DBA Resource PageMedieval Army ListsBurmese (#98)
|
| 3 x 1 Elephant | Elephants were the Burmese armies shock troops - and they were effective (they routed Mongol cavalrymen, who then had to dismount to regroup and win). Burmese elephants were prized by all south-east Asian armies, and when one Burmese king banned their export, a trend for elephant smuggling sprang up! Unlike the Khmer, Burmese crews fought from a tower - Marco Polo says that the Burmese elephants had 12 crewmen armed with spears and bows. |
| 2 x 3 Cavalry | The king, when not riding on an elephant, fought with his armoured bodyguard cavalrymen. Levied cavalry also existed, fighting with spears and curved "dah" swords. Burmese cavalrymen usually fought on the flanks of armies, and specialised in raidng behind enemy lines. They were not trained to be unafraid of elephants - so watch out! |
| 2 x 3 Bow | Burmese infantry were a mixture of levied bowmen and spearmen (see below). Burmese bowmen were well regarded, but were not a match for the Mongols. |
| 1 x 3 Crossbow | Crossbows were used by a number of Burmese warriors - the Mon were reportedly very accurate with crossbows. Later armies may well have had access to Chinese repeating crossbows. |
| 3 x 3 Auxilia | Vast armies of raw, ill disciplined levy spearmen supported the elephants in battle. They really appear just to have been cannon (elephant?) fodder - hence their classification as Auxilia!! The king's bodyguard were not much better - selected for their loyalty above their fighting skills. |
| 1 x 2 Psiloi | A number of skirmishers fought in Burmese armies, mixed in amongst the elephants. They fought with bows and spears, and carried little else. They may even represent the respected Mon or Pyu hunters, who undoubtedly fought as light troops. |
The Auxilia are not particularly strong, and I always choose to use them to back up an Elephant or Cavalry fronted attack. If your enemy is not vunerable to either of these, then your Bows should be your main weapon (as the enemy are probably mounted) - and you should back these up with your Cavalry or Elephants.
The Burmese have a good mix of interesting troop types, and should be a fairly versatile army to command. But remember to group your elephants together, otherwise each one will guzzle up 2 pip's to move!
Pallisade fighting was an art form to the Burmese - even as late as the British invasion in the nineteenth century. Burmese stockades were intricately constructed according to astrological charts, and their camp should really be represented by such a fortification.
The Burmese were heavily tatooed from the waist down - so a varitey of blue-black squiggles on their lower halves should look just about right. The levied troops wore loincloths in a variety of colours, and carried bamboo or leather shields. The bodyguard troops wore long, brightly coloured robes, and carried gilded shields. Horses and elephants may have been decorated with magical symbols and warpaint (I have seen pictures of elephants with completely red painted undersides and legs).
The Burmese are pretty poorly represented by the major manufacturers. Chariot, Falcon (UK), and Irregular make 15mm Burmese. Outpost Wargame Services are preparing to bring a new range out (their elephants are very nice). I like using Irregular Thai warriors as Burmese Guardsmen, and you can always substitute Khmer or Indian levies if you can't find Burmese ones.
Book wise, you can try to search down Quartich-Wales' ANCIENT SOUTH-EAST ASIAN WARFARE. As I write this (October 1998), I've just sent my manuscript of ARMIES OF MEDIEVAL BURMA AD700-1300 to Outpost Wargame Services, who intend to publish it in tandem with the figures' launch.
Dan Mersey has a degree in Archaeology and is a Contributing Editor to The Castles of Wales website. E-mail: danielmersey@yahoo.com.
| Top of Page | Medieval Armies | DBA Resource Page |
My thanks to Dan Mersey for this contribution. Comments, questions or suggested additions to this page can be sent to Chris Brantley, brant@erols.com.
Last Updated: Feb. 21, 1999