British in Egypt

Latest additions to the British in Egypt project have left the workbench.

These are the 27th Foot, one centre and one flank company of 18 figures each. The figures come from the Victrix range of hard plastic figures. I picked up these figures as the subscription offer with last year's Wargames Illustrated sub. The detail on the figures is excellent. A bit fiddly to assemble and I would have been happy with less variety. You also forget how light they are, falling over at the slightest touch.

Still they are very good value and one friend told me that he puts one metal figure with two plastic ones for stability. Might try that next time. These figures will see action at the GDWS display game, Alexandria 1801 at the Claymore wargames show in August.

Brothers in Arms

This is the latest in the Jack Steel series by Ian Gale. Essentially Steel is a Sharpe type character in Marlborough's army. A Captain of Grenadiers, although of course he is given detached duties, appropriate to his heroic status, in the best traditions of the genre.

This book covers the Battle of Oudenarde, the siege of Lille and the smaller actions over supply lines including Wynendael. In between he is sent on a spy mission to Paris. It all ends sadly with his wife betraying him and then getting herself killed by an evil French Major. Who of course dies at Steel's sword.

If you like Sharpe you will like this series. Well written, plenty of action, hard to put down. Recommended.

Wappinshaw

It was Glasgow's annual wargames show, Wappinshaw, today. This is a small show, largely due to the limitations of the venue. Just a few, mostly local traders, although most of Scotland's wargames clubs put a game on.

On the plus side it is fairly central with good transport links and free, albeit limited, parking. It has basic catering facilities and a bar. The downside is a small venue that does not attract  the range of traders you get at the larger shows, or allow for bigger display and participation games. The numbers attending are correspondingly low. Still, I picked up some more Highlanders for my British in Egypt project in the Bring and Buy, so I left happy.

GDWS put on a display game Stramash on the Struma. 28mm WW1 battle in Eastern Greece in WW1 using the Warhammer Great War rules. The Turks occupied a small village with their Bulgarian allies holding the ground to their right. The Entente skirmished with the village but put their main effort against the Bulgarians who were pushed back and then fled. A fun game with a good pacy set of rules.

Medieval Bosnia

Just finished the June update to the Balkan History website. A number of changes this month with sections being updated. Plus a plug for the Wappinshaw show at Woodside Halls, Glasgow next Saturday, 19th June. I will be there with the GDWS display game Stramash on the Struma, that will feature a fine collection of WW1 figures in 28mm from a number of GDWS members.

The feature article this month is medieval Bosnia with a selection of Old Glory figures in Bosnian colours.

Empire - Wounds of Honour

Just finished my latest historical novel - Empire: Wounds of Honour by Anthony Riches.

The story line revolves around the son of a Roman senator who is sent to Britain to escape the wrath of the Emperor Commodus who has executed his father. A friend of his father changes his name and appoints him as a Centurion in an auxiliary cohort.

The action takes place on Hadrian's Wall and the cohort is quickly involved in repulsing a barbarian attack. Lots of twists and treachery as our hero proves himself as a leader of his unit.

There is a fast paced narrative and the story is action packed without losing sight of historical accuracy. It gives a real feel for what it must have been like to live and fight in an auxiliary cohort. Highly recommended and I look forward to the next installment.

WAB 2

Played my first game of the new edition of Warhammer Ancient Battles rules today. Played a new member at our club by dusting down my Seleucids to play against his army of Alexander - essentially lots of pike and light infantry.

Lots of opinions out there on the forums so here is mine.

The production quality is good, plenty of eye candy and a decent (if not perfect) attempt at a reference section. Price is a bit steep, but not too high for the size and quality. What is not acceptable is poor editing and proof reading. From a professional company charging commercial prices, this is really very poor.

As the intro says this is evolution not revolution. The rules are not radically changed, so it is simply a matter of getting used to the changes. Most of the ones we came across seem sensible. The 1" proximity rule, open order and skirmishers and the restrictions on marches felt right. Fleeing towards the table edge again seems right as is counterchargers moving forwards. The new flanks are fine, but needs some clarification if this is the same for shooting - important today with the Phalanx rule.

