A Viking in the Sun

 This is the second Lion Rampant supplement written in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh. It loosely follows the journeys of Harald Hardrada (more properly Harald Sigurdsson) and his fighting journey from Norway to the Byzantine Empire. Harald is better known in the UK for his failed attempt to take the English throne in 1066, but he had a much more exciting story before that.

This is the late Viking period; Harald was even a Christian! He was born sometime around 1015. Harold was forced into exile after his brother was killed at the Battle of Stiklestad 1030 and the throne seized by Cnut the Great. He took the route favoured by many Vikings before him, into Kievan Rus and then onto Constantinople. He joined the Varangian Guard around 1034.

Harald brought around 500 men with him from Rus and spent ten years fighting for the Byzantines all around the Mediterranean. These campaigns are covered in the army lists for Lion Rampant in this supplement. It also brings some optional rules that better reflect the troop types in this earlier period. I am looking forward to trying a few of these, particularly feigned retreats. Not entirely convinced by the medieval hand grenades, but I'll give them a go.

The new factions include the Varangians, Byzantines, Southern Italian Principalities, Normans and Muslim powers. These will be useful for extending Lion Rampant into other periods, as many already do. But I am sure there will be more supplements. Each faction has some special rules and limitations. 

Harald fought in Sicily and Italy as well as the Balkans, so he would have bumped into the Normans as allies and enemies. This is another of my favourite historical stories, beautifully told by John Julius Norwich. The second half of the book covers campaigns, allowing the player to link games together. Lion rampant can be played in an hour or two, so this works very well. There are three campaigns based around his fighting in the Holy Land, Sicily and Italy. There are special rules and scenarios for each campaign.

This is an excellent supplement for a set of rules I have let lapse recently. They are handy when you want a quick game, as it requires very few figures and a quick set-up. Highly recommended.

My 28mm Varangians, just the job for Harald and his lads.

And some Byzantine cavalry to cover his flanks.

The Normans popped up everywhere. Have horse and lance, will travel.

And not forgetting the Muslim armies.

I was listening to the History Hack podcast on my morning walk today. They have an entertaining interview with Georgios Theotokis about his new book on Bohemond of Taranto. Very to the point here.

Scottish National Gallery

 I had to meet a client in the Scottish National Gallery yesterday. I hadn't visited for several years and had forgotten that there are several items of historical interest. The National Gallery houses what I would call 'proper' art'. If you want modernist spray painting and the like, there is the gallery of Modern Art.

As you enter the gallery, the largest, visually stunning painting is of King Alexander III being rescued from the fury of the stag. Alexander III ruled from 1249 to 1286, so I am not entirely sure the dress is correct. However, that isn't the point, as this was a PR effort by Clan Mackenzie after their role in the failed 1715 Jacobite uprising.

Then we have Sir John Sinclair of Ulbster, one of many paintings by the prolific Scottish painter Sir Henry Raeburn. He finished more than 1,000 paintings. Sir John is described as an 'agricultural improver'. What that really means is that he cleared people off his land and replaced them with sheep. A dark period of Scottish history is known as the clearances. He is pictured in a uniform of his own design as colonel of the Rothesay and Caithness Fencibles. Ironically a regiment that required men, not sheep!

This portrait by van Dyck is of the Lomellini family around 1625. Giacomo was the Doge of Genoa, but they had a rule against portraits to prevent personal propaganda. What would they have made of social media!

A bit of Balkan related interest with two pictures of Venice by Canaletto. Probably the most iconic images of the renaissance city.

We have to include a Scottish castle. This is Dunnottar castle near Stonehaven as it looked in 1867.

I wouldn't put the National Gallery on the list of military sites to visit in Edinburgh. But if you have the time, it is worth a look. Free admission as well.

Suez Crisis 1956

 I watched the BBC drama series 'The Hour', which is set in a newsroom covering the Suez Crisis in 1956. My wife started to bombard me with questions about the events of that year, and I realised that my knowledge of the detail was limited. So, I have been reading David Charlwood's 'Suez Crisis 1965: End of Empire and the Reshaping of the Middle East', published by Pen and Sword.

This is a concise overview of the crisis with an emphasis on political and diplomatic events. It isn't a detailed military history, although that would, in any case, be a reasonably short book. British and French troops had barely landed before a ceasefire was agreed, although the Israeli Sinai campaign took a little longer.

The story that most people will know is that Egyptian President Nasser nationalised the Suez Canal. The British and French took exception, even though the treaty end was not that far off. They made some diplomatic efforts to resolve the issue before colluding with Israel to invade. The US and the Soviet Union made different threats to force a withdrawal, and the British PM Anthony Eden had to give in. He resigned soon after. Ironically, allowing Macmillan to become PM, one of the initial hawks in the Cabinet.

