Legio XVII: Battle of the Danube (24 page)

“You’re going to have your work cut out for you, make no mistake.  You’re going to have language and cultural problems with the Suevi and Raeti for starters.  Work with Sergius to find an area to house the men and train them.  You’ll also need your own cavalry, Scorpio, archers, and wagons.  I know you know how to do these things.  Let me know if you run into any problems.  My door is always open to you.  When you are not with your men; stand close to me.  Good Luck Tribune.”

Servilius knew full well what lie ahead.  He had performed the same mission when he led 800 men to Patavium.  Since he hated staff work, this assignment would be fun.

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After the Proconsul’s guidance the day before, the respective staffs separated and conducted their own independent planning according to their specific responsibilities.  The Logistics staff officer on the Expedition Staff, for example, chaired daily meetings with his eight Legion counterparts to hammer out the details of feeding the troops and keeping them supplied with weapons, armor, food, water, and clothing.

The main supply depot for this expedition was at Bad Tolz, but once the Legions took to the field and moved north, supply lines and supply depots would be established at Munich and then Ingolstadt to readily meet the needs of the fighting men.  The staff identified specific wagons and cargos to follow each legion and planned for replacement wagons and animals.

The Personnel Tribune of the Expedition Staff similarly met with his Legion counterparts to develop plans to move replacements forward as soon as they became available. They developed plans and procedures for the holding and transporting of prisoners, pay, morale items, and reporting procedures to keep track of soldiers who are sick, wounded, and killed.

Each of the staff officers for Training, Maneuver, Operations, Medical, Engineering, Archers, Cavalry, Slingers, and Scorpios met independently, and periodically gathered as a group to coordinate among all the staff elements to avoid duplication of effort or working at cross purposes.  For the Suevi and Raeti staff members, this entire process was a new experience.

While the staff officers were meeting to ensure essential services were provided to the Legionaries, the Legates were meeting to develop plans to attack their assigned targets.

Legate Calvus chaired his first meeting on 25 January with Legates Vitulus and Caile, Nasua, and the two Suevi Commanders.  On the Proconsul’s suggestion, he invited Bethica to observe the process.  Calvus said, “Before we involve our staff officers, we first have to agree on command and control issue, routes to the target, our strategy to engage them, and our tactics to win the fight.  We need to ensure we have procedures in place to coordinate with the other Attack Group and with the Proconsul’s Headquarters.”

“As you can see, we already have a detailed model of the terrain between here and Augsburg.  On the other side of the room is another scale model depicting the area immediately around Augsburg.  I hope to add more detail to these models as we continue planning.”

“Legate Caile is my second-in-command.  He speaks for me and will assume command if I am incapacitated.  I expect all of you to follow the intent of my orders immediately and without question whether you receive them in writing, orally, or by horn or signal flag.  If I see any hesitation or second guessing, I will immediately relieve you and place your Laticlavius in command.  The success of our mission and lives of our men depends on our leadership and decision making. I expect you to be courageous in the face of the enemy, but not foolhardy.  You are not paid to fight as a Legionary, but to lead.”

Bethica listened intently.  She realized she was way behind in her planning and would have to work hard to catch up.  She had butterflies in her stomach, but was excited to get started.

Calvus then led the Legates to the terrain model built to scale that showed the routes to Augsburg.  He said, “My plan is to approach Augsburg from the south and not on a direct line from here to the target.”  Taking a pointer, Calvus traced the intended route.  “When we depart Bad Tolz, we will head northwest for 40 miles (64km) towards Landsberg am Lech, which is a former Suevi settlement on the Lech River and about 45 miles (72.4km) south of Augsburg.  I’m told that this north flowing river is about 75 feet (22.8m) across and fordable for troops and wagons.  Whether or not that will be true in June is unknown.  Once across the river, we will head due north following the river.”

Figure 8: Landsberg am Lech to Augsburg (Goggle Maps)

“The elevation at the crossing site is 1,968 feet (600m), then descends slightly to Schwabmunchen at 1,831 feet (558m) and continues descending to Bobingen 1,522 feet (464m)  At that point, we enter a heavily wooded area with three narrow north-south valleys cutting through it.  Each valley is separated from the other by a forest about half a mile (.8km) across.  The three valleys and forests ascend to Augsburg 1624 feet (495m).  The Teuton garrison is located between two small rivers about one mile (1.6km) apart: the Lech River on the east and the Wertach River on the west.  The forest and valleys end between the two rivers and about two miles (3.2km) from the garrison.”

“In three days, 28 January, I plan to do a Leaders’ Recon with 18 individuals that will last approximately 14 days.  Those individuals have been notified and are making preparations for the trip.  We will have two cavalry escorts to act as scouts and couriers.  I expect the Teutons will be huddled around their fires at Augsburg and not expecting us. Each of us will bring an extra horse and carry our sword and shield.”

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Bethica was highly impressed with the preparation that Calvus’ staff had put into the briefing.  The Roman way of war never ceased to impress her.  She thought, “No wonder they beat us so badly at Innsbruck.”

She and Davenhardt walked over to Legio XX’s Headquarter with the newly promoted Legate Justus.  After a serving of weak wine, Justus said, “Bethica, Calvus is ahead of us with his planning.  Legate Silvius was mostly absent from his command for the past month and without his guidance, very little got done.”

