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Medieval Army Lists

Khmer or Cham (#110)
(605-1400 AD)

By Dan Mersey

The Khmer and Cham were two separate kingdoms in medieval South-east Asia. Like several other neighbouring kingdoms, both were influenced by two of the most powerful cultures of this era - the Indians and the Chinese. In addition to fighting against each other a great deal (these campaigns being recorded in the flat-relief carvings at the Khmer capital of Angkor), both Khmer and Champa armies fought against Mongol invaders in the thirteenth century, and against their neighbours such as the Burmese, the Mon (living in southern Burma), and the Shan peoples of Thailand.

Composition

3 x 1 Elephant Like many Asian armies, the Khmer and Champa warriors used elephants to head their battle force. Unlike many others, who placed the crew in a tower, only a single warrior was mounted upon a platform on the elephant's back. From here, he would spear and shoot at his enemies.
2 x 3 Cavalry The Khmer horse warriors were not apparently very effective, and many carved sources show few mounted warriors (and they are mostly infantry officers). Champa cavalrymen seem to have used crossbows, which may in fact be a reference to mounted infantrymen.
4 x 4 Auxilia The mainstay of the Khmer and Cham armies were levied troops. They fought in nothing but loincloths, armed with shields and javelins; some may have worn a stiff, sleeveless jacket for more protection. This Auxilia option may also be used to include a Maiden Guard and regular "household" warriors (who may have worn bamboo plaited jackets).
2 x 2 Psiloi. Khmer or Cham armies' Psiloi were archers and crossbowmen. Every single battle carving from the Khmer capital of Angkor includes bowmen of some kind, so they were inevitably present in any Khmer or Cham army.
1 x 1 Artillery
or 3 Blades.		 This choice seems to reflect the use of elephant-mounted ballistae in Cham armies, and the renowned Phak'ak men of the Khmer (the phak'ak being a curved blade mounted on a long pole). Later Khmer armies also used Samurai swords in small numbers.

Enemies

As mentioned above, the Khmer and Champa warriors historically fought against each other, and against several other Asian nations. Their DBA opponents are the Annamese (#71), Three Kingdoms Chinese (#72), T'ang & Five Dynasties Chinese (#95), Burmese (#98), and Mongol (#154).

Tactics

Any elephant army seems to have similar tactics in DBA - place your elephants together (to avoid extra-extra PIP costs!), and advance them towards your enemy's centre. Khmer or Cham auxiliaries should ably support the elephants' advance, and the Psiloi can be used to break up/pin down any remaining enemies near to the centre.

Thankfully the cavalry aren't as bad as their real-life equivalents seem to have been, so they can be used to prevent any outflanking moves. If you take the Blades option, they should hold their own against most enemy elements (most Khmer/Cham enemies are fairly light-weight), and if you choose the artillery... well, that's up to you (I can't advise on artillery because I can't get to grips with them in my armies)!

Camp

Most South-east Asian armies constructed stockades as a campaign base, and this is fairly easy to represent with a palisade mounted on top of a rampart.

Either army's camp can be a simple palisade and rampart. Alternatives exist - maybe a water-filled ditch could be added. Generally speaking, the earlier your Germanic army, the less urbanised their peoples were; later on, refortified Roman sites could be used, or timber buildings.

Painting Guide

Medieval South-east Asian warriors make for colourful armies. The colours of the Khmer royal court were red and gold, and many household troops would presumably have worn these colours. Floral patterns were popular for jackets (floral yellow seems to have been popular), and plaited bamboo armour may occasionally have been worn.

Shields would have been bamboo, leather, or even gilded, and Champa warriors wore a distinctive "tiered" head-dress.

Elephant caparisons would probably have been of floral design, and the general would have been accompanied by a parasol holder to keep him in the shade whilst he considered his next move!

Figure Sources

I am aware only of a couple of manufacturers for Khmer figures; if anybody knows of more, please add them to the list:

Historical Sources

Sources on South-east Asian warfare are regrettably few and far between. The best book to hunt down is HG Quaritch-Wales' Ancient South-East Asian Warfare (written in the 1950s). Aside from that very useful book, most work on the Khmer or Champa peoples focuses on the Khmer capital of Angkor - but these provide useful photos of the carvings of warriors in battle. If you need any further info, you can e-mail me at dsm26@cam.ac.uk.

About the Author

Dan Mersey has a degree in Archaeology and is a Contributing Editor to The Castles of Wales website. Any feedback or questions can be sent directly to: danielmersey@yahoo.com.

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My thanks to Dan Mersey. Comments, questions or suggested additions to this page can be sent to Chris Brantley, brant@erols.com.

Last Updated: Feb. 21, 1999