The book flagged up some details I didn't know.

Nasser claimed that 120,000 Egyptians died building the canal, a figure that the author doesn't challenge. It is widely quoted (including the Building Safety Journal), but others are sceptical. It totals seven deaths a day, which doesn't sound that unlikely by the shocking standards of the mid-nineteenth century but is much higher than the company medical officer's record. Of course, he isn't an objective source, but the truth is probably somewhere in-between.

I understood the US opposition, but perhaps not just how furious Eisenhower was. He was facing an election, but he was also concerned not to be drawn into what he regarded as French and British imperialist policies. It was the US refusal to cover the loss of oil supplies and dollar reserves once the canal was blocked that forced the British to give in. The Russians were obviously interested in developing their Middle East influence, even if the moral high ground is somewhat challenging when you are invading Hungary simultaneously!

I hadn't appreciated the French linkage to the conflict in Algeria. They were convinced that Nasser was helping arm the liberation movement. It was the French who initiated the secret deal with the Israelis (Sevres Protocol), creating the casus belli for the intervention. Israel saw it as an opportunity to damage the growing Egyptian threat. Many thought the Israeli mobilisation targeted Jordan, which created an interesting problem for the British, who had a treaty obligation to support Jordan.

The political fallout between the western allies didn't end at Suez. When Harold Wilson refused to support the US over Vietnam, officials reminded the US of their response to Suez. It remains the greatest rift in the 'special relationship'. 

Militarily, the campaign is not without interest. It was one of very few seriously contested amphibious landings since WW2. The Turkish intervention in Cyprus in 1974 is arguably the only other one. I have gamed the Sinai campaign in 10mm, but it was something of a walkover. 

Overall, this is an excellent overview of the crisis, well written with plenty of illustrations. 

Salute 2021

 I was at the UK's largest wargame show, Salute, in London today. I don't think I have been since 2015, which is while even allowing for the pandemic. It's usually in April, but the Warlords wisely decided to hold it later this year.

The queuing that used to be a feature of Salute has gone, with an efficient advanced ticketing system and access organisation. Much needed as typically 10,000 or so gamers turn up to the Excel centre. We passed the Star Trek convention on the way to our hall - I was disappointed not to see any Klingons!

The strength of Salute is that you get to see traders that don't make it to Scottish shows and others that you rarely see anywhere. There was a lot to see, and I had hardly got around half the show by lunchtime. With a 3:30pm train home, I had to get a move on. I used to tie a trip to Salute with a Fulham home game, but this is the international break, so I had a little more time than usual. My goodie bag has the evidence, along with the battered credit card.

My haul included more shades of olive green paint than you would have thought existed in the elusive search for the Turkish Army 1974 shade. I now have at least 5 new bottles to try, along with a similar number of spray cans. An airbrush would be cheaper! Plus brushes and sundry other bits and pieces of terrain. Not a lot of figures, although I gave in to some lovely Northumbrian Tin Soldier figures, including their new range of fighting cats. Our cat Razzy better look out! Plus a few late-war American vehicles that will work for my Turks.

Salute is not a great showcase for games, and that was certainly the case this year. In fact, there were a lot of empty tables, some with club names on them, which implies a no show. The best was probably the Stalingrad game.

Per's Poltava in 6mm was visually effective in showing the great Russian victory, even if I find 6mm hard work.

After those two, the rest were modest. Pirates were a strong theme for the participation games.

I liked this old school wars in India game and a tribute to Stuart Asquith.

This WW2 Battle of Britain game was simple, but looked fun to play.

Good to see folk are still playing A Very British Civil War. I must dust down my figures.

And Trump Apocolypse was inevitable sooner or later!

The Mexican revolution is always popular, and this was at a bigger scale.

Retreat to the Dnieper August 1943

The painting competitions were light on entires, but I thought this German 222 was good.

And finally, we had a Hurricane and a Spitfire. I do like Hurricane.

I am glad I made the effort. Fitted in some research in the British Library the previous day as well. Thanks to the Warlords for organising.

The Last Muslim Conquest

 This is Gábor Ágoston’s new book on the Ottoman Empire and its wars in Europe. This is a narrative history of the Ottomans from their emergence to what he calls the wars of exhaustion against the Venetians and Habsburgs in the 18th century. While the subject matter is not new, he draws on the latest research, destroying a few long-standing myths in the process.

