Korean War - US forces

I got interested in the Korean War when researching the Turkish units that fought there for my books on the Cyprus conflict. Two new Ospreys focus on US forces, and while I probably won't expand by tabletop forces in this direction (famous last words), the Turks were largely equipped from US stocks.

The first is MAA 561, which examines the US Army and US Marine Corps in Korea.

This is really a book for modellers, as it goes into great detail about the uniforms worn by the army and marines. I am doing this in 10mm, so the differences between the army and the Marines are almost irrelevant. When they arrived in Korea, most were equipped in WW2 uniforms, the standard herringbone twill. Cold-weather attire soon became vital, particularly the iconic caps and pile liners, although, as before, these were mainly WW2 issue. Later, the heavy-lined parka was issued. Insignia and specialist equipment are also covered.

The Turks converted from British equipment. They welcomed the US helmet as an improvement on the Brodie rim that made grenade throwing a risky business. However, they were less impressed by the boots, which took too long to lace up in emergencies.

As you would expect, there are plenty of photos and excellent colour plates. Sadly, no Corporal Klinger or Radar lookalikes!

I haven't yet considered the naval aspects of the Korean war, but Corbin Williamson's US Seventh Fleet, Korea 1950-53, has it all. 

At the end of WW2, the Seventh Fleet in the Pacific had over 200 ships and was still involved in post-war operations, including the war in China. As North Korea didn't have much of a navy, the Seventh Fleet was mainly engaged in shore bombardment and air combat, primarily using its Essex-class carriers. The huge Iowa-class battleships were brought out of reserve to add naval firepower. 70,000 naval personnel (excluding marines) served in the fleet by 1951.

The author covers all the primary ship classes and the aircraft that flew off the carriers. This information is widely published, so I found the chapter on command and control more interesting. The task force organisation is covered in detail, as is liaison with other UN member nations that contributed naval forces, including the Royal Navy. A fleet of this size required extensive shore facilities in Japan and replenishment at sea.

North Korea did have MTBs and other small boats. The combat operations chapter covers their attempts to attack UN ships and the threat posed by shore batteries. The North Koreans also made extensive use of mines, which kept the US minesweepers busy. Other than that, operations were mainly bombardment and amphibious landings.

I can't see much in the way of tabletop operations here, although naval and air bombardment have to be factored into land battles. I also play Blood Red Skies for the Korean air war. It is still an interesting read, well illustrated and plenty of data for the naval buffs.

My Turkish brigade facing North Korean and Chinese troops. Yes it can be hilly in Korea!

Russia and the Golden Horde

 This is Charles Halperin's study of the Mongol impact on medieval Russian History. When I was researching my latest book, which includes the Russian colonisation of the steppe, the background reading suggested that this long relationship with the Mongols and then the Tatars had a greater impact on Russian society than traditional Russian historiography implied. I was therefore happy to spot this 1987 book in a secondhand bookshop.

Between the 13th and 15th centuries, the northeastern Slavic principalities (future Russia) were under the political dominance of the Golden Horde, a western division of the Mongol Empire established by Batu Khan. The Golden Horde did not rule Russia directly; instead, they appointed local princes and collected tribute. Frequent Mongol military campaigns shaped Russian military organisation, fortification patterns, governance, and trade and administration. The Horde fragmented in the 14th–15th centuries, and Dmitry Donskoy’s victory at the Battle of Kulikovo (1380) weakened Mongol authority. Ivan III’s stand at the Ugra River (1480) ended tribute obligation, and is seen as the end of Mongol domination.

The author starts with a narrative of the Mongol conquest and how they managed the principalities that would become Russia. He argues that they didn't instigate direct rule as they did in China and Persia because Russia had little to offer them. Patriotic historians overplayed the role of princes who resisted, while the vast majority collaborated. This is a pattern we see in other parts of Eastern Europe as well. This shouldn't be a surprise, as the Slavic states had been trading, intermarrying and allying themselves with the steppe tribes for centuries before the Mongols arrived. 

Medieval historians, when faced with defeat by non-Christian foes, could choose to accept that the Christian god was not omnipotent, unthinkable for most, or accept that it was God's will, punishing them. Russian historians did neither; they just ignored them. Although the author identifies many examples in Russian histories where they displayed more knowledge than they cared to admit.

They later blamed the Mongols for Russia's backwardness, though there is little evidence to support that claim. Absolutism arose from domestic considerations, drawing more from Byzantium than the Mongols. Plenty of Tatar blood entered the Russian aristocracy through marriage, possibly as high as 20 per cent. Many Russian names have Tatar provenance. 

The author concludes that Russia's ideology of silence means the historical record must be interpreted with great care. Russia in this period did not live in splendid isolation; they were profoundly influenced by its Mongol overlords and near neighbours. This book succeeds in raising that curtain.

Some of my 28mm Mongols

The Lion of the North

 A long train trip to Everton on Saturday for the football required some light reading. Not just because watching Fulham away at the moment is pretty grim! My choice was the third and latest in Griff Hosker's English Mercenary series. I enjoyed the first two, so this purchase was a no-brainer.

