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| The tower of London, today. |
Status
Location
London's Tower, Residence
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Status
Indebted, Resting.
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Mandate
The King of England is mandating the Prince of Wales to assemble an expeditionary forces drawn form his estate and from arrayed spearmen from Wales. All knights and man-at-arm of the land are called to join the armed force to resume the war against the King of France. The Prince of Wales has all authority to lead the expedition, establish discipline and reward men of valors. He also has the authority to negotiate treaties considered pertinent to the campaign, including surrenders of his own forces. If the Prince of Wales finds himself in need of help, the King of England is committing to provide the promptest help possible. The expedition is to assemble in Bordeaux to link with the Gascon nobles that have requested the King of England's support.
Mobilizing England for War
Mobilizing is an extremely complex operation that has been done many times in recent memory. In order to trigger the process, the Prince of Wales only need to say so and the dozen of gears will engage according to a sound plan.This is June 1 1355. The mobilization plan aims to assemble 10,000 men, roughly equally distributed between knights, men-at-arms and archers on horseback. It also calls for over 1000 welsh spearmen on foot in support. It will take 2 months to assemble in Plymouth while a navy is commandeered and ships are staffed and retrofitted. The sea should be favourable in early September for the 12 days voyage to Bordeaux.
The Prince of Wales should be aware that there are three significant issues that can complicate the plans. The most important is that in order to array archers and recruit nobles, we need a lot of coins. Our funds are currently low, but we are expecting to have cash from creditors within two weeks. If these funds are not released, this will cause a serious setback to our plans. The king should also release funds within the month. Finally, a steady income from special war taxes should become significant before we sail to France. The second concern is that it is always unlikely that we will be able to commandeer enough shipping to ferry all of the horses to France. We will monitor the progress of this operation closely. The third traditional concern is to maintain discipline at the embarkation port where the troops will be billeted. Let's hope that we can sail promptly before we run out of food, fodder, or coins to keep the troops from marauding our own towns and villages.
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| Longbowmen of olde, circa 1415 |
- Troops
- Cheshire Archers (3000) : Likely
- Welsh Spearmen (1000) : Likely
- Knights and retinues (6000) : Likely
- Victuals
- Food : OK
- Wine/beer : OK
- Fodder : OK
- Supply
- Archery (bows, arrows, strings, heads) : OK
- Horses : OK
- Navy
- Acquire shipping : unsure
- Staff ships : OK
- Retrofit ships (gangways, etc.) : OK
- Embarkation
- Billet troops : OK
- Discipline : unsure
- ETA : Sept 1, 1355
- Funds
- Level : Low
- Creditors : Likely (ETA: June 15)
- King's funds : Likely (ETA: July 1)
- War tax : Likely (ETA: Aug 1)
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ReplyDeleteThe Prince of Wales- At this moment we will concentrate on discipline of the troops. Magistrates must be trained and given powers to enforce infractions and breaches of discipline when we land in France. A few spies must also be placed amongst the troops to report on any activities by subversives or organized crime.
ReplyDeleteContinue to gather resources, mobilize and train the armed units.
Mike, this is just a technical note for myself. I'll post a SITREP for you later tonight.
ReplyDelete1 ) Setting up a counter intelligence is a complex administrative task: PoW is an experienced administrator. Base:8, home turf (+1), laid early (+1). Tgt: 10, roll:10, Success had it not be prepared early, or on home ground, this would have failed.
The technical spreadhseet keeping track of the rolls is here:
ReplyDeletehttp://tinyurl.com/6lf5z5p
Again, players don't need to see this.
2 ) There is a surplus of cash due to the shortage of victuals, horses and shipping. Base:10, shortage of victuals(+1), horses(+1), shipping(+1), Fast recruitment rate (-2), tgt:11, roll:11. Success: Funds are now in Surplus as of 15/06/55
ReplyDeleteNote to self - War resumed with France / Gascon Rebels will provide assistance / land Bordeaux head toward ?
ReplyDeleteOrganize a fast moving mobile force of calvary and archers/spearmen
Need wheeled transport and oxen to move supplies in France
Concentrate on France's soil- 4000 hvy cav. / 4000 lt cav. / 5000 archers/spearmen / 1000 oxen & cart combinations
Train extensively movement of large forces by tactical commanders
Send out service gangs to pressgang workers such as masons, blacksmiths, carpenters, horse & oxen handlers ( this may not be needed but if needed it must be able to be operate immediately with results within 12 hours.)