The first of those myths is that the Ottomans were simply holy warriors or Ghazis, forcing the boundaries of Islam. A theory promulgated by the Austrian Ottomanist Paul Wittek in the 1930s. While religion was an important driver, the Ottomans were pragmatic as they incorporated the polyglot and multiethnic societies on their borders and their administrative systems. Byzantine aristocratic families—the Komnenoi, Tornikoi, Gabrades, and Mavrozomai, became members of the Seljuk nobility. Greeks worked in the Seljuk administration, while the Byzantine emperors hired Turkish troops. The emperors also launched joint military campaigns with the Seljuks against other rivals. There were also many aspects of a shared culture and language.

Three of the four most famous Ottoman marcher lord dynasties—the Evrenosoğulları, Mihaloğulları, and Malkoçoğulları (the Sons of Evrenos, Mihal, and Malkoç/the Serbian Malković family), were of Christian origin. However, a conquest that did not start as a ghaza became one over time. Such an approach is a reminder that an emphasis on Ottoman pragmatism, flexibility, inclusiveness, and political shrewdness should not overshadow the importance of religious fervour in the early Ottoman society. 

The Ottomans became a naval power more quickly than many realised. They turned Gallipoli into a maritime base and a naval arsenal, building on the existing Byzantine dockyards. Their use of Gallipoli as a springboard for raids in Europe demonstrated a significant difference between the Ottomans and the other Turkish emirs in Asia Minor. Ágoston spends some time explaining the Ottoman administrative structures and finances, which was an essential part of their success, and how they reined in the marcher lords. Their marriage strategy reminds us that the Ottoman conquest was not just about military force. 

While the Ottomans usually eliminated the royal dynasties and aristocracies of the conquered lands after a victory, they tried to win over the lesser nobility by granting them military prebends (timars). Christian timariot sipahis, voynuks, and martoloses significantly augmented the Ottomans’ military strength and provided essential manpower in southeastern Europe while contributing tactical diversity and geographical knowledge of enemy lands. Even by 1520, Christians constituted 82% of the Balkan households. 

It has been argued that the Ottomans failed to adopt new military technologies. However, from the 1420s onwards, they were on par with western Europe. This included the use of light cannons and firearms. By the second half of the fifteenth century, the combined use of field artillery, arquebus infantry, and the tabur had become a decisive factor in Ottoman battlefield victories.

By the 16th century, the strains on the Empire were beginning to show. More salaried troops took over from the timar system, while the Janissaries fighting potential was diluted. Whereas the salaried troops constituted only about 20–25% of Süleyman’s armies, their share rose to 40–50% by 1697–98. Conversely, while in the early 16th century, the timariot provincial cavalry accounted for 60–75% of the Ottoman combat forces, their proportion had dropped to 10–15% by the late 1690s.

There are many more insights like this as the story unfolds. While this is primarily about the wars in Europe, the campaigns in the East are not ignored. Particularly in the context of examining overall Ottoman strategy. This is an important book on the Ottomans, drawing on archival research with plenty of data and maps to back up his arguments. While at 688 pages, this is not a short read; it is accessible in style and price to the general reader. If you want to hear more, the author gives an interesting interview on the New Books Network.

An excellent excuse to dig out some Ottoman v Habsburg wargame figures as well.

Cyprus 1974 remembered

 On 20 July 1974, the Turkish armed forces landed at Pentemilli (Five Mile Beach) near the village of Karanoglanoglu, as it is called today, after the colonel of the 50 Infantry Regiment who died there. The beachhead was secured, and the Turkish forces just about held off counterattacks from the Greek National Guard before being reinforced. 

This is landing beach today. The first thing that strikes the visitor is how small it is.

Inland, Turkish militia held the strategic Kyrenia Pass and territory towards Nicosia known as the Turkish Triangle. They were reinforced by Turkish airborne forces brought in by parachutes and helicopters. Lacking heavy weapons, they also struggled against Greek counterattacks until they were reinforced by armour coming off the beachhead. Both incursions relied heavily on Turkish air superiority. After a short truce broke down, the second phase of the operation resulted in Turkish forces reaching their objectives along the line that divides the island to this day. 

The best book on the operation is by Ed Erickson and Mesut Uyar, Phase Line Attila. For an excellent analysis of the amphibious operation, I recommend Güvenç, S & Uyar, M, On Contested Shores: Chapter 17: Against All Odds: Turkish Amphibious Operation in Cyprus, 20-23 July 1974 (Marine Corps University Press, 2020). Both are available as free downloads.  

The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) remembers 1974 in a series of memorials and museums. I visited a number of them during my trip to Cyprus. The starting point should be the Peace and Liberty Museum at Karanoglanoglu. The usual Cyprus health warning, do not expect objectivity in Turkish or Greek museums on this subject!

