The battle of Cannae 2224 years on....

Just a quick post to get some photos available - I'll expand it later.....

Refight of Cannae played at the Upper Hutt Wargames Club, Sat 27 Sept 2008 - the massive black foam movement maps were a godsend for setting up....but then proved impossible to remove when no longer needed!!

Roman & Carthaginian setups:

Some progress shots -

- The Roman right wing cavalry after T2 - there's already a gap in the line.......

And after T6 - the Romans have disappeared, but so has the Carthaginian General, Hasdrubal (he was the gap slightly right of centre in pic)- his loss would prove important.......

T9 - the Roman right flank is well and truly turned...but without their general the Carthaginian cavalry are disorganised and unable to do much more than harrass the Romans - the Africans are scything through from the front, but there will be no help for the Carthaginian right flank as happened historically......

T13 on the Roman left - the Numidians have mopped up the Italian cavalry & are turning the flank - the Roman consul Varro is the rearmost cavalry of the 2 contacted in the flank in this shot.......

The Finale - the Roman left is struck front, flank and rear - this is it - despite all the problems the Carthaginians have had, this will win them the game......




.......but the Numidian light horse are unable to deliver the coup de grace, instead being run down by a desperate charge by Varro's bodyguard and being held off by the triarii - the lack of the heavier Gallic and Spanish cavalry from the other flank proved crucial here.

What I haven't shown you is the centre - where the Carthaginian Gauls had been all but wiped out - the legions had broken through and it needed victory on the left flank for Carthage to scrape a win.....but the loss of Gauls added to a few African spearmen also lost was enough to break half the Carthaginian infantry (they were organised in 2 halves - 1 commanded by Hannibal, the other by Mago) - taking the other half with it and the the game.

It was casualties on this last turn that finaly lost it for Carthage - including Varro riding down the element opposite him.

A close run game it could have gone either way - losing Hasdrubal was a serious problem for the Carthaginians, and yet they still came within an ace of winning.