Sunday 2 December 2012

Turkish Delight.

Well, today my Ottoman Turks took on the might of Christendom in the shape of Steve Clarke's knights & men at arms.
 
And it was looking pretty hairy for Sultan Beg Famore for much of the battle.
 
Here's the Ottoman army arrayed across the battlefield with woods on their right and broken ground away in the distance on the left.
 
And here come the Eastern Europeans. Three units of heavy knights on their left.
 
Azab Light troops head for the broken ground.
 
Opposite them, Steve's archers deploy on the high ground.
 
My centre is focused on a three Wagon Tabor crewed by my best Solak Janissaries with artillery in between each with a Master Gunner in charge. Sensibly, the Sultan and hangers-on stayed behind this.
 
Their artillery fires the first shot.
 
The Turkish cannons reply.
 
His Heavy Metal moves forward with Army Commander.
 
 
My hope had been that my Janissaries' camels would have frightened off the Christians' horses but they passed their Fear test and made it to contact after receiving fire.
 
The Janissaries and his Heavy Cavalry proceeded to fight it out for much of the rest of the day.
 
 
My Turkomans were steadily losing men to artillery fire.
 
My Spahis sneakily attacked his knights from the back.
 
But were then attacked in turn by his reserve unit of Knights.
 
Finally, a unit of Janissaies broke leaving a big gap for the Knights to exploit.
 
The Spahis had been beaten and the Ottoman right had all but crumbled.
 
Over on the left, the Azabs supported by the Turkomans made a nuisance of themselves by firing at the advancing Eastern European Foot.
 
They used their fleetness of foot to keep the enemy at bay.
 
Fire and flee was the tactic.
 
The enemy Heavy Infantry were baited into an attack.
 
Over in the centre, the reserve Janissaries are sent to cover the threat from enemy Knights over the stream.
 
The Knights charge home
 
And the Janissaries hold them.
 
And then one of their units breaks.

 
Another charges but still the Janissaries hold firm.
 
Then, Allah be praised, they break too leaving their General behind.
 
His Serene Highness can safely return to his concubines who have been kept under the watchful eye of his Palace Eunoch, Mustafa Dongal.
 
A satisfying way to end a stressful day !

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