Quantcast
Channel: JJ's Wargames
Viewing all 958 articles
Browse latest View live
↧

North Devon Delights - Lorna Doone, a Clapper Bridge and King Caratacus

November 1, 2016, 1:02 am
$
0
0
Feral goats that inhabit the Valley of the Rocks at Lynton
This weekend was spent looking forward to Carolyn's birthday next week with a trip up to and a night away in Lynton in North Devon.



The north of the county is quite different to the south with a hilly countryside bordering the uplands of Exmoor and a rugged coastline of steep cliffs looking out towards the coast of South Wales across the Bristol Channel.

On arriving at out hotel we dropped off our luggage and headed off to the famous "Valley of the Rocks" a valley that runs parallel to the coast with an assortment of Devonian rock formations that tower over the valley and sea and is populated by wild goats that must be some of the surest footed creatures you are ever to see, if the animal in the picture above is to go by. That rock he is perched on must be a hundred plus feet from a sheer drop into the Bristol Channel.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valley_of_the_Rocks
http://www.lyntonandlynmouth.org.uk/attractions/item/53-blank-valley-of-rocks-1

God's own country looking at its best
We put in a good four mile walk, up hill and down dale inhaling plenty of sea air and delighting in the glorious views of this beautiful part of the county. Needless to say we had developed a great appetite when we got back to the hotel and were really looking forward to dinner.

Just taking a breather as I contemplate the very steep climb on the route back to the hotel

The next morning following the traditional full English breakfast we walked down the cliff path into the twin village of Lynton, namely Lynmouth which lies at the mouth and confluence of the east and west channels of the River Lyn with a gorge 700 feet below Lynton and connected with a cliff railway that is powered by gravity and water-tanks.

This beautiful Devon seaside village was devastated in 1952 by flood waters from the uplands of Exmoor following nine inches of rain falling in 24 hours; that flooded down the valley on the 15th and 16th of August carrying boulders and debris that destroyed about sixty buildings and killed over thirty people.

Following this disaster the mouth of the river was widened and deepened with the high wall seen in the picture below designed to protect the village from future down-pours.

The river valley was looking particularly stunning with the trees in their autumnal hues.


http://www.visitlyntonandlynmouth.com

After mid-morning tea and teacakes we were off into the Exmoor National Park with a trip back to the troubled times of the Monmouth Rebellion of 1685 and the fictional story created around it by Richard Doddridge Blackmoor, and his story of Lorna Doone.

Doone Valley looking at Devon from the Somerset side of the valley
Carolyn and I first visited the little hamlet of Oare and its famous church before we got married and it was fun retracing our steps.

The novel is centred around the area of the East Lyn Valley on Exmoor and specifically around Badgworthy Water, Malmsmead and Blackmoor weaves his plot with the historical facts and characters that featured during the tumultuous time of the Duke of Monmomouth's invasion and his defeat at the Battle of Sedgemoor.

I covered the battle and the events around it in my post from December 2014
http://jjwargames.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/a-day-out-in-sunny-somerset-battle-of.html

Carolyn stands in for Lorna Doone outside the 900 year old Oare Church, where Lorna was shot marrying John Ridd
This area marks the county border between Devon and Somerset and I seem to remember a scene from the BBC TV version of the story back in the eighties of the two county militias being sent to deal with the Doone gang once and for all and ending up shooting at each others force as they met in a fog that is so characteristic of the weather on Exmoor.

The heights of Exmoor seen from the front of Oare Church
Given that the area and the places that are mentioned in the book are real I suppose some people can be forgiven for not knowing that the characters are fictitious. Next they will be suggesting that Sherlock Holmes didn't live at Baker Street!

Plaque in the church honouring the famous author

Looking towards the alter where John Ridd married Lorna Doone

The window through which Carver Doone shot Lorna


Badgworthy Water, Malmsmead

Even the local pub was getting in on the theme
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorna_Doone

After our journey to Doone Valley we were off across Exmoor to discover some real historic sights that take the visitor much further back into British history.

The use of clapper bridges are common in Devon with several examples to be seen on Dartmoor, but here on Exmoor the Tarr Steps are something really special being the longest bridge of its type in the country with seventeen spans that cross the River Barle a tributary of my home river the Exe .

This stone bridge is thought to date to 1000 BC but no one really knows. Those stone slabs can weigh up to two tons each which it pretty impressive for a piece of ancient architecture.


Needless to say I wanted some decent pictures to have a go at modelling a bridge like this to go with the Roman collection.



After all this touring and sight seeing it was time to pop to the nearby pub for refreshments and I happened to spot that we weren't the only ones enjoying the local cuisine.


Well waste not want not as the saying goes and the Chaffinches and Great Tits were taking full advantage of the leftovers.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarr_Steps
http://www.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/116096/tarr-steps-from-dulverton.pdf
http://www.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk/enjoying/tarr-steps

With the clocks rolled back to "Scottish Time" the afternoon was turning 'dimpsey', as we call it in these parts and it was time to head home, but not before checking out our final sight on Exmoor, namely "Caratacus' Stone" a scheduled monument since 1925.

This rather unprepossessing monument lies just off the main road after leaving the Tarr Steps and is thought to date back to the 6th century and is inscribed with a Latin script 'CARATICI NEPUS'
or the grandson of Caratacus; possibly a reference to the King Caratacus who resisted the Romans between 43 and 51 AD.

The Latin script is just visible with the 'C' at top

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caratacus_Stone
https://www.exmoorher.co.uk/hbsmr-web/record.aspx?UID=MSO8534

A very enjoyable weekend exploring the local area and a nice way to celebrate a birthday.

Next up - back to the painting and those Dark Age figures promised and the Pavia Dragoons

↧
Search

Spanish 2nd Cavalry Division at Talavera - Pavia Dragoon Regiment

November 4, 2016, 11:46 am
$
0
0


2nd Spanish Cavalry Division - Lieutenant General Duque de Albuquerque
Infante Cavalry Regiment
Alcantara Cavalry Regiment
Pavia Dragoon Regiment
Almanza Dragoon Regiment
1st & 2nd Hussars of Estremadura

It doesn't seem that long ago that I was celebrating the 100th post to the blog, presenting my effort at recreating one of the many bell towers that were a feature of the Oporto river crossing.

This post marks a bit of a landmark as the 500th to the blog and it is the Spanish Pavia Dragoons that grab the honour. Thank you to everyone who has joined me on this e-journal of my gaming and other historical, be they military or natural, activities. Here's looking forward to 1000th posting. It will be fun looking back to see where things have progressed to.

So on with the blog and specifically the Pavia Dragoons.

In 1803 under the Godoy reforms the corps of dragoons were disbanded and the regiments converted into hussars and mounted chasseurs, but in 1805 Prime Minister Godoy realised the folly of this decision and reestablished the eight regiments, instructed to wear yellow coated uniform with red turnbacks, with regimental colours displayed on the collars, cuffs and cuff-flaps.

This change took time to complete and several illustrations like the one below and the Suhr Brothers illustrations of the Villaviciosa Regiment in Hamburg in 1808 depict regiments still wearing the 1803 uniforms three or four years later.

http://www.napoleon-series.org/images/military/organization/Spain/Suhr/Suhrspanish13b.jpg

3rd Almanza Cazadore (right), subject of the next post, in the pre-1809 uniform
before the Cazadore's reverted back to Dragoons dressed in the familiar yellow
The first reference I have for the Pavia Dragoons shows them assigned to the Spanish Army of Aragon being put together in May of 1808 with a cadre of men listed in the February of 1809

Spanish Army of Aragon, May l808 - February l809

                                           Assigned
                                               or
Force                                   Raised     Force        Observations
Dragones de Pavia                   -             14                  2/09

Source: Gomez de Arteche Y Moro, Guerra de la Independencia, Historia Militar de Espana de l808 a l8l4


However other references shown below have them at a strength of three to four squadrons attached to the Army of the Centre in and around Madrid as they fell back before the French offensive in the November of 1808. Ah the joys of researching the Spanish!


In June 1808 following the Spanish insurrection, Oman lists in detail the forces on hand with a list of the available cavalry regiments and their strengths: Note the dragoons are still listed as Cazadore's.

Cavalry (---H) - number of horses
lst Rey Heavy Cavalry Regiment (5)(38/634)(467H)
2nd Reina Heavy Cavalry Regiment (5)(4l/668)(202H)
3rd Principe Heavy Cavalry Regiment (5)(42/573)(434H)
4th Infante Heavy Cavalry Regiment (5)(42/6l5)(494H)
5th Borbon Heavy Cavalry Regiment (5)(42/6l6)(450H)
6th Farnesio Heavy Cavalry Regiment (5)(39/5l7)(359H)
7th Alcantara Heavy Cavalry Regiment (5)(42/589)(490H)
8th Espana Heavy Cavalry Regiment (5)(39/553)(358H)
9th Algarve Heavy Cavalry Regiment (5)(42/572)(455H)
l0th Calatrava Heavy Cavalry Regiment (5)(44/679)(369H)
llth Santiago Heavy Cavalry Regiment (5)(44/549)(370H)
l2th Montesa Heavy Cavalry Regiment (5)(40/667)(259H)
lst Rey Cazadore Regiment (5)(40/577)(l85H)
2nd Reina Cazadore Regiment (5)(42/58l)(42lH)
3rd Almanza Cazadore Regiment (5)(38/598)(479H)
4th Pavia Cazadore Regiment (5)(42/663)(507H)
5th Villaviciosa Cazadore Regiment (5)(35/628)(448H)
6th Sagunto Cazadore Regiment (5)(39/499)(l89H)
lst Numancia Hussar Regiment (5)(4l/630)(327H)
2nd Lusitania Hussar Regiment (5)(42/554)(409H)
3rd Olivenza Hussar Regiment (5)(37/558)(468H)
4th Voluntarios de Espana Hussar Regiment (5)(34/548)(460H)
5th Maria Luisa Hussar Regiment (5)(40/680)(394H)
6th Espanoles Hussar Regiment (5)(38/692)532H)

 

By the October of 1808 the Pavia are listed as part of the Army of Castile under General Pignatelli which formed part of General Castanos' Army of the Centre joining forces at the end of that month.


