Hunnica: The Barbarian Rome

On June 20, 451, the Huns and the Romans fought a massive battle in Gaul (now called France). Neither side won definitely, but the Hunnic Invasion of Gaul was stopped. But what if Aetius had not convinced Avitus to get help from the Gaullish barbarians? This ATL will take the form of battle logs and journals by the commanders.

Aetius's Journal (451)
June 19: The Huns have mustered a large force. Their Ostrogoth allies are a force to be reckoned with, and should by no means be underestimated. The Hunnic horsemen swoop down from hills and ambush my men, dwindling our numbers. The Army has reached Orleans and established a camp there. I can not convince my men to attack the Huns. Every day the beat of hooves and yelling gets louder and more ominous. Several of my best men have deserted. No doubt the Huns will charge any day now.

June 21: The Huns have utterly destroyed Orleans. Hundreds of Franks were "recruited" into their ranks. The Army had to mobilize to Chalons when the Huns reached Orleans. It was an ambush, with Goths and Huns and Franks and Lombards and Saxons all taking their revenge on the Romans. It seems Attila is swallowing up enemy tribes and converting them for his own army. If only we had extra support! If the Visigoths had joined, then the battle wuld have gone much better for the Romans. Now that the destructive power of the Hunnic war machine has been expressed, nobody wants to help the Romans. I only have five hundred soldiers after the ambush at Chalons. The only realistic option is retreat.

June 25: My army is now retreating across the Alps. If we can reach Rome, the emperor and all of the senate will hear of the trecherous Visigoths who deserted their allies and joined the Huns. Rome is now truly alone; Nobody can come ot its aid. We can only hope Attila will turn a blind eye.

Attilas Journal (452)
February 1: Gaul is now mine! The Huns have been joined by many more tribes, all eager to topple Rome. For the last eight months Huns and allies have been cementing our hold on Gaul. My army has attacked Spain as well, with varying success. The Alps are Romes only defense against my crushing hordes. But even that may soon fail. Attilica, a new city, is being built while I write on the shores of the Mediterranean. From there I will attack Rome with a powerful navy and army. Honoria, my bride, is waiting in Rome and I will not let this opportunity go.