The VSF Prussian army begins re-arming

I really enjoy the Victorian Science Fiction genre, and have so far completed a British and a Turkish army for the HotT (Hordes of the Things) rules set. It seemed that the Prussians were missing so... never one to step back from a challenge I bought two boxes of Airfix German WW1 figures, the nearest thing to suitable Prussian infantry for the army. A simple 'paint conversion' will suffice.

In the meantime though I had a flash of inspiration for a flyer, specifically an 'airboat' under the rules. I try to make any new army some how different from any of the others I have. This one will have quite the sky navy, with several airboats. That's always a playing challenge, given the extra PIP scores movement requires when using aerials, but I never plan armies with a view to being some sort of winning combination. It's all about the aesthetic...

So, here is the first airboat.

The army started with a plastic egg. I added some tail fins from some scrap plasticard.

From there, a bit of a dig around in the spares box (the net result over 50 years of modelling and army building) yielded some interesting pieces and shapes.

And so the finished product, the first Prussian airship, graced with some spare decals from an Airfix Fokker EIII (that became a dragon serving with the Turkish army).

Galicia 1914.. an introductory game

There is a simple joy in introducing someone to something that they love. Having talked to Murray about the Spearhead stable of rules, he expressed an interest in trying out the Great War Spearhead rules. I set up a simplified 1914 scenario with understrength Russian and Austro-Hungarian divisions advancing with poor reconnaissance, creating an unexpected 'meeting engagement'.

The Austro-Hungarian force comprised three regiments, a cavalry regiment, and a regiment of 76mm field guns.

The Russian force comprised two infantry brigades, and a regiment of 76mm field guns. To keep things simple, I'd not included any off table artillery, nor any entrenchments.

The ganme was playe dusing my 20mm armies.

The Russian advance

The Austro-Hungarian plan of advance

Both forces advanced at full speed, as they are required to do in the absence of any spotted enemy.

The Russian left managed to deploy into a wooded area before the Austrians could arrive, leaving them in the open facing a stiff fire fight. 

The forces on both sides were played as 'random morale'. All of the Austrian regiments turned out to be Regular. The Russian left flank brigade was Veteran, but the right flank turned out to be Green.

On the Russian right, their right flank brigade was kept back in reserve until it had spotted Austrian cavalry advancing. The right flank brigade was supported by the artillery brigaded on table. However the artillery spotted the cavalry dismounting as it had tried to take the Russians in the flank, and brought them under fire.

The firefight begins on the Russian left

The Russian brigade on the left flank sends five companies around to try and outflank the Austrian right

On the Russian right, the Austrians decide to assault, and advanced in to withering fire (the Austrians are at the top of the photo advancing against the Russians in the wood)

Austrian casalties are heavy

The Austrian cavalry begin to take casualties from the Russian artillery

The firefight on the Russian left intensifies

On the right, the Austrians assault the wood

One Austrian company makes it into the assault

... and wins the combat.. the Austrians are able to advance into the wood, but at a heavy price

On the Russian left, the flanking force wins the firefight against the Austrians

Meanwhile the major part of the Russian left continues a fierce duel with the Austrians

Overview of the Russian right at this stage

Given the amount of talking and 'instruction;, we ran out of time. In normal circumstances we would have had time to fight the game to a conclusion. At this stage things were very much in the balance. The centre Austrian regiment had just begun its own advance against the Russian right, bringing numbers and firepower that were sure to bring about a result.

For something so simple, this was a stirring wee game, with some interesting nuance. In the next game we'll bring in off table artillery, and counter battery fire.

What we read as children ....

I've written several times before about those things from our childhood that might have inspired us in our hobby. The influences are many and varied. Without any doubt at all we can say that the things our parents do matter, even if they don't set out to have those influences on us. My Dad's model making mattered to me.

Similarly what we read as children matters. My parents weren't highly educated, but they understood that reading mattered, so there were always plenty of books around. As we cleared out our parents' house, and then reduced our own accumulation of 'stuff', we'd thinned out the book collections. I did keep several of my own childhood books, and this was one of them.

Looking for something to read the other evening, I grabbed this book from the shelves and read it. It was published in 1962, and this is a 1962 edition. The memories flooded back. The 'Fighting Four' were four tommies who had gone through Dunkirk, trained as commandoes, and been involved in several tight situations in that role. They are members of the LRDG operating in North Africa, and are asked to support the first SAS raid on a German airfield well behind Rommel's lines. Things don't quite go to plan, and the four are left to find their way back to British lines, taking their seriously wounded commanding officer with them. They capture an Italian fort (yes, just the four of them) kidnap an Italian doctor, get captured .. and so it goes on.

I did once also have a copy of the prequel by AR Channel, "The Fighting Four", but it must have been culled as I reduced book volumes. It was a story of a commando raid on a German heavy water plant in Norway. A little part of me wishes I'd kept it.

With books like this, and with my father's inspiring model making, it's little wonder that I became a wargamer with a deep interest in military history. I think this was an unintended consequence of their action. They were not fans of military history per se.

The book itself is a fun read, one of those inspiring reads for children. Despite its age and my years I enjoyed it. 

Battle for the rail junction: an American Civil War game

A home grown, fictional ACW scenario for Volley and Bayonet:  in a race for a vital road/rail junction and rail line, two divisions of a Union Corp have crossed the only bridge across the main river when Confederate saboteurs in a daring night raid manage to blow the bridge. This leaves the corps split, half on either side of the river. Resources are pooled and a temporary raft based alternative goes in to operation, supported by a Union navy river gunboat. However as crossing operations get underway the first of the Confederate forces racing for the same road/rail junction begin to appear. The scene is set.

This game was fought earlier using my 15mm armies. The gunboat is by Sarissa. The buildings are all scratch built.

The gunboat, and the vital road rain junction top centre of the photo

Union artillery in hasty defensive works

Union forces crossing via the rafting operation

Confederate forces have seized the secondary objective where the road and rail routed cross a secondary stream

The initial confederate advance had seen a three regiment cavalry division advance towards the main junction. Union cavalry and infantry had pursued. The Confederate cavalry were deliberate in moving to draw the Union forces away from the route of advance. The confederate commander was intent on taking the Union forces in the rear

More Confederate forces advance. The Confederate cavalry can be see top right, with a Union infantry division in pursuit. The Confederate infantry division is seen lower left advancing up the road. The initial confederate ploy had worked

Union cavalry

The Union forces withdraw to face the advancing Confederates on the confederate left

The Confederate cavalry turns about to face off the Union pursuers

The Confederate attack on the left, facing the reorganising Union defence

The Confederate cavalry dismounts and advances

On the Confederate right, the forces face off across the smaller river at the road/rail crossing of the river

Battlefield overview from behind the Confederate lines

The situation on the right

On the Confederate left, the Union cavalry has dismounted and moves across the two contour hill to threaten the Confederate flank - upper left of the photo

The Union forces have successfully reformed a cohesive defensive line - upper photo

Opposing forces still facing off on the Confederate right

This was a really interesting game... the terrain meant that Confederate forces were repeatedly prevented from exploiting gaps in the Union defences, and so to break through to the main river/road/rail junction. The fragmented nature of the arrival of Confederate forces on the battlefield also meant that they struggled to marshal sufficient strength at any point to exploit the Union's initially fragmented defences. The Union ferrying operation allowed them to ferry two stands/brigades per turn. Even with this slow rate of reinforcement, they were still able to outpace the Confederates' build up in the face of the terrain that lay across their route of advance. What a fabulous  exercise in using time, space, terrain, and forces, to solve the defensive problem. The net result was a draw.