Napoleon's Grand Armee of 1813 by Scott Bowden

Not really a book, more a collection or roll call of facts and figures, still it did make an interesting read and reference source.

I did learn the important term: Strategic Consumption. The losses an army takes outside battle, just from being there, marching about and going hungry.

Trafalgar Part Two

Wednesday saw the completion of this epic undertaking.

The Weather Column has started to engage the Van and Centre squadrons of the Combined Fleet.

The Van has attempted to turnaround so as to take part in the battle 

(not something they did historically).

It has resulted in them entangling with the Centre

something that was bound to cause confusion.

The situation at the end of turn 7.

Collingwood has effectively destroyed the Rear Squadron of the Combined Fleet.

The Squadron of Observation (very top right) has completed its 360 degree turn

 but is now having trouble catching up.

I think by ordering the 360 degree turn Villeneuve was aiming to time their engagement so they would fall upon Collingwood's rear.

As it was they were to live up to their name and mainly observed the action. 

Nelson is in the act of crossing the head of the Combined Fleet and is busy picking off enemy ships using concentrated fire.

The Van and Centre are becoming increasing intermingled and blocking effective maneuver and fire.

End of Turn 8.

Collingwood is now coming up on the rear of the tangled Van and Centre squadrons.

A seagull's eye view.

While the lack of labels makes for a beautiful looking game,

it makes it a total bugger to play, only made worse by the intermingling.

The Combined Fleet has lost four or five ships.

Nelson's squadron has made its first kill.

End of turn 9.

End of Turn 9 as seen from the other side.

The Van and Centre are starting to take telling hits across numerous ships.

Their return fire is fairly ineffective.

We did try a boarding action, but it was fiasco. 

Much better to blast away.

End of turn 10 and end of the game.

One of the Combined Fleet's ships had caught fire, 

failed to put the fire out and it had spread to the magazine.

BOOM!!!

A hush fell over the battle bringing proceedings for that turn to a close.

A prefect ending.

The big 130-gun Santissima Trinidad in big trouble.

The Victory powering on to glory.

The explosion.

Last shot of the table from the other side for balance.

As before here is the AAR from James, less big picture, but way more detailed:

The Chauvinistic Blog: Trafalgar part the second

KGL Infantry

There are one or two non-Essex figures in this unit, but the Essex figures are ones that I have had since the 1990s if not earlier.  Finished now and constructed so I can make a variety of Napoleon's Battles brigade units - 2x16, 1x20, 1x24 or 1x28.  Spare figures made it easy to make up casualty bases.

Serenissima

Short of time and still exhausted after completing the big Trafalgar game I just managed to watch a how to video on this game before setting off to Richard's to play it with him, Simon and Russell.

Turned out I had watched a how to for the latest version of this game, not the first edition that we would be playing.

I think the idea of the game exceeds the game play.  Later editions might change this.  

I was the Ottomans, Simon Venice, Russel Genoa and Richard Spain.

De Gaulle - Part One

I'd seen a previous movie on De Gaulle in 2012 at the French Film Festival here in Perth, Western Australia. It covered the critical six weeks in May/June 1940 plus back story to De Gaulle's family. I found it to be a very moving film due to the scenes with his family fleeing as refugees with a handicapped daughter.  This new film, while not associated as far as I know, effectively takes off from were that movie finished.  

The political twists were amazing and also how De Gaulle was able to bounce back after various setbacks.  There was much I didn't know and while I am sure there was a good deal of artistic licence (which generally makes for an engaging movie after all) I consider it an excellent war movie, up there with anything the Americans have produced.  

One thing I found interesting was only one passing reference to the Russians and nothing that I can recall about the Italians.  The major battle depicted, Bir Hakem, certainly involved, on my follow up research, significant action against Italian forces.

I am looking forward to part two.

The Pacific

Disclaimer: I have just found a heap of posts that got left/lost as drafts.  This one was from sometime in 2021 I think. 

I had purchased the deluxe (it came in a tin) DVD boxed set a good many years ago after thoroughly enjoying Band of Brothers.  So I knew I had something to look forward to if I was ever laid up.  Thankfully the opportunity has only recently arisen, when I was in need of some convalescence after some hi-tech medical intervention to tune up my heart (AF ablation - highly recommended if you have an irregular heartbeat and advancing years.  Get in before it becomes an issue and you have to compete in with Covid clogged emergency departments.)

It then became a race against time to finish the series before I went away on some r&r (which seemed to be in keeping with the pace of the series and perhaps deployment in the Pacific Theatre).

Not as good as BoB as I found it muddy in both ability to follow dialogue (wish I had used subtitles) and to recognise who was who (as in combat one marine looked very much like the next).  By halfway through I had started to understand what was happening (and it also helped that I knew a little about the Pacific campaign).  Certainly brings home the horror and senseless destruction.  A quality production, although I was conscious that it had been filmed in Australia and that knowledge, rather than any visual flaw, kept springing to mind.