As the title implies, we have now reached the main 1632 campaign of the Swedish King, Gustavus Adolphus. In the last book, his victory at Breitenfeld in September 1631 gave Gustavus control over much of northern and central Germany. The 1632 campaign began well, with the trapping and defeat of Tilly at Rain in April. However, Imperial general Albrecht von Wallenstein established himself at Fürth, threatening to cut his lines of communication to the north. On 3 September, an assault on the Imperial camp outside the town was bloodily repulsed, and the Protestant army withdrew. Wallenstein moved north to Leipzig with the intention of spending the winter there. 

The Swedes learned that Pappenheim's corps of 5,800 men had been sent to Halle, which gave Gustavus a numerical superiority. He decided to attack, and the armies met at Lutzen. In a confused battle, the Swedish forces suffered heavier casualties, but Wallenstein was forced to withdraw. However, the Lion of the North was killed when he was separated from his battle line. 

Our hero is Colonel James Bretherton, who commands a regiment and later a brigade of light horse. A good choice by the author, as this means he is involved in all the main actions, but many more minor skirmishes as well. The book begins with our hero on leave back home in Teeside, embarking on a few adventures that I suspect may serve as a warm-up for his involvement in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms in later books. I had the pleasure of meeting the author at the Battleground wargames show in Teeside a couple of years ago, so I assume his hero's home base is no coincidence.

There are plenty of subplots involving dastardly treachery, but I won't spoil the story. All you really need to know is that this is a quick and pacy read from a very good storyteller. Recommended reading. 

In one of the skirmishes, they clash with Imperial Croats. You just knew I would find a Balkan connection!

My Croats of the period in 28mm.

The Siege of Vienna 1529 - The Drawing of the Dark

 This book is a twist on the traditional historical novel, focusing on the Siege of Vienna in 1529. Tim Powers gives a fantasy spin on the story and creates a very readable one. A friend pointed me to his work when I did my usual Balkan anniversary post on social media.

After the Battle of Mohacs in 1526, Suleiman the Lawgiver was consolidating the conquest of Hungary. In September 1529, relatively too late in the campaign season, he arrived at Vienna. The sources are divided on his real intentions, but he arrived with over 100,000 tired men who had trudged through the autumn rain and mud to get there. Roughly 15,000–20,000 Austrian, German, and Spanish soldiers under Count Niklas von Salm defended the city. Despite repeated assaults, the defenders held firm. Poor weather, disease, and supply shortages weakened the Ottoman army, and Suleiman ordered a retreat on 14 October.

In this book, the author's main character is an Irish mercenary who is recruited in Venice to look after a pub attached to a famous brewery. They brew a legendary ale, which is nearly ready to drink. The employer owns the pub, but is also a sorcerer supporting the King of the West, against the King of the East, whose sorcerer is Ibrahim, the Ottoman Grand Vizier. There is a complex fantasy world that I won't spoil if you haven't read the book, but our hero is drawn into both this magical battle and the real one.

The 1529 siege is less well known than the more famous 1683 one, probably because the Ottomans were not as serious about it. The defenders were an interesting mix of troops, including Landsknechts, and there was no relieving army. However, Sulieman's artillery was bogged down in the mud and therefore had to rely on lighter guns and infantry assaults. 

If you're not a fan of fantasy, the book may irritate you. However, I enjoyed it as a clever blend of both genres.

Sieges are challenging to do on the tabletop, but Fire and Stone (Capstone Games), based on the 1683 siege, does an excellent job. The various sorties and skirmishes are very suitable for games of Pikeman's Lament.

Romanian Campaign 1916-18

This booklet is a reprint by the Naval and Military Press of Major-General Kirke's 1924 article in the Journal of the Royal United Service Institution. They are discounting WW1 books by 25% this weekend. You would rarely get away with writing such a long article in a journal today! Somewhat embarrassingly, when I started to read it, it seemed familiar. No, I wasn't around in 1924, but I do have a 1997 reprint by Pallas Armata. This imprint was a labour of love by Gareth Simon who brought many of these fascinating articles back into circulation.

This booklet is valuable because very little has been written about these campaigns. Michael Barrett wrote a decent book on the 1916 campaign, and even Kirke's article ends before the final battles of the war, including the Romanian defensive victory at Mărăști.

Romania remained neutral until 1916, when it joined the war on the side of the Entente. They launched an offensive into Transylvania which was initially successful until Germany counterattacked under Field Marshal August von Mackensen and General Erich von Falkenhayn, halting the Romanian advance. Mackensen then led a joint German-Bulgarian-Ottoman army from the south in September 1916, invading Dobruja (southeastern Romania). Meanwhile, Falkenhayn’s forces attacked from Transylvania into Wallachia. The Romanian army, poorly equipped and lacking coordination, suffered heavy defeats. Bucharest fell on December 6, 1916.

