Kadesh 1286 BC

 This new Osprey by Anthony Spalinger is a bit outside my normal scope, but I got sucked in after visiting the wonderful British Museum exhibition about the Assyrians, and built an army in 15mm. This book covers the Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses II's invasion of Syria, contested by the Hittite king Muwatalli II near the city of Kadesh in modern Syria. Dates for the battle are contested.

Ramesses II marched into Syria with a large Egyptian army divided into several divisions. He received false information suggesting that the Hittite army was far away. In reality, Muwatalli had hidden his forces nearby. The Hittites launched a surprise attack on the Egyptian Ra division, badly disrupting the Egyptians. Ramesses rallied his remaining troops and counterattacked, preventing the Egyptian army from being destroyed. The battle ended without a clear decisive victory. Both sides claimed success, and the Egyptians portrayed Ramesses as a heroic victor in inscriptions and temple reliefs.

This book is in the Campaign series, which starts with a brief background and then the commanders. Ramesses II was an experienced commander, having fought off the Sea Peoples. Muwatalli appears to have had less experience but was trained for war at an early age. This is probably the shortest commander chapter I have seen in this series, as we don't know much about other commanders. The author takes us through the historical sources, pictorial and written. 

Next, we have the opposing forces. The Egyptians probably had around 20,000 to 25,000 men in four divisions, although we don't know the breakdown between troop types, which would have included chariots, archers and infantry. The Hittites were a coalition of forces, and we have lots of names, but their roles are unclear. The possible manoeuvres are described, in an effort to untangle the sources. Chariots had three crew members and were a mobile platform for firing rather than battle chariots. As you would expect, the book includes fine maps and colour plates, as well as pictures of the remaining pictorial evidence. 

The author describes the various stages of the battle, which went back and forth between both sides. The conclusion is that the Hittites were pushed off the battlefield but were not dislodged, remaining in control of Kadesh. The second day's fighting is unclear, other than that the Hittites came again, there was some fighting, probably at a lower level, and peace of sorts was agreed. Nothing had changed strategically, and the Hittites, while unable to defeat the Egyptians, also retained control of Kadesh. The conflict continued into the future, but Egyptian imperialism into Syria had failed.

If all of this sounds complicated and unclear - well, it is. The author has done his best with the available sources and explained his conclusions. If chariots are your thing, then this is essential reading.

I haven't got either army, but I do have a rather nice 15mm Assyrian army, with decent-sized chariots.

Bane of Bernicia

 My bedtime reading is Matthew Harrfy's latest book (number 11) in his Bernicia Chronicles series. This follows the story of Beobrand, a fighting warlord with his Black Shield followers. After his excursion to Europe in the last book, he is back home defending his land from the Picts.

While this is historical fiction, Bernicia is not a fantasy setting. The Anglo-Saxon territory of Bernicia was approximately equivalent to the modern English counties of Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, and Durham, as well as the Scottish counties of Berwickshire and East Lothian, stretching from the Forth to the Tees. It also controlled Deira during this period.

This book takes place during the rule of King Oswiu (642-670). At this stage, he is struggling to hold back Penda, the pagan King of the Mercians. Peace is bought through marriages, but Penda is pushing to open the door to greater control. Oswiu's son Ealhfrith married Penda's daughter Cyneburh, while his daughter Ealhflæd married Penda's son Peada. Oswiu gets a better write-up in the limited historical documents, probably because of his support for Christianity, than Harrfy gives him. However, these were tough times, and Kings had to be ruthless. 

Beobrand's land is to the north of the kingdom, facing the Picts. They had lost the land he held and wanted it back. They raided the territory constantly.

I won't spoil the plot, but as you would expect, there is plenty of action, including the usual climactic battle. However, there is a bit more retrospection in this book, as Beobrand is getting older. The author reminded me that he is not that old, in his 30s, but Beobrand does mention his age quite often. Thankfully, there will be more books, and there is plenty of history to come. Oswiu goes on to become the dominant king in England, and although Beobrand has a habit of going his own way, Oswiu will need his battle skills to get there.

I have been testing Pillage as a skirmish game, and this book is a great basis for those skirmish rules. We did a skirmish game against the Picts this week.

The Battle of Znaim 1809

 This is John Gill's detailed study of the final battle of the 1809 campaign between France and Austria. I have gamed it a couple of times, largely because it appeals to me for the key role my favourite French Marshal, Marmont, plays. It also tends to get forgotten, as many histories end the campaign at Wagram. 

The Battle of Znaim (Znojmo) was fought on 10–11 July 1809, between Napoleon Bonaparte’s French army and the Austrian army under Archduke Charles. It followed the major French victory at the Battle of Wagram (5–6 July 1809). Austria was retreating toward Bohemia, while Napoleon pursued it, albeit slowly at first. The fighting began on 10 July and continued into the next day. The Austrians made a determined defensive stand, particularly around the town and nearby crossings of the Thaya River. Neither side achieved a decisive battlefield victory. However, the Austrian position was increasingly threatened, and Archduke Charles requested an armistice. The armistice effectively ended major fighting in the War of the Fifth Coalition. It led to the Treaty of Schönbrunn in October 1809, under which Austria made substantial territorial concessions to Napoleon. These included Austrian territories in the Balkans that Marmont governed.