Army of Castile - Source Oman
Division: General Pignatelli (Cartaojal after 30/10/08) 
(ll,000)
Cantabria Infantry Regiment (2)
Leon Militia Infantry Regiment (l)
Grenadiers del General (l)(new levee)
Cazadores de Cuenca (l) (new levee)
lst, 2nd & 3rd Volunteers of Leon (3)(new levee)
lst, 2nd & 3rd Tercoios of Castile (3)(new levee)
Tiradores de Castilla (l)(new levee)
Volunteers of Benavente (l)(new levee)
Volunteers of Zamora (l)(new levee)
Volunteers of Ledesma (l)(new levee)
Cavalry (3,292 on 29 October)
Farnesio Cavalry Regiment
Montesa Cavalry Regiment
Reina Cavalry Regiment
Borbon Cavalry Regiment
Olivenza Cavalry Regiment
Espana Cavalry Regiment
Calatrava Cavalry Regiment
Santiago Cavalry Regiment
Sagunto Cavalry Regiment
Principe Cavalry Regiment
Pavia Cavalry Regiment
Alcantara Cavalry Regiment


In January of 1809 the regiment is shown as part of the Army of the Centre now, following the dismissal of General Castanos, under the command of the Duke of Infantado and based around Cuenca threatening the eastern approaches to Madrid

Spanish Army of the Centre, llth January l809
Cavalry: (l,8l4)
Reyna Cavalry Regiment (276)
Principe Cavalry Regiment (l4l)
Borbon Cavalry Regiment (ll9)
Espana Cavalry Regiment (342)
Santiago Cavalry Regiment (74)
Tejas Cavalry Regiment (l3l)
Pavia Cavalry Regiment (428)
Lusitania Cavalry Regiment (l58)
Dragones de Castilla (l25)
Farnesio Cavalry Regiment
Montesa Cavalry Regiment
Calatrava Cavalry Regiment
Sagunto Cavalry Regiment
Alcantara Cavalry Regiment

At some stage that I have been unable to determine exactly when it happened, several cavalry regiments were, including the Pavia Dragoons, detached from the old Army of the Centre to join the newly formed Army of Estremadura.


The Pavia are not listed with Cuesta's Army that was defeated at the Battle of Medellin on the 24th of March and, as Andrew Field mentions four regular dismounted cavalry regiments being sent to the area around Badajoz to gather remounts, I assume the Pavia Dragoons were part of that group.

As well as tracing the movements of this regiment, another challenge for the prospective modeler is getting a reliable reference on the look of the regimental musicians. The only dragoon trumpeter illustration I have been able to track down is the one below of the Reina regiment.


Nafziger describes the Reina regimental facings as 'Carnation' (light red) whilst the Pavia are described as  'Carnation' (red). Interestingly Chartrand has the Pavia with yellow facings for collar, cuffs and cuff flaps, but I cannot find any other references that agree with that so I am sticking with Nafziger.


Thus my Pavia trumpeter sports a red outfit similar to the Reina illustration below and I am reserving artistic license when it comes to the Almanza Dragoons which both Nafziger and Chartrand agree on Sky Blue facings.

Trumpeter from the Reina Dragoon Regiment
illustrates the facing colour worn by musicians
My Pavia Dragoon Regiment are composed of figures from AB supplied by Fighting 15s and are the fourth regiment completed as part of 2nd Cavalry Division.


Next time we will look at the last of the two dragoon regiments, namely the Almanza Regiment, and we will get to see the division as a whole with General Albuquerque at its head, but before that we will have some more 28mm Dark Age Saxons from Tom and some Vikings from Steve M.

References consulted:
Talavera - Wellington's First Victory in Spain, Andrew W. Field
Napoleonic Armies - Ray Johnson
The Armies of Spain and Portugal - Nafziger
History of the Peninsular War - Sir Charles Oman
The Spanish Army of the Napoleonic Wars(1) Chartand & Younghusband (Osprey Men at Arms)
http://www.eborense.es/batalla_talavera1809_indice.html
↧
↧

JJ's Dark Ages - Saxon Warband Part II

November 11, 2016, 12:58 am
$
0
0

It was back at the end of September that I posted on the start of the Dark Ages collection and King Penda with his theigns.

http://jjwargames.blogspot.co.uk/2016/09/jjs-dark-ages-saxon-warband.html

Since then Tom has got back from Australia and needing to warm his painting technique up after a long lay off from the brush, I suggested he got stuck into half a dozen of the Gripping Beast Saxon plastics.





Timing is everything and these chaps should get a run out this weekend at the DWG as we have a series of warm up games planned to get everyone up to speed with 'Dux Brit' for the big Xmas game.





Not bad Padawan! The Saxon Warband now stands at eighteen figures ready for the big game. I can't wait.

Now he has got his eye back in I have set the young Jedi back to his task of working up the Roman collection whilst Pater gets the Talavera collection finished off.

Next up Steve M's Vikings and the Spanish 2nd Cavalry Division with the completion of the Almanza Dragoons and General Albuquerque.
↧

Fun and games at the Devon Wargames Group

November 13, 2016, 3:07 am
$
0
0

Since the summer Tom and I have been working on Dark Age figures to contribute to the big end of year game at the Devon Wargames Group.

Yesterday was a play-test of the Dux Brittaniarum rules we have chosen to use for our game.


These are just a sample of the pictures I gathered of the members collections out on the table and they give you an idea of the look of our game next month.


Needless to say much fun was had by all so if you would like to see more then just follow the link to the club blog.

http://devonwargames.blogspot.co.uk/2016/11/a-gathering-of-ravens-at-littleham.html

↧

It's Official - Points Systems Don't Work!

November 15, 2016, 10:33 am
$
0
0
As you know I occasionally like to get controversial and raise a bit of debate and discussion. Straying into the great debates about competition and scenario based gaming is always an area angels fear to tread where fools rush in but I couldn't help but smile listening to the latest offering on the Meeples Podcast.

I have like others have been looking forward to the expected publication of 'Tabletop Wargames' by Rick Priestley and John Lambshead and published by Pen & Sword. I have a deep respect for all rule writers and game designers as, over the years of dabbling and messing about with other peoples rules, I have come to recognise the skill required to produce great rules.

However after reading some of the initial reader reviews about this book I decided to await more comment.


Thus it was with some disappointment that I listened to the Meeples show on Monday to hear my initial thoughts confirmed after they had reviewed their copy for the show.

It was somewhat amusing to hear the description of the chapter covering points based wargaming systems broken down into 'key points' and with the first one stating 'points systems don't work'.

If you think you can hear the wailing and gnashing of teeth in the distance that is probably the sound of tournament organisers and suppliers of Mr Priestley's rule sets, and the many spin off systems that have evolved from the core design, all over the western world crying in their beer at this seemingly blasphemous statement. Only kidding but you have to see the funny side of this. Gerald Ratner and his jewellery business immediately sprung to mind.

There was some amusing stuff covering the 'rule of six' or something like it laying out the principles behind weapon ranges and movement rates (infantry move six inches) that create a holy trinity that allows everything to fit neatly into a six foot by four foot table without any concerns about time and ground scale.

On a more serious point though. I am old enough to have played wargame rules with points systems long before RP and Warhammer were doing their stuff, such as WRG for example. I guess the key thing for me was that in a casual game they were useful as a guide to comparability between forces and that was it, a guide only and these were the days before codex points systems designed to drive sales of miniature figures.

Not only that but I have played about using points to support campaign systems to create ratios of forces that meet on the map needing to be transferred to the table and then, with the result of battle achieved on the table, carried back to the forces on the map. Although I suppose in this case you could skip the points and use numbers of men instead.

So I guess my thoughts would be points systems can work, it just depends what you do with them.
↧
↧

Warfare 2016 - Wargames Association of Reading

November 20, 2016, 1:45 am
$
0
0
Excellent modelling displayed by the Earlswood Wargames Club and their Ardennes themed game
This Saturday I spent a very pleasant day in the company of Steve M and Mr Steve attending Warfare 2016, the annual show put on by the Wargames Association of Reading.

This is the third visit to the show which has grabbed the end of year spot in my wargaming calendar and as well as having some interesting and inspiring games to see also boasts a good turn out of traders and new products.

The show has from my experience also been well supported by visiting gamers and the pictures below shows a very crowded and busy trading hall when we arrived at about 10.30 am.

Crowds fill the hall, great for traders not so much for the crowds in a limited space
This level of interest is obviously great for the traders but as an attendee not so much, as the sports centre venue seems to me to fast becoming a not so ideal site to stage this popular show; as getting around amid the crowds, many carrying rucksacks and bags, me included, is not a pleasant retail experience, to use the parlance.

Not only that but the car parking, in a very busy sports centre, on a weekend, is not really adequate for the added pressure created by the wargaming visitors and we like many others were forced to drive around a nearby trading estate looking for somewhere to park.

If the internal tannoy was anything to go by some visitors didn't bother looking too far away for parking opportunities and I heard several calls for owners of various makes of vehicle together with identifying registration plates to come to reception to move their said vehicle.


I should say that the crowds fell off dramatically after lunch and it seems to me that shows like Warfare may need to come up with ideas like the Penarth club with Crusader, where guest speakers are invited to present on historical subjects that encourage punters to stay on and potentially spend more afterwards which is really important for traders who, with some I chatted to, had travelled as far away as Lincoln and Hull.

I offer these comments in a constructive way as I know a lot of work goes in to organising shows like Warfare and ideal venues with plenty of parking, particularly in the London area are not easy to find, but the problems described are not likely to decrease over time and I would be keen to see shows like Warfare prosper going forward.

Prototype MDF Roman Villa buildings on show at the Warbases stand
Any way on with a look at what was on show at the show, together with as usual the games that caught my eye.

The first item on my must see list were the promised examples of some 28mm Roman Villa style buildings being developed at Warbases that I believe should be available next year.

The precision of these laser cut masterpieces was something to behold and with the Dacian War collection in mind something that would really grace the table for the games I have in mind.


I didn't linger to long in the traders hall, fearing falling over would likely mean I wouldn't be getting up. However I picked up some much needed magnetic tape from Coritani and the AWI Scenario Book 3 from Caliver Books, plus a dice bag and some mini dice.

Wargaming supplies replenished I headed for the game displays and was immediately attracted to a fine model of a Typhoon laying it on thick with the 60 lb rockets, I'm sorry but I didn't note the organisers of this game, and I am assuming from the list of displays that it was the Huntingdon and District Wargames Society.


There was a distinct 1066 theme at the show, rightly so, given the 950th anniversary of that momentous year in British history and the Malvern Old Wargamers had a very fine table representing the Battle of Fulford, using the Armati rule set.


Hordes of Vikings seen in Reading yet again, very fitting in memory of the Great Heathen Army tying their boats up in the town in previous times.
I am currently starting a Dark Ages collection, based with our club Dux Brit. game in mind, but being the typical wargamer that I am, it is the big clash of shield wall kind of game that interests me most and a decision on what basing to what rule-set will need to be made going forward, so I like to see what others folks do in this respect.


