Feigned retreat
William the Conqueror ordered two feigned retreats according to William of Poitiers. That was a difficult tactic to use once without causing a complete rout and so it is unlikely he did it twice. It is more likely that William's troops broke ranks and were rallied back into the fight by their leader.The cavalry scene in the Bayeux tapestry shows William with his helmet off with the Latin words Hic est dux Wilelmus (here is Duke Willliam). That supports the theory that the Normans retreated because they believed William had been killed. He pulled his helmet off to show his face and to rally his men back to the battle. Calling it a feigned retreat may have been a politically correct way of saying their army ran away and had to be called back. Nonetheless, many Anglo-Saxon soldiers were foolish enough to chase after William's retreating men but were then killed in the counterattack.