DBA Special: III/25b Arab Conquest (30mm flat Zinnfiguren)

DBA Book III List 25b: Arab Conquest 639 to 660 AD

This is the army that fought the Byzantines at Yarmuk in 636.  Yes, there is an anomaly with the dates ... list b starts in 639, but Khalid's army at Yarmuk in 636 matches the later list, particularly in respect of the regular cavalry contingent (known to Arab historians as Khalid's Mobile Guard) who went on to win the battle.

The figures are 1960s flats originally painted by Phil Barker to play the Tony Bath ancients game.  They pre-date WRG.  I refurbished and rebased them for the Battle of Yarmuk project (for the DBA3 Great Battles of History compilation).

At the time, the DBA armies page didn't exist and the 2 command/24 element armies for the project vary from standard (to simulate the armies present for the battle).  For this gallery, I have extracted into a single command 12 elements that match the orthodox list.

 

(Islam's finest commander - the Sword of Allah)

Known as the Sword of Allah (in Arabic سيف الله), Khalid ibn Al-Waleed was arguably the greatest general of his age and, whatever the odds, was never defeated.  He commanded at the Yarmuk.  He was a master in the rapid use of cavalry to outflank and encircle the enemy.

 

(vintage 30mm flats: quintessential Arab lancers) 

 (Arab archers)

The infantry had to draw in and hold the enemy while the cavalry did their work.  They were stoic fighters, rated by DBA as swordsmen (4Bd) but had camels (at least, to aid mobility in the desert) and at Yarmuk, were partially re-armed with spears to enable them better to protect their archers (hence my improvised mix of swords, spears, camels and bows) ...

 

(although DBA's notes emphasise straight Arab swords, these vintage figures carry the trademark curved scimitar) 

Yarmuk is another of those battles where the engagement went right up to line of the (Arab) encampments.  This was either an indication of how close Khalid came to losing the battle (the traditional explanation) or (as I believe) shows him using a deliberately weak and vulnerable deployment to draw the enemy forward in order to trap them.

Either way, camps are fought over in this battle and are not just decorative.

 

(the last line of defence at the battle of Yarmuk) 

This army pairs with Maurikian Byzantine

DBA Special: III/17 Maurikian Byzantine (30mm flat Zinnfiguren)

 

DBA Book III List 17: Maurikian Byzantine 575 to 650 AD

This is the army that fought the Arabs at Yarmuk in 636.

The figures are 1960s flats originally painted by Phil Barker to play the Tony Bath ancients game.  They pre-date WRG.  I refurbished and rebased them for the Battle of Yarmuk project (for the DBA3 Great Battles of History compilation).

At the time, the DBA armies page didn't exist and the 2 command/24 element armies for the project vary from standard (to simulate the armies present for the battle).  For this gallery, I have extracted into a single command 12 elements that match the orthodox list.

 

(30mm flats: Maurikian Byzantine general's element)

The bulk of the force is heavy cavalry (indeed the options allow an 'all horse' army if you choose that route) and the player must choose either 6Cv or standard Cv (of which the latter would ordinarily be my choice) ad I chose the 6Cv variant because it allows the Byzantine army to use a very specifically Byzantine troop type (which you don't see that often).  It also makes more of the differences between the armies for Yarmuk - and (not insignificantly) Phil's collection had enough figures to do it.

 

(Double-ranked Byzantine cavalry en masse)

.. and a splendid sight they are.  You seldom such a wall of cavalry on the DBA table.

The figures are mostly Ochel's Kieler Zinnfiguren (although the weight of them suggests they may be copies for which Tony Bath gained some note) and are occasionally available today (the moulds still exist and the 3rd generation company will do production runs according to interest) ...

 

The basing is on 60mm frontages, and I have used the normal quantity of figures except the cavalry and 3Kn are 4 to a base, cataphracts 5 to a base, and  for the 6Cv I have used 7 figures (because they fit better and it looks right).

 

The simple camp features a tree and a natural spring.

 

 (DBA Byzantines from the Yarmuk campaign)

This army pairs with Arab Conquest