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Calling all armchair generals! Boudica's Last Stand.
TRING BATTLE PART 2

Unusually I am going to argue the Dio option of SP splitting his troops into three Divisions because to give the Romans an advantage the battle could not have been just as Tacitus states because it is likely that once out of the valley / defile / throat they would have been surrounded and swallowed up by the vast opposition.

If that is the case in my opinion there may be another way but again it would depend on the topography which I think is available at this site.

I have broken down the divisions into something that I think would work but of course it is only a supposition.

He needed to attract the opposition into the main valley (with the Roman Camps to his rear) which is only a thousand meters at its narrowest point.

The First Division

This Division would comprise of 4,500 men (3,000 Legionaries and 1500 Auxilliaries)
This Division would be deployed first in the main valley and be visible to the Brythons.

Second Division

This Division would comprise of some 3,000 men (1,500 Legionaries and 1,500 Auxilliaries) and would not be visible to the Brythons on the plain

Third Division

This Division would comprise of some 3,000 men (1000 Legionaries,1,000 Mounted Auxilliaries and 1000 Cavalry) and again would not be visible to the Brythons on the plain.

It is highly likely that the Brythons would have known the Tring Plateau well being situated on the Icknield Way and also having two nearby iron age forts, Boddington Hill Camp and Cholsbury Fort.

Seutonius Paulinus needed to attract them into the valley and so deployed his first division in the main valley where the Roman camp was situated opposite the horde.

My supposition is that the Brythons would have attacked the Roman line within the valley and that this was the viewpoint of Agricola which he told to Tacitus.

The Romans took on the Brythons in this first valley but in my opinion SP was relying on the Brythons to attack up the other two major access points so that he could widen his line and pull in the Brythons.

By using this strategy SP extends the effective line from the 1,000 yards to around 3 miles.

The Brythons from their point of view would have wanted to confront the main force on display but also outflank the Romans and get at the camp and therefore send troops up the second valley onto the plateau

SP however had forseen this by stationing his other two divisions at the top of the “access points” (2 & 3) on the plateau with a combined force of some 6,000 which guarded against being outflanked, patrolling Grim’s Ditch and the 4th Access Point at the rear.

to be continued......
Deryk
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Messages In This Thread
Re: Calling all armchair generals! - by Ensifer - 03-11-2010, 03:13 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 02-18-2012, 06:26 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 02-19-2012, 12:02 AM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 02-19-2012, 02:50 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 02-19-2012, 05:40 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 02-19-2012, 11:26 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 04-24-2012, 05:11 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 04-24-2012, 09:42 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 04-24-2012, 10:10 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 04-25-2012, 03:11 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 04-25-2012, 03:25 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 04-25-2012, 08:36 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 04-26-2012, 02:57 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 04-27-2012, 01:50 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 08-05-2012, 02:24 PM
Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Deryk - 09-04-2013, 09:04 PM
Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by antiochus - 11-07-2014, 02:18 PM
Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by antiochus - 11-08-2014, 01:50 AM
Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by antiochus - 11-11-2014, 02:03 AM
Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by antiochus - 11-18-2014, 07:54 AM
Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by antiochus - 11-20-2014, 02:37 AM
Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by antiochus - 11-25-2014, 08:29 AM

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