New Years Day Battle: Greeks vs Pesians

Long time member of the West Sound Warriors, Gary Williams finally managed to get his Greeks and Persians painted and mounted. We decided to try them out on New Year's Day, 2014. These Persians are from the 480 B.C period during the time of Xerxes. Gary and Brad Philpot commanded the Greeks while Ron Berry and myself led the Persians. These were fairly large armies with lots of skirmisher infantry which mad the 8 X 5 table a  little crowded.

The Persian Army had nineteen units as follows:
Unit                Qty    Weapon
Persian HC           18    Jav/Bow
Median HC          18    Jav
Sakae LC             16    Bow
Caspian LC          16    Jav
Bactrian LC         16    Jav
Paricanian LC      16    Jav
Immortals 1         48    Spear/Bow
Immortals 2         36    Spear/Bow
Medes 1               32    Spear/Bow
Medes 2               32    Spear/Bow
Lydians                32    Spear
Bactrian LI          24    Jav
Chorasmian LI    24    Jav
SI  Ethiopians     12    Bow
SI  Jav-1              12    Jav
SI  Jav-2              12    Jav
SI  Jav-3              12    Jav
SI  Jav-4              12    Jav
SI  Pisidian          16    Jav

Greeks had thirteen units:
Unit                    Qty    Weapon
HC                      16    Jav
LC                      12    Jav
Spartiate PH       48    Spears
Lacedaimon PH  48    Spears
Messenian PH     48    Spears
Sicyon PH          48    Spears
Ionian PH           48    Spears
LI                       24    Jav
LI                       24    Jav
SI   Bow-1          12    Bow
SI    Jav-1           12    Jav
SI    Bow-1         12    Bow
SI    Jav-2           12    Jav




Deployments were pretty standard with Cavalry on the wings and Infantry in the center. The Persians greatly outnumbers the Greeks in Cavalry, but the Greeks had stronger infantry fighting power. The Greek Phalanxes had a FV of 5-6 while the Persian troops were only 4-6 at best. It would be a contest between whether the Greek Phalanxes could destroy enough Persian Units before they were caught from behind by the Persian Cavalry.

 A view of the initial deployments, Greek on the Right, Persians on the Left. Notice the large amount of Skirmishers. They mostly just got in the way.

Except for the Persian Right wing, the Persians mostly upon The Persian General's (Ron) orders stayed put and let the Greeks come to them. In the photo below, notice red uniformed Greek unit. That's the Spartiates in melee with the Chorasmian LI. Next to them Ron has maneuvered the Medes-1 Unit to apparently get a Wing Attack on the advancing Greek Lacedaimon PH unit.

 Here is a closer view of the Spartiates and Persian LI melee. As you may guess,the LI didn't last long.

 With the Chorasmian Light infantry gone,the Spartans wheel and catch the Medes-1 Unit in Flank. Disordered by the Flank Attack and outscored in the melee,the Medes-1 is soon gone allowing the Spartans to advance into the Flank of the already engaged Medes-2 Unit.

 Meanwhile over on the Persian Right Flank, the Persians are kicking Butt and starting to envelope the Greek from the rear.

In the Center the Immortals and the Lydians are holding their own, but the Spartan Juggernaught is getting closer.

 

 The Spartans with another Flank Attack, take out the Medes-2 unit and then the Lydians.

When the Lydians break they cause a morale test for the Immortals-2 unit. They fail which causes them to be disordered. Outscored in the subsequent melee they have to take another control test which they fail again. They break and that's it. Game Over for the Persians.

Game took about two hours to play and was a lot fun although it looked pretty lopsided. The Spartan Flank attacks did the Persians in and if not for those the Persian Cavalry might have been able to change the outcome. We are looking forward to another try with these armies.

A Queen of Sparta was once asked why Spartan women were given far more freedom and responsibility than the women of any other Greek city.  She replied, "Because we are the only Greek women who give birth to real men."