Getting rid of the musician roll off is welcome and I like the +1 for momentum in the combat results. Fewer ranks bonuses should make units look more realistic. I don't like the restrictions on lights turning into skirmish formation. This was an historical tactic with a number of armies, so I don't see the problem. One ferocious charge is right - even if it will weaken my Normans! Shooting at elephants also doesn't seem right to me. Crew protection should be higher if in a howdah and I don't understand the scatter rule from shooting.

In summary more pluses than minuses and no doubt an errata sheet will sort out the errors. It just shouldn't be necessary for a production at this price.

More Bulgarians

More Bulgarians for the Salonika campaign. This time regular line infantry. Again from the impressive Tiger Miniatures range.

Settled on a scenario for the Wappinshaw show in Glasgow on 19 June. It will be Stramash on the Struma. Loosely based on the actions in the Struma Valley in the winter of 1916. British and Greek troops attacking Bulgarian and Turkish positions. The rules will be Warhammer Great War. If you want to read about the actual fighting, the official history (Volume1) of the Macedonian Campaign has a good description.

Gordon Highlanders

Some new recruits for my British in Egypt project. These are Gordon Highlanders who formed part of Hope's Brigade. The Highland regiments played such an important role in the campaign that I just had to have at least one unit. The downside was the thought of painting tartan.

The solution came up on E-Bay and I am now the proud owner of this unit. Many thanks to whoever painted them! The figures are Vitrix plastics.

We have now settled on the Battle of Alexandria 1801 for our demo at Claymore in August. So you can see this unit and much more in action at this excellent event in its new venue at Telford College, North Edinburgh.

Bulgarian WW1

Some progress on the Salonika WW1 project. The first Bulgarians are off the workbench. We have an officer stand and a unit of irregulars. Regular infantry to follow.

The figures are from the Tiger Miniatures range. These are very good, full of character.

They could get their first outing at the Glasgow Wappinshaw show on 19th June. The original demo plan didn't work out, so current planning is around a Salonika scenario "Skirmish on the Struma". More details to follow, but some pictures below of the new Bulgars.

Russian Army of 1877

Just completed the May update of the Balkan History web site.

The main new feature this month is the Russian army of 1877 with its Romanian and Bulgarian allies. The figure are in 15mm from a couple of older ranges; Awesome Enterprises and Pioneer Miniatures. Pioneer were a bit crude with poor sculpting and proportions. Awesome on the other hand are excellent figures albeit on the larger side for 15mm. I haven't seen them for some time so they may be out of production.

They are all based for Principles of War my favourite set for this period in 15mm.

Russian Line

Romanian cavalry

The Sultan's Seal

My latest reading has been The Sultan's Seal by Jenny White. This is a work of crime fiction based in Istanbul in 1886.

The 'dectective' is a new style Ottoman Magistrate called Kemil Pasha. The 1880's was a period of transition in the Empire with Western ideas being introduced and some political turmoil. The plot revolves around the murder of two western women and it involves the royal family.

I am not a huge fan of crime fiction and this one is particularly drawn out and in places downright confusing with flashbacks that might be apparent to the author, but the reader is left floundering. On the plus side it is a good period piece and you really feel you are in Istanbul of the period.

On balance a nice piece of history, but not a great read.

Carronade and Tannenberg

Excellent show at Carronade yesterday. The Falkirk club have established this date as one of the best in Scotland with good games and a wide range of traders in an excellent venue.

We took Tannenberg 1410 as our display game. 2010 is the 600th anniversary of this classic medieval clash. We recreated it with 28mm figures from a wide range of firms using two 5000+ point WAB armies. Andy McGreary's Teutonics caught the eye as did George Dick's war wagons masquerading as the Polish camp. Visually effective and the battle itself went pretty much as the historical event.

Been a bit busy at work lately so the Polish standard bearer was a rush job with the basing still drying on the table! The figure and flags are from the Italian firm Mirleton.