I tend to read more strategic studies of the Napoleonic Wars, so it was a change to read a largely tactical study of a single battle. Gill writes very well, and there are many more maps than you usually get, which enables the reader to follow the flow of the movements up to the battle itself.

Marmont and Massena led the pursuit after Wagram as their troops were fresher. Marmont commanded the Army of Dalmatia, which sounds impressive, but was actually only two weak divisions (8,322 infantry and 259 cavalry). They may have been fresh at Wagram, but they had marched a huge distance from Dalmatia, fighting several actions. Napoleon gave him the 2nd Bavarian Division (5,461 infantry and 566 cavalry), and most importantly, Montbrun's Light Cavalry Division, which had three brigades and 4,400 troopers. With this force, he crossed the river and pinned the Austrian left, giving Napoleon time to arrive. Clever limited assaults and effective use of terrain kept Charles guessing about how many men he had, forcing him to detach troops to defend a flank rather than make his planned retreat. 

The Austrians were not broken after Wagram and were generally in good order. Napoleon also needed to recover his losses, and he wasn't sure where Charles was planning to go. This led to a genuine meeting engagement, something the Austrians were never very good at, and Charles wanted to avoid. Strategically, historians often fail to recognise the importance of the Russians, who were technically allied to the French, but didn't intend to intervene. However, Charles didn't know that, as being caught between both armies would have been disastrous. Peace, even with heavy territorial losses, was better than the destruction of the Habsburg state.

This is a really interesting battle, brilliantly described by John Gill. Highly recommended.

Some of my Army of Dalmatia

Some of my Austrians, albeit for the 1812 campaign.

Pillage

The skirmish game, Pillage, is very popular at my wargames club.  I have resisted the temptation, taking the view that I have plenty of skirmish games for the Dark Ages or Early Medieval: Lion Rampant, Saga, etc. However, these are really small battles, and I can see the merit in a genuine skirmish-level game that can be played quickly. So, after an introductory game at the club, I picked up a copy at Claymore, and we pitched in last night for the midweek game. 

  As the name suggests, this is a game about raiding, using 10 to 20 figures, more if you want. The aim is to pillage the village, which will be defended by the villagers or other armed forces. The booklet is pitched at the Viking years, but there are free downloads for other eastern European armies, and a generic list which can be used more widely. You will need plenty of scenery to make it a more interesting tactical game, and some pillage, like animals, is useful. It is a D6 game, and you can use any figures you want. Victrix sell it in the UK, and they have all you need if you don't have suitable figures.

The basic rules are very simple. You roll for initiative every turn, then move one of your three types of warrior: light, some armour and full armour, plus cavalry. Movement is in any direction, with a bonus for charging, and the usual terrain rules slowing you up. I liked the swimming rules!

Shooting and combat are a simple hit number depending on the weapon and armour, followed by a defence roll. Most figures have one life, but chieftains have three. There are a few factors around ranges and weapons, and the number of shots, but nothing that you can't remember. You will be on the QRF very quickly. There are a few extras if you want them about supporting figures with a spear, defending obstacles, multiple combats, but again pretty straightforward. Once you have lost your chieftain, or 50% of your figures, you have to start morale tests.

You don't need to use the pillage rules, but it adds another level to the game. You can start searching buildings during the game and carry them off the table. Tricky if you haven't killed off the enemy, but perfectly possible. 

There are army lists for the main factions, with plenty of options for weapons and armour. Each faction has a special ability, although why Anglo-Saxons ignore fog is beyond me! You can tell a Frenchman wrote these rules😂. You can also buy some special figures like berserkers and huscarls, and equipment like banners and warhorns. The rules are well laid out, with little need to scuttle back and forth, and helpful graphics, not just eye candy. Decent value for the £26.00 I paid. All in all. Highly recommended.

My bedtime reading is the latest book in Matthew Harffy's Bernicia series. This is pre-Viking, but with similar troop types. In our game, the Picts are invading Bernicia (roughly Northumberland). The Picts won the game, although they did lose their chieftain. We will try some Balkan armies next.

Claymore 2026

 Yesterday was the Edinburgh Claymore show, held on the Edinburgh College site at Granton. As usual, it was excellently organised by the Edinburgh club, in a venue with good car parking and catering.

I took the latest GDWS participation game, The Battle of Grocka 1739, the decisive battle of the 1736-39 war, which resulted in the Austrians losing most of the territory Prince Eugene had previously won for them in Serbia and Wallachia. The Austrian players yesterday did no better than General Wallis in attempting to get their cavalry through strong Ottoman positions. The best effort was one dragoon regiment, ironically the Eugene regiment, which breached the first line.

I was kept busy all day chatting about the history and playing the game, so I didn't see much of the show. Many thanks to all those who bought my new book on this war. Hopefully, growing interest in obscure 18th-century conflicts.

Here is a selection of the fine games on show.

The Durham club, with their 54mm figures, is always a joy to see.

A clever quick participation game, with Caledonians trying to get through the Roman lines.

