Bassano 2012 - First game vs French Ordonnance
Bassano tournament this year was reserved to fourth period armies. I used Navarrese, that was tested in our club small training weekend.
The first game I faced a French Ordonnance, with two regular corps of BwS and KnS and the swiss ally command.
I was the attacker set up two woods to hamper a flank manouver by mounted archers. The French put down a strong defensive position deploying inside it. I attacked by night.
When the sun rose, navarrese advanced and blocked in a confined space the french army. Not surprisingly the BdS lead the advance, with th efrench front line made by swiss infantry and BwS. The French kept the RKnS as reserve.
French manouvered and started to pull back the BwS to deploy KnS in the front
IAxS took possession of the village and used it to launch attacks on the enemy right flank. The French center was the sector were combat started. Before engage the swiss phalanx I wanted to gain an overlap in the marsh.
Once swiss psiloi were destroyed or moved away by english BwS fire, English corps charged. In the mantime the french center was slowly pushed back.
The swiss phalanx soon was unsupported and taken in the flank, but initially resisted to all enemy attacks.
After many combat rounds, the french corps were near the breaking level, and the swiss rout broke all the ordonnannce army. 25-0 to Navarrese
The night attack was a real bonus. The French Ordonnance terrain set up and deployment were too defensive, French army could not use the full power of their superior troops that were cramped, with no room to use the better C3. The game showed also that a pike phalanx is very strong frontally, but must fight with both flanks supported. Once one is threatened, also nice troops as the swiss can be routed.