The display with the game in the background. More pictures on the GDWS site

and finally a close up of Andy's Teutonic knights.

Black Powder - Napoleon in Egypt

First go at a Napoleonic game using the Black Powder rules at the club on Sunday.

The opposing forces were Napoleon's army of Egypt and their Mameluke opponents. I originally built up these armies for a series of display games at shows in 2008 and they featured in Wargames Illustrated in August of that year. We used Principles of War rules for the display games so it was interesting to use a different set of rules.

Napoleon had to march a cavalry brigade and two infantry brigades across the table whilst attacked by hordes of Mamelukes supported by Bedouin light horse. The outnumbered cavalry eventually crumbled but the infantry squares held firm. The rules played really well, particularly the special rules like 'determined charge' that required the Mameluke horse to attack the French whenever they came in charge range. Very impressed as it gave a really enjoyable game.

The inspiration for the orignal game was Charles Grant's books on the campaign and in particular Bob Marrion's artwork. One of my projects for this year is to develop the British forces for the later stages of the campaign. The paintbrush awaits.......

Somerled

My short break after Easter took us up to the West Highlands for a few days.

After my business trip to Stornaway (see earlier blog) it was interesting to be in the heartland of the original Lord of the Isles, Somerled. I picked up a book I hadn't seen before by Kathleen MacPhee, Somerled, Hammer of the Norse. Interesting title as there are those who argue that Somerled himself was of Norse descent. Others that he was a Gael and yet others a Scot.

The book gives a concise guide to Scotland and the West, in particular during the 11th and 12th Centuries. The imprtant role of of the Vikings based in Dublin, Man and Orkney as well as their home in Norway. Somerled ruled what is roughly modern day Argyll. The Scots kings of the period had no effectve rule over these territories, as military might depended on a powerful fleet, and that meant longships.

This was the transition from a Celtic Scotland based on the rule of the Earls, to a feudal Scotland with the introduction of Norman knights, with names more familiar in later centuries like Bruce. I feel another opportunity to field my Normans coming on!

There are many of the coastal castles that can be visted including my personal favourite Castle Tioram. I didn't get to visit it this time. But we did get to Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness, always worth a visit with its new visitor centre.

Eclipse of the Crescent Moon

Short break away after Easter allowed me to catch up with some reading.

My choice was the Hungarian author Geza Gardonyi and his novel Eclipse of the Crescent Moon. This is the story of the siege of Eger, Hungary, in 1552. A small garrison successfully resisted a huge Ottoman army for nearly six weeks, forcing it to withdraw. The novel concentrates on the life of one of the Captains in the siege, Gergely Bournemissza. He takes us through his early life and the events of the period he was engaged with. This all culminates in the epic siege that is told in some detail.

Excellent novel, well written and highly recommended.

Heroic Voices of the SCW

My Spanish Civil War project in 15mm is grinding slowly on. My latest reading has been Heroic Voices of the Spanish Civil War by Peter Darman.  This book covers the actions involving the International Brigades, through the stories of individual soldiers. The format is a brief overview of the battle, followed by a dozen or so eye witness accounts. This is an interesting and different approach that gives you a real feel for how the war was fought from a soldiers perspective. As all these soldiers were volunteers from around the world, you also get a better understanding of what motivated them to fight in a war far from home.

Some progress on the painting front. My Republican armour is now completed. A BT5, 3 T26 light tanks, 3 BA10 armoured cars and a BT6. A mixture of Skytrex and QRF models. I decided on a brown primer, then a dark green khaki, finished off in Soviet forest green. Then plenty of earth brown around the tracks and some drybrushing on the upper bodywork. A few simple numbers and we have a reasonable finish. I need a finer brush (and a steadier hand) to tackle a few slogans.

Below is the BT5.

Followed by some T26 light tanks

No Pasaran!

Tannenberg 1410

I have been working on the preparation for our next display game over the holiday weekend. This will be Tannenberg, the epic encounter between the Teutonic Knights and the Polish/Lithuanian army in 1410. The show will be the excellent Carronade at Falkirk on 8 May. The handout is completed and on the club web site.