The Glasgow Veterans Hub brought their ACW Epic game.

Tradeston's White Mountain game.

The Yorkshire Gamer came north with his Italian Wars armies.

The latest edition of Lilies banners

Wars of the Roses, if I recall.

Zulus in a proper scale before Epic armies appear!

Ian's Border Wars in Hexham Gaol.

Tradeston went space something.

A very long Arnhem game

1866 War.

I only had time to grab a few bits and pieces from the traders, but most of the usual suppliers were there. It is challenging coming to Edinburgh when the fringe grabs the hotels. So, I hope they did well.

Empire of the Moghul

 My bedtime reading has been the first of Alex Rutherford's Empire of the Moghuls series. I am sure I have read one of the later ones many years ago, but this one is new to me. It covers the first Moghul Emperor of India, Hindustan in those days, Babur. He came from the former Timurid regions, hence the title, Raiders from the North.

Babur (1483–1530) was born in Andijan (present-day Uzbekistan); he was a descendant of both Timur on his father's side and Genghis Khan through his mother's lineage. Babur inherited the small kingdom of Fergana at the age of 12. He faced constant rebellions and lost his kingdom several times while attempting to capture Samarkand. After years of struggle, he established a strong base in Kabul (Afghanistan) in 1504. Unable to regain his Central Asian territories, Babur turned his attention to northern India. In 1526, he defeated Ibrahim Lodi at the First Battle of Panipat, marking the beginning of Mughal rule in India. He strengthened his control by winning the Battle of Khanwa against Rana Sanga in 1527 and the Battle of Ghaghra in 1529. Babur died in 1530 at the age of 47. He was succeeded by his son, Humayun. Although his reign in India lasted only four years, Babur laid the foundation for the Mughal Empire, which became one of the most powerful and culturally influential empires in South Asian history.

The author sticks pretty close to the history while adding a few extra people to the narrative that we don't have. However, Babur did write a very open memoir, the Baburnama. It is ideal territory for historical fiction as Babur’s life was a whirlwind of battles, blood feuds and epic challenges. Most of the action here is well before he invaded Hindustan. Rutherford does not let us down. This is brilliant fiction, with fast-paced action, victories and defeats, with all the uncertainty that brings. Babur had a lot of luck, as he was offered the crown of Afghanistan when he was reduced to living in a small village with a very small force.

I got into this period back in 2008, and I did a display game for GDWS at the Targe show that year, and I wrote a piece for Wargames Illustrated with army lists for WAB. I plan to dust them down again to play Scourge of Princes, as his key edge was the introduction of cannons and muskets into India. The armies have a long time frame, and many were still OK for the battles against the British in the 18th century.

British intervention in Sweden 1808

 I was listening to the Age of Napoleon podcast on Sweden in the Napoleonic Wars, which reminded me of Britain's intervention in their war against the Russians in 1808-9. We were planning to have another go at General d'Armee 2 rules this week, so this was an opportunity to dust down my Swedes, with new allies.

The little-known Swedish–Russian War of 1808–1809 (often called the Finnish War) was fought because Sweden resisted Russian pressure to join Napoleon's trade blockade against Britain. Russia was allied to France at this stage, but enforcing Napoleon's Continental System wasn't Russia's primary reason for attacking its old enemy. 

Russian forces quickly occupied much of southern Finland. Swedish and Finnish troops were poorly prepared but, led by commanders such as Johan August Sandels, won several local victories, including the Battle of Koljonvirta, yet could not stop the overall Russian advance. Russia had larger forces and better logistics, gradually forcing Swedish troops to retreat northward. The war ended with the Treaty of Fredrikshamn in September 1809, which ceded all of Finland and the Åland Islands to Russia. This article by Goran Frilund is a good overview.

Britain got involved because Sweden was resisting the Continental System. In 1807, Admiral Gambier had intervened in Denmark, destroying the Danish navy, but it also ensured that Denmark would remain a French ally. The British retained a Baltic fleet, and when the war broke out between Sweden and Russia, Admiral James de Saumarez was sent to the Baltic Sea. The Baltic command was established and effectively protected the coasts of southern Sweden from a Franco-Danish invasion, as Marshal Bernadotte of the French army had arrived in Denmark with an army to invade Sweden. On May 17 1808, General Moore arrived outside Gothenburg with a British expeditionary corps of 10,000 (some sources say 12,000) troops bound for Sweden. The troops were never landed in Sweden because King Gustav IV Adolf protested strongly. Moore was sent to Portugal instead, with well-known consequences. The Royal Navy remained on station.

10-12,000 men was a large force for Britain at this stage of the war, and it was therefore a bold move to send it to a remote conflict in very tough terrain. And while they didn't land, our game assumes they did.

Sadly, as this was only our second game with General d'Armee 2, and it's not a simple set of rules, we didn't make as much progress as we hoped. The Russians got across the table, as the Allies floundered a bit. The Russian left made a charge on the British line but was rebuffed. They didn't reach the Swedish line, but did a lot of damage with firepower. We will return to the game and rules, although I am finding the rules hard work. Not ideal for a wargames butterfly like me.