As it neared to a conclusion I found myself wishing that it had been a proper documentary with non fictional characters.  I was totally surprised when the end credits popped up showing the actors and the real person they were based on and a small note about that person subsequent life.  Thankfully most of the marines who survived went on to lead decent lives.

Palestine 36

An excellent movie in its own right and covering a generally forgotten bit of history - the early Palestinian fight against the loss of their homeland.  Very much focussed on the British presence and actions.

What really impressed me was what I can only assume was existing photos and newsreels from the period that had been coloured and enhanced and skillfully blended to give a real sense of it being 1936/37 in Palestine.

Portuguese Cacadores

Another unit completed.  Perhaps not the best pose for wargames figures, but they sure look like they mean business.  I've been wondering what to do with these figures (I have quite a few more in this pose) and I thought the late war British in Belgic shakos would make fine early war Cacadores.

Not that it shows up much, but I painted a variety of trouser colours

 to show they had been on campaign for a while.

The two figures on the casualty base are from the Old Glory British casualty set.

Panamax

My first game and I had a heap of beginner's luck managing cargo through the Panama canal.

I was green (top right hand corner) and amassed 79 points.  Russell (red) had 46, Stefan (black) 42 and Richard (yellow) 32.  A fiendishly complex game.

Your Target For Tonight - Start of the Campaign

I participated in another test game of YTFT and it was so successful (the game play more than the outcomes) that it was decided to start the campaign.

The first mission was a devastating raid on the airfield at Bernay, Normandy.

Nine bombers were shot down along with some escorting fighters,

but the airfield was destroyed.

The second mission was a raid on another airfield.

Luftwaffe activity was not so pronounced 

but the airfield did not suffer too much damage all the same. 

The third mission was a raid on the U-boat pens that can be seen in the above image.  Very limited Luftwaffe engagement, but heavy flak and a hardened target made it somewhat of a failed mission.

Trafalgar Part One

Well, this was like being thrown into the deep end.

At least I had read the rules, Grand Fleet Action in the Age of Sail.  It also turned out I had played a game with them, but seven years ago.  The AAR can be seen here:   One Sided Miniature Wargaming Discourse: Battle of Cape Finisterre - 1805

For Trafalgar we had Julian (who supplied all the ships - Sails of Glory models), James (who supplied the venue and hospitality) and Stephen as the Combined Fleet commanders.  Mark B was Collingwood and I was Nelson.

My squadron, the Weather Column is on the left,

Collingwood is on the right

The British forces.

The situation after the first turn.

Note measuring stick on the right-hand edge of the table.

The ships are moving between 2 to 4 segments,

it's light wind so things are a bit slow.

But the British do have the wind :-)

End of Turn 2.

Collingwood is under fire.

The forward and rear enemy squadrons have turned to starboard

(and are very close to the table edge).

Turn 3 and Collingwood is returning fire with devastating effects.

Turn 4 and Collingwood is in the midst of the Combined Fleet.

The situation as it appears from the other side of the table (east).

A slightly closer image than the one above.

The enemy ship Santa Ana is in serious trouble

Turn 5 and the Santa Ana has struck.

For Nelson's squadron the Africa has now come within range of the forward enemy ships.

Turn 6 and the Victory has joined the Africa in engaging the enemy.

The bigger picture at the end of Turn 6.

There are still many British ships to come up.

The table from the right-hand side, looking north.

The enemy rear squadron has effectively gone in a circle.

I have obscured the table edge, but it might present a serious problem unless ships start coming about.

(The table edge appears as a brownish smudge).

Now for a much more balanced and informative post, check out James's post at: 

The Chauvinistic Blog: Trafalgar part the first

Your Target For Tonight

Another new game to try my hand at.  Still a work in progress by Simon, but it looked fantastic and was playing well.

Northwest Europe full of targets.

I was in charge of the Luftwaffe defending the oil storage facility.

It had already been visited by the RAF during the night.

Note: the FW190s have been de-swastika-ed.

Here come the bombers!

More Portuguese Infantry

More Old Glory stove pipe British repurposed as Portuguese.

With this unit I can make two 4 base brigades (16PtLN in Napoleon's Battles' terminology),

or a 5, 6 or 7 base brigade. 

 There are two casualty marker stands that I consider integral to the brigade.

It doesn't concern me that it lowers the figure count,

it's the number of bases that really matters.

The all-white facings represent Regiment No. 13 Peniche,

not that I feel bound by that.

Eagle eyes will have seen there is a surfeit of drummers.

Must be that the Old Glory purchase was one pack of infantry and one of command.