When these too were driven back, the second line under Orléans quit the field with the retreating first line. This left King John's own force - fresh troops and probably the best quality of the French army - to face the so far successful but now tired enemy. However, the Black Prince now ordered his men-at-arms to mount up and counter-attack and the French were caught in the rear by a surprise attack from de Buch's Gascons.
Although Edward III had fielded artillery at Crécy ten years earlier, there's no evidence that either his son or the French king brought guns to Poitiers. This 25 turn scenario assumes that they both did field a few light guns and also makes it less likely that Orléans' troops will retire from the battlefield without fighting. In addition, the English army is slightly reduced in strength - historically, the size of the two armies is conjectural and disputed - and the Genoese crossbowmen are given armour to represent their pavices, but they will still melee at reduced strength, especially on the offensive.
Recommended Rules: [Default]
Note: Side A = French, Genoese Mercenaries, Scottish and Germans, Side B = English, including, as usual, Gascons, Welsh and other troops in English service as an integral part of the "English" army.
Best played Head-To-Head or as the French side against the English A/I.
Scenario Briefing: What if Gun variant - Two years after the decisive French defeat at Crécy the Black Death had devastated Western Europe, killing between a 1/3 and 1/2 of the population and temporarily halting the conflict between England and France. John II succeeded to the French throne in 1350 and made various reforms to try to improve the effectiveness of the French army. In 1355 the English resumed several major chevauchee raids in France, although only Edward the Black Prince's raid in the south was really effective. A French treaty with Navarre in September 1355 was perceived as a threat to English held Gascony, so the Black Prince launched a fresh offensive in early August 1356, perhaps with the intention of joining forces with his brother John of Lancaster's army operating in Brittany. The decision to capture Romorantin castle delayed the Prince's army long enough to give King John's French time to mobilize and give chase, while any prospect of combining forces with Lancaster before risking battle was now out of the question since Lancaster's army had been prevented from crossing the Loire.
On 17th September, Gascon scouts skirmished with the French and it was clear that the enemy army was nearby. With supplies running low and reluctant to risk encountering the French army while on the march and vulnerable to cavalry, the Black Prince decided to establish a good defensive position and wait for the French to attack. Since the following day was a Sunday, neither side was willing to fight and the Cardinal de Périgord attempted to negotiate a bloodless solution while the French gathered their forces and the English dug in and made their position as strong as possible. Remembering the vulnerability of horses to arrows at Crécy, the French king decided to dismount most of his army and fight on foot. However, around 9am on 19th September, it seemed that the English were planning to retreat, so a small force of French cavalry were send forward with dismounted troops and crossbowmen in support to prevent this. After these horsemen had been shot to pieces, the first line of French infantry under the Dauphin attacked. When these too were driven back, the second line under Orléans quit the field with the retreating first line. This left King John's own force - fresh troops and probably the best quality of the French army - to face the so far successful but now tired enemy. However, the Black Prince now ordered his men-at-arms to mount up and counter-attack and the French were caught in the rear by a surprise attack from de Buch's Gascons.
Although Edward III had fielded artillery at Crécy ten years earlier, there's no evidence that either his son or the French king brought guns to Poitiers. This 25 turn scenario assumes that they both did field a few light guns and also makes it less likely that Orléans' troops will retire from the battlefield without fighting. In addition, the English army is slightly reduced in strength - historically, the size of the two armies is conjectural and disputed - and the Genoese crossbowmen are given armour to represent their pavices, but they will still melee at reduced strength, especially on the offensive.
Recommended Rules: [Default]
Note: Side A = French, Genoese Mercenaries, Scottish and Germans, Side B = English, including, as usual, Gascons, Welsh and other troops in English service as an integral part of the "English" army.
Best played Head-To-Head or as the French side against the English A/I.
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