What follows and heading up this post are the pictures of my game of the show, this fantastic Chain of Command game by the Earlswood Wargames Club representing the 505th/101st Airborne Division's, Easy Company's attack on the town of Foy during the Ardennes fighting and so memorably staged by HBO in Band of Brothers.


The attention to detail in this game was something to see, including the use of spray can tops covered in material to represent the classic snow covered hay stacks as portrayed in the TV show.

Screen shot from the series to remind you of the detail captured in this game

The attention to detail in the terrain was matched by the figures with some great snow cammo effects achieved on vehicles and men.


Some of these pictures make me cold just looking at them!



I think you will agree, a superb looking game, and having featured a few on this blog over the years, well up there with the best.





Spot the LMG team in wait in the roof cavity
Next up yet further inspiration from another presentation I don't have details for, even in the show guide which has three clubs showing games not confirmed by title or period, so I can't even make a guess.

I do know from Steve M that two of the chaps running the game were former "boot-necks" otherwise known as Her Majesty's Royal Marines and therefore having spent some time down in our local parish.


With my own 28mm collection for the Dacian Wars percolating in the background this scene could quite easily replicate a Dacian War struggle on the Danube frontier with the Roman navy and the Limes frontier post.



Lovely looking game chaps, and great inspiration for us fans of early Imperial Rome.





As announced in the preceding Wargaming media, Gripping Beast were rolling out their new set of ancient/medieval rules 'Swordpoint', demonstrating the game with a nice little display of Teutonic Knights going at in a suitably snowy set up.



These rules are a possible contender for my Dark Age big battle set and I found the interview about them on the recent Meeples Podcast most interesting as well as recent magazine reviews . However I am not in a hurry to be an early adopter so I will wait to see what further reaction develops about them.


Did I mention 1066? Well you would be surprised not to have seen the 'Hastings Set To' not represented and here is King Harold's line in all its glory facing off multiple attacks from Duke William's Norman cavalry and infantry.





Having just reviewed and enjoyed our own game of 'Over the Hills' Napoleonic rules it was a pleasure to meet the authors in person, Adrian McWalter and Quinton Dalton, putting on this Austrian vs Bavarian display game.

http://jjwargames.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/over-hills-napoleonic-rules-play-test.html


As you would expect there was plenty of information detailing the game and Steve M got himself a mint copy from Caliver Books whilst we were at the show.


This little 'cribbage board' caught our attention as these were the first prototypes of a potential option for recording brigade,/divisional/army morale other than just writing the scores down.

We had a discussion about potential price points going forward, and with the some ideas forming on doing some Talavera scenarios with the rules I really like this way of recording fatigue hits.



With all the chatting about the rules, I nearly forgot to share some close ups of the game, which would have been a shame as the chaps had brought along some nice figures and terrain to show how things get played using 'Over the Hills'.



If want to know more about the rules you can also go to the Over the Hills Facebook page, join the group and see what others are doing.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1819455724949749/?fref=nf


Continuing the Napoleonic theme, close by was this very nice Napoleonics in Egypt game presented by Steve Deeprose.



I am sure I have featured Steve's game on another show report, but for me you can't have too much of the look of this early period in the Napoleonic/Revolutionary war as the uniforms are great especially against a desert  style background.



And last but by no means least I present this participation game about the Raid on Schweinfurt carried out deep into German territory by the US air-force on October 14th 1943 which finally disproved the idea of the self protected bomber group making deep penetrating daylight raids without fighter supremacy.

Again I am guessing this was put on by the Staines Wargames club as they are the only game down as a 1/144 aerial combat game, although I fancy the bombers were closer to 1/300th.



I really enjoy getting the planes out on the table and have a large Battle of Britain collection stored at JJ's Towers but 1/144 scale models only add to the fun. The German fighters were particularly attractive and the terrain board was simple but very easy on the eye designed to represent the terrain from high altitude.



So there we are another Warfare seen and enjoyed.

Thanks to all the folks at the Wargames Association of Reading. I could see everyone involved yesterday were busy helping the visitors have a good day out and looking after the traders .

And thank you to Steve M and Mr Steve for their company on the day.

Next up, well loads of stuff, as the day job has been getting in the way of posting. So we still have Vikings to come and the Spanish 2nd Cavalry Division which is now finished awaiting parade pictures together with the last regiment of Dragoons, the Almanza Regiment, and a special project announcement.
↧

Spanish 2nd Cavalry Division at Talavera - Almanza Dragoon Regiment

November 22, 2016, 2:35 pm
$
0
0

2nd Spanish Cavalry Division - Lieutenant General Duque de Albuquerque
Infante Cavalry Regiment
Alcantara Cavalry Regiment
Pavia Dragoon Regiment
Almanza Dragoon Regiment
1st & 2nd Hussars of Estremadura

The 3rd Almanza Dragoons completes the final cavalry regiment in Lieutenant General Albuquerque's 2nd Spanish Cavalry Division that were positioned to cover the extreme left of the allied line at Talavera in the afternoon in the northern valley.


As mentioned in the previous post on the Pavia Dragoon Regiment, the Spanish dragoons had gone through a period of change between 1803 to 1805 when they were all converted into light cavalry dressed in the green uniform seen in the illustration below and then converted back into dragoon regiments in 1805 causing many units still being portrayed in their former dress several years after the reform and into the war with Imperial France following invasion in 1808.

Arguably the cream of Spanish forces were sent off to support French forces in Prussia in 1807 under General La Romana and the Almanza Regiment formed part of the light cavalry component of this elite corps.


The troops were later repatriated under the noses of French troops back to Spain in 1808 by the British Royal Navy.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evacuation_of_the_La_Romana_Division

Spanish Army under Romana upon its return from Denmark - 9th October l808
Commanding General: Lt. General Marques de la Romana
Chief of Artillery: Brigadier Josef Montes Salazar
Chief of Engineers: Colonel Miguel Rengel`

Zamora Infantry Regiment (3)(39/l,757)
Princesa Infnatry Regiment (3)(56/l,953)
lst de Cataluña Light Infantry Regiment (l)(42/l,066)
lst de Barcelona Light Infantry Regiment (l)(37/l,205)
Det/Guadalajara Infantry Regiment (2/l20)
Det/Austrias Infantry Regiment (2/20)
Misc. ill personnel (0/200)

Rey Cavalry Regimetn (4)(37/55l)
Infante Cavalry Regiment (4)(34/56l)
Almansa Dragoon Regiment (4)(38/560)
Villaviciosa Dragoon Regiment (4)(32/580)
Det/Algarve Cavalry Regiment (l/l2)

Artillery (l4/349)
l3 4pdrs
6 8pdrs
6 7" howitzers
Sapper Company (5/59)
Seccion de Historia Militar, Ejercito Español, Estados de la
Organizacion y Fuerza de los Ejercitos Españoles Beligerantes en
la Peninsula, durante la Guerra de España contra Bonaparte, Viuda
é Hijos de D. Antonio Brum, Barcelona, 1822

3rd Almanza Cazadores (right) as they would have appeared in Hamburg in 1807
In June 1808 following the Spanish insurrection, Oman lists in detail the forces on hand with a list of the available cavalry regiments and their strengths with the Almanza theoretically able to field 479 men at that time.

Cavalry (---H) - number of horses
lst Rey Heavy Cavalry Regiment (5)(38/634)(467H)
2nd Reina Heavy Cavalry Regiment (5)(4l/668)(202H)
3rd Principe Heavy Cavalry Regiment (5)(42/573)(434H)
4th Infante Heavy Cavalry Regiment (5)(42/6l5)(494H)
5th Borbon Heavy Cavalry Regiment (5)(42/6l6)(450H)
6th Farnesio Heavy Cavalry Regiment (5)(39/5l7)(359H)
7th Alcantara Heavy Cavalry Regiment (5)(42/589)(490H)
8th Espana Heavy Cavalry Regiment (5)(39/553)(358H)
9th Algarve Heavy Cavalry Regiment (5)(42/572)(455H)
l0th Calatrava Heavy Cavalry Regiment (5)(44/679)(369H)
llth Santiago Heavy Cavalry Regiment (5)(44/549)(370H)
l2th Montesa Heavy Cavalry Regiment (5)(40/667)(259H)
lst Rey Cazadore Regiment (5)(40/577)(l85H)
2nd Reina Cazadore Regiment (5)(42/58l)(42lH)
3rd Almanza Cazadore Regiment (5)(38/598)(479H)
4th Pavia Cazadore Regiment (5)(42/663)(507H)
5th Villaviciosa Cazadore Regiment (5)(35/628)(448H)
6th Sagunto Cazadore Regiment (5)(39/499)(l89H)
lst Numancia Hussar Regiment (5)(4l/630)(327H)
2nd Lusitania Hussar Regiment (5)(42/554)(409H)
3rd Olivenza Hussar Regiment (5)(37/558)(468H)
4th Voluntarios de Espana Hussar Regiment (5)(34/548)(460H)
5th Maria Luisa Hussar Regiment (5)(40/680)(394H)
6th Espanoles Hussar Regiment (5)(38/692)532H)



On their return from Denmark the Almanza headed south towards Badajoz to re-equip and join the forming Army of Estremadura under General Cuesta.


They arrived in time to be included in the force that met and were defeated by Victor's I Corps at Medellin in March.

Spanish Army at Medellin - 28 March l809
Commanding General: Cuesta (24,000 men total)

Forces from Army of Estremadura:
4/Spanish Guard Infantry Regiment
4/Walloon Guard Infantry Regiment
2nd Majorca Infantry Regiment
2nd Catalonia Light Infantry Regiment
Provincial of Badajos
Provincial Grenadiers
Badajoz Infantry Regiment (2)
Zafra Infantry Regiment*
Truxillo Infantry Regiment*
Merida Infantry Regiment
Plasencia Infantry Regiment*
La Serena Infantry Regiment
Leales de Ferdinando VII (2)*
Total l5 Battaliaons

Troops of old Army of Reserve of Madrid
2/Walloon Guard Infantry Regiment
Jaen Infantry Regiment (2)
Irlanda Infantry Regiment (2)
Parovincial of Toledo
Provincial of Burgos
2nd Volunteers of Madrid
3rd Seville Infantry Regiment

Troops from the Army of the Center
Campo Mayor Infantry Regiment
Provincial of Guadix
Provincial of Cordova
Osuna Infantry Regiment (2)
Granaderos del General
Tiradores de Cadiz


Cavalry (3,000 to 3,200)
Old Army of Estremadura
4th Hussar (Volunteers of Spain) Regiment
lst Hussars of Estremadura (formerly Maria Luisa)

From La Romana's Danish Division:
Rey Cavalry Regiment
Infante Cavalry Regiment
Almanza Cavalry Regiment

New Levies:
Cazadores de Llerena
Imperial de Toledo

Other:
Reyna Cavalry Regiment
Artillery & Sappers:
30 guns - (650)
2 Sapper Coys - 200 men
* Not at battle.

