A Rage of Regents

 The latest in my Nigel Tranter project covers the period after the Battle of Langside in 1568 when Mary Queen of Scots fled to England, and Scotland was ruled by regents for the young James the Sixth.

In classic Tranter fashion, the story is told through the eyes of a Lanarkshire laird's son, John Carmichael. On the wrong side at the Battle of Langside, his father decides to marry him off to the sister of the Earl of Morton, one of the regency council led by Mary's half-brother, the Earl of Moray.

He gets dragged into various special missions for Morton and develops a close relationship with the young Earl of Angus, head of the Red Douglases. When Moray is assassinated, Morton eventually grabs the regency, and John ends up on further missions, including a trip to Queen Elizabeth's court in London. He was also appointed Warden of the Middle March, as most of the hereditary holders of those positions fled the country after Langside. 

Morton was arguably the most effective of James's regents, but he made enemies. He fell from favour when Frenchman Esmé Stewart, first cousin of James's father Lord Darnley, arrived in Scotland and quickly became a favourite of James.  James I was proclaimed an adult ruler in a ceremony of Entry to Edinburgh on 19 October 1579. Morton was executed on 2 June 1581, belatedly charged with complicity in Darnley's murder.

In military terms, this was a relatively quiet period. There was some skirmishing over the border but no major battles. There were a few revolts, but they never amounted to much in terms of battles.

This is Border Wars territory for wargamers, with plenty of potential scenarios for small-scale clashes, for which the rules work so well. There are even models for the Queen's emissaries that fit in well with the missions John was sent on.

Bulgaria and Turkey in the Cold War

 A new and an older book has scratched an itch for a side project on a what-if clash between Bulgaria and Turkey during the early Cold War period.

The new book is Hot Skies of the Cold War by Alexander Mladenov and Evgeni Andonov, published by Helion.

The Bulgarian Air Force was Sovietised after WW2 and started to receive the latest Soviet aircraft, including the early jet fighters the Yak-23 and Mig-15. The first 23 Mig-15s arrived in 1951, boxed in crates. More arrived each year after that, totalling more than 100, plus trainers. While there were no open hostilities, the CIA organised incursion flights from Greece. Bulgarian air defences were limited, but Mig-15s made 130 launches in 1954 alone. These incursions had tragic consequences when two Mig-15 pilots shot down an Israeli airliner (Flight LY402) on 27 July 1955, which had strayed into Bulgarian air space. 58 passengers and crew died. This incident takes up most of the book, which, while tragic, is a bit too much. The Mig-17 was a significant improvement because of its all-weather capability. These started arriving in 1955, totalling around 74 by the decade's end. Later versions had radar. The Mig-19 was the first supersonic fighter, ideal for air defence. 84 of these arrived between 1957 and 1959. The book has lots of photos and some excellent colour plates.

The second book, Turkey Between East and West, edited by Vojtech Mastny and Craig Nation, looks at the other side of the hill. It is a series of essays examining different aspects of Turkey's development during this period and later. The book was written in 1996, so the forward-looking chapters are interesting for what they got right and wrong!

Stalin’s attempt to acquire the Straits after WW2 framed Turkey’s relations with the Soviet Union in the 1950s. It brought them firmly into the US sphere of influence through the Truman Doctrine, which brought the US Sixth Fleet to Turkish ports and a steady equipment flow when Turkey joined NATO. This relationship cooled with the Cuban missile crisis and the loss of Jupiter missiles on Turkish soil, followed by the Cyprus crisis of 1963-64. 

I also dusted down a few more books on this subject from my shelves for this project. Unlike other Warsaw Pact nations, the Soviets didn't station troops on Bulgarian soil. They relied on advisors, trainers and the KGB, which, coupled with historical links, made Bulgaria a reliable ally. Bulgaria sent advisors and equipment to communist regimes across the world, although they did not participate in combat operations like the Cubans in Angola. There is some evidence that Bulgaria supplied weapons to Kurdish separatists, which is always a sensitive issue in Turkey.