Recruit merchants to accompany service train to help create wealth while in France by establishing business at our armies ports of entrance onto the continent. Hopefully this will ease some of the strain on our mobile logistic train by having the open market create sources of supply at preferred areas. Troops should not be needed to guard these locations as the local constabulary will handle the situation. Only criminal gangs will raid their own populace and we will be welcomed as creators of local economic growth.
Send armed groups along the English Channel coastline press-ganging foreign sailors and seizing their vessels. Any resistance from the sailors will be dealt with quickly by shackling the agitators and forcing them to walk behind the group while the rest of the shackled press-ganged men will ride in wagons.
Bring sailing craft and men to various assembly points along the coast. Departure points will be dispersed so that we will leave separated and assemble as an army at one point.
Skirmishers of mixed force will be trained so that upon landing in France they will roam away from the coast and our landing sites to search for locations to plunder for food and treasure.
Mike, this is labeled as note to self. Should I wait for you to post something else or should I move forward with this?
ReplyDeleteSome comments from a historical perspective
ReplyDelete1) "Concentrate on France's soil- 4000 hvy cav. / 4000 lt cav. / 5000 archers/spearmen / 1000 oxen & cart combinations" -- The troops types available in English armies is the knights and Men-at-arm, both fighting with blades, mounted or not, and wearing plate armors. Longbowmen, lightly armored (no standard issue), hopefully most of them on horse for transportation (not fighting), Welsh spearmen: a kind of irregular auxiliary troop best used to covering flanks.
2) "Train extensively movement of large forces by tactical commanders" -- You can delegate to the Earls to form more standalone divisions. There are four Earls (Oxford, Suffolk, Salisbury and Warwick), plus the Prince of Wales. Separating columns in the 14th century is complicated by the terribly poor knowledge of the land and communication.
3 ) "Send out service gangs to pressgang workers such as masons, blacksmiths, carpenters, horse & oxen handlers ( this may not be needed but if needed it must be able to be operate immediately with results within 12 hours.)" -- There are no historical precedents for this in this campaign. This doesn't mean that it can't be done. However, this means even less space to ferry horses if you are to bring trades people. One in the field, there may be no way to communicate or transfer good to the home base.
4 ) A large and road-bound train means that you force will be much slower than if on horseback. The economic effect would be as you expect, however.
5 ) "Send armed groups along the English Channel coastline press-ganging foreign sailors and seizing their vessels. Any resistance from the sailors will be dealt with quickly by shackling the agitators and forcing them to walk behind the group while the rest of the shackled press-ganged men will ride in wagons" -- That is SOP already. God bless the King.
6 ) "Send armed groups along the English Channel coastline press-ganging foreign sailors and seizing their vessels. Any resistance from the sailors will be dealt with quickly by shackling the agitators and forcing them to walk behind the group while the rest of the shackled press-ganged men will ride in wagons" -- Non-historical practice in this case. But possible. Southhampton and Portsmouth are two candidate ports.
7 ) "Skirmishers of mixed force will be trained so that upon landing in France they will roam away from the coast and our landing sites to search for locations to plunder for food and treasure." -- Scouts are made of about 10 lances (A knight, a squire and an archer). They typically go about 1 day ahead of the main force in a direction of your choice. The foragers are archers on light horses that scan the surrounding country for food and fodder.
I will write this up in order to answer your questions and clear up any confusion I may still have.
ReplyDeleteMilitary History from Battle of Crecy
ReplyDeleteTactics of the black prince
Defensive lines of pikemen & spearmen with firepower of English Longbows( max range 400 m & effective range 250 m / usefully used with skirmishers and individual shots at selected targets or used as volley fire. Most useful individual weapon yet to appear on the battlefield) plus the shock power of cavalry for counterattacks.
All men at arms and knights were clad in body suits of chain-mail with protected feet and hands & heads covered with pot helmets with holes for vision and breathing. These covered the face and head and neck. Some may have had movable visors but this would have been low in number.
