DBWI: Hasdrubal loses Battle of the Metaurus

Hannibal would have some trouble overcoming the Romans, those buggers kept fighting to the end, but they were standing on their last leg even before Hasdrubal marched his army in. Still they can be defeated, but they may have a chance on fronts outside of Italy but that could be suicide
 
Hannibal would have some trouble overcoming the Romans, those buggers kept fighting to the end, but they were standing on their last leg even before Hasdrubal marched his army in. Still they can be defeated, but they may have a chance on fronts outside of Italy but that could be suicide

Where though? The Sicilian front wasn't decided by Carthaginian action but by the Syracusians and their unshatterable "Mechanical Citadel", and you'd need an ASB to change the weather and manage to get a Roman force into Iberia during campaign season without getting swept up by one of the seasonal storms in the Western Med. like what broke up the invasion fleet IRL. Without securing at least one of these routes a direct invasion of Africa is impossible to support
 
He had already defeated Hasdrubal's superior force, but if he hadn't been recalled to Italy, he could secure Iberia. The issues arise when he has to fight Hannibal, he is the greatest general of all time.
 
He had already defeated Hasdrubal's superior force, but if he hadn't been recalled to Italy, he could secure Iberia. The issues arise when he has to fight Hannibal, he is the greatest general of all time.

Interesting....didn’t he actually nearly defeat Hannibal in the Siege of Rome, but Hasdrubal arrived just in time to save Hannibal and force Scipio to surrender?
 
Interesting....didn’t he actually nearly defeat Hannibal in the Siege of Rome, but Hasdrubal arrived just in time to save Hannibal and force Scipio to surrender?
Yeah, the Romans tried to send a sortie from the city to relieve Scipio, but Hannibal's veteran rear guard reacted in time and were able to capture the gate, biggest backfire ever.
 
Yeah, the Romans tried to send a sortie from the city to relieve Scipio, but Hannibal's veteran rear guard reacted in time and were able to capture the gate, biggest backfire ever.

Yep, knew it.

However, let’s just say somehow Rome defeats Carthage in the war. How would that world be different than IOTL?
 
Yeah, the Romans tried to send a sortie from the city to relieve Scipio, but Hannibal's veteran rear guard reacted in time and were able to capture the gate, biggest backfire ever.

The Romans never did appreciate the power of maneuver on the battlefield: exactly how many times did the Barcas use their Numidian cavalry's advantages on the open field to ride tactical circles around their bulky legionary squares? If they'd just stayed behind their walls they could have easily denied Hannibal the ability to operate in his tactical forte and exploited the main weakness of his mainly Gaulish infantry (Namely, their lack of armor), but their bull-headed obsession with not showing "cowardness" got them every time.
 
The Romans never did appreciate the power of maneuver on the battlefield: exactly how many times did the Barcas use their Numidian cavalry's advantages on the open field to ride tactical circles around their bulky legionary squares? If they'd just stayed behind their walls they could have easily denied Hannibal the ability to operate in his tactical forte and exploited the main weakness of his mainly Gaulish infantry (Namely, their lack of armor), but their bull-headed obsession with not showing "cowardness" got them every time.

Great post.
 
The Romans never did appreciate the power of maneuver on the battlefield: exactly how many times did the Barcas use their Numidian cavalry's advantages on the open field to ride tactical circles around their bulky legionary squares? If they'd just stayed behind their walls they could have easily denied Hannibal the ability to operate in his tactical forte and exploited the main weakness of his mainly Gaulish infantry (Namely, their lack of armor), but their bull-headed obsession with not showing "cowardness" got them every time.
Rome was sacked the next day, but truth be told it was one the least eventful sacking in history, Hannibal just walked in, the people of the city just gave in, the only issue was getting the Senate to submit, the stubborn men stayed in there for weeks.
 
Rome was sacked the next day, but truth be told it was one the least eventful sacking in history, Hannibal just walked in, the people of the city just gave in, the only issue was getting the Senate to submit, the stubborn men stayed in there for weeks.

(OOC: I CAN work with this... but are you saying there was no looting? That's going to require quite a bit of juggling what with all his Gaulish tribes with a bone to pick at this point)
 
(OOC: I CAN work with this... but are you saying there was no looting? That's going to require quite a bit of juggling what with all his Gaulish tribes with a bone to pick at this point)

(OOC: There was looting but they hadn't fought back they were a defeated people at that point.)
 
Rome was sacked the next day, but truth be told it was one the least eventful sacking in history, Hannibal just walked in, the people of the city just gave in, the only issue was getting the Senate to submit, the stubborn men stayed in there for weeks.

IIRC, they only came out when Hannibal threatened to waste their villas, lmao
 
If Hasdrubal lost at Metaurus, there's no way Mago would ever get to Italy, not with Roman dominance over the seas; his capture of Genua, allowing Mago to enter the harbor unopposed, was at least as much a strategic coup as Cannae. Once all three 'Thunderbolts' were in Italy, each with a major army, all the blood and treasure spilled in Spain and Sicily was for naught. Scipio Hispenienses would have never been recalled, nor would he have felt the need to finally offer the decisive battle under the walls of Rome Hannibal had been seeking the whole time.
 
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