The small indoor museum was closed, but there is an outdoor section with an excellent collection of Greek National Guard armour, captured or knocked out during the fighting.

The T34/85 was the main tank deployed by the Greek National Guard.

3 Ton Gaz-63 trucks. Some carried the 106mm RCL.

British 25pdr field gun

Not quite sure what this is, but I suspect it is a TS APC used by the Assault Company of 21 EAN.  They were initially bought to transport the SA-2 SAM. Otherwise, it is an improvised AFV.

These are labelled as Dingos. But I think they are Marmon Herrington Mk IVF armoured cars.

BTR-152VI APC. The primary National Guard carrier.

Above the beach, there is a Turkish Navy landing craft. I assume it has been renumbered for the memorial.

The Karaoglanoglu Martyrs Memorial includes the monumental tombs of 8 officers, 5 sergeants and 58 soldiers who died here in 1974. The column behind symbolises the Turkish and Turkish Cypriot soldiers, with the gap in between symbolising a window to the Fatherland (Turkey).

In the mountains above the coast near St Hilarion Castle, there is a monument to Turkish and Cypriot soldiers who died fighting near there.

The Kyrenia Pass today is a modern dual carriageway, but in 1974 it was a narrow road. The battle for the pass is symbolised by this memorial.

The 287 Turkish and 26 TMT troops who died in battles in the Turkish Triangle north of Nicosia are commemorated in a huge memorial at Bogaz Sehitligi.

In Lefkosa (North Nicosia), there is the Turkish National Struggle Museum (Milli Mucadele Muzesi). This reflects the intercommunal violence before 1974 with a predictable focus on Greek atrocities. There are graphic photographs, artwork, newspaper reports, and a collection of weapons.

Outside the museum, there is a collection of TMT improvised AFVs and heavy weapons.

The Greek National Struggle Museum in Lefkosia (South Nicosia) has very little about 1974. Instead, it focuses on the resistance to British rule that led to independence in 1960. Predictably, this has a very different take on the island's history. This information board summarises their case.

Perhaps the most effective visual in the museum is on the top floor. I assume the photos are of those sentenced to hang by the British, although most were commuted and nine were hanged between May 1956 and March 1957. Their graves are inside the central prison, known as the imprisoned graves.

The city maps do refer to the National Guard Commando Museum, but that is now a shop. I understand that there are plans to open a new National Guard Museum, and the exhibits are in store. This means that the remembrance of 1974 is more than a little one-sided, but they do say that history is written by the winners.

If you are in any doubt that you have entered a different country when crossing the border, this TRNC flag on the mountains is the size of six football pitches!

In Turkish Waters

 My holiday bedtime fiction reading has been 'In Turkish Waters' by Charles Whiting. This is one of a series featuring Common Smith VC and his Motor Torpedo Boat, HMS Swordfish. I have read a couple of his non-fiction books, and the subject title appealed.

The setting is 1922, at the height of the Greco-Turkish War. Smith is given a clandestine mission to sink two ex-British and French battleships being repaired in Istanbul. The 'wicked' Ataturk plans to use them to sink Greek ships carrying refugees fleeing Smyrna. This is to avoid the international opprobrium of massacring them on land, although why it would be any more acceptable to kill them at sea is not made clear.

The Swordfish, suitably civilianised, makes its way from the Humber through French canals, then to Greece and Alexandria. Before sneaking past the Dardanelles forts to attack the ships in the harbour. En-route they are attacked by Germans, Bolsheviks, Turks, and anyone else, it seems.

I regret to say few works of fiction have irritated me more than this book. Not only is the historical premise absurd, but even for historical fiction, the action scenes are ridiculous. Then there is the characterisation. The British are cartoon characters, two public school officer types, a rugged hard-drinking Scot and various working-class stereotypes. Their opponents are equally cartoonish, including the Bolshevik agents. 

But the most egregious characterisation is of the Turks and Kemal Ataturk in particular. The description of him is an offensive, racist stereotype, and every Turkish soldier is a sadist. It is implied that he was gay, which is unlikely given what we know of his personal and public life despite some Greek propaganda. He could be ruthless, but the language attributed to him is equally absurd. Then there is the failure to do any basic research. The most obvious is that his name wasn't Ataturk in 1922. He hadn't 'banished religion'. He hadn't even abolished the caliphate then or instituted his modernisation reforms. There is barely a page without similar inaccuracies. 

In summary, this book is not just awful; it's offensive nonsense. Its only redeeming feature is that it is short. So don't waste your money.