Source - Oman, A History of the Peninsular War



My Almanza Dragoon Regiment are composed of figures from AB supplied by Fighting 15s and are the fifth and final regiment completed as part of 2nd Cavalry Division.




References consulted:
Talavera - Wellington's First Victory in Spain, Andrew W. Field
Napoleonic Armies - Ray Johnson
The Armies of Spain and Portugal - Nafziger
History of the Peninsular War - Sir Charles Oman
The Spanish Army of the Napoleonic Wars(1) Chartand & Younghusband (Osprey Men at Arms)
http://www.eborense.es/batalla_talavera1809_indice.html

Next up a full parade of General Albuquerque and his 2nd Spanish Cavalry Division
↧

Spanish 2nd Cavalry Division - Almanza Dragoon Trumpeter

November 24, 2016, 1:56 am
$
0
0
Almanza Dragoon Trumpeter
Ah the joys of painting the Spanish, whilst putting together a resource for others to reference, has caused me to present the latest development in my research into the Almanza Dragoons trumpeter.

Thank you to Louis Lepic for supplying me with this excellent depiction of the actual 1805 uniform for the trumpeter and the need to make a slight alteration to the look of my man which will go on the "odds and ends" to do list known as "snagging" in the building trade.

Onwards and upwards.
↧
Search

Spanish 2nd Cavalry Division at Talavera

November 24, 2016, 11:16 pm
$
0
0
The Spanish 2nd Cavalry Division led by Lieutenant General Jose Maria de la Cueva, Duc de Albuquerque
General Albuquerque heads up the Spanish 2nd Cavalry Division that finishes off a project started back in August of this year and now just leaves the Spanish infantry division under General Bassecourt as the last fighting force to be completed to play the afternoon assault at Talavera.

José María de la Cueva, 14th Duke of Albuquerque and
commander of the Spanish 2nd Cavalry Division at Talavera
If you wish to view the regiments separately or read the plan outlined for completing the division then just follow the links below.

2nd Spanish Cavalry Division - Lieutenant General Duque de Albuquerque
Infante Cavalry Regiment
Alcantara Cavalry Regiment
Pavia Dragoon Regiment
Almanza Dragoon Regiment
1st & 2nd Hussars of Estremadura

The map illustrates the position of the northern valley forces (left) and the Spanish forces deployed to support the Cerro de Medellin. Note the 'Spanish Horse' tucked in behind Anson's and Fane's brigades presenting a formidable cavalry force.
From left to right, front rank, Infante Cavalry Regiment, Alcantara Cavalry Regiment, 1st & 2nd Estremaduran Hussars
Rear rank Almanza and Pavia Dragoon Regiments
A total number of approximately 2,500 men is split between effectively five full regiments or twenty squadrons and has the Estremaduran Hussars amalgamated into one unit of four squadrons and sees the squadron of Carabineros Reales being attached out to the other regiments of dragoons and heavies at a generic four squadrons. Each squadron equates to an average squadron strength of about 125 men each.


So what's next? Well obviously Bassecourt's infantry, but I thought in the lead up to seasonal festivities it might be fun to finish off the French forces by completing the General Staff and so next up will be King Joseph, Marshal Jourdan, Marshal Victor their staff and the remaining French general officers.

In addition to the painting I will be rolling out the plans for the Talavera game going into the new year, plus a few other things!
↧
↧

Talavera 208 - (1809 - 2017) In Support of Combat Stress

November 27, 2016, 4:21 am
$
0
0



July 27th-28th 2017 will be the two-hundred and eighth anniversary of Sir Arthur Wellesley's and the Allied army's victory over Emperor Napoleon's army under King Joseph Bonaparte at the Battle of Talavera, about sixty-five miles south west of Madrid.

The various armies British (red), Spanish (yellow) and French (blue) and their positions approximately June 1809. The armies of Wellesley, Cuesta, Victor, Joseph and Sebastiani would meet in battle at Talavera in July.
The battle was the culmination of the first campaign by Sir Arthur Wellesley against the French in Spain; and proved to be one of Wellesley's most bloodiest victories in the Peninsular War with estimates of over 6,000 British casualties and lost troops, about 1,200 Spanish troops and over 7,000 French. However the Allied forces were left in possession of the field on the evening of the 28th July and Sir Arthur Wellesley would be recognised for the victory and created Viscount Wellington of Talavera.

Talavera 208 is part of a series of wargames, using 18mm Napoleonic figures, designed to chronologically follow the career of Sir Arthur Wellesley, later the Duke of Wellington in the Peninsular War that would see his Anglo Portuguese army support the Spanish to drive Napoleon's forces back into France in 1814 and the Emperor's abdication in that year. Elements of that army would also see action in 1815 at the Battle of Waterloo that would end the Napoleonic Wars once and for all.

The games played so far have been staged and reported on here at JJ's Wargames starting in March 2013 with the first significant engagement by the great British general at Rolica on August 17th 1808 (see the links below to look back at previous games).

The Talavera game is by far the largest and most complex of games organised to date and will see a series of games designed to recreate the actions fought over the two days of July 1809 brought to a conclusion with the final 'Afternoon Attack Scenario' that forms the centre piece of Talavera 208.

Rolica-1808
Action at Ventosa - Vimeiro 1808
Vimeiro Hill - Vimeiro 1808
Vimeiro-1808
Vimeiro-1808, Game Two
Oporto 1809 -205th Anniversary Game
Oporto-1809 Miniature Wargames Magazine (Directors Cuts)

The first work on specific units for the Battle of Talavera commenced with the planning stage announced in my post in May 2014.

Talavera Plans

The first unit of the German Division was presented soon after with the 1st battalion Hessen-Darmstadt Infantry Regiment Gross- und Erbprinz Nr. Four.

Hesse Darmstadt 1st battalion Gross und Erbprinz

What has followed in the last two and a half years has been a regular addition of units required, outlined in the plan of 2014, together with a series of scenarios that breaks the battle of Talavera down into bite size battles that recreates the fighting that happened over the two days of the battle and culminated in the climax of fighting that occurred on the afternoon of the 28th July 1809.


Map to illustrate the four scenarios
(1. Casa de Salinas, 2. Night Attack, 3. Dawn Attack and 4. Attack on the Pajar Vergara)
It is this afternoon attack by the combined French forces that will be the subject of a series of games designed to play-test the scenario plan, commemorate the 208th anniversary, raise as much money as we can for a very important charity, Combat Stress, and just as importantly have and share the fun.

Talavera Series of Linked Battles

Attack at Casa de Salinas
Casa de Salinas-Talavera

The movement of French troops during their daring night attack on the 27th July 1809

Talavera Night Attack

French artillery bombard the British line as their infantry beat out the 'Pas de Charge' in the 'Dawn Attack' scenario
Talavera Dawn Attack


Steve and Will went at it in the Pajar Vergara scenario

The German Division go 'toe to toe' with Spanish troops around the Pajar de Vergara gun redoubt
Talavera Attack on the Pajar de Vergara

Talavera 208


As regular followers of JJ's will know I like to work projects, it's just how my mind works when it comes to planning, and this game really falls into a project in its own right even though it is part of a greater plan.

The Talavera Afternoon Attack scenario, entitled Talavera 208 will be the major project in 2017 and will bring the larger two and half, soon to be three year Talavera build and play project to a close and the collection it has created will form the core of other Peninsular War Napoleonic projects going forward.

Action outside the Casa de Salinas
This post serves several functions in that it announces what is planned to happen going into 2017, serves as a rallying point for participants and interested parties involved with or supporting Talavera 208 going forward and is a blatant attempt to encourage you, the reader to hit one of the many 



buttons liberally sprinkled throughout this post in a subliminal approach to converting your interest and support into hard cash for an excellent charity that is putting hope and recovery into the lives of those who defend our freedom.

To give you an idea of the size of game envisioned I have listed the orders of battle together with an approximate summary of the numbers of figures that will grace the table.

The plan will see the scenario fought on several occasions and the games summarised and reported here on JJ's in the usual way. The games will explore various options that will challenge our respective commanders to get the best from their forces whilst dealing with the key issues that faced their historical counterparts. It is anticipated that with the size of the two armies involved the players will be committed to play over two days to allow plenty of scope for reaching a conclusion and thus a weekend will be arranged here at JJ's.

Regular updates on progress will continue here on JJ's Wargames and on the other two platforms for keeping followers up to date, JJ's Wargames Facebook page.

JJ's Wargames - Facebook

and on the Just Giving page

Just Giving - Talavera208.


with the first game planned to be played June 2017.

The rules used will be Carnage & Glory II and newcomers to JJ's are encouraged to check out the links and posts here on the blog to find out more about this excellent set of computer moderated rules. Links to posts specific to this project can be found by using the labels along the top of the page under the blog banner.




Carnage and Glory II

Carnage & Glory II have been used in all the scenarios too date and tick all the boxes in terms of granularity of detail whilst giving a fun game to play.

All the players involved will be doing their bit for charity as well as having fun and will have the opportunity to own a photo book as a keepsake of what I hope will be a very special set of games that will live long in the memory.

The following orders of battle and the accompanying map show the units that will be involved in the action that featured on the left and centre of the allied line as the French commanders made their grand attack to break the will of the Anglo-Spanish troops to resist.

The statistics that follow each unit show the quality rating from A to D (A being a higher quality in terms of training and morale) with a + or - variation, the number of men in the unit and, for artillery the guns available. Most cavalry regiments are divided into two, approximately two squadron units titled A or B.

At the time of writing the forces remaining to be completed are the the seven Spanish infantry battalions under General Bassecourt, a Spanish horse artillery battery, half a French horse battery, four French limber teams and a dozen French, British and Spanish general officer stands including King Joseph, Marshal Jourdan and Marshal Victor. In addition I will put together some rear area cameo stands with supply wagons, artillery ammunition wagons etc. to complete the look of the battle when it is staged.

All the units completed to date are easily found by clicking on the tabs at the top of this page under 'British Napoleonic', French Napoleonic' and so on for other nationalities you might be interested in. If you are interested in how the units are  painted or based then just clink on the 'Tutorials' label in the side column. All the manufacturers of the figures and flags should be highlighted in the details about the units, if not please drop me a line in the message box at the top of the page, and I will tell you after you have donated to......


