Grocka and Smederevo

 I am in Serbia this week. After the usual car hire faff at Belgrade Airport, I headed for the Danube. First stop was Grocka, the site of the decisive battle of the Austro-Ottoman War 1737-39. I say decisive because it led the Austrians to agree to a peace treaty that returned much of Prince Eugene's gains from earlier in the century. However, the battle itself was only a score draw to the Ottomans.

In 1739, the village of Grocka was much smaller, and there has been development on the hills before the village and much more on the site of the Ottoman camp on the hills behind. The period map was drawn by someone who was there and looks reasonably accurate. The hills the Ottomans held are significant, and it would have been challenging to dislodge them. Sadly, nothing to mark the battle that I could find. Ottoman victories are rarely marked in the Balkans, with the arguable exception of Kosovo. More than 10,000 soldiers died here; they deserve better.

The hills on the right were the main Ottoman positions. I suspect the road into the village and the land on either side are flatter than they used to be. Contemporary notes describe it as a defile, and the top of the hill is narrow.

The river is now a stream, and the main Ottoman camp was in the hills in the background

I went a bit further down the river to the fortress at Smederevo. There is only one word for this site: enormous. The fortress is encircled by 1.5 kilometres of crenellated walls over 2 metres thick and 25 towers, each approximately 25 metres tall. It was built between 1427 and 1430 by Despot Đurađ Branković, the ruler of the Serbian Despotate, a buffer state between the Ottomans and Hungarians. It was further developed by the Ottomans after they captured it in 1459.

I last visited this site in the 1990s, and the half-collapsed tower on the railway station side still looks as if it's about to fall over. I parked well away.

Some restoration work has been done, and most of the damage was done by German ammo going off inside during WW2. Still an outstanding site to visit.

If you have the time, I would also recommend going further down the Danube to Golubac Castle. I didn't have time as I was driving right across Serbia to the western mountains for my stop in Valjevo. However, I have been there before, and it is a fabulous site right on the river. 

Partizan 2026

 I made the long trip south for what is the premier wargame show in the UK, Partizan. It is held at the Newark Showground, a fine venue with good car parking. It was packed, but the queue was reduced fairly quickly.

Partizan is primarily a show for great games. From the big eye candy spectacular, to lots of smaller games, you can spend half an hour or so enjoying. Most of the main traders were there as well (43 of them), and they seemed to be doing well, as did the societies and the author's corner. 

There were about 70 games, and although I had most of the day, I didn't attend all of them.

The Siege of Lucknow was the first big game to greet me in the main hall. Terrific job on the scenery.

Wings of Glory is always a popular participation game.

I think this was a Bolt Action game, but the work on the street scenes was very good.

I loved the use of Playmobil or similar figures in this game.

A good example of a smaller game. Tyrolean revolt.

This Charlie Don't Surf Vietnam town scene was superb.

I had a good chat with Simon Miller, who was running a War of the Spanish Succession mega game for his forthcoming Lust for Glory rules, which we have been playtesting.

Wargames Illustrated has a lovely temple scene for their Assassins and Templars game.

One of several ACW games.

British Grenadier is an old rule set, but still played.

Eastern Front Bolt Action, if that isn't too obvious. Too obvious for me, apparently, as it turns out, it was St Vith during the Battle of the Bulge.

Border Reivers using Ruckus rules. A fine setting.

The Wild Geese is still encouraging games, 50 years after the film came out.

Samurai, with a very nice fortress.

This is a new set of Napoleonic naval rules in development. Looks very interesting.

Quality table for a WW1 trench raid.

The mad baron is always an excuse for an RCW spin-off game. Excellent table.

As I have been busy painting pre-SYW Austrians, this Austrian v Prussian SYW game was superb. Lots of well-painted figures and a great castle or Schloss.

Rorke's Drift with a more realistic size final redoubt than you usually see.

Battle of Lewes using Midgard rules.

A little bit of Arnhem in Newark. Chain of Command.

Great show, well organised, and well worth the trip. I didn't buy a lot, but met up with lots of old friends and had some good chats.

Brougham Castle

 I was heading south for the Partisan show and decided to take a break at Brougham Castle, which is on the A66 near Penrith. The staff will be quick to tell you that it is pronounced 'brum' or 'broom', one of those strange quirks of the English language.

The site was originally a Roman fort called Brocavum, as it was on the intersection of three Roman roads. The medieval castle was founded by Robert I de Vieuxpont in the early 13th century, on land (Barony of Westmorland) granted to him by King John. He built the stone keep, but the walls would have been wooden palisades. 

As the male descendants died out, the castle came into the possession of the powerful Clifford family. Their lands and castles are scattered across northern England. He built stone walls and the outline you can see today.

All was well until my ancestors, the wicked Scots, arrived after Bannockburn. Clifford was killed in the battle, and the castle was wrecked in several raids. It was partially rebuilt and garrisoned in several civil wars, but never really recovered.

