Turn by turn development of the battle of Hastings
using the wargame rules The Art of War
The knights turn around
The Breton knights turn about and attack their pursuers. The Norman knights also slaughter those who have pursued them. (In The Art of War, infantry which cannot perform a trot or run in close order always fall into broken or open order when they pursue at a run: open order light and medium infantry are no match for close order heavy cavalry, even when these do not make charge speed.) The weakened English-right wheels to the left and begins to advance uphill to restore contact with their center. Duke William commits his reserve toward the fighting there.
The English are in desperate straits
The Breton knights turn the tables on their pursuers. the English-right begins to arrive at the hill top, and fight to drive the Normans off. The English-left also wheels toward their center, intending to shore up the breach there. But the French knights attack the English-left, forcing the tail-end of the column to turn and face them. Duke William's reserve advances swiftly up the hill. King Harold battles to hold his center - and if the Norman reserves had not been coming, it looks as though he would have succeeded.
The battle converges on the center
The English wings and Norman reserve all converge upon the English-center. The French knights are cutting their way through the English-left. The Breton knights complete the destruction of the English pursuit, and move to attack the rear of the English-right.
The English rout begins
Suddenly the entire English-right and the rustics of the English-left rout away: at 25% casualties they must test morale: and bases eliminated and routed off all contribute to losses. Duke William with the Norman reserve eat their way through the thinned English-center.
The routing English are pursued
Harold's center fights to the end. But his losses are too great and his line is broken in pieces.
Leofwin dies
A closeup of the action in the center: Leofwin's figure was just to the right of the center. Gyrth and Harold in the center fight on hopelessly. Some Englishmen turn from their rout and fight again, but they are cut down. (In the combat results, routing individual bases can sometimes cause their pursuers to back off: when this happens, the recovered routing base recovers its full combat value; and any friendlies routing within 3" of the recovered base automatically rally, as long as they are closer to the recovered friendly base than they are to any pursuing enemies. But pursuing heavy cavalry assure that this is a rather rare event.)
Closeup of duke William's victory
Harold and Gyrth, still on their feet when this shot was taken, were soon afterward cut down with the last of their housecarles. William, on the forwardmost white horse, is followed up by the papal banner.
So this refight ended here: it was all over but the shouting, as they say. With all three Godwinsons slain, William had achieved a total victory.
Continue by clicking on the "NEXT" link below: "refight number fifteen" was an even stranger event, quite removed from a historical outcome.