The additional pieces and their completion should take us through the first half of 2017 with the first game planned to take place in June 2017.

Talavera 208 

Orders of Battle



 Lieutenant General Sir Arthur Wellesley
 Lawson's Brigade C 145/ 6-3pdr
 Sillery's Brigade C 153/ 4-6pdr[Med] + 2-How.
 Eliott's Brigade C 151/ 4-6pdr[Med] + 2-How.
 Rettberg's Brigade C 144/ 4-6pdr[Med] + 2-How.
 Heyse's Brigade C 149/ 4-6pdr[Med] + 2-How.
-
Brigadier General George Murray
Lieutenant General William Payne

BG Henry Fane at the head of his brigade of Heavy Dragoons (3rd Dragoon Guards, 4th Dragoons)
-
Brigadier General Henry Fane
3rd Dragoon Guards A C+ 255
3rd Dragoon Guards B C+ 273
4th Dragoons A C 279
4th Dragoons B C 271
-
Brigadier General Stapleton Cotton
14th Light Dragoons A C 240
14th Light Dragoons B C 229
16th Light Dragoons A C 253
16th Light Dragoons B C 271
-
Brigadier General George Anson
23rd Light Dragoons A C 229
23rd Light Dragoons B C 224
1st Light Dragoons KGL A C+ 220
1st Light Dragoons KGL B C+ 228
-
2/83rd County of Dublin Regiment of Foot  "Fitch's Grenadiers" -  part of BG Alan Cameron's brigade
Lieutenant General John Coape Sherbrooke
-
Brigadier General Henry Campbell
1/2nd Coldstream Guards C+ 873
1/3rd Scots Guards C+ 917
H.Campbell's Bde. Light Bn. B- 255
-
Brigadier General Alan Cameron
1/61st Foot C 700
2/83rd Foot C- 481
Cameron's Bde. Light Bn. C 183
-
Brigadier General Ernest Baron Langwerth
1st KGL Line Battalion C 544
2nd KGL Line Battalion C 610
Langwerth's Bde. Light Bn. C+ 234
-
Brigadier General Sigismund Baron Low
5th KGL Line Battalion C 549
7th KGL Line Battalion C 501
Low's Bde. Light Bn. C+ 117
-
Major General Rowland Hill
-
2nd Battalion 48th Northamptonshire Regiment of Foot (The Heroes of Talavera)
Brigadier General Christopher Tilson
1/3rd Foot C+ 671
2/48th Foot C- 510
2/66th Foot C- 473
Tilson's Bde. Light Bn. C+ 237
-
Brigadier General Richard Stewart
29th Foot C+ 538
1/48th Foot C 726
1st Battalion of Detachments C- 548
Stuart's Bde. Light Bn. C+ 202
-
Major General Alexander Randoll Mackenzie
2/24th Foot C- 708
2/31st Foot C- 660
1/45th Foot C+ 680
Mackenzie's Bde. Light Bn. C 228
-
Colonel Rufane Donkin
2/87th Foot C- 539
1/88th Foot C 539
5/60th Rifles B- 220
Donkin's Bde. Light Bn. C+ 175
-
Brigadier General Alexander Campbell
2/7th Foot C- 388
2/53rd Foot C- 483
A. Campbell's Bde. Light Bn. C 161
-
Colonel James Kemmis
1/40th Foot C+ 670
97th Foot C+ 452
2nd Battalion of Detachments C- 562
Kemmis' Bde. Light Bn. C+ 244
-
Active Strengths:
16578 Bayonets
2972 Sabres
742 Artillerists
30 Cannon
20292 Total of all arms
44 Standards present
-
Approximately 670 Model Figures



General Gregorio de La Cuesta
1st Battery D+ 148/ 6-12pdr[Med]
5th Battery D+ 101/ 4-4pdr
-
General Portago leads his division and the El Rey Cavalry regiment
Major General Marques de Portago
1st Bn. Badajoz Regiment D- 571
2nd Bn. Badajoz Regiment D- 557
2nd Cazadores de Antequera D- 557
Imperial de Toledo D- 792
Provincial de Badajoz Militia D 577
Provincial de Guadix Militia D 562
El Rey Cavalry Regt A D 229
El Rey Cavalry Regt B D 231
-
Spanish Pavia Dragoon Regiment - attached to General Albuquerque's 2nd Cavalry Division
Lieutenant General Duke of Albuquerque
Carabinieros Reales A D 116
Infante A D 222
Infante B D 226
Alcantara A D 226
Alcantara B D 229
Pavia Dragoons A D 235
Pavia Dragoons B D 230
Almanza Dragoons A D 218
Almanza Dragoons B D 234
1st & 2nd Hussars of Estremadura A D- 233
1st & 2nd Hussars of Estremadura B D- 234
-
Major General Luis Alejandro Bassecourt
1st Bn. Real Marina D+ 572
2nd Bn. Real Marina D+ 583
3rd Africa Line D+ 884
1st Murcia Line D+ 602
2nd Murcia Line D+ 642
1st Reyna Line D+ 705
Provincial de Siguenza D 621
-
Active Strengths:
8225 Bayonets
2637 Sabres
249 Artillerists
10 Cannon
11111 Total of all arms
13 Standards present
-
Approximately 330 Model Figures


Just Giving - Talavera208

 King Joseph Bonaparte
Marechal d'Empire Jourdan
General de Division Alexandre-Antoine se Senarmont
-
Marshal Victor heads up the mighty French I Corps d'Armee
Marechal d'Empire Claude-Victor Perrin
6/8me Artillerie a Pied C 193/ 6-8pdr + 2-How.
2/6me Artillerie a Cheval B- 156/ 4-6pdr[Light] + 2-How.
-
General de Division Francois Amable Ruffin
4/8me Artillerie a Pied C+ 209/ 6-8pdr + 2-How.
-
General de Brigade Claude-Marie Meunier
1/9me Regiment de Legere C 467
2/9me Regiment de Legere C 497
3/9me Regiment de Legere C- 491
1/24me Regiment de Ligne C 472
2/24me Regiment de Ligne C 471
3/24me Regiment de Ligne C- 497
9me Regt. Voltigeur Bn. C 308
24me Regt. Voltigeur Bn. C 308
-
General de Brigade Pierre Barrois
1/96me Regiment de Ligne. C 513
2/96me Regiment de Ligne. C 507
3/96me Regiment de Ligne. C- 476
96me Regt. Voltiguer Bn. C 288
-
General de Division Pierre- Bellon Lapisse
1/8me Artillerie a Pied C 195/ 6-8pdr + 2-How.
-
General de Brigade Jean Bartholomew R Laplanne
1/16me Regiment de Legere C 589
 2/16me Regiment de Legere C 598
3/16me Regiment de Legere C- 470
 1/45me Regiment de Ligne C 455
2/45me Regiment de Ligne C 482
3/45me Regiment de Ligne C- 459
16me Regt. Voltigeur Bn. C 285
45me Regt. Voltigeur Bn. C 285
-
Colonel Phillipon leads the three battalions of the 54me Regiment de Ligne
General de Brigade Jean Baptiste Solignac
1/8me Regiment de Ligne C 496
2/8me Regiment de Ligne C 471
3/8me Regiment de Ligne C- 460
1/54me Regiment de Ligne C 474
2/54me Regiment de Ligne C 486
3/54me Regiment de Ligne C- 489
8me Regt. Voltigeur Bn. C 291
54me Regt. Voltigeur Bn. C 290
-
 General de Division Eugene Villatte
2/8me Artillerie a Pied C+ 198/ 6-8pdr + 2-How.
-
General de Brigade Baron Louis-Victorin Cassagne
1/27me Regiment de Legere C 424
2/27me Regiment de Legere C 409
3/27me Regiment de Legere C- 428
1/63me Regiment de Ligne C 432
2/63me Regiment de Ligne C 411
3/63me Regiment de Ligne C- 422
27me Regt. Voltigeur Bn. C 261
63me Regt. Voltigeur Bn. C 261
-
General de Brigade Jacques Puthod
1/94me Regiment de Ligne C 414
2/94me Regiment de Ligne C 434
3/94me Regiment de Ligne C- 441
1/95me Regiment de Ligne C 447
2/95me Regiment de Ligne C 447
3/95me Regiment de Ligne C- 419
94me Regt. Voltigeur Bn. C 251
95me Regt. Voltigeur Bn. C 250
-
General de Brigade Louis Carriere, Baron Beaumont
1/3me Artillerie a Cheval B- 144/ 4-6pdr[Light] + 2-How.
2me Regiment de Hussards A C 228
2me Regiment de Hussards B C 243
5me Regt. Chasseur a Cheval A C 259
5me Regt. Chasseur a Cheval B C 255
-
 General de Division Horace-Comte Sebastiani
12/7me Artillerie a Pied C+ 201/ 6-8pdr + 2-How.