The Bulgarian People’s Army (Bulgarska Narodna Armiya – BNA) consisted of Ground Forces, Air Force, Navy and Border Troops. It is estimated that Bulgaria had 180,000 regular troops in 1951. At its peak in 1955, it had 12 rifle and two tank divisions, falling to six rifle and two tank divisions by the start of the 1960s. The structure was similar to the Soviet organisation, just on a smaller scale. The country was divided into three military districts (Sofia, Plovdiv and Sliven). Conscripts served two years from age 19 (three in the Navy) and then went into the reserve. While part of the Warsaw Pact, the BNA played a limited role, reflecting the lower strategic position and the armed forces' limited combat value. It received older equipment than other Warsaw Pact nations, and most rifle divisions were still foot infantry. The T34 tank was still the primary MBT when other Warsaw Pact armies received or made the T54/55. The 1936 uniform and helmet was still in service until the 1970s. In a conflict between NATO and the Warsaw Pact, the Bulgarians could expect support from Romania and the Soviet Odesa and Kyiv Military Districts.

Turkey had to face the Soviet Union directly on its northern border, a frontier some 620km long. Facing Bulgaria in Thrace was the Turkish 1st Army. A 15-20km deep border zone with Turkey along the 279km long border made intelligence estimates difficult to verify. However, there are obvious invasion routes across the border, and amphibious units were based at Ahtopol, close to the border, which could launch attacks on the Straits. There were extensive fortifications on both sides of the border zone, but once breached, the terrain in Turkish Thrace is primarily open plains. However, access was more manageable from the Greek side over the Evros River, which made it difficult to separate Greece from any conflict. The Turkish Corps based at Corlu would have faced the brunt of any attack from Bulgaria. While there are some defensive positions around Edirne and the wooded Yildiz Daglari, the Turkish strategy would likely follow the historical plan of a fighting withdrawal to the 20km wide Catalea position in front of Istanbul. Additional fortifications were defending the Thracian beaches near the Straits from amphibious assault.

The Turkish armed forces gained some warfighting experience in Korea and joined NATO in 1952. US military equipment arrived in modest numbers, including the M47 MBT. The armed forces implemented some reforms, slimming down the largely infantry army and the number of officers. However, progress was slow, with centralised training only introduced in 1954, and literacy was well below NATO standards. The Navy received US and British WW2-era destroyers and submarines in the 1950s. This was adequate when facing the small Bulgarian Navy, but would be reliant on assistance from the US Sixth Fleet in a conflict with the Soviet Union. Air bases were quickly upgraded after 1952 with modern early warning systems and communications. The Air Force received modern jet fighters, including the F84 Thunderjet in 1953/54, and refurbished Canadair Sabres in 1954/56. The first supersonic F-100 Super Sabres started to arrive in 1958. The first female fighter jet pilot to operate under a NATO flag was Leman Bozkurt Altınçekiç, from the Turkish Air Force, in the early 1950s.

The military had a special position in Turkish society and regularly intervened in politics, including a military coup in 1960. The NATO archives include a period film on Turkey and NATO, which shows Turkish soldiers in their WW2-style British battledress. The helmet was still used as late as the Cyprus intervention in 1974.

https://youtu.be/QyeLGnaaMpg

Even before the Cyprus conflict, Greece and Turkey were unstable allies, and Bulgarian planning would have taken this into account. Ethnic Turkish groups in Bulgaria (11-15% of the Bulgarian population) were regarded as suspect, although full-scale assimilation campaigns didn't begin until the 1970s and 1980s. In the 1980s, friction between Turkey and Bulgaria over this issue brought both countries close to war, although the US and Soviets would have intervened to stop it.

My first tabletop dabble was a game of Blood Red Skies, with Sabres and Mig-15s dogfighting over Thrace. I haven't found any Bulgarian decals in 1/200th yet, so I had to settle for Soviet ones. Turkish ones are available from Pendraken.

The midweek game this evening will be an armoured clash with a Turkish armoured brigade fighting a rear-guard action on the Thracian plains. This will be in 6mm using Cold War Commander rules.

The Campaign in Gallipoli

 As if I need more books on Gallipoli, this was my thought when faced with more at the Gallipoli Association's stall at the Battleground show. However, I relented for this memoir written by a German officer, Hans Kannengiesser. He was among the German advisors to the Ottoman Empire when the First World War broke out. Not simply as a liaison officer with the Ottoman Army, he commanded Ottoman troops in the field, including the Ottoman 9th Division.

This book gives readers a different perspective on the Gallipoli campaign fought between April 1915 and January 1916. Allied forces, primarily from Britain, Australia, New Zealand, and France, attempted to secure the Gallipoli Peninsula in modern-day Turkey. The goal was to open up a sea route to Russia via the Dardanelles Strait and weaken the Ottoman Empire, a Central Powers ally. The campaign could have been better planned and executed, facing fierce Ottoman resistance and challenging terrain. It resulted in heavy casualties on both sides, over 250,000 for the Allies, and ultimately ended in a costly and humiliating Allied withdrawal.

The author was working with the Ottoman Army when war broke out, and he describes early efforts to strengthen defences on the Gallipoli Peninsula. If you are unfamiliar with the campaign, he covers all the salient points. However, the strength of this memoir is his observations on the Ottoman forces he not only advised but also led.

I have toured this battlefield, hiring a car in Istanbul, so I hadn't appreciated how poor the lines of communication were. He describes the best route as being by sea, although even warships were attacked and sunk by British submarines. The language barrier was challenging, and he often relied on inadequate translators. Not unlike much later NATO officers, it didn't occur to him to at least learn some Turkish! I'm feeling righteous, having just finished a 100-day streak on Duolingo 😁.

I hadn't appreciated how limited ammunition was, which would have reduced Allied casualties given the modest area they occupied. He also tackled the communication and coordination of Ottoman batteries. Relations with Ottoman commanders were mixed. Some ignored him when in an advisory role, but there were fewer difficulties when he directly commanded Ottoman formations. Heat and disease were constant challenges, not just for the German troops. Scurvy broke out in three battalions he commanded due to the unchanging rations and the lack of vitamins. 

The Ottomans also had a prodigious bureaucracy. Regiments and divisions had to render strength reports every 14 days, which contained 458 columns to be filled in. He complained that methods of correspondence 'were most ceremonious'. 

His personal description of the battle was interrupted when he was wounded by a machine gun bullet to the chest by the New Zealanders. On 7 September, he had recovered enough to return to the front. This is a classic 'The Other Side of the Hill' study, which has been helpfully edited by John Wilson into a very readable study.

Some of my 28mm Ottoman and British WW1 troops.

Conquest: Alexander and Hannibal

 Strength and Honour (S&H) is my favourite ruleset for big battles in the ancient world. One of my wargaming pals finds this ironic as he reminds me of the grief we gave him over a France 1940 game he organised in 3mm. In my defence, we spent most of the afternoon trying to identify the type of tank firing! Whereas the 2mm figures for S&H are mounted on large bases and labelled.

 The main rules mainly cover the Imperial Roman world. Mark has written a new supplement covering earlier conflicts, including Alexander, the Successors, and the Punic Wars. I dabbled at this with my Young Alexander in the Balkans campaign (published in Slingshot), but this allows me to extend the campaign to the Persians. I have always fancied a Persian army, and in 2mm, it is quickly completed. I also have a soft spot for the Carthaginians because they were my first wargame army, in 25mm using Warrior Miniatures. I will need some 2mm Romans in manipular legion formation, so another order is off to Martin at Warbases.

The supplement provides some new rules for the period extension and some tweaks based on feedback. There are 12 new army lists covering this earlier period and 20 scenarios. It all comes as a PDF download, which makes sense. I prefer a hard copy for rules, but a PDF is easy to use and a significant cost-saving, particularly for colour printing. I did the same with my new Cyprus 1974 guide for wargamers. I have printed off the new rules I will likely use, which are just a few pages.

Onto the tabletop for the midweek game last night. Alexander has crossed the Hellespont and faces a Royal Persian Army.

It went badly for the Persians from the outset, with both flanks driven in.

The centre held up better, with the mercenary hoplites doing a good job for the Persians. However, Homunculus Est! was called successfully with only a handful of setback cards in the Macedonian pile. I was a bit short of cavalry for this game, which may have helped the Persians, and some more archer units might have slowed up the Macedonian phalanx. We will have another go after Christmas.

When a giant cat arrived on the battlefield, Alexander was pleased to see it was a Moggie, not a Persian 😅.

North American F-100 Super Sabre

 One aspect of researching the first volume in our book for Helion on the Cyprus crisis of 1963/64 was reading all I could find on the F-100 Super Sabre, my favourite modern fighter aircraft. I found David Anderton's long-out-of-print Osprey very useful, although, for the Turkish F-100s, Levent Basara's F-100 Super Sabre in Turkish Air Force was a must-read. Peter Davies's book (same title) also has a good chapter on the type in Turkish service. I read these in the National Library of Scotland, so I was delighted to pick up my own copy in the secondhand bookshop in Alnwick this year.

The F-100 Super Sabre (nicknamed the Hun) was the first supersonic jet fighter to enter service with the United States Air Force (USAF). It was developed by North American Aviation and was part of the Century Series of aircraft. The aircraft's first flight was on 25 May 1953 and entered service in 1954. The day after my birthday and just a wee bit older than me may explain my enthusiasm for this aircraft!

The F-100 featured a swept-wing design for high-speed performance. Its fuselage was designed to minimize drag, and it had an all-moving tailplane for improved control at supersonic speeds. This gave it a top speed of over Mach 1.3 (860 mph or 1,380 km/h), a service ceiling of 50,000 feet (15,240 meters), and a range of approximately 1,000 miles (1,600 km) without refuelling. Its main armament was four 20mm M39 cannons and various bombs and rockets.

Initially designed as a high-performance air superiority fighter, it was later adapted for ground-attack missions. It played a significant role in the Vietnam War, primarily in close air support and strike missions. NATO and allied nations also used it under the Military Assistance Program (MAP). This is how Turkey received 87 F-100s starting in 1959, C, D, and F ( two-seat trainer) models. Pilots were initially trained by USAF pilots. The Turkish Air Force received over 200 Super Sabres, some from USAF surplus and from Denmark. At least nine Filo (Squadron) operated the type, which saw extensive service in all stages of the Cyprus conflict. The Turks called it the Baba (Father), and if you read the memoirs of Turkish pilots, it was very popular. 

The Osprey book is double the length of a regular Osprey book. It is profusely illustrated and takes the reader through the stages of development and its service with the USAF. 

The French Air Force leased over 100 F-100s, and when they were returned, a significant number ended up at RAF Sculthorpe for scrapping. This is why several can be seen in UK aircraft museums. More than 100 are preserved worldwide.

Newark Air Museum

Dumfries Air Museum

Sunderland Air Museum

Türkiye has a good record of preserving military equipment for museums. Two F-100s in early and later colour schemes are at the Istanbul Air Museum. 

I have two 1/72nd scale Baba models from the PM Models range. This Turkish manufacturer makes a simple kit that suits my inadequate kit-building skills and has Turkish decals for both periods. They have seen a lot of tabletop action, often saving the Turks from near defeat.

I would also recommend the Facebook group, which has many photos shared by veterans and their families—a testimony to the Super Sabre's enduring attraction.

Cyprus 1974: A Wargamers Guide

 I have a new book out today, Cyprus 1974: A Wargamers Guide. The subject will be familiar given the number of scenario play tests I have covered in this blog, not to mention books and visits.

While I am co-writing a complete military history of the conflict for Helion Books, I didn't want the 50th anniversary to pass without providing something for all the wargamers who have played the games that appear as scenarios in the book. So, this is an Osprey-length teaser on the history, but it has everything the wargamer needs to refight the conflict on the tabletop.

This book explores the background of the conflict. It details the armed forces involved, including regular units from Turkey and Greece, the Greek Cypriot National Guard, and Turkish Cypriot militia units. British and UN forces were also present on the island, and I mention them as well because they could easily have been drawn in. It outlines the military operations conducted on land, at sea, and in the air, drawing on interviews with veterans and published memoirs.

It also offers modelling suggestions for the various forces involved and presents eight scenarios to re-enact key actions on the tabletop. These scenarios are illustrated with wargames, maps, and orders of battle that can be adapted to popular wargame rules.

This conflict has probably been overlooked because the major powers were not involved, and it doesn't fit with the Cold War narrative that dominated the period. This is my modest attempt to rectify that.

And if you are looking for that late Christmas present - here are a few more titles to consider! 

The Queen's Grace

 The latest in my Nigel Tranter project also covers the rule of Mary Queen of Scots. However, this is one of Tranter's earlier novels (1953) that covers a specific part of the period: the conflict with the Gordons in northeast Scotland.

The story is told through the eyes of a minor Gordon laird, Patrick MacRuary Gordon, Laird of Balruary in Glen Livet. Glen Livet is a scenic spot to this day, although it is probably better known for Glenlivet whisky. The Gordons are a predominately Catholic clan led by the Earl of Huntly (Cock o' the North). Still, Patrick's father was a noted protestant, making him a suitable go-between with the Queen and the Protestant Lords of the Congregation led by her half-brother James Stewart, Earl of Mar. Called 'The Bastard' by just about everyone.

Glen Livet

The Protestant Lords were spoiling for a fight with the Gordons, who were generally willing to oblige. James Stewart was also anxious to secure his Earldom of Moray, which abuts the Gordon territories. The Gordons were a strange mix of Highland and Lowland, creating division compounded by differences in strategy between the two sons. Mary was also in a difficult position as a Catholic Queen who would generally have looked to the Gordons for support.

Moray brings a large lowland army north on a royal progress to Aberdeen and Inverness. Patrick gains the Queen's confidence and gets involved in all the main events. This all ends badly at the Battle of Corrichie, fought on the slopes of the Hill of Fare in Aberdeenshire on 28 October 1562. Clan Chattan abandoned Huntly, and the new-fangled pike and shot tactics defeated the Gordon charge. Huntly died of a heart attack on the battlefield, and his son John was captured and executed. The older son was not at the battle and was spared by Mary's intervention, and she later restored his titles. The Gordon story lived on, and they will play an important part in future events.

Gordon Horse, of a slightly later period

Marmont - The Balkan Marshal

The Napoleonic Wars podcast has been running a series on Napoleon's Greatest Marshals. The format involves guests pitching for one of the Marshals, the panel discusses and listeners are encouraged to comment and vote. The latest edition features a series of underdogs, as pitches are heard for Oudinot, Poniatowski, Grouchy and Marmont.

I delivered the pitch for Auguste Frédéric Louis Viesse de Marmont, Duke of Ragusa, or the Balkan Marshal as I prefer to call him. I admit, something of an underdog in this contest, but I argue that the predominant Anglo-Centric view of the Napoleonic Wars often ignores events outwith the Peninsular. Marmont was a more rounded professional than most of his contemporaries, To use a cricket analogy, he could bat at number 5 and still bowl the opposition out. Perhaps the most educated and cultured of the Marshals and one of the few to write a thesis on the art of war. A talented strategist, understanding the art of command and the movement of troops. His military, diplomatic and administrative skills make him the premier Marshal of France. He also has the best portrait!

For those not familiar with Marmont, here is a short biography, as we were asked to pitch qualities rather than simply tell a story.

Auguste Frédéric Louis Viesse de Marmont, Duke of Ragusa, was born in 1774 into an army family. His father was a former officer and a member of the petite noblesse, but like many of that class, he adopted the principles of the Revolution. His father made him learn mathematics before entering the artillery. Here, he met one Napoleon Bonaparte, serving together at Toulon.

Marmont became Bonaparte's aide-de-camp, stuck with him during his disgrace and accompanied him to Italy and Egypt, winning distinction and promotion to general of brigade. In 1799, he returned to Europe with him. He was present at the coup d'état of the 18th Brumaire and organised the artillery for the expedition to Italy, which he commanded with great effect at Marengo. For this, he was at once made general of division. In 1801, he became inspector-general of artillery and, in 1804, grand officer of the Legion of Honour. In 1805, he commanded a corps at the great manoeuvre of Ulm. 

The peace with Austria gave France new territories in Dalmatia. He took possession of much of Dalmatia despite a powerful Russian force with a small army and occupied the Republic of Ragusa. For the next five years, he was military and civil governor of Dalmatia, and traces of his rule still survive in public works and memory. In 1808, he was made Duke of Ragusa. In the 1809 campaign, he advanced from Dalmatia and defeated Gyulai's corps in the Battle of Graz before marching to support Napoleon at Vienna and in the Battle of Wagram. He got his Marshals baton after that battle.

After Massena failed in Spain, Napoleon turned to Marmont for another independent command. He outmanoeuvred Wellington in the relief of Cuidad Rodrigo. He was defeated at Salamanca. But he was wounded early in the battle, along with his deputy, and command went down to Clauzel. After recovering from his wounds, he served in the 1813 campaign, commanding a corps at  Lützen, Bautzen and Dresden. He then fought throughout the great defensive campaign of 1814, fighting a skilful retreat. At this stage, he and others recognised the game was up, and he led negotiations with the Allies. 

He stuck to his oath to the Bourbons and didn’t rejoin Napoleon at Waterloo. He also voted in favour of Ney's execution. He held many posts during the restoration and was major-general of the guard on duty during the July 1830 Revolution. Although he disagreed with his orders to put down the revolution, he did his best but was overwhelmed. Charles X initially ordered his arrest, but he left France with him. He wandered Europe, even becoming the Austrian appointed tutor to the Duke of Reichstadt, the young man who had once for a few weeks been styled Napoleon II. He died in Venice in March 1852, the last living Napoleonic marshal.

And if you don't subscribe to podcasts, here is the pitch in a written format.

Hi. My name is Dave Watson, and I am pitching for Marshal Auguste Marmont, Duke of Ragusa. For me, the Balkan Marshal is an obvious choice, but he is perhaps something of a challenge in this project. When most English-speaking Napoleonic buffs think of Marmont, they immediately think of Salamanca. That battle may not have been his finest moment, but I would ask you to look at his record more broadly. 

Marmont was born into an army family and entered the artillery. Here, he met one Napoleon Bonaparte, serving together at Toulon. His early military service highlights include:

• Bonaparte's aide-de-camp in Egypt, winning distinction and promotion.

• Organised the artillery in subsequent Italian campaigns. 

• Commanded a corps at the great manoeuvre of Ulm 1805

The peace with Austria gave France new territories in Dalmatia, where I first came to appreciate Marmont in the research for my book on the Napoleonic Wars in the Adriatic. He took possession of much of Dalmatia with a small army despite a powerful Russian force. For the next five years, he was military and civil governor of Dalmatia, and traces of his rule still survive in public works and memory. He introduced the rule of law prison reform and abolished torture and flogging (playing to Zac here!). He created schools and colleges. Most South Slav historians agree he ruled well, and streets were named after him until WW2. He was liked despite having to finance the cost of the French administration and fund war reparations.

The Illyrian province's appointment was challenging, given the geography and the different religions and nationalities. His staff included interpreters speaking seven different languages. Marmont learned Croatian and sponsored a dictionary. He also built effective diplomatic relations with the Bosnians and Ottomans.

His Balkan campaigns may not be well understood in Britain, but they weren't a sideshow to Napoleon. Writing to his brother Joseph, then King of Naples, he said, ‘Corfu is so important to me that its loss would deal a fatal blow to my plans. The Adriatic would be closed, and your kingdom would have on its left flank a port where the enemy could assemble to attack you. You must regard it as more valuable than Sicily. Mark my words: in the current situation in Europe the worst misfortune that can happen to me is to lose Corfu.’  

Militarily, Marmont performed brilliantly in Dalmatia, making what John Elting calls "a remarkable 300 mile march through frequently roadless country, scattering two Austrian forces, but clinging to his independent status..." He fought in challenging conditions, with two successful incursions into Bosnia to defeat Ottoman forces and deter raiding. The Austrians struggled to do the same.

In the 1809 campaign, he advanced from Dalmatia and defeated Gyulai's corps in the Battle of Graz before marching to support Napoleon at Vienna and in the Battle of Wagram. After that, he got his Marshals baton, although his detractors pointed out that Napoleon said, "Between ourselves, you have not done enough to justify entirely my choice." That was a bit ungrateful, although it may reflect the fact that Marmont had a detached command for most of the campaign. He delivered independently when others operated mainly under the Emperor's supervision.