Knights and there horses would be covered in plate armour and weighed down by it. Knights if unhorsed would be highly handicapped by heavy steel armour.
Men at arms would have a chest plate of armour and maybe some would have shoulders and arms and back covered. This would be very low in number as the men at arms were also considered foot infantry and were not always horsed.
All of this army must have some form of transportation to move them and their armour and weapons.
Gunpowder and cannon used by English Armies- 5 roundelays or pots de fer
Siege warfare- siege tactics equipment not up to task of defeating art of fortification
All armies prepared fortifications to retire to after a winning battle or to retreat to during a losing battle
Bow fired missile firepower behind defensive staying power of spearmen followed by shock-power of cavalry
Success of English were because of the disciplined line of spearmen. If they ran away the bowmen could not defend themselves.
Every soldier in the English armies was a professional indentured for set paymenta and allowances.. Rapid mobility tip & run tactics as most of the army was on a horse.
Man at arms armed with spear ,sword and shield. Used as spearmen dismounted to form protective lines to support bowmen or block an avenue of approach.
1000 men arranged in 6 ranks deep on a front of 250 meters. Archers on both flanks.
Info from:
Encyclopedia of Military History by Dupuy & Dupuy 1986 Harper & Row
Chambers Biographical Dictionary ed. Magnus Magnusson 1990 Chambers
Concise Dictionary of Miltary Biography 1992 Wiley
Is any of this possible using the system procedures now in effect. Does the simulation allow these historical possibilities?
All of this clears. A few notes:
ReplyDelete1 ) gunpowder wasn't involved here at all in this campaign.
2 ) The Prince of Wales carefully avoided sieges because speed was the most important aspect in this raid: outpacing the much larger French army is one factor, devastating as many villages and town was the primary objective of the operation.
3 ) Strangely, spearmen are rarely mentioned in the chronicles. Probably because they were provincials from Wales and the Northern areas. They must have been key in the defensive lines at Poitier although history doesn't tell how. Also, they would have been as good as archers at looting and burning villages (their main task for most of the time).
Stand by for the next big update on July 1.
After Crecy the Welshmen were each given an acre of land in reward for outstanding service. They were at the low end of the feudal ranking though because they were without horse. Some notes I have read state that the size and health of the horse you provided determined social ranking in the armies of the time and if the horse died in battle without a suitable replacement even knights were lowered in their social standing.
ReplyDeleteInterestingly, all horses were assessed before entering service. In the event of the horse's death, the King committed to compensate the owner up to the assessed value prior to departure. This practice struck me as un-medieval... hence my recent years interest in understanding how 14th century people were thinking.
ReplyDeleteFr: Black Prince
ReplyDeleteTo: Loyal Subjects
Post these notices in spots were they will be seen by subjects in the area of our embarkation
Do not listen to ''excuses for anyone misconducting himself. Should any insist on doing so, he shall meet with the punishment he deserves, while the brave shall be honoured with the appropriate rewards of valour.''
Pg 122, Thucydides, The History of the Peloponnesian War, JM Dent & Sons, London, 1910
Continues- All our assembled army will be quartered and under curfew. At sundown they all must be at their assigned camp and those found away from camp will be considered deserters and jailed to be dealt punishment at sunup.
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Now that I have placed some policies into action ( see previous comments)
At my HQ: the higher nobility knights and men at arms
: Barons, etc that are commanding the various contingents unless they have not yet arrived.
Logistic order:
Send oxen & cart teams far away to search for beer and red or green cloth. Have a quarter master type personage accompany each 10 cart group so that someone with some experience will be able to negotiate and determine value for product.
Send agents into the local area of concentration to find suitable lodging for the nobility and campsites for the rest.
When we land in France we will have 1 quartermaster and 10 oxen/cart combinations for every 1000 men. These carts will carry initially food & lodging for the commanders but will carry booty and plunder.
Send bowmen with recent hunting experience into the surrounding region in search of game. We will stockpile what we can to consume before boarding the ships.
Knights and Men At Arms not with the Black Prince be assembled on high dry ground while their slaves and servants will immediately begin digging latrines, gathering wood for the camp fires and building quarters for their masters.
Got it, thanks. I'll process the turn tonight.
ReplyDelete