This is where the article ends, but it includes a detailed description of the tough fighting the Carpathian Mountains, with decent maps. He also gives a balanced analysis of both sides and the challenges they faced. The Romanians had not learned the lessons from the early stages of the war and were short of modern equipment and crucially ammunition. Attacking Transylvania made sense politically, but strategically it stretched the Romanian army too far. The Russians continually advised them to shorten their lines.

In 1917, with Russian help, Romania rebuilt its army and fought heroically in the battles of Mărăști (July & August 1917) and Oituz (August 1917). These victories stopped the Central Powers’ advance and restored morale. The Russian revolution left Romania without Russian support and they were forced to sign an armistice. They rejoined the war in November 1918.

I visited the fine memorial and museum at Mărăști earlier this year.

I have German, Austrian and Russian figures for these campaigns. However, I don't know anyone who does Romanians, with their distinctive cap. You could probably get away with French troops in smaller scales as they also used the Adrian helmet. There are Romanian WW2 figures with a cap, which are not far out. This needs a bit more research.

Russian 28mm figures from my collection.

Targe 25

 Targe is a club open day run by the Kirriemuir club. Around a dozen participation games from clubs around Scotland are squeezed into the club rooms with Dave Thomas as the sole trader. There is also a large bring-and-buy stall that stretches around one end of the room. There were plenty of players, and several members of the public popped in to see what was happening. Hopefully, the club gets some new members. I certainly spoke to a couple of guys who were thinking of returning to the hobby.

I took the latest iteration of GDWS Russo-Ottoman Wars games, specifically The Battle of Kinburn (1787). Games are limited to 6' x 4' tables, so this smaller battle was appropriate, rather than the big battle games we ran at Carronade and Claymore. We are playtesting Simon Miller's Lust for Glory rules, and they have received a good response from players, who like the speed and simplicity. Two young lads played out the battle in the afternoon and picked it up quickly, having only played a couple of games of To The Strongest. In fact, they were quickly reminding me of the rules! The game went pretty historically, with the Ottomans holding off Russian attacks until the cavalry reinforcements arrived.

Running a game meant I didn't have time to play any others, but there were some excellent ones. The advantage of this format is that they were all games that you could play at home. While I love a big show game, it can put off newcomers who think you have to collect hundreds of figures to wargame.

The Storming of the Heights of Dargai, Afghanistan, 1897, was voted the best game. 

Border Wars is an excellent participation game, especially when you have a lovely tower house.

SPIT did a North Africa WW2 game with a variant of Bolt Action

Another Border Wars game. The scenery here gives a challenging fight.

SESWC have some nerve doing a Balkan Wars game😂😂. Using BBB. 

Cunning Caledonians trying to sneak by Roman watchtowers.

A fun game of Halfling Jousting

What a Tanker is a good, quick participation game at a show like this

As always, thanks to Dale and the club for all the work they put in. It is a trek for me, but always worth the effort.

Highness in Hiding

 The latest instalment in my Nigel Tranter project is 'Highness in Hiding,' the story of Bonnie Prince Charlie's escape to France after the Battle of Culloden in April 1746. This book is best described as a travelogue of his movements over several months in the West Highlands and the islands as he evaded his pursuers.

This is topical as archaeologists have discovered musket balls on the battlefield that they believe were fired by Irish Jacobite troops who enabled clansmen to escape the battlefield by stopping a mounted charge.

It also has a personal interest, as Ancestry has recently narrowed the Scottish side of my DNA to the West Highlands and the Hebrides. The Watsons are usually associated with the area north of Glasgow, and that is undoubtedly where my family lived. It is fascinating to discover that they originated much further north.

After Culloden, Charles became a hunted man with a £30,000 bounty on his head, the equivalent of £7.6m in today's money. I hadn't appreciated just how long he managed to evade capture, and how much effort the Government forces put in. At least 14 warships and thousands of troops, most of them coming from clans that supported the Hanoverians. He spent months hiding in the Outer Hebrides, moving between islands like Eriskay, South Uist, and Benbecula. Tranter is at his best when describing these remote places.

What most people know about this period (thanks to the Skye Boat Song) is that he escaped to the Isle of Skye with Flora MacDonald on June 28, 1746. She helped him disguise himself as a maid named "Betty Burke". After parting ways with Flora on Skye, he continued to evade capture, returning to the mainland before eventually securing a ship that took him to the continent and safety in France. 

Sadly, there was no happy ending. Charles never returned to Scotland and spent the rest of his life in exile, moving between France and Rome. He died in Rome on January 31, 1788, at the age of 67, having become an alcoholic in his later years. 

Wonderful though Tranter's description of the terrain is, it isn't the most riveting read. The bravery of the loyal clans who protected him is an integral part of the story, given the murder, rape and destruction visited on the Highlands by Butcher Cumberland. 

There are no real battles or even skirmishes for the wargamer. However, this is a popular period on the tabletop with some fine figure ranges. I would particularly plug the range by my pal Ian at Flags of War.

Some of my 28mm figures of the period