Beersteiner Castle Delton, H141, Falls To Fritz Forces

  Castle Delton was left poorly defended, thanks to the effort to aid another Beersteiner castle - Thorndale. The latter was rescued but the Delton garrison faced Overwhelming odds.

Beersteiner Forces:                                        Survivors at end of battle

(All infantry units start at 24 figures)           

One unit of crossbows                               21

One cannon and crew                                   0  (cannon captured, crew dead)

Two ankylosauruses with riders                   0        
(The dinosaurs were still young and not fully trained but, when the crunch came, they did their duty!)

Fritz Forces:                                                   Survivors at end of battle

Long Bows                                                   23
Long bows                                                    14
Matchlocks                                                    16
Plate Knights                                                 23

Plate Knights                                                 18

Great Swords                                                 22                         
Hillmen with spears                                       23
Pike                                                                24

Pike                                                                24

Hero                                                                 1

Hero                                                                 1

Siege Cannon                                                   1
Siege Cannon                                                   1

                            BELOW:

                        Fritz Great Swords and pike gain the battlements.

                                                 and Hillmen and more pike

                                                  and knights

                                                  Ankylosauruses dead

              The garrison's crossbowmen flee through the door and up the road Northward.

                                                 The charge of the dinosaurs

PROGRESS OF THE BATTLE

I had to reroll the initiative rolls for setting up and first move as my garrison did not have a commander. Nevertheless I still won first move, although not setting up. My crossbowmen positioned themselves in the two Southern towers. The cannon was at the top of the South Western tower.

The cannon crew lasted a few moves until wiped out by archery. The crossbows were better protected with their slit windows. Their casualties were few.

As Fritz knights gathered at the base of the Eastern wall the dinosaurs were ridden outside the castle and charged the knights. They caused some damage before the knights were able to hamstring the beasts and, finally, kill them.

The Fritz, unhampered by any moat, were gathering at the Western as well as the Eastern walls. The Beersteiner crossbowmen were aware that they could not sustain a close combat defence and that if they stayed in the towers the doors would eventually be hacked in. They withdrew to the courtyard and shot upwards at the first Fritz to set foot on the battlements. Then they fled through the door and Northwards up the road. However, it was an organized and sensible retreat to live to fight another day. The road was clear and the Fritz possessed no cavalry to stop them.

The Frits captured 27 credits and a cannon.

Mat just sent me these photos that he took: