Afghan Frontier

This book by Victoria Schfield examines Afghanistan's border regions and how they have, throughout history, become crossroads of conflict. Afghanistan is called the crossroads of conflict because its unique position as a central geographic corridor connecting South Asia, Central Asia, and the Middle East, combined with rugged terrain and intense rivalries among regional and global powers, makes it a flashpoint.

The author takes a largely chronological approach, first explaining the region's geography and the tribes who live there. I picked this book up largely because I was reading a series on the Mughals, who entered India via Afghanistan. Our first understanding comes from Alexander the Great's earlier invasion of India. 

The geography includes the Hindu Kush and vast, rugged highlands, which make military occupation extraordinarily difficult and provide natural strongholds and cave networks for local fighters against invading forces. Afghanistan has multiple distinct ethnic groups and tribes that often prefer localised tribal codes and Islamic governance over centralised state authority, making unified national rule hard to sustain. A Pashtu proverb says, "Honour ate up the mountains, and taxes ate up the plains."

Britain was drawn into Afghanistan to defend India. This led to disastrous expeditions. It is astonishing how they even got there, given the officers' travelling baggage. Sixty camels were considered reasonable for a brigadier, and forty servants for a junior officer. In the first Kabul tragedy, 30,000 camels and 38,000 camp followers were involved. In the early 20th century, the RAF was used extensively to pacify the tribes and effectively win the Third Afghan War. By 1936, there was a code which involved a two-day warning before the rebel village was bombed, to allow civilians to escape.

Attempts at bribing officials and judges were rarely successful. The British Empire at least got something right, though the incentives were small. One judge was offered a golf ball if he would acquit a family of murder. In the Second World War, there was an Axis plan to join up the Japanese and German invasions, a story I covered in my book on Turkey during WW2. The British fortified the Afghan border, including dragon's teeth anti-tank obstacles that can be seen today. The book overplays the non-aggression pact between Turkey and Germany and its impact on British Islamic propaganda. Turkey was never an ally of Germany.

The Afghan army of the period was not insignificant. It had 103,000 men and had received a significant loan from the Germans to train and possibly equip a full division. The Afghan Air Force had British-trained pilots flying 20 Hawker Harts and 8 Hawker Hinds.

The book ends with the Soviet occupation in support of the communist government. This led to the West supporting Islamic groups, which came back to bite them through the Taliban. It ends before the evacuation and the appalling conditions in the country, particularly for women, today.

The book is pretty detailed, but it includes lots of interesting stories that liven up the narrative.

I have a 19th-century Afghan army and the British in 10mm, which I haven't dusted off in some time. I built them as another opponent for my Zulu and Boer War British armies. Osprey has a good book on the wars.

Some of my Afghans. Fun to paint.

Gordon Highlanders Museum

 I was up in Aberdeen today for work. After finishing just before lunch, I decided to visit the Gordon Highlanders Museum, a short bus ride from the city centre.

The Gordon Highlanders were one of the British Army's most famous infantry regiments. Their identity was closely tied to northeast Scotland, particularly Aberdeenshire and the Highlands, and to the distinctive Highland kilt and pipers. The regiment existed as the Gordon Highlanders from 1881 to 1994, when it amalgamated with the Queen's Own Highlanders to form the Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Camerons), which later became part of the Royal Regiment of Scotland.

The regiment was raised in 1794. Its early service included the Napoleonic Wars, famously attaching themselves to the stirrups of the Scots Greys at Waterloo.

During the nineteenth century, the regiment's predecessors served in several important British campaigns overseas, including the Indian Mutiny, the Second Anglo-Afghan War, and the Battle of Dargai Heights, 1897. This became one of the regiment's most celebrated actions, and a fabulous painting hangs in the dining hall. 

Nine battalions fought in the First World War with 50,000 recruits; 29,000 became casualties, including 9,000 dead. The Second World War started badly for two battalions, the 1st and 5th, of the 51st (Highland) Division, which were surrounded and forced to surrender at Saint-Valery-en-Caux in June 1940.

The regiment fought in North Africa and Italy, and later in North-West Europe, 1944–1945. Another battalion was captured in Singapore and suffered horrendous losses as prisoners of the Japanese.

It isn't a large museum, but the exhibits are well presented with some excellent dioramas. The staff are knowledgeable and helpful. The cafe also has decent cake! Well worth a look.

Partisan 2, 2026

 Another return to the Newark Showground today for Partisan 2, stopping on my way home from London. I have always driven here, which makes it clear there is no public transport to the site, which isn't great for a showground. The Edinburgh train and an Albanian taxi driver got me there with a Balkan twist!

As usual, it was well organised once there, and we dealt with the long queue quickly, although there doesn't seem to be a system for those who bought advance tickets, which might speed things up a bit. 

Partisan is primarily a game show, although most of the main traders were there. The train limited my purchases, which probably worked out just as well. 

While Partisan is best known for its big display games, it also offers a wide range of smaller participation games. These were very good this year. Sadly, no time to play, but there seemed to be plenty of takers.

The big games were also excellent, and most were doable at the club rather than just amazing modelling.

I'm big into India at present so I enjoyed this.

Wild West action using a new Osprey rule set.

Lust for Glory is now available to download.

                                           

Matildas are one of my favourite tanks, so Arras is an excellent scenario.

The Very British Civil War is an excellent campaign. I must dust down my collection

Minden, very well done.

Here come the Normans!

A very popular Full Nelson participation game. The Battle of Poza de Santa Isabel, 1808.

For October, it's quite warm, but not quite Foreign Legion.

Joe Bilton's amazing French village for May 1940, Montcornet.

Eutaw Springs 1781

Malplaquet using Lily Banners 

Colchester Castle

 I was heading out to Ipswich to watch the football today; the less said about that, the better. There was nothing to see in Ipswich, so I stopped off in Colchester, which has a castle and remains of the Roman capital.

Built by the Normans soon after the conquest, it survived one siege during the Barons' War. At one and a half times the size of the White Tower's ground plan, Colchester's keep measures 152 by 112 feet (46 m × 34 m) and has the largest area of any medieval tower built in Britain or Europe. It remains an impressive building today, even though people destroyed its upper parts and used them as building material.

Roman Camulodunum was an important castrum and city in Roman Britain and the province's first capital.

The museum inside the castle has a fine collection of Roman artefacts; even if today it was disturbed by a witches' fair, with all sorts of guff on sale. The witches' broom idea as a present was not appreciated by my wife!

The temple model gives a good idea of how impressive it must have looked.

It was later the base of the Witchfinder General, Matthew Hopkins, who mistreated and killed many innocent women here in the 17th century. The prison cells are still there, and the victims are remembered. Vincent Price played him brilliantly in the 1968 film.

All well worth a look if you are in the area.

Imperial War Museum - War Art Exhibition

I am in London for a few days. A couple of work meetings today, and just time to pop in and see the war art exhibition at the Imperial War Museum.

Lots of different media covering the wars of the 20th century and modern conflicts. The paintings had a mix of classics and several I hadn't seen before.

I am sure they have done some work on both the First and Second World War galleries since I was last there. I don't recall the Serbian and Ottoman uniforms, and the storyline flows very well. They use modern display techniques without losing the exhibits' feel.

The Second World War exhibits looked familiar, except possibly for the Chinese uniform

 and the Soviet 122mm gun.

Well worth a return visit if you haven't been recently. When I lived in London, I visited regularly, including the fine Tradition Model Soldier shop around the corner.