The German army under it's Commander, General (Duke) Burilin having raided Campania, now found General Narses, Commander of the Roman-Byzantine army astride his path to the South of Italy.
General Narses deployed his forces carefully in preparation for the
coming conflict. He dismounted the vast majority of his troops, this allowing for mutual support and also the most effective use of missile fire. The infantry supported by the dismounted cavalry were deployed in the center of his line, while his remaining cavalry forces were deployed on both flanks, largely hidden by the surrounding woods.
Burilin's German troops formed up for a great rush against the enemy center with the intention to rupture it and push back the Roman. Initially, this strategy seemed to have work well, as the center of the Roman-Byzantine line buckled under the ferocity and power of the nobles led German "Boar's Head" wedge formation. Then the Roman-Byzantine allied Herul troops , which had been "held in reserve" came into the battle line just in time to blunt the German attack and restore the situation that had given way to the German attack.
General Narses now cut off the German retreat by manuvering his cavalry into outflanking positions which surrounded the German army. The Roman infantry wings had held firm and the Germans were consequently massacred. This ended the German Campaign through Italy.
Reference:
Matthew Bennett, et al, "Fighting Techniques of the Medieval World, AD 500 -- AD 1500 ...,"
Respectfully Submitted;
Marcus Audens
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