Battle Cry The Vandals

The Battle of Tarraco

The rise of the Vandals

King Gunderic, the King of the Vandal tribes stood on the steps towards his throne and faced the gathering of the Tribe chiefs and allies of his people. He had led his people with victories over their enemies and foes.

“Suebi lies at my feet!” King Gunderic voiced out to the gathered. “The Suebi once likes us and over the years have formed a kingdom. What was like us a tribal clan and then the kingdom? What are we?”

“The conqueror of them all!” The gathered roared to their King. “Hail, the wisdom and bravery of King Gunderic. Long prosper the Vandals.”

“Yes, we are the conqueror as I am your King. I will not rest until we have a huge kingdom and army like the Romans. To be like them we need to have them to be our defeated enemy. Only the defeat will bow to the victors. I, King Gunderic will take thee to battle and we will be the victorious one from that battle.”

“Defeat to the Romans!” The gathered called out. Among them was one warrior named Gaiter. He was old by the age of the warriors; at thirty-five he had seen many battles in the many campaigns they had fought. Victories were celebrated while defeat were mourned by the widows. He was tall and average by the height of the Vandals, built like an ox, and crafty like the wolves in war, and the courage of the bear in battle. His hair unkempt billowed to the waist and before that was his chest plate to protect his body, and the metal arm greaves. He had on the short skirt with the mail chain over it. His legs were also covered with the leather greaves to the sandal feet. He held a Roman gladius and round shield. He smiled at the call.

As Gaiter did it again when the gathered army faced each other in the wooded valley. Two legions consisting of five thousand legionnaires under Patricius Flavius Castinus. The Patricius was no stranger to the war with the Vandals. He supported the Suevi, the enemies of the Vandals when he rode then with Gothic foederati, the smaller tribes who fought as mercenaries for their Roman coins. The Patricius was, without doubt, a winner with his victory over the Vandals at Baetica. His victory had given him Senate support to combat on the Vandals who had regrouped and defeated the former allies of the Patricius; the Seuvi. The Patricius was upset at the defeat of his ally had then brought him a new ally, the Visigoths.

“The Romans are with a new ally, the Visigoths.” Gaiter was informed by his friend, Pinter Tallish. “With the legion, they outnumbered us by a third.”

“Be it half, we will battle them. Those Visigoths are babes in the warrior armour.” Gaiter replied. “I have fought them many times, and each time they ran with their tails between the legs. Are my warriors ready?”

“They are, my Chief, Gaiter of Theo, son of Gunther and leader of our people.” Pinter roared in his voice. He looked to the assembled five hundred warriors; the mounted cavalry with the spears and swords were only a hundred and the infantry was into the remaining four hundred. They were a section of the gathered Vandals’ army of over seven thousand strong against an army of nine thousand. Gaiter knew the cavalry will do the flanking attack while the infantry will stage the onslaught. He was not alone for seven other tribes had responded to the call by Gunderic. The call by the blowing horn soon sounded the start of the battle.

“Sound the march.” Patricius Flavius gave the command. The Roman Legion was at the rear of the advancing Visigoths.

“Barbarians they are. Uncouth and without a formation.” The Patricius compared his Legion towards the Visigoths. He had dealt with them paying with coins but contempt he held on their conduct. “I have better manners from my slaves than them.”

“Slow the Legion march. I don’t want to engage so early in the battle. Let the barbarians fight among themselves first.” The Patricius was seated on the palanquin carried by the Nubian slaves. He was attended by his Centurions who were eager to join their men. His loud voice was not far from the ears of the emissary of the Visigoths tribes, Chief Wulf Fredricks.

“My Chief, our ally mocked us of our role.” Chief Wulf heard the remark while he leaned on the saddle of his mount. He has a disliked for the Romans but the Council of Tribes had called for truce and alliance. He then rode to his own warriors, the Dark River tribe and looked at his two hundred warriors. They were reduced to that number by the battles with the Romans and later the other tribes. He had declared allegiance to the Romans to prevent more bloodbath. His surviving son led the army with his left good eye. The father had lost two of his other sons in the battles for the tribe honour.

“Heimlich, are you well?’ The Visigoth Cheif asked his son.

“Does the crow call in the morning? Yes, it does and it will wake me for a new day. I won’t hear if I am not here.” The crows are the companion of the God Zeus; a God worthy of a warrior.