After Massena failed in Spain, Napoleon turned to Marmont for another independent command. He outmanoeuvred Wellington in the relief of Cuidad Rodrigo. Yes, he was defeated at Salamanca. But he was wounded early in the battle, along with his deputy, and command went down to Clauzel. After recovering from his wounds, he commanded a corps in the 1813 campaign. He then fought throughout the great defensive campaign of 1814, fighting a skilful retreat. At this stage, he and others recognised the game was up, and he led negotiations with the Allies. 

He stuck to his oath to the Bourbons and didn’t rejoin Napoleon at Waterloo. He held many posts during the restoration and was major-general of the guard on duty during the July 1830 Revolution. Although he disagreed with his orders to put down the revolution, he did his best but was overwhelmed. He died in Venice in March 1852, the last living Napoleonic marshal.

Why does Marmont not get the recognition he deserves?

• In the English-speaking world, there is no biography. His memoirs were published in French after he died in 1857, and there is a long, out-of-print 1968 French biography. In any case, we are obsessed with the Peninsular War and Waterloo in Britain, and Marmont excelled in less fashionable theatres of war.

• Bonapartists hated him because they claimed he 'betrayed' Napoleon in 1814. And he didn't return to the fold in 1815. This showed superior political judgement and honoured the oath he had just given the Bourbons. In French, the verb "raguser"—derived from his title, the Duke of Ragusa- was a household word in France that meant "to betray".

• The Royalists also disliked him because they claimed he did not put down the 1830 revolution. 

In conclusion, he was the most rounded of the Marshals. To use a cricket analogy, he could bat at number 5 and still bowl the opposition out. Perhaps the most educated and cultured of the Marshals and one of the few to write a thesis on the art of war. A talented strategist, understanding the art of command and the movement of troops. His military, diplomatic and administrative skills make him the premier Marshal of France.

There is more on Marmont in my book The Frontier Sea.

Russo-Turkish War 1768-1774 - on the tabletop

 I started this project in 28mm after reading Brian Davies' excellent book on the war and Simon Sebag Montefiore's biography of Potemkin. I began with the North Star range, which include the distinctive Potemkin helmets. I have added some of the new Claymore Castings Russian SYW range as not all the units would have converted to the new regulations. For now the project is completed, although I am planning to add some more Ottomans to my 6/8mm armies for the larger battles.

North Star 28mm Russian's with the Potemkin helmets

For over a hundred years before this conflict, the Russian tsars had gradually expanded their southern borders at the Ottomans' expense. They established military colonies on the border, with support from the Cossack hosts. Empress Catherine II took advantage of the weakened Ottoman Empire and the end of the Seven Years' War to assert Russian power. If this sounds familiar in a modern context, it should!

The war started with the Khotin campaign of 1769 in modern-day Ukraine. An attempt to storm Khotin failed, but the siege was eventually successful, and the Russians moved into Wallachia (modern Romania), capturing Bucharest. The Russians consolidated their success in 1770 with a major victory at Kagul in August, forcing the Ottomans to flee back across the Danube. The Russians also sent a fleet into the Mediterranean from the Baltic, which stirred up revolts in Greece and Dalmatia. The Ottoman navy was more effective on the Danube, making it difficult for the Russians to cross the river until they developed their own flotilla. The war became a war of outposts, straining both sides and their finances. A peace treaty was signed in 1774, which created an independent Crimea, moved the border further south into Moldavia, and allowed the Russians to gain key Black Sea forts. 

You can see from this outline that the war offers a range of wargaming opportunities. The Potemkin helmets are nice, but a Russian SYW army will do fine if you don't want to collect a one-off army. It could be a challenge anyway, as it looks like I got the last of the range that has gone from the North Star site. The war of outposts in Wallachia suits the 28mm figures and rules like Rebels and Patriots. The Greek and Dalmatian campaigns can add some additional colour. There are also naval actions suitable for Black Seas, including the Battle of Chesma 1770 and a Middle East prelude to the later Revolutionary Wars campaigns in Egypt and the Levant.

Some of the Claymore castings 28mm range

Light Artillery from Claymore Castings

These are uniformed Don Cossacks, but irregular types were also used.