Oberst Potocki leads the Grand Duchy of Warsaw 4th Infantry Regiment 
-
General de Brigade Baron Jean Pierre-Antoine Rey
5/7me Artillerie a Pied C+ 198/ 6-8pdr + 2-How.
1/28me Regiment de Ligne C 568
2/28me Regiment de Ligne C 582
3/28me Regiment de Ligne C- 580
1/32me Regiment de Ligne C 546
2/32me Regiment de Ligne C 574
3/32me Regiment de Ligne C- 540
28me Regt. Voltigeur Bn. C 345
32me Regt. Voltigeur Bn. C 345
-
General de Brigade Louis Liger-Belair
1/58me Regiment de Ligne C 549
2/58me Regiment de Ligne C 551
3/58me Regiment de Ligne C- 585
1/75me Regiment de Ligne C 575
2/75me Regiment de Ligne C 559
3/75me Regiment de Ligne C- 579
58me Regt. Voltigeur Bn. C 346
75me Regt. Voltigeur Bn. C 345
-
General de Division Baron Jean-Francois Leval
-
Oberst Heinrich Freiherr von Porbeck
III Fuss Batterien Steinmetz C 190/ 6-4pdr + 2-How.
I.von Harrant Nr.4 (Baden) C- 376
II.von Harrant Nr.4 (Baden) C- 367
I.Nassau IR Nr.2 C- 360
II.Nassau IR Nr.2 C- 386
Porbeck's Voltigeur Bn. C- 317
-
Generalmajor David-Hendrik Chasse
3m3 Artillerie a Cheval Trip C 147/ 4-6pdr[Light] + 2-How.
I/2me Regiment Linie C- 393
2/4me Regiment Linie C- 378
Chasse's Voltigeur Bn. C- 154
-
General de Brigade Balthazard-Grandjean
III. Fuss. Batterien Venator C 96/ 4-4pdr
1/Gross und Erbprinz Nr 4 C- 398
2/Gross und Erbprinz Nr 4 C- 371
Rheinbund Bttn von Frankfort C- 391
Grandjean's Voltigeur Bn. C- 225
-
Oberst Feliks Potocki
I. IR Nr 4 (Polish) C 761
II. IR Nr 4 (Polish) C 782
Potocki's Voltigeur Bn. C 260
-
Colonel Ormancey leads his Light Cavalry brigade consisting of the Westphalian Light Horse regiment and the
Vistula Legion Lancer regiment
General de Brigade Antoine Christophe Merlin
Colonel Jean Baptiste Alexandre Strolz
10me Regt. Chasseur a Cheval C 327
26me Regt. Chasseur a Cheval C 216
Colonel Francois-Leon Ormancey
1st Vistula Legion Lancers A C 224
1st Vistula Legion Lancers B C 206
Westplalian Light Horse C 210
-
General de Division Marie Victor-Latour Maubourg
2/5me Artillerie a Cheval B- 145/ 4-6pdr[Light] + 2-How.
-
Colonel Paul Dermoncourt
1e Regiment de Dragons C 280
2me Regiment de Dragons C 280
-
General de Brigade Louis Joseph Cavrois
4me Regiment de Dragons C 284
9me Regiment de Dragons C 276
-
General de Brigade Ignace Laurant Oullenbourg
14me Regiment de Dragons C 271
26me Regiment de Dragons C 273
-
Active Strengths:
32614 Bayonets
3832 Sabres
2072 Artillerists
84 Cannon
38518 Total of all arms
26 Standards present
-
Approximately 1,284 Model Figures

Hot action during the dawn attack on the Cerro de Medellin
Map of the positions on the afternoon of the 28th July 1809
The game is modelled to a ground scale of one inch equating to fifty paces or thirty eight yards, approximately four feet to the mile, thus we have just over two by one miles of the battlefield presented on the table with the units that featured on the day of battle.

As you can see with over 2,000 figures on the table the game should provide a feast for the eye and as well as recording the fun here on JJ's I am looking to firm up a plan to take the game out to shows and provide an opportunity for others to see the collection close up.

The field of battle seen from the Pajar redoubt (left centre) looking north towards the little farm of Valdefuentes
Once the game has been thoroughly play tested, I am looking to make the Talavera collection of scenarios with all the play suggestions and rule adaptations for Carnage & Glory or your preferred set of rules available in a suitable presentation format to anyone mad enough to want to attempt something similar or simply play parts of the two day battle as demonstrated here on the blog.

Just Giving - Talavera208

JJ's Wargames is dedicated to celebrating the passion for our hobby, historical wargaming, and the great activities associated with it of modelling, painting, reading, exploring the great outdoors and the social side with the opportunity to make long lasting friendships sharing that passion.

When pulling Talavera 208 together it seemed to me to be a great and unique opportunity to use it as a vehicle to express in a practical way the value of those aspects of the hobby in support of the men and women who put themselves in harms way to defend the freedom that allow us the time and space to indulge that passion. 

Thus I have decided to dedicate Talavera 208 to support the great work done by the charity, Combat Stress, in support of our modern day veterans, the successors to those that stood in the line in July 1809.

Combat Stress is the UK's leading veterans' mental health charity and I hadn't realized has been around for much longer than I had first thought; being founded in 1919 as the Ex-Servicemen's Welfare Society straight after the First World War.

They have been at the forefront of the change in attitude towards recognising and treating mental health conditions affecting ex-servicemen and women and today support thousands of veterans aged 18 to 97 providing a vital lifeline for these men, women and their families.

Their residential and community treatment programmes support veterans with PTSD, anxiety and depression. They also work in partnership with other organisations to support the welfare of veterans in the community.

Their services are not routinely available through the National Health Service directly or elsewhere and everything they do is free of charge to the veteran, but that work and support cannot be provided without the support of people like you and me.

So please, let's show what our hobby is all about and even if you are not involved in the hobby but like what we are doing with Talavera 208 and would like to support our efforts then please express your support by making a donation to Combat Stress via the "Just Giving" site linked to the project.

Just Giving - Talavera208

In addition, if you can help by raising the profile of Talavera 208 on other blogs, forums and social media, that can only add to making it even more successful for those we seek to support.

So here's looking forward to Talavera 208 and my thanks in anticipation of your support.

JJ
↧

The Seleukid Empire of Antiochus III, 223-187BC - John D Grainger

December 1, 2016, 1:07 pm
$
0
0

Book Review by 'Mr Steve'
This is the middle book of a three part trilogy covering the Rise and Fall of the Seleucid Empire, I read the other two first and left this one until last because Antiochus’ III reign is quite well known, well to me at least, this is because there are quite a lot of surviving Roman documents for this period and he is also involved in two of the big Ancient battles, Raphia and Magnesia. As it happens these two famous battles don’t get a lot of coverage in the book, Magnesia is all over within two pages, Raphia gets slightly more.

What the book really covers is the long reign of perhaps the best of the Seleucid Kings (along with its founder, that is), who not only re-established a crumbling Empire but did something which the majority of the other Kings didn't do, stay alive.

If you have read my previous review of book three, the Fall of the Empire.

http://jjwargames.blogspot.co.uk/2016/04/the-fall-of-seleukid-empire-187-75bc-by.html

then the sequence of events are very similar, Antiochus has to first consolidate his throne, then he starts to re-gather all those sections of the empire that have broken away, he also has the ever present problem of the Ptolomies in Egypt who are his main competition for land plus various civil wars and usurpers to put down . All this happens time after time for the Seleucids; if you have managed to solve all these problems and not been assassinated whilst doing so, plus you have avoided getting on
the wrong end of a Parthian lance and you are still in power, then you get to call the A-Team .. Sorry, that should read, you then get the chance to expand the Empire.

Chapter One: The New King's Survival.
Oddly enough Antiochus wasn’t really expected to be King, he was after all only fourth in line but after a combination of the causes mentioned above, including one who fell of his horse, he was suddenly at the age of twenty the last Seleucid standing. As was usual and repeated down the years, the previous regimes senior administrators were more concerned with keeping themselves in power (and thus alive) and so he had to tread very carefully and to slowly ease out his advisors and generals, none of whom wouldn't have been too upset if he too “accidently fell of his horse”

The political in-fighting and scheming helped him and as the various rivals 'do each other in', he slowly manages to remove all of the old order until finally he is secure on his throne, this chapter is quite interesting.

Chapter Two: The Fourth Syrian war.
Now in charge, Antiochus could start on getting the Empire back together; one ever present thorn in every Seleucid’s side was Coele-Syria (roughly, Palestine/ Palmyra, and the bits that connect up from Egypt). This had been constantly fought over by the Seleucids and the Ptolemy’s, both of whom believed it was their core territory. Currently it was in the hands of the Ptolemy’s, along with bits of Lebanon as well.

A small diversion here to explain about Treaty’s, the Successor Kings firmly believed that after all the fighting was over, any Treaty subsequently agreed would then last for the lifetime of one of the participants, (needless to say this would cause a problem when the Romans came on the scene, as they believed a treaty lasted only until the moment it was no longer convenient).

Battle of Raphia by Igor Dziz
As it happened there was a new King as well on the Egyptian throne, Ptolemy IV, who is also quite an interesting person, one of his first actions is to murder his mother, he then arms the Egyptian population in order to defeat Antiochus which subsequently turns out to have been a very bad idea later on and he also builds the largest human powered warship known. (For us Ancient Naval wargamers, a 40!) . With his coming to the throne its all down hill for Ptolemaic Egypt from now on until the day Cleopatra gets her Asps out and Rome takes over.

So with no current treaty in place Antiochus can try to regain Coele Syria, he first has a problem in Asia Minor with his last major rival to deal with but after a brief campaign sufficient for a temporary truce to be agreed, he sets off south. The area is heavily fortified and he struggles to make any progress, eventually he finds a route through and decides to bypass the numerous cities rather than securing them first and instead heads for Egypt to try and force a battle, fortunately coming the other way is Ptolemy and they fight the battle of Raphia, which Antiochus loses. Ptolemy orders numerous Steele /stones to be set up telling everyone what a hero he was.


(See recent Ancient Warfare magazine issue X.2 for Raphia and Steele)
https://www.karwansaraypublishers.com/pw/ancient-warfare/previous-issues/ancient-warfare-x.2/

Battle of Raphia, elephants in action - Artist Unknown
Chapter Three: Akhaios and Attalos
With a Peace treaty now in place with Ptolemy, any further action over Coele Syria was out of the question (see above) so Antiochus turned his attention to Asia Minor instead, the Attalids ruled Pergamum and Akhaios was more of a powerful rebel Seleucid governor who decided that it was good to be called a King. Reasonably secure in his area it would need a major effort to shift him, he even had a try at heading south and going for the big prize when the 4th Syrian war was on but when
his troops got to the southern border and realised what was up, they told him that they were going back home and he should be happy with what he had.

Antiochus rebuilds his army and invades, defeats Akhaios and regains control of this mini breakaway kingdom but unfortunately doesn't then continue and finish off Attalos, instead he retakes any lost cities and is content to just push him back into Pergamum territory and agreeing a treaty, this will come back and bite him later.

Phew, I can see why I stopped doing this, how many more chapters are there….eight!, I'd better speed this up a bit.

Chapter Four: The Expedition to the East
After Coele–Syria the next thing on any Seleucid King's list of things to do was to sort out the Eastern bits of the empire, we are talking modern day Iraq/Iran/ Afghanistan, which is a huge area. At this time the Parthians were only a bit “uppity” so could still be dealt with by a strong show of force. Antiochus did just that, he also appointed new loyal governors in the big cities, accepted the submission of recalcitrant areas, did a little fighting with the more stubborn and then went to see what the Bactrian’s had been up to. Bactria was a really long way from Antioch; it bordered onto India and
had been broken away from the Empire for more than a generation. When Antiochus finally arrived there was some more fighting, heavy at times, but eventually everyone sensibly reached a compromise, as long as he was acknowledged as King, well they could more or less do what they wanted. After all he probably wouldn't ever be coming back so …

You know what its like, you all line up outside, smile and wave until the visitor’s car is out of sight; you then turn to your partner and say “Thank God we will never see them again”

I guess the Bactrian’s thought something similar, but in Greek

After that its a quick pop into India, pick up some more elephants and then set off back home the long way, he deliberately followed the same route as Alexander had done with the added intention of making the propaganda point of ensuring everyone this time didn't die of thirst whilst doing so.