“For your brothers, they do not.” Chief Wulf muttered to himself. He looked to the marching armies and saw the gap between the Legion and the Visigoths was lengthening. He sensed the move was distressing. Another chief rode up to him and questioned the Legion’s action.

“We are being sacrificed. Warn the others. We withdraw now.” The call by Chief Wulf went out and the Visigoths took to scattered to the sides. The Roman Legion Centurions saw the withdrawal and called upon the fleeing Chiefs. They were prevented from meeting the Chiefs or were turned off with rude gestures.

“What is happening there?” Patricius Flavius sat up on the seat. “I demand to know why the barbarians are leaving. Halt the Legion now.”

But it was too late.

The Vandals have charged at the Visigoths. The later have withdrawn to the side with the Vandals riders going past them without a fight. The Vandals were approaching the Romans.

“Formed the defence!” The Centurions called out when they reached their cohorts. The legionnaires formed the ‘tetsudo’ or the turtle formation with the infantry forming the square, holding their spears in the space between the shields and strung together shoulder to shoulder. It was the command called ‘repellere equites’. When attacked the legionnaires will attack with their spears. It had worked for the Roman Legions in many battles.

The Vandals riders were repelled by the formation and they only look for openings to strike at the Legionnaires. It would have worked but the Vandals were not without their other strategies. The testudo was effective in an open area but the valley was heavily wooded. The Vandals themselves were natives of the area, utilized their skills. They had cut down the branches and lit the leaves. They then tossed the branches into Roman’s square. The fire was always a deterrent of Man and beasts. The next they did was to toss the small wild beasts like the wildcats and red foxes. Those were caught beforehand and tossed into the square. The creatures were in an alarm state had then wormed into the square and created a nuisance that disrupted the legionnaires in their formation. From the outside, the infantries have reached and the close combat began. The Vandals have equipped themselves with the long spears from the woods of the forest. The lengthy reach of the spear pierced the gaps in between the shields and then like prying the shell off a turtle, it was used.

“We got them!” The cries went out, and the seven thousand Vandals crashed into the five thousand legionnaires. The formations were cracked and the fight was to be on a closer contact. Gaiter of Theo pushed the spear in the front and slashed with his gladius at the Legionnaire. His slash cut into the left shoulder and severed the arm. He was by then forcibly pushing his body through the shields. He broke in and brought a trail of others who took the gap to attack on. The gap soon widened and the Vandals were in the square. Gaiter used his shield to block the legionnaire in the face with the edge of it cutting the left shoulder. He had then pulled out his gladius and plunged it into the next legionnaire in the navel before he used his left leg to kick at another’s the right knee. He went on with his attack and missed the gladius of the Centurion at his head form the right. He felt the instinct to defend his right and raised the gladius just in time to block the other’s attack. He twisted his body and landed the right elbow at the Centurion at the face. He then pushed in and kicked at the downed figure with his right foot.

“Gaiter, we are advancing.” It was Pinter having armed himself with a mallet on a long handle. The mallet head was coated with blood.

“I disliked the killing but it can be fun.” Pinter had then hammered the Legionnaire in the back behind the head, taking blood from the head. Gaiter laughed at Pinter who he knew from young as a crazy warrior.

“You are mad!” Gaiter replied.

“Aint we all?” It was Pinter who had then raised the mallet above his head exposing the chest fort the Legionnaire nearby to pierced the chest mail armour with the spear. The spear went in below the left armpit and stuck the heart. Pinter died without another sound from his voice but his death was revenged by another Vandals warrior who had removed the Legionnaire’s head.

Gaiter pulled at the spear from Pinter’s chest and tossed it aside. He glanced at the warrior who was his friend.

“You are free now, Pinter. Join the others and rejoice.” Gaiter told his dead friend. He then looked up from the dead warrior and sought his next victim.

On the palanquin, Patricius Flavius slumped into the soft cushion. He then motioned his slaves to withdrew. He will return to Rome and sought the Senate for more reinforcements. The Vandals will have their battle but the war was his to win. He cursed at the Vandals.

The Vandals won that battle named the Battle of Tarraco in 422, and then the Vandals moved on to create a kingdom in North Africa under the ruler King Genseric, the brother of King Gunderic. The new King raised the Vandals to a major force in the Mediterranean. Gaiter of Theo with his tribe soon established themselves a small village in the new land. The Vandals were later thrown into the annals of history in 455 when they sack the Rome when they were at war with the Western Roman Emperor Petronius Maximus. It was the fourth sacking of Rome in history annals and lasted the longest among the four sackings; fourteen days it took.