Russian cavalry for WW1

I have found myself increasingly interested in the role of cavalry in World War 1.  It's not an arm that we readily associate with the western front beyond 1914, although I think it played more of a part in the more fluid battles of 1918. However it does seem to have played a bigger role on the eastern front, and in the middle east. In the middle east there are useful accounts of actions in which cavalry were often used as mobile infantry able to cover longer distances.  Terry Kinloch's book is a fascinating read.

I'm currently on the lookout for reliable sources on the western and eastern fronts in order to read further. 

In the meantime I have been painting up some 20mm figures for the period, and the theatres, anticipating some battles to celebrate the 25th anniversary of my WW1 rules of preference: Great War Spearhead. The cavalry figures are from the Strelets range, bought probably 20 years ago, and left to languish in the infamous wargamers' 'lead/plastic pile'. We may fight some eastern front actions, but equally some actions from the Russian Civil War, or the Russo-Polish War.

These are the latest additions, some Strelets 'Terek Cossacks', and 'Don Cossacks'. My basing preference is one mounted and one foot figure per base. It's my way of matching these figures to my mental paradigm about how cavalry were used in the period. It's my 'affectation', if you like.

The assembled Russian cavalry so far.

These figures in front were 'conversions' that I did probably 45 years ago, using Airfix ACW figures, and swapping the heads for those from some Airfix WW1 British Infantry... the things we did, eh?

Next some Strelets German cavalry ... yeehaaaa... 

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. 

Foray into the Russian Civil War 1919

Adrian and Jon and talented at making adaptations to rules sets to create a flavour that suits sub periods for which the rules may not have been written. This week we played a Russian Cilcvil War game using an adaptation of the 'Rapid Fire' rules that Adrian has developed (the variation, that is). I had played the original edition of RF extensively back in the 90s, but hadn't really looked at them since, preferring the Spearhead rules systems.

The game was a bit of fun, we had a good time. This isn't an AAR, but more of a show and tell for Adrian's beautifully painted Peter Pig 15mm miniatures.  The armoured train didn't feature in the game, but I just couldn't resist taking a few shots .. what's not to love about an armoured train?

SOTCW ..

I've never actually belonged to a specific history/wargames group other than the local wargames club but I've often eyed up both the Society of Ancients, and the Society of Twentieth Century Wargamers (SOTCW) as possibilities, thinking that someday I should.

Before Christmas I finally did .. join, that is.. and specifically the Society of Twentieth Century Wargamers.

Two days ago a parcel arrived with four back copies of their Journal. Their subscription year is almost ended, and so I received these four copies with one of two more to go to complete the year.

The content is interesting and varied, with my rules set of choice for the twentieth century (Spearhead) featuring in each issue in one form or another. The latest for example has some mods to WW2 Spearhead to cater for the Spanish Civil War, while earlier copies have included scenarios for WW2 play.

I think this will be worthwhile association. The organisation looks like a pretty typical voluntary outfit, which means that things are not perfect, and of course it looks as if the workload falls on the few willing people, as always.

I may consider writing something for the Journal, as their biggest issue seems to be finding content.

With 2014 now with us, it looks as if upping the ante with WW1 content might be the order of the day. We'll have to see.

'The fate of Admiral Kolchak'

I recently purchased and read this interesting book 'The fate of Admiral Kolchak', (ISBN 1 84158 138 0). Written by Peter Fleming (brother of Ian Fleming, of James Bond fame) it was first published in 1963. My copy is a 2001 reprint.

The story of Admiral Kolchak, former commander of the Black Sea fleet, and Supreme Commander of the White Russian forces, is interesting but tragic. The book provides an overview of the circumstances that lay behind the Allied intervention in Russia in 1918-1920, and hence the circumstances behind Kolchak's acession to power (albeit very briefly). The style of the writing and the vocabulary might seem to the modern reader to be a little dated, but the book rewards perseverance with a reasonable understanding of the events that lead to Kolchak's ultimate demise. The book is short on detail in some areas, and provided little coverage of the campaigns of Kolchak's forces in Siberia. That however was probably never the writer's intention. Fleming does however succeed in painting a brief picture of the barbarity that epitomises civil wars in general.

The book is worth reading if you have an interest in the Russian Civil War.