Across the Alps 218 BC - Hannibal (Part 2) - Second Punic War

 

It is the year 218 BC.

 As Roman legions under consul Tiberius Sempronius Longus sail south to invade Carthage itself, Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio Calvus is consolidating Rome's position in Iberia, while his brother, consul Publius Cornelius Scipio rushes back to the Po Valley to take command of the Roman army there and  stop Hannibal.

 Both sides are confident of victory.

 Although the Carthaginians are faced with serious setbacks in Iberia, in Gaul Hannibal speeds up his approach to the Alps when he befriends the Allobroges tribe by adjudicating in a dispute between two royal brothers over who should rule.

 The seemingly grateful new ruler of the tribe, Brancus the elder, provides the Carthaginians with supplies, warm clothes, food, and guides.

 And so begins Hannibal's perilous journey through the Alps.

 But as the ascend begins, Brancus' "friendly"

 guides turn home.

 Here, Hannibal shows he is as skillful in mind games as he is in generalship.

 Sensing an ambush, he sends scouts ahead who report that the tribesmen are indeed mustering their forces just ahead on higher ground near their settlement, waiting to attack the passing Carthaginian column.

 With a select group of experienced troops Hannibal sneaks up to a position overlooking the tribal settlement and plans his next move.

 As night falls he signals his army to proceed marching.

 Spotting the movement, tribal sentries raise the alarm and, just as Hannibal had hoped, an attack begins on the Carthaginian column.

 Expecting the impending attack, Carthaginian troops below stand fast on the precipice.

 A swarm of tribal warriors smashes into their solid defensive line, the initial push throwing many over the cliff's edge.

 But the Carthaginians hold their ground and the tribesmen soon realize that they have fallen into a trap.

 Hannibal rushes downhill while Carthaginian troops from below simultaneously begin pushing uphill.

 Many tribesmen are cut down in a matter of minutes, their morale broken by the lightning fast Carthaginian counter attack.

 With the enemy driven off, Hannibal and his men turn their attention towards the village.

 They storm the tribal settlement and seize all of their winter provisions.

 At dawn, the Carthaginian march resumes.

 Over the following three days the marching column continues unopposed.

 But all that changes on the fourth day as the Carthaginians enter a narrow gorge where they are met by several tribal chiefs who offer friendship, hostages and guides.

 Suspecting that the Gallic tribes from these parts are no friendlier, Hannibal accepts their offer but takes precautions by secretly moving the vulnerable baggage train and cavalry to the front of the column, and positions his heavy infantry in the rear.

 As the Carthaginian march continues through the extremely narrow pass, the 200m vertical cliffs ominously tower over them.

 And they are not alone... the Gallic warriors are watching from above.

 Having set up an ambush further up the gorge, the tribesmen bide their time, shadowing Hannibal's army for two days.

 But suddenly, at a very narrow point in the gorge the Carthaginian column gets blocked from the front, as the tribesmen unleash their attack.

 Rocks and projectiles rain down from the cliffs above onto the Carthaginians below, killing many in the process.

 Animals panic and trample over soldiers who hopelessly look for cover.

 The main Gallic force appears behind the Carthaginian column and charges their rear, expecting weakest resistance there as they hope to loot and destroy their supply train.

 But again, Hannibal proves he is one step ahead of his opponents, as the heavy Carthaginian infantry he previously placed in the rear pushes back the Gallic charge and inflicts heavy losses on the enemy, forcing them to retreat after a brief battle.

 Hannibal then urges his men to push foward out of the killing zone, as the barrage of rocks from above continues.

 It is not until one day later that the Carthaginians finally reach safety on the other side of the gorge.

 The last of the Allobroges attacks is beaten off but the remorseless fighting against the Gallic tribes took its' toll on Hannibal's army.

 To make matters worse, the weather soon turns as winter comes early.

 Hannibal's troops find themselves battling heavy snowstorms.

 Traversing through rocky gorges and steep mountain slopes, many are swallowed by treacherous voids lurking just under the snowfall.

 Men, animals and wagons slip and slither on the ice towards precipitous ravines and treacherous chasms.

 Finally, nine days into the march, the Carthaginians set up camp just below the top of the pass as they wait for stragglers to catch up.

 Two days later Hannibal rallies his troops at the top and points to the panorama of Italy below.

 There, he vows to his men: "You will have the capital of Italy, the citadel of Rome, in the hollow of your hands", and with that they begin descending towards the Po Valley.

 But the slopes on the way down are far steeper and largely covered in ice.

 The treacherous terrain claims the lives of many more troops and animals.

 Adding to the hardship, a collapsed stretch of road forces the Carthaginian column to stop for three days amidst freezing conditions, while the road is repaired.

 But finally, after braving these horrific conditions the Carthaginians reach the foot of the Alps.

 Having lost nearly half of his army, Hannibal takes stock of his troops who suffered terribly during the crossing.

 Of the 45,000 that set off through the Alps just 16 days ago, only 26,000 made it to the other side.