Battle of Tannenberg/Grunwald/Zalgiris 1410

[KLange]

Does anyone have any reasonablely reliable estimates of the numbers, types, and arms and equipment of the various troops who took part in this battle? I've heard that estimates sometimes differ quite a bit.

[Ragnvald]

Originally posted by KLange
Does anyone have any reasonablely reliable estimates of the numbers, types, and arms and equipment of the various troops who took part in this battle? I've heard that estimates sometimes differ quite a bit.

I remember reference wich said Polish-Lithuanian/Belorusian army numbered around 50,000. Russians also participated in the battle, because there was reference to "three regiments of Smolensk". But I think that Smolensk was part of Lithuanian Rus then.

Polish provided 50 regiments, 7 of them were Ukranian (Lvov, Holm, Galich, Peremisl, and 3 from Podolsk),
there were also regiments from Chechia, Moravia and Silezia.
Lithuanian Rus provided 40 regiments, 30 of them had state coat of arms (called "Persuit", knight on the horse with wings, raised sword, and shield with cross on it),
10 of them had traditional Varangian coat of arms, same as Rurik's dinasty, white attacking falcon on red background.

Along with Lithuanians there came horsemen of Khan Jelaladin.
By name, Lithuanian regiments were from Vilen, Grodno, Kovel, Trok, Lida, Polotsk, Vitebsk, Pinsk, Kiev, Volkovisk, Starodubsk, Drogichin, Novogrudok, Melnitsk, Kamenets, Brest, Smolensk....etc.
Teutons had around 30-40,000 knights.

I don't have much detailes about specific of arms on both sides. As I remember they were quite simil;ar on both sides, number of heavy knights, bow mans, etc.

There was a lake there, Polish regiments moved from left and Lithuanians moved from right. And discovered Teutons on another side. Teutons were already in battle mode ("wedges"). The witness is saying, that Teutonic "wedges" all of a sudden changed direction, and opened their side.
Vitaut ordered regiments of Peter Mstislavski, Manivid and Peter Gashtold to attack as soon as possible. They hit Teutons from behind, and mixed their lines.
Teutons never recovered after that, and were being killed in small "pots" untill darkness set in.

Nobody knows why Teutons turned, probably they saw just Polish and didn't see Lithuanians or vicy versa. Who knows.
Bad luck that day.