Wargaming Point: maybe Bactrian’s v Seleucids.

Chapter Five: Asia Minor again
Whilst he was away in the East, Antiochus’ governor in Asia Minor had been following orders and gradually expanding outwards into anywhere not under Attalid or Ptolemaic control, then Ptolemy IV meets an unpleasant end thus breaking the Raphia treaty. Antiochus takes this opportunity to come himself into Asia Minor and starts mopping up all of the cities that had been controlled by the Ptolemy’s (mostly along the coast). The Macedonian King Phillip V had the same idea and started to do the same; the two Kings reached an agreement over areas of interest and thus avoided conflict. Still no one bothered to finish off the Attalids in Pergamum.

Chapters Six/Seven: the Fifth Syrian War
Egypt was in real trouble, Ptolemy V , the new King was only six years old so the kingdom was run by various regents, which, similar to the start of Antiochus reign, schemed against each other to the detriment of the Kingdom. It was also now that arming and forming an Egyptian phalanx by Ptolemy IV for the Battle of Raphia was to rebound, a huge revolt started in the south resulting in a breakaway kingdom and over twenty years of fighting. It paralysed the Ptolemaic kingdom until it was finally defeated (The Rosetta stone is from this period).

The Egyptian regents knew that after Antiochus had finished in Asia Minor he would be very quickly heading south so they had already done some preparation in advance by hiring as many mercenaries as they could get their hands on, mostly Greeks from Aitolia.

Antiochus learning from his mistakes in the Fourth Syrian War prepared the ground in advance, he bribed all the key governors beforehand to change sides and those cities he couldn't bribe he captured.

This time the big battle was much further north (Raphia was on the Egyptian border SW of Gaza). The not so well known battle of Panion was a major Seleucid victory and resulted in the complete take over of Coele-Syria. Antiochus then returned to Asia Minor to mop up any remaining Cities and to start expanding further towards the Bosporus.

Chapter Eight: Thrace, Peace and the Romans
This chapter is the build up to Antiochus’ clash with Rome; in it Grainger starts to outline the causes that leads to eventual war although at first everything appears quite normal. By now, Rome had defeated Phillip V in the 2nd Macedonian war and whilst they had left him in power they had however “freed “all of the Greek states and then imposed a political settlement over all of Greece, which half of them liked and the which the other half hated. Unaware of the chaos they had left behind the Romans then went back home.

Antiochus had crossed the Bosporus and was now busy campaigning in Thrace with the intention of re-taking what he considered to be hereditary lands, he rebuilt cities and subdued various tribes. Frankly at this time the Romans didn't care but of course we all know that they reserved the right to change this opinion the minute it didn't suit them. Envoys were sent to discus two small problems, keep away from Rhodes who were Rome’s allies and the status of three small towns in Asia Minor previously held by Phillip and that Antiochus had not yet taken over.

Chapter Nine: The Roman War: Greece
There was a lot of unhappiness around at this time; Rhodes and Pergamum were constantly badgering Rome to attack Antiochus out of fear, one half of Greece didn't like the Roman settlement and badgered Antiochus to join them, the other half did the same with Rome. Everyone wanted war apart from the two main players and yet that’s what happened.


As they would do again some years later with Mithradates VI of Pontus, the Aitolian league pulled Antiochus into a war with Rome over Greece. It’s a relatively short affair as Antiochus only sends 10,000 men who are defeated and withdrawn back to Asia, oddly they initially try and hold the Romans at Thermopylae, the Seleucid Phalanx blunts the Romans frontal attack and so they do exactly what the Persians did and marched around the side, this works again despite everyone knowing the original story.

The Aitolians rapidly agree a temporary truce and the Romans head off to Asia Minor.

Chapter Ten: The Roman War: Asia
The Romans eventually cross into Asia Minor where they are joined by Eumenes II the current King of Pergamum with fresh supplies and troops; meanwhile there is a struggle for control of the seas with the Rhodians joining in with Rome and Hannibal helping out the Seleucids as a temporary admiral. Outnumbered the Seleucids lose all the sea battles and Hannibal is unable to fight his way past the Rhodians to reinforce the main fleet.

Battle of Magnesia
Antiochus has used his time to gather reinforcements and is waiting for the Romans and their allies at Magnesia, interestingly his army is relatively small considering his empire and is nowadays estimated at being slightly less than the Roman army who had around 50,000 men. Well he loses as we know and the Peace Treaty sees him pay a huge fine, strips him of Thrace, Asia Minor, elephants and ships.

Chapter Eleven: Return to the East
Whilst this defeat was bad news it wasn’t terrible, he had only really lost what he had recently regained, everything else was still under control, more annoying perhaps was the permanent loss of a strong recruiting area for the future.

But this is were the book quickly comes to the end, after some time spent settling affairs resulting from the war with Rome, Antiochus decides its time to go back East and to quell signs of possible rebellion, also the old Bactrian king had recently died thus making the treaty null and void. The new king had already started to expand out into areas that he shouldn't have so a sharp reminder perhaps was in order and more importantly a new treaty needed to be put in place.

After leaving Babylon and still heading eastwards, he heard about a Temple containing a lot of treasure, Temples at this time were used not only for offerings but also as a type of bank for the local population. He had done this thing before when he was last out in the East and he decided that whilst the army kept marching he and a few men would make a short diversion to the Temple and make a withdrawal. What he had forgotten was that previously when he had done this he always had the
entire army behind him, one King and a few men cannot stop an angry mob of outraged bank customers. He seized the treasure and then the mob seized him. No one survived, well, apart from the mob that is.

And that’s it; there is no conclusion just footnotes and the Index.

My conclusion:
I enjoyed the book, Grainger does a good job of taking the available information and not only comparing all the versions to decide on what is the most plausible but also gathering together tiny snippets of information from other things like coins, inscriptions, dedications and decrees etc. At first glance some of this may not immediately appear to be relevant but his analysis of names, dates and locations is well done and he can thus put forward a believable case for his assumptions. This has
become very common nowadays and sometimes this leads to wild claims based on a single word, name or archaeological discovery but in this case it’s very well done throughout all three books.

So bar the one dull chapter in Book One this is a good set of books and I enjoyed reading them all.
Pages: 228
Main Text: 195 pages
Priced at £19.99
Best Price I found today was: £13.76 ABE Books
↧

Battlefields in Devon - Battle of Torrington 1646

December 4, 2016, 7:17 am
$
0
0
Very fine illustration of a cavalry trooper of the period armed with a wheel-lock pistol, one
of the five illustrations I bought in Torrington by Chris Collingwood 
It was back in December 2015 that Will and I spent a very rainy, wet afternoon exploring Bovey Tracey and Bovey Heath as we retraced the actions of Oliver Cromwell during the fighting that happened their in January 1646; as the New Model Army lay siege to Royalist controlled Exeter and the two forces skirmished with each other in the Devon winter countryside.

There is a link to that post along with the others in the series below the map of Devon showing the battles covered so far and the subject of this post, the Battle of Torrington, February 16th, 1646.

In the post about the Battle of Bovey Heath, I covered the background to the English Civil War in Devon up to the battle, and the Battle of Torrington occurred soon after in the February as part of the same campaign so if you want to understand the situation leading up to this battle, then I would suggest reading the Bovey Heath post first.


Battlefields in Devon - Battle of Bindon
Battlefields in Devon - Battle of Bovey Heath
Battlefields in Devon - Battle of Lydford
Battlefields in Devon - Battle of Sourton Down

This time my companion back to the English Civil War was Will's elder brother Tom, and the weather we enjoyed on the day was much better than the previous year. That said it was great to be able to picture the area at a similar time of year to when the battle happened three-hundred and seventy years ago.

The journey up from Exmouth took just over an hour and after parking the car in the town centre car park we decided to partake of a tea and mid-morning cake in the themed 1646 cafe close by, before setting off on our four and half mile walk around the town exploring where the fighting happened.

http://www.torrington-1646.co.uk

While enjoying our pre-walk refreshments I noticed some great illustrations of Civil War soldiers by Chris Collingwood done in the early 90's together with a hard back copy of "The Cromwellian Gazeteer" by Peter Gaunt which is an illustrated guide to Britain in the Civil War and Commonwealth. So five cards and a book for just over £12.00, what a nice start to the day.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cromwellian-Gazetteer-Illustrated-Commonwealth-Paperbacks-x/dp/0750900636

The illustrations I bought accompany this post to help capture the look of the combatants on that winters day in 1646.

So following the cavalry clash at Bovey Heath in January, both armies settled back into winter quarters with Sir Thomas Fairfax concentrating on strangling Exeter of any succour from the Royalists in Devon, confident that starvation would force the city to surrender.

Sir Ralph Hopton, General commanding Royalist forces in Devon in 1646
Meanwhile the commander of Royalist forces in the Westcountry, the fifteen year old Prince Charles, together with the real commander, the wiley experienced Lord Ralph Hopton who had led the Royalists in the Westcountry from the start of the war, were focused on raising as many men as they could from the local Royalist sympathisers to prepare for the next stage of the struggle.

Hopton's army had been denuded of veteran soldiers sent north to bolster the King's main army. These men had been lost as the war had turned in favour of Parliament and now outnumbered he was forced to gather in the inexperienced local volunteers to form around the core of veterans he still had with him.

Prince Charles c1642-43 by William Dobson aged 12-13. Nominally in command of the Royalist Army,
the boy was just 15 when he escaped capture at Torrington in 1646
At the end of January, Hopton at Launceston in Cornwall had successfully raised an army of about 7,000 men of whom about half were cavalry. Enthusiastic for the cause but very under-trained and poorly equipped, they were, despite their numbers, a poor match for the New Model Army under Sir Thomas Fairfax and Oliver Cromwell.

Sir Thomas Fairfax commanding the New Model Army
Thus Hopton decided on a strategy of discretion over valour, that would buy him time to improve the training and abilities of his force whilst avoiding any serious fighting and perhaps outmanoeuvring his Parliamentary foes at the same time.

He thus opted for a plan to cross the River Tamar from Cornwall into Devon, heading for Barnstaple where he would collect supplies and ammunition.

He would then develop the march into a move around the southern edge of Exmoor to threaten the New Model's rear area, before falling rapidly back to Launceston in response to the New Model likely moving to protect their supply line, thus drawing them away from Exeter and relieving the city.