I got all the units onto the table for a game of Rebels & Patriots on Sunday. It is usual to downgrade Russian shooting and upgrade their melee capability for this period. However, the Ottoman troops shooting was certainly no better, so I left the Russians as per the standard R&P line infantry and downgraded the Janissaries shooting and upped their fighting to 'aggressive'. This gave the Janissaries the edge in combat, so long as they don't lose too many figures before they charge in. I am going to try a few more permutations in future games.

The Russians deployed. 5 infantry units, artillery and Cossacks

Here come the Janissaries

It ended badly for Potemkin, with this final stand on the hill.

Battleground Show

 I was at the Battleground wargames show in Middlesborough yesterday, thankfully mostly dodging Storm Burt. It was held in a new venue, Middlesborough Sports Village, a significantly larger sports hall with good parking and easy to find. The catering struggled with the numbers; otherwise, it is a good venue. There was plenty of room, possibly aided by the weather, which perhaps put some folk off travelling. Entry is also free. And the cupcake stall was superb!

There was enough room for 33 traders, 25 games and five living history groups. Battleground is one of my favourite shows because it adds reenactors and three historical talks to the usual wargames show. I picked up some more sci-fi infantry for Xenos Rampant at an excellent price, bits of scenery and a German memoir of the Gallipoli campaign that I hadn't seen before. 

It was nice to be at a show that I wasn't running a game at, which meant I had time to chat with the traders and players. With one eye on the weather, I left a little earlier than planned, but there was plenty to keep anyone engaged for the day.

There were some very good games, several of which I hadn't seen before. Here are a few examples.

Andy Callan was running his new Matchlocks game with Covenanters.

A Cold War game in 15mm, with the largest Soviet helicopter I have seen on a tabletop.

Black Seas. I do like the mat.

French Indian wars

A Vietnam skirmish game based on Hue.

This 10mm Malplaquet game attracted much attention on my BlueSky feed. The LED cannon fire was a nice touch.

Rorke's Drift in 28mm.

The Schlieffen Plan 1914 on a big scale.

Blitzkrieg 1940.

The East India Company - Living history.

A good day out and well worth the journey. Thanks to Pendraken for organising.

Durham and the Prince Bishops

 I was in Durham today en route to Middlesborough for tomorrow's Battleground wargames show. I haven't been for many years, and its main attraction, the cathedral, isn't a typical reason for me to visit.

However, Durham is a bit different because it was the home of the Prince Bishops, who were ecclesiastical and temporal leaders of the region in medieval times. Possibly the most famous, at least in Scotland, was Anthony Bec (or Bek), who served as the Prince-Bishop of Durham from 1283 to 1311. His dual role made him one of the most influential figures in northern England during his time, as he was Edward I's right-hand man in Scotland. 

Bek was just as happy deploying the mace as the crucifix. Taking part in Edward's campaigns in Scotland, the bishop received the surrender of King John I of Scotland at Brechin in 1296 and led one division of the English army at the Battle of Falkirk in 1298.

The cathedral is a magnificent example of a Norman church, particularly the ceiling and stained glass windows.

No one knew if Bek's tomb was in the cathedral, so I couldn't kick it! He is listed on the wall plaque.

The cathedral might be familiar to Harry Potter fans, as it was used in several films.

There is a fine chapel for the local regiment, the Durham Light Infantry, and a stone outside lists the VC winners.

The museum is also worth a visit. It houses a 17th-century edition of Bede's history, an important, if less-than-objective, primary source for early English history. They also have a rare falchion sword. No photos are allowed in that section, but you can read the story here.

The Norman castle has been built over, although you can see the outline. It is used by the university today and must be a great place to study history.

The market square has a giant statue of Charles William Vane, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry. As Charles William Stewart, he was a cavalry commander in the Peninsular War, both under Moore and Wellington. He didn't get on well with Wellington, which was hardly unusual. On his return, he had a diplomatic and political career. His statue is here because he later became Earl Vane and Viscount Seaham of Seaham in the County Palatine of Durham.

Durham is an attractive city to walk around, with several decent bookshops and tea rooms. I may have made a few purchases! A quick half with an old pal who now lives there and on my way. I am looking forward to Battleground tomorrow.