“Once we have your scheme of maneuver and plan of attack, we can build terrain models and begin to offer you alternative courses of action from which to choose.  As soon as you can brief us, the sooner we can get to work.”  Justus felt proud of himself.  He had spoken like a true Legate and what he said was perfectly sound.  After Bethica departed, Tribune Valerian complimented Justus and said the Attack Group was off to a late, but good start.

Bethica poured over the available maps and information that the scouts had gathered earlier.  She had frequent informal meeting with Legates Justus, Lugano of I Raetorum, and her two Suevi commanders.  She quickly realized that no one but her could make the necessary decisions.  She was the decision maker for 20,500 men and supporting arms.  She leaned heavily on the Legio XX staff to help her finalize her plans and prepare the briefing.  She eventually, moved her Headquarters and staff in with Legio XX.  Only the Roman staff had the experience and expertise to pull this together.

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It was a cold snowy morning when Legate Calvus and his recon party departed Bad Tolz.  The group included Nasua the Suevi Army Commander, the two Suevi Legates, Legates Vitulus and Caile, six staff officers, and six men he intended to leave near Augsburg to watch the Teuton garrison and report any changes.  He intended to rotate these men every two weeks.  He told them to watch during the day, but to sleep in an abandoned hut at night.

The Proconsul saw them off and, in a show of support and solidarity, Bethica and her Legates also wished them well.

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On 1 February, 206, four days after Calvus departed on his recon mission, Manius was notified that Legate Silvius had died.  It was not unexpected and almost a relief.  The man had been suffering for months.  Legio XX was notified as well as the other Legates.

The men of Legio XX regarded Silvius with great affection and admiration.  He had led them successfully in southern Italy during multiple tours opposing the great Carthaginian general Hannibal.  The Legion had lost men in battle, but it could have been worse.  Silvius’ leadership, good judgment, and sound tactics spared the Legion many senseless casualties.

Two days later, the Legion completed the funeral pyre and the men of the Legion formed a square around it.  The Proconsul and other Legates attended.  The leadership of Legio XX including a number of Centurions made short speeches in honor of Silvius.  When the fires were lit, Legio XX gave a final cheer for Legate Silvius and marched away.

Manius returned to his hut and wrote a letter to Silvius’ wife describing his illness and death.  He praised his long service to the Republic and noted the high esteem in which his Legion held him.  He debated trying to send Silvius’ letter to his family and his own correspondence back to Rome, but decided against it until the two Teuton garrisons at Landshut and Augsburg were taken.  If the letters fell into wrong hands, the expedition would be compromised.

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The snow was not deep, but it did make the roadway slippery and Calvus had to slow the pace considerably.  The spare horses carried their tents, fuel for their fires, food, and fodder.  The horses would carry the men one day and the load the next.  Calvus wanted to keep them as well rested and fit as possible.  They made about 17 miles (27.3km) a day and in three days reached Landsberg am Lech.  The river had a thin coating of ice on the surface and was easily forded.  The men searched the river bank for signs of high water marks, but found little to indicate that the river would be any different in June even after the snow melt.

After they crossed the river, they rode north along the edge of the forest until it was almost dark.  They then entered the forest and made camp.  They set up their tents and lit fires to cook their meals.  The horses were fed and hobbled.  The consistent topic in the evenings, besides the cold damp conditions, was how empty the countryside was of people.  They had seen numerous settlements, isolated huts, barns, and cleared land, but no people.  Since the Teutons only claimed the land north of Munich, Calvus figured that the refugees streaming south had spooked even the people south of Munich.

During the ride, Calvus was envisioning the terrain around him from the terrain models back at Headquarters.  He had worked out a general strategy for the battle, but not the specific tactics or location.  He needed to find terrain that would support his strategy and the tactics would become self evident.  When Calvus and the others reached the dense forest with the three northward facing valleys, he stopped the group.  They were about eight miles (12.8km) south of Augsburg.

Calvus said, “I want to fight the battle within two to four miles of the Teuton garrison.  I want to make them walk a little and tire them before we fight.  With that in mind, our first task is to lure them out of Augsburg with the prospect of an easy victory.  Once they are on the move, we have to keep them moving to the location we select as the battlefield.  We are best suited to fight on open ground as opposed to the forest.  Our pila and large shields are too unwieldy in closely packed trees.  We also need to be able to maneuver.”

“The Teutons probably do well in the forest with their smaller shield and short throwing spear, so they will be reluctant to meet us on a field if they see our full capability.  In other words, the Teutons must see only see what we want them to see until they are fully committed.”

“I will have the Legions’ baggage trains cross the Lech River and proceed up the road to Bobingen, which is about seven miles (11km) south of Augsburg.  After the fight, the trains will join us in Augsburg.”

He led the group up the center valley, which was the widest of the three.  It was about 200 yards (182.8m) across, with a small stream running down its center.  The trees on both sides leaned into the open space.  Periodically, the forest would open where the center valley would connect by a small stream with the valleys on the left or right.  These areas were free of trees and varied in width.  At the intersection of the center valley and these perpendicular streams, the open area would be as much as 400 yards (365.7m).