When George Clifford died in 1605, his wife Margaret became dowager countess and began repairing Brougham Castle, which became her favoured residence. You can see the Tudor influences in the windows and some of the stonework inside.

It was a cavalier castle during the War of the Three Kingdoms, and was slighted by Parliamentary forces commanded by John Lambert. It has been a ruin ever since. It is still a picturesque ruin in a lovely spot by the river. Well worth a visit.

Austrian Army 1737-39

 My current project is the Austrian army for the war with the Ottomans, 1737-39, in 28mm. The core elements have been done, unusually for me, ahead of my deadline. They will form the basis of the GDWS participation game, The Battle of Banja Luka 1737, at the Carronade show in Falkirk on 7 June. Most of the figures come from the Front Rank range. They are individually based on movement trays, so I can also use them for the bigger battles using Lust for Glory!

The Austrian army in the period before the 1737 war against the Ottomans was basking in the victories of Prince Eugene, culminating in the 1718 Treaty of Passarowitz. These, together with the victories in the Austro-Ottoman War at the end of the previous century, secured Hungary and much of Serbia for the Habsburgs. Prince Eugene died in 1736, after mixed outcomes for Austria in the War of the Quadruple Alliance (1718-20) and the War of the Polish Succession (1733). The generals closest to Eugene, including Daun, Konigsegg, Mercy and Seckendorff, were not highly rated. Eugene may have been outstanding, but he didn't manage what today we would call succession planning.

I call the project the Austrian Army, although the Habsburg Emperor Charles VI could call on two army structures. The Army of the Holy Roman Empire (Reichsarmee) and the Imperial Army (Kaiserliche Armee). Support from the former was becoming less guaranteed, although several elements fought in the war. Both armies recruited from across Europe and included several soldiers of fortune from Britain and elsewhere in their ranks. Wallis, of Irish descent, was the most senior. Native tongues included German, French, Flemish, Italian, Czech, Hungarian, Serbo-Croat and Latin, which was always a challenge for this empire.

Let's start with the infantry. In 1737, there were 44 ‘Austrian’ (or German) infantry regiments, although not all recruits came from Habsburg lands; many came from independent German states. In addition, the Hungarian Diet funded three infantry regiments. The grenadiers were crucial to any Austrian victory. There were no guard regiments.

Then the line infantry. Infantry regiments comprised three battalions, each with five fusilier companies and two grenadier companies, which could be combined into grenadier battalions. This was the first time I have used contrast paints to any extent. It didn't quite get the slightly grey shade was was looking for.

The Habsburg Military Frontier (Militärgrenze) was established in Hungary and Croatia in the 16th century and was under the direct control of the Habsburg military. The population totalled around 350,000, consisting mostly of Croats, Serbs and Vlachs (the latter often used as a catch-all term), who had fled the Ottoman Empire and were allowed to retain their Orthodox faith in a largely Catholic country. The exact number of soldiers for active service is unclear, but it was around 39,000 infantry and 6,000 cavalry. These military colonists were known as Grenzer. In return for a grant of land, they provided military service and guarded the border. Not to be confused with the later Pandours. I have lots of Grenzers who, in this conflict, retained their traditional dress, which varied by district. I have added in some figures with more recognisable 18th-century dress, but still not a uniform.

In 1737, there were 32 cavalry regiments, comprising 18 cuirassiers and 14 dragoons, plus eight or nine hussar regiments funded by the Hungarian Diet. By this period, the cuirassiers were usually deployed in three lines, trained to charge, at least for the final 30 paces, with pistol use discouraged. However, against the Ottomans, firearms were used in the traditional Austrian cuirassier tactical mode. Dragoons could still be used in the older dismounted infantry mode and had not switched to a charging cavalry role, as in some other armies of this period. Hussars skirmished with firearms on the flanks of the army but could charge after firing their weapons. I will use Hussars from my earlier Austrian army, as they were not uniformed in this period.

The highly regarded Austrian artillery dates to a reorganisation after our period in 1744. During this period, the artillery was a separate organisation from the rest of the army, reflecting the earlier view that gunners were technical specialists rather than soldiers. You might have been expecting brown coats, as I was. However, the 'wolf grey' only started to evolve into brown after this war, and even then, it may have been much later than we traditionally think. I have also added a couple of heavy guns to my collection that will be needed during the siege of Banja Luka.

Of course, no wargame project is ever finished. I will need more cavalry for the next participation game, the Battle of Grocka 1739, at the Claymore show in Edinburgh on 1 August. I am planning to visit this battlefield, in modern Serbia, next week, so my thoughts might change. If you're coming to either show, come and turn over some cards with us.

I have previously visited Banja Luka, which has a well-preserved fortress. 

For the Austrians, a visit to the Heeresgeschichtliches Museum in Vienna is essential. Although I couldn't find many pictures of the period in my photo folder from the last visit, and the stunning museum handbook has a noticeable gap. I'm sure it hasn't got anything to do with them losing this war 😂. They do have lots of great Ottoman kit, looted in 1683.