The Teutonic Master Hermann von Balk sat on his horse at the edge of the primeval forest east of the Vistula and surveyed the area. He wore the tunic of the Teutonic Order, white with a black cross on the chest, and a woolen cloak over it. He was tense, but he did not allow fatigue or hunger to get the better of him. The sun above him was a pale disk behind thick clouds. An icy wind blew into his weather-beaten face. The snow crunched under the hooves of his brown horse. The metal eyelets on the reins clinked. The cold air burned in Hermann's lungs.

In front of him on the plain lay the Slavs' stronghold. This was where a group of Prussians, who had been hunting them for weeks, had retreated - deep into the forests and swamps at the north-eastern end of the empire. The landscape was as rough and wild as the Prussian people themselves. With their axes and clubs, they could smash the skulls of their opponents as if they were possessed by the devil. That is why they were said to have a pact with Satan.

The white winter landscape lay peacefully before Hermann. But the peace was deceptive, because the waist-high snow and the swamps hidden beneath it had their pitfalls. It would be difficult for his men to storm the fortress.

Its ramparts rose up in the middle of the plain. A gate tower marked the entrance. In front of it was the moat with a bridge over it. The trees had been felled within a radius of at least three hundred paces. It would not be an easy game for the attackers. They would be defenceless against the arrows and spears of the Slavs. Hermann von Balk estimated that there were still a hundred armed men in the castle, but mainly women and children.

Next to the German master stood the local guide, a Slavic farmer who had defected to them. He wore a wolf pelt over his gray cloak and a hood over his head. His boots were also wrapped in wolf fur. The Slav had advised attacking in winter because the swamps were frozen and the forests were bare, so the army could make good progress. Here, in the middle of no man's land

between the Vistula, Baltic Sea and Memel. The Slavs in the castle were surrounded and Hermann von Balk did not want to let them escape.

The Prussians were a feisty people. They had known how to defend themselves for decades. But this time the superiority was too great. Hermann von Balk led an army of seven hundred followers with seven Knights of the Order, with whom they had crossed the Vistula. Duke Konrad of Mascovia also supported the mission with several hundred men.

Sixty men stood behind him in the forest. The foot soldiers were armed with spears and swords. The horsemen came along, their lances pointed high into the sky. Next to them were the men with crossbows.

German and Polish clergymen stood in the back ranks. After the victory of the Knights of the Order, a converted Prussian chieftain would be appointed as administrator and the tribe would be forced to be baptized. Anyone who resisted baptism was threatened with death.

Four other knights of the Teutonic Order were waiting with their followers in the forest around the castle. The knights of the Order were vastly superior to the Slavs. The Prussian chieftains knew this and sought negotiations with the Knights of the Order. But this small group continued to fight back. They would rather die than be converted to Christianity and subjugated. Hermann von Balk would crush their resistance without mercy.

Hermann von Balk turned his horse to speak to his people. He cleared his throat and raised his voice. "Men! We have a mission that the Pope has received directly from God. We have a sacred mission to spread God's word. Here and now! A bulwark of unbelievers lies before us. We will convert these heathens or they will die. They have a choice. The evil in this world must be eradicated! Let us go boldly into this battle! We will secure a place in the kingdom of heaven!"

He thrust his sword upwards. "To the glory and praise of God! Down with paganism!"

The men did the same and raised their weapons in the air. They shouted the slogan "To the glory of God!" at the top of their voices. They drummed against the shields so that the roar echoed throughout the forest. The men were eager for battle. They were on a crusade and expected fame and fortune in return. In addition to gold, there were furs, ores and amber to be had here. Hermann von Balk let his men have their way. He didn't care what they plundered. He wanted to establish the Teutonic Order and bring Christianity to the Slavs.

Hermann von Balk pointed his sword at two light catapults. These devices used the spring force of a taut beam to fire flaming projectiles. The aim was to burn down the palisades of the castle.

"Open fire!" shouted the knight. Behind the trees, first one cata- pult clicked, then the second. Two flaming balls whizzed through the air. Hermann von Balk knew they were oil-filled, corked clay pots wrapped in burning rags. One bullet landed in the snow in front of the castle. The second fell into the ditch.

Hermann von Balk clenched his fists. He held his breath as fireballs whizzed towards the castle from four other directions. But this time, too, the flames went out in the snow.

"One more time! Fire at will!" shouted Hermann von Balk and slashed through the air with his weapon. He bit his lip too hard. He tasted blood in his mouth.

The bullets whizzed through the air again. Hermann von Balk narrowed his eyes. One bullet had fallen dangerously close to the palisade, but had extinguished just like the other! Sobered, the knight slumped down. Did he now have to leave the sheltered forest and expose the men to the Slavs' hail of arrows? Then the outcome of the battle was not certain.

He turned to the bullet master to order him to push the cartridges out of the forest. The local farmer touched his leg.

"Look, Lord!" he said, pointing towards the castle.

Indeed! The palisade had caught fire. Several Slavs emerged from their safe hiding places inside the castle rampart and tried to fight the flames with snow.

"Fire at will!" Hermann von Balk shouted again, this time euphorically. The wood cracked and splintered. The palisades went up in flames. The fire crackled and sparks hissed in all directions. The Slavs were no longer able to control the fire. The icy wind carried panicked cries. At last it was time to attack.

"For God and the Order!" shouted Hermann von Balk. He rode towards the castle with his sword outstretched.