For the game we will be using 28mm figures and WAB rules. I am pleased to say that we appear to have almost all the troops required between me and Andy McGreary with support from Bob Low's Rus and a few of George Dick's Hussites. Yes there were Czech mercenaries (including Jan Zizka) and three banners of Russians from Smolensk on the Polish/Lithuanian side.

I did struggle to find Polish banners and had to resort to Mirliton. So I hope the postal service from Italy is good. While on their web site I purchased a few figures for the period that might make it if painting time allows.

With around 5000 points a side it should make a good display even if the battle is a bit more complex than I remembered before reading the Osprey campaign book. Mind you I am going to need a few more trees!
Below are my Hinchcliffe Teutonic kinights. Despite their age the quality (great animation) is nearly as good as my more modern Gripping Beast figures - although less chunky.

19C Ottomans

Just completed the monthly update of Balkan Military History. The feature article this month is the Ottoman army of the 19th Century.

Actually the reformed army after the Greek War of Independence that performed adequately during the Crimean War but less well in the Russo -Turkish War of 1877. The exception was the defence of Plevna by Osman Pasha. Osman Pasha’s inspired defence of the town lasted five months.

The siege is covered by several sites in the city. The Museum of Liberation of Pleven 1877 in ul Vasil Levski actually only preserves the house where the Tsar received Osman Pasha after the capitulation, although the surrounding park has two artillery stands and the railings and gates are made from cannon and bayonets. The Mausoleum is impressive but is not open to the public. The main museum is situated in Skobelev Park (known as the Green Hills during the siege), includes a massive panorama built to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the battle. The circular paintings and displays concentrate on Skobelev’s southern assaults on the town and can only be described as superb. 



South of Plevna in the Balkan Mountains is Shipka Pass, the site of an epic battle when Ottoman troops fought to displace the Russian and Bulgarian advanced guard. A smaller monument and museum here is well worth a look.

My 15mm Ottoman army include Minifigs, some old Pioneer figures and the rest from the Awesome Enterprises, Rank and File range. These are particularly nice chunky figures. I haven't seen them advertised recently so they may be out of production.

Ottomans in FoG

Second half of our club FoG competition started yesterday. The first half was limited to pre-Feudal armies and now we have shifted to the later forces.

My choice not surprisingly is firmly in the Balkans with an Ottoman army and Serbian allies. My hope is that the Serbs will give the army a bit a punch that will complement the flexibility of the Ottomans.

Best laid plans and all that. My opponent fielded a Plantagenet army with wall to wall longbowmen, knights and some spearmen. My Serbian nobles charged up to his knights with all the elan they were famed for. And you guessed it, the commander got killed and they all ran away!

However, the Ottomans are made of sterner stuff. The Janissaries formed up with support from Voynuks and Ilyars and punched their way through his longbowmen. The Timarots kept their head and knocked out his lighter cavlary and then a unit of knights and the infidels were routed. 19-6 to the Ottomans in FoG terms.

So a good recovery from disaster and a lesson to me and my bias towards mounted armies that infantry are important, particularly superior types with the shooting and fighting expertise of the Jannisaries.

The Prow Beast

This is the latest adventure of the Oathsworn from the pen of my wargaming opponent Robert Low. This is a Viking saga told by a man who really knows his history and in particular how his characters lived and fought.

I wasn't as keen on the last book, because I felt Bob got a bit carried away with the camp fire tales at the expense of the main story. It therefore lacked the pace and action that I look for in historical fiction.

No such reservation with the Prow Beast. Full bloodied action and a real feeling that you are with Orm and his crew as they sally into the borderlands between the Holy Roman Empire and the Slavs to the East. Orm takes on other Vikings and an array of tribes that even I only vaguely recognised. The book culminates in an epic siege of a plague ridden fort where our heroes (of sort) fight of an army of Pols. Great stuff and highly recommended.