Teutoburger Wald P2 (9 AD)

Throughout the first day of battle, German attacks had harassed the disjointed Roman column as they struggled along. That night Varus’ men constructed a fortified camp knowing that Arminius would not dare assault a well-manned prepared position. The Romans were …

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Throughout the first day of battle, German attacks had harassed the disjointed Roman column as they struggled along. That night Varus’ men constructed a fortified camp knowing that Arminius would not dare assault a well-manned prepared position. The Romans were still in dire straits. Lacking provisions, they had but two choices - remain and starve, or face the prospect of death fighting their way out. Varus chose to fight. On the second day, even though the Germans no longer had the element of surprise, the constricted terrain still put the Romans at a severe disadvantage. By day’s end, 13,000 Romans and auxiliaries lay dead in the Teutoburger wilderness when the column broke out of the dense forest. Once again the Roman soldiers built their camp. The 7000 or so survivors must have known that it would be their last. Varus, it is written, knew the end was near and took his life. Numonius Vala rallied the remnants of the cavalry and attempted a breakout the next morning. The Germans were waiting, and all were slaughtered. The Roman foot soldiers that remained fought on, and a handful of reduced cohorts managed to slip through the German lines. Over 15,000 Romans had fallen, and the news of the disaster profoundly affected Caesar Augustus, who cried for days on end, “Varus, where are my legions?” A series of expeditions would be launched to recover the three lost legionary eagles. The three destroyed legions, the 17th, 18th, and 19th, were never rebuilt, and remained forever disgraced.

Osnabrück, Germany

The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, described as the Varian Disaster by Roman historians, took place in the Teutoburg Forest in 9 CE, when an alliance of Germanic peoples ambushed and destroyed three Roman legions and their auxiliaries, led by Publius Quinctilius Varus. The alliance was led by Arminius, a Germanic officer of Varus's auxilia. Arminius had acquired Roman citizenship and had received a Roman military education, which enabled him to deceive the Roman commander methodically and anticipate the Roman army's tactical responses.

Wikipedia: Battle of the Teutoburg Forest

German

Roman

Germanic Wars Augustus To Nero