AFOVA New Letter 2 of Year 2021

Section 7 – Panorama CV 2 No. 02 / 2021 Page 277 of 332 Roman legions faced volleys of spear, stones and arrows and hand to hand sword fights. Arminius had equipped several of his tribes with Roman weapons as well. This took the Romans by surprise, and they were caught in the tight space between the forest and the bog on a narrow path. They simply could not re-organize themselves into battle formation as they normally would on an open field. The Germanic tribes kept harassing them with skirmishes with the intention of tiring them, killing a few and forcing them to make a mistake in a confused state of mind. Now, Arminius gone, Varus had no guide to take them through the right path and the legions were completely lost. After the initial skirmishes, the Germanic tribes vanished into the forest and the remainder of the tribal auxiliary troops also left with them. Arminius had cleverly managed to cut the Roman section in two with one end facing attacks screaming for help while the other section being far away was unaware of the battle. Communication between the two sections was difficult and hence mutual support impossible. It was only now that Varus realized his blunder of having trusted Arminius more than his Roman commanders. Arminius having lived with the Romans for several years knew too well how formidable a Roman legion could be on an open field given their professional training and hence trapped them in the dense forest. As nightfall came, the legions setup temporary camps all along the route in the wet ground tending to the wounded and awaiting uncertainty ahead. The second day saw more violent clashes along the route claiming many dead legionnaires with entire units being wiped out. Roman archers were unable to use their weapons in the wet mud and rain and to make matters worse, Varus had detached a few Roman cavalry units Northwards to get reinforcements from nearby Roman garrisons. But Arminius had anticipated this and had positioned the Germanic tribes along the Northern route to wipe out the Roman cavalry. By the third day, more bloodshed followed and seeing no hope, Varus and a few top Roman commanders committed suicide. Varus was not the first in his family to commit suicide as his father and grandfather too had ended their lives similarly. This was something Varus had pledged not to follow but destiny would have it otherwise. He very well knew if captured, the tribes would indulge in horrible torture. The Germanic tribes were savage in their attacks and Rome did not know of this incident until the head of Varus reached Rome. Emperor Augustus Caesar was in shock having lost three of his best legions, being annihilated never to recover until his own death years later. It was very humiliating that a superpower as Rome was brought to its knees by a young auxiliary officer. Another Roman contingent under General Germanicus who led a