On the face of it the plan looked like a good one providing his army was mobile enough to avoid interception and pursuit and thus any serious fighting.

However the New Model Army and particularly the cavalry under Cromwell were going to be difficult to outmanoeuvre without being detected at the best of times and Hopton's plan began to unravel on arriving in Torrington on the 9th of February, to discover that Fairfax was already on the march to intercept him rather than moving north east to protect his supply line.

The hunter was now the hunted and it was Hopton who risked being cut off from Cornwall if he advanced any further, thus either forcing him into ignominious retreat before his campaign had really started or a defiant stand in the steep hill top town of Torrington with it medieval walls and to try and cause as much damage to Fairfax's army as possible using favourable terrain.

Choosing to make a stand, Hopton set his men at strengthening the old Parliamentary works left when they had controlled the town in 1642 and building barricades with fire-steps at each and every entrance. The church was commandeered as a supply depot and makeshift prison for captured Parliamentary troops and with houses near the barricades used to billet the troops guarding them, Lord Hopton and Prince Charles took up residence in the Black Horse Inn in the High Street.

Whilst Hopton was busy fortifying Torrington the New Model Army was on the march from Exeter enduring heavy rains that quickly turned the high hedged narrow Devon roads into a quagmire that must have made the march an even worse slog without warmth or shelter.

Both armies were lacking artillery, Hopton because he didn't have any to bring, Fairfax because he realised the terrain prohibited the moving of guns easily and the high banked stone built hedgerows characteristic of Devon minimised the effect of artillery by providing ample cover from such fire to defending troops.

Thus both armies were composed of cavalry and infantry with about half of Hopton's 7,000 men being composed of each type and the 10,000 men of the New Model Army having 2,000 cavalry and about 1,000 dragoons or mounted infantry.

Map illustrating the move to contact on the 6th February 1646 between the two armies
The two armies made first contact, with the rain finally having stopped, at about 2pm on a sunny 16th February near the hamlet of Whitsley Barton on the road to Torrington when opposing cavalry met at the fast flowing stream in the valley below.

The Royalist cavalry fell back about a mile on its supports to halt the Parliamentary advance at Allin's Week on the outskirts of Torrington.


At about 4pm the main Parliamentarian Army came up pushing the Royalist line back towards the town and swinging west towards Hatch Moor and the flatter ground above the steep ravine of the River Torridge that runs to the south west of the town. The advance then came to a halt as Fairfax and his commanders surveyed the Royalist defensive positions in front of the eastern side of the town with infantry lining the thick banked hedgerows that barred their approach to the old medieval wall beyond.

Thus our tour around the battle begins from the focal point, visible to the New Model Army as they prepared to attack the Royalist defensive lines, namely St Micheal and All Angels Church.

Point 1 - St Micheal & All Angels Church 

The church in Torrington makes an excellent point of reference when walking this battle as its new spire acts as a perfect easily seen landmark. It is a replacement for the damage caused to the original  by the explosion that occurred during the battle as Royalist ammunition supplies caught light, practically destroying the building and doing enormous damage to the other town dwellings nearby.

It served as our start and finish point and the repair work carried out after the battle is easily observed in the walls where the newer stone can be seen distinctly from the lower original stonework


Note the lighter stone work directly under the roof showing the post battle repair work 

The Church served as a makeshift prison for captured Parliamentary soldiers and as an ammunition and supplies store.
From the church we set off down New Street and Calf Street, which forms the busy main A386 road through the town from Barnstaple to Bideford. By heading east we were moving out of the town towards the area protected by the medieval wall, its barricades and the forward defence lines occupied by the Royalists on the late afternoon of the 16th February.

Point 2 - Calf Street, Hatchmoor Road - Royalist Front-line



With the light fading as the winter afternoon drew to a close Fairfax was unsure whether to press an attack on an unknown force occupying prepared defences protected by thick hedgerow lined infantry positions. Most of his commanders advised waiting until next morning which was the plan about to be adopted until Cromwell joined the meeting fresh from his reconnaissance of the Royalist positions.

Noticing the raw recruits among the Royalist troops and suspecting Hopton's plan to withdraw under the cover of darkness he forcibly advised an immediate attack which with his colleagues falling silent became the order issued to the troops and the attack began at 6pm.


The Parliamentary line was drawn up some 500 yards from the Royalist positions across the fields straddling Hatchmoor Road. The first attack came from fifty Parliamentary dragoons attempting to move unobserved on to the flank of the Royalist lines, only to be rapidly repulsed as the Royalists reacted quickly to the move and drove them off with devastating volley fire.

Thus with all attempts at finesse being abandoned, the New Model Army advanced along the line initiating fierce fighting as the infantry battled for control of each hedge-line; with Parliamentary numbers gradually forcing the issue in their favour and the Royalist grudgingly giving ground as they fell back in the evening gloom towards the town walls.

The view along Calf Street looking west towards the church as we walk towards the town outskirts
The town proudly presents its history with pertinent reminders of great events three hundred and seventy years ago
The picture below is taken from Point 2 on the battle map plan and is about the centre of the Royalist line looking towards the north high ground from where the New Model dragoons attempted their flank attack.

The thick hedgerows are easily apparent in the open country bordering the town and today as then would present a formidable obstacle to attacking infantry advancing over the fields.


View from Point 2 looking towards the New Model lines 500 yards further on
A 'Roundhead Officer' recorded after the battle that he and his men had fought their way over thirteen hedges during this phase of the battle.

View from Point 2 looking south east with the ground dropping sharply way right of picture towards the river valley 
From the hedgerow lines we walked back along the road into town following the route of the fighting as two armies coalesced around the barricades blocking entry into the town via the medieval wall.

Point 3 - East Street - Royalist Barricades

The old town wall is no longer standing but originally followed the line of East Street that links the two blue crosses on the map above showing the positions of the barricades through it.


With the two armies now locked in deadly struggle the Royalists fell back in good order clambering over the wall and barricades using ladders and pulling them up behind them.

It was 8pm as the fighting developed on the wall and the Royalist musketeers fired their volleys at 40 yards into the ranks of the attackers, leaping down from the fire step to reload being replaced by pikemen using their 16 foot long pikes and much shorter swords to carry on fending off the attackers while they did.

Point 3 and the view north along East Street. The house at the end of the road is where one barricade was set up and the medieval wall followed the road on the right of picture.

At the southern end of East Street with the medieval wall on the left of picture and the junction with Well Street, right of picture
The main focus of the Parliamentary attack was aimed at the Well Street barricade and it was here that a breach was finally made in the defence line when a section of it collapsed and the Royalist defenders were quickly overcome.

The New Model troops quickly reformed on the other side and began a steady advance along Well Street with pikes to the fore. General Hopton was close by when the breach was made and both he and his second in command, Major Webb, had their horses hit by enemy musketry, with Webb's horse being killed on the spot and both officers forced to flee back into town as the defenders gave way.

Looking east along Well Street towards the town centre. The second barricade blocked the street about in between the light blue care (left) and the white care on road (right)
From the site of the barricade in Well Street, Tom and I followed Hopton's retreat route along it as he made his way back to his headquarters in the Black Horse.

Point 4 - Royalist Rout to the Black Horse



Again as we made our way to Point 4 at the Black Horse Inn the references to past events were well signed.


I doubt if Hopton and Webb had time for a quick half when he passed 'The Cavalier'!
On entering the town square in Torrington, the eye is immediately attracted to the old pub in one corner of it, particularly if it is lunch time and you have been wondering about outside for a couple of hours.

Purely in the interests of historical research we decided to check out the snug and refreshments as we surveyed a very important site in the tale of the Battle of Torrington.

The beautiful old 'Black Horse' pub dating back to 1681 and Hopton's HQ during the battle.
When Hopton reached the Black Horse Inn his horse reared up and died on the cobbles outside having finally succumbed to the bullet wound received in the head at the fall of the Well Street barricade.

Quickly leaving on a new horse acquired from its stables he left to rally the Royalist troops now starting to fall back in disorder through the streets with the New Model troops in pursuit.



As the Royalist defence began to collapse, the Parliamentary troops broke through to the High Street at Point 4 and the Black Horse was thoroughly ransacked by them, although they did hand over to Cromwell, Lord Hopton's pay-chest which was quickly put under guard.

The doors which both sides troops entered and left, I would imagine because
of the haste, both Prince Charles and Lord Hopton's bills were left unpaid
May be different brands available but the snug probably hasn't changed much since 1646.
With his army falling into disarray in the night time battle for the town, Tom and I followed Hopton's route to Point 5 on the map below as the Royalist general sought out his cavalry reserve on the western side of town under Sir John Digby.

Point 5 - Hopton sends in Digby's Cavalry Reserve


It was here at the junction of Warren Lane and New Street that Hopton issued orders for Digby to manage a rearguard with his cavalry conducting charges on the pursuing Parliamentarian troops to take the pressure off his own men now desperately trying to get clear of the town under cover of darkness


It was whilst in discussion with Digby that the night was split asunder by a massive explosion in the church as the Royalist powder reserves ignited raining the town in burning debris and molten lead and taking off roofs and blowing in windows.

The Royalist cavalry were able to take advantage of the stunning affect on the attackers the explosion had and charged into town before falling back as the Parliamentary troops regained their composure.

With a little respite gained from the pursuit, Hopton and Digby covered the withdrawal of Royalist troops-in the direction of the Cornish border via the Old Bridge at Point 6 on the map above.

Point 6 - Last Stand at the Old Bridge

I have driven the roads in this area for over thirty years for work and had passed the Old Bridge at Torrington numerous times without ever realising its presence or significance.


Like the re-built church and the Black Horse pub, the Old Bridge is a veteran from the battle and it was across its arches that Hopton and Digby covered the retreat of the Royalist army making their last stand on the east bank before moving off in the darkness.

Tom stands in for Lord Hopton on the Old Bridge
The east bank where Hopton & Digby held off pursuing New Model Cavalry as the Royalist troops made their escape.
A very old bridge now in retirement next to the more modern road bridge close by
From the Old Bridge at Point 6 we then made our way along the east bank of the River Torridge to Point 7 and the bridge at Taddiport that was the main point of retreat for the Royalist troops as Digby's cavalry rearguard drew the attention of the pursuit away from them.

Point 7 - Last to Escape at Taddiport


The Torridge Inn is on the hill side road leading down from the town to the river

The bridge at Taddiport and the road leading away to Royalist Cornwall  and away from the New Model Army now in possession of Torrington

The bridge was rebuilt and widened in the Victorian era and occupies the site of the original
From Taddiport and with the afternoon fading Tom and I headed up the hill back into town building a good appetite with the steep