Battle of Pavia - A DBR Scenario (Draft)
| Pavia, Italy |
24 Feb 1525 |
Historical Situation or Mission
Rules
DBR based on 400 men/element
Map/Terrain
|
(Click on the map to the full size version) |
Key features are: |
Pre-game preparation
None.
French Player (Defending)
Objective
Defeat attacker in open battle.
Forces Available
Actual composition (??):
-
10,000 Swiss
-
5,000 other Pikemen, probably all Landsknecht under Richard de la Pole.
-
6,000 French and Italian arquebusiers
-
1,200 Men-at-Arms
-
2,000 light cavalry
-
53 guns
About 28,000 in total. Of these about 8,000 were lost before the battle, as the Bande Nere (2,500) retired when Giovanni de Medici, their leader, was wounded, and as the Swiss-Grison contingent (2,000, 5,000 or 6,000) were recalled to defend their lands. The final armies were about equal in size.
The order of battle given below is based on Jones (1994). I have merely divided his figure total by 3 to produce an element total. It is not clear which infantry are the Landsknechts, Italians and actual French.
|
DBR Type |
Num. |
Fig |
DBR AP |
||
|
Swiss |
Pikes and Halberds |
Pk (S) |
20 |
80 |
100 |
|
|
Crossbowmen |
Sk (O) |
3 |
6 |
6 |
|
French |
Gendarmerie |
Ln (S) |
6 |
18 |
72 |
|
Pikemen and Halberds |
Pk (I) |
16 |
64 |
48 |
|
|
Arquebusiers |
Sh (I) |
2 |
8 |
10 |
|
|
Crossbowmen |
Sk (O) |
3 |
6 |
6 |
|
|
Bande Nere |
Pikemen and Halberds |
Pk (O) |
16 |
64 |
64 |
|
|
Arquebusiers |
Sh (I) |
3 |
12 |
15 |
|
Artillery |
Guns |
Art (S) |
5 |
50 |
|
|
371 |
Deployment
As per rules.
Reinforcements
None.
Imperialist Player (Attacking)
Begins scenario with initiative.
Objective
Defeat defender in open battle.
Forces Available
Giono (1965) says 28,000 men in total, while at Lodi on 19th January:
-
13,000 Landsknecht
-
6,000 Spanish
-
3,000 Italians
-
800 Lances (4,800 Men-at-Arms)
-
1,500 Light Cavalry
-
At least 16 guns at the battle
Probably lost 3,000 before the battle, due to poor food, disorganised supplies, disease, weather, desertion.
Oman (1987) gives the Imperialist order of march/battle as:
-
2,000 pioneers with battering rams and picks
-
Italo-Spanish under Marquis del Vasto, mostly arquebusiers, some other infantry and 300 light horse.
-
Spanish under Pescara
-
Half the Cavalry
-
Main-battle under Viceroy Lannoy of German Landsknecht
-
Half the Cavalry - 'Burgundian' and Austrian under Ferrante Castriot
-
German Landsknechts under Charles de Bourbon
-
Italio-Spanish
|
DBR Type |
Num. |
Fig |
DBR AP |
||
|
del Vasto |
3,000 German and Spanish Handgunners |
Sh (I) |
8 |
32 |
40 |
| 300 Light Horse | LH (O) | 1 | |||
|
Pescara |
5,000 Spanish | Pk (O) | 12 | ||
|
|
2,400 Men-at-Arms | Ln (S) | 6 | ||
|
Lannoy |
6,000 German Landsknecht | Pk (O) | 16 | ||
| 2,400 Men-at-Arms | Ln (S) | 6 | |||
| 16 guns | Art (S) and Art (O) | 4 | |||
|
Bourbon |
5,000 German Landsknechts | Pk (O) | 12 | ||
|
Rearguard |
3,000 Italians | Pk (I) | 8 | ||
Deployment
As per rules.
Reinforcements
None.
Victory Conditions
As per rules.
Scenario Special Rules
None.
Notes
None.
Sources
Giono, J. (1965). The battle of Pavia: 24th February 1525 (A. E. Murch, Trans.). London: Peter Owen. (Original work published 1963).
Jones, M. N. (1994). “All is lost save honour”: The battle of Pavia, 24 February 1525. Wargames Illustrated, 81, pp. 21-24.
Phipps, J. (1994). The battle of Pavia: The Story of a demonstration game. Wargames Illustrated, 80, pp. 38-40.
Taylor, F. (1993). The art of war in Italy 1494-1529 (originally published 1921). Essex, UK: Partizan Press.