Page 54 - All About History - Issue 27-15
P. 54

Greatest Battles






                                     01KING RICHARD

        Richard’s army               DEPLOYS HIS MEN
        TROOPS 10-15,000             Withhisbattlelinespread

                                     wide to envelop the                                                                    01
                                     advancing troops, Richard                                        09
                                     aims to use his guns
                                     to soften up the rebel
                                     infantry, before encasing
                                     them in a swift flanking                        06                                 05

                                     move.Withtherelative
                                     safety of the hill and
                                     the marshland below
        KING RICHARD III             poised to hamper                                                                    08
        LEADER                                                                                    04
        The Plantagenet king of England   the enemy horses
        was determined to keep his throne   andmen,theking
        at any cost.
        Strengths Richard was the    isconfidentthathe
        veteran of several battles and an
        experienced fighter.         will be able to crush                                                          10
        Weakness His willingness to
        embroil himself in the fight often   the enemy.
                                                                    02
        placed him in danger.
                                            Henry
                                     02approaches
                                     Marching from his camp to
                                     the south-west of Richard’s
                                     position, Oxford and Henry
                                     lead the army along the
                                     Roman road, before they
                                     come under fire from the
                                     king’sartilleryjust1,000
                                     yards from Richard’s
                                     position. The Stanley                                           03
        HEAVY CAVALRY                brothers’ forces are some
                                     way off still, approaching
        KEY UNIT                     further south-east from
        The armoured killing machines bent   their camp.
        on glory.
        Strengths Incredibly effective
        against infantry.
        Weakness Easy to bring down if
        caught static and surrounded.
                                     03 THE STANLEY                   04Oxford manoeuvres          05 begins
                                                                                                          The battle
                                                                      With Richard’s battle line up on the hill
                                     BROTHERS WAIT                    now revealed to him, Oxford decides   Charging down from its advantage
                                                                      to wheel his men back and around the
                                                                                                   on the hill, Norfolk’s vanguard
                                                                      marshland, moving towards Richard’s
                                     Spotting the battle              vanguard on his right flank. This is the   initially causes Oxford’s advancing
                                                                      battle group commanded by the Duke   troops to falter. The rebel force
                                     abouttobegin,both                of Norfolk, a close ally of the king’s.   soon gathers itself into a wedge
        ARTILLERY                    Stanleys bring their             Seeing this move, Richard sends his   formation, banding together to
                                                                      order for Norfolk to attack down the hill
        KEY WEAPON                                                    at the rebels.               weather the onslaught from the
        A new and deadly addition to the   forcestoahaltandwait                                    king’s archers and knights. Henry
        15th-century battlefield.                                                                  remains with his small bodyguard
        Strengths Intimidating, loud and   to see which side will
        terrifying to come face to face with.                                                      force, to the rear of the fighting,
        Weakness Often inaccurate and   gain the upper hand.                                       to remain relatively protected from
        prone to misfires.                                                                         the thick of the melee.


     54
   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59