Hiver -277

Pyrrhus prélève l'impôt en Italie et en Sicile, ce qui ne lui rend pas très populaire : pour la première fois, son Hybris passe sous le seuil de 11, à 9.  Rome verse de l'or aux Etrusques, pour les amadouer, leu niveau de révolte revient à 6 mais pour 6 talents d'or.

Le Consul Bubulcus marche aussitôt contre les cités Etrusques qui demeurent hostiles à Rome.  La campagne lui coûte plus de la moitié de sa légion, mais il ne parvient pas tout à fait à soumettre ses voisins septentrionales (niveau de révolte ramené à 1).  Quant au Consul Rufinus, il reprend Paestum.

La flotte épirote, pour le moment intouchable, emmène Pyrrhus et Thoinon à Messine, où ils entrent dans la ville sans défenseurs.  La flotte carthaginoise en profite pour rentrer en Afrique.

Pyrrhus lève quelques troupes, mais sinon n'agit pas.  Son inaction permet à Gisco de reprendre Agrigente.

Milon marche sur Paestum, où Consul Rufinus refuse de se laisser enfermer.  Une bataille féroce s'engage dans les collines de Lucania.  Une victoire épirote, suivi d'un succès d'Alexandre II devant Rhegium, pourrait bien donner la domination de Magna Greca au roi d'Epire !

 

Bataille de Mont Alburnus, décembre -277

L'affrontement a lieu dans un Défilé.  Dans un paysage plus favorable à son style de combat, Rome est agressif tandis que Milon préfère rechercher le champ de bataille optimal.  C'est donc Rome qui Attaque, et les deux camps bénéficient des avantages tactiques.

Epirotes (343 pts)

Moral : 14

 

Corps d'Avant-Garde - Eperatus de Heraclea  (Capitaine  4/2/1) - 16 pts

6 x Archers Crétois

2 x Cavalier Lourd

Corps Principal - Milon d'Epire  (Commandant 5/3/2) - 20 pts

2 x Phalanges Macédoniennes

1 x Phalange Grecque

4 x Hoplites Alliés 

3 x Cavalier Léger Allié

3 x Tirailleurs Grecs

Corps Secondaire - Gelon de Tarente  (Commandant 5/3/2) - 20 pts

4 x Hoplites Grecs

1 x Hoplites Alliés 

3 x Cavalier Léger Allié

4 x Archers Crétois

 

 

Rome (391 pts)

Moral : 28

 

Corps d'Avant-Garde - Tinus  (Chef  3/2 - inclus) - 4 pts

2 x Nobles Gaulois

1 x Equites Socii

3 x Vélite Vétéran 

1 x Vélite Allié

Corps Principal - Consul Rufinus  (Commandant 5/3/2) - 20 pts

2 x Vélite Vétéran

3 x Hastati (Peltastes)

3 x Principes (Triarii Alliés)

1 x Triarii Vétérans

3 x Socii Latins

2 x Extraordinarii Italiens

Corps Secondaire - P. Scipio Thrax  (Commandant 5/3/2) - 20 pts

2 x Vélite Vétéran

3 x Hastati (Peltastes)

3 x Principes (Triarii Alliés)

1 x Triarii Vétérans

2 x Campaniens

1 x Socii Latins

 

 

Corps d'Arrière-Garde - S. Pompeius Pius  (Capitaine  4/2/1 - inclus) - 8 pts

3 x Cavalier Romain

2 x Cavalier Léger Allié 

 

Milon did indeed manage to find suitable terrain for the battle.  He kept his distance from the ravines [placed at the board edge, so I didn't figure them], and drew the enemy on a plateau.  There was one steep rise upon it, but the issue from it was handily blocked off with impassable, rocky terrain.

Epirote left flank

On his left flank, Milon used the Greek allied hoplites to secure the flank of the hill, and avoid any marauding cavalry from getting through that way.

The hill was to be held with psiloi, who were to be backed up as quickly as possible with Cretan archers and light cavalry.

The phalanxes and the best Greek hoplites held the centre, intending to use the rocky zone to anchor their flank.  A mass of Cretans, and the Epirote's only heavy cavalry, were on the right flank, with special orders to protect the camp whose loss would be a disaster [since the Epirotes only had a 14 break point against the Roman's 28].

Epirote centre and right

The Roman consul had an interesting battle plan too.  His Latin infantry and Campanian elites would swamp the hill, to let the cavalry through into the back lines.  The latter cavalry, despite having been deployed as a lure on the left flank, were intended to sweep back behind the line of battle.

As for the legions, they would deploy in a diagonal wedge anchored on the rocky area, to protect the camp whilst waiting for the enemy to come to them.  The Hastati were thrown forward to do as much damage as possible.

Half way through the battle (turn 4), this is an overall view of the situation :

The Campanian extraordinarii and the accompanying Socii have overrun the hill, the psiloi there having nonetheless slowed them down.  To their right, the Greek Allied Hoplites have firmly closed the gate on any outflanking attempts.  Waves of light cavalry and intense fire from the Cretans did wear the Roman medium infantry down, almost to the point of rupture, but the Epirote centre-left had been pierced and enemy cavalry were leaking through.

On the opposing side of the battlefield, although it may not look like it, the Epirotes were getting the upper hand.  The combined hastati of the two legions were however holding on, despite alternating waves of Cretan arrows and light cavalry harassment.

On turn 5, Gelon of Tarente decided to commit his troops.  Fierce resistance from the Roman hastati had caused him to drift left, blocking the way for the Macedonian phalanxes.  Nonetheless, with enemy cavalry soon at their backs, time was of the essence.

As a house rule, to keep the legions looking good, I rule that the Soutien [Support] rule can be used within 1BW for Roman troops.  Unfortunately, in this case, the velites were foolishly in the way...

The Greeks kept putting on the pressure and even got the phalanxes, somewhat late in the day, into the battle.

Unfortunately, their losses brought them just to breaking point at the end of turn 7.  Quite unlucky really, as it was some fortunate javelin fire on the Roman right flank that had managed to down several handfuls of hoplites, far from the rest of the intense fighting.

The Romans had reached 22 points of demoralisation out of 28, another turn and it is quite possible that Milon would have fought them to a draw.

It was not however to be.

The Epirotes lost 45 points of infantry and 5 of cavalry, so one counter is lost, and a further two in the pursuit.

The Romans lost 46 points of infantry, so one counter.

--------------------

As for the siege of Rhegium, the defending forces held out, making it impossible for Alexander II to plan an assault the following summer.  He instead headed back to Heraclea to ward off any Roman threat from Paestum, and dispatched Milon to the toe of the peninsula.

Pyrrhus concentrated all his forces at Henna, hoping to inflict a decisive defeat on Carthage in the coming summer campaigning.  Gisco concentrated his own forces in Agrigente.

There was little by way of reinforcements available after three years of hard campaigning, but Milon received welcome assistance in Locre.  Carthage however spent all its treasury on bringing up its fleet to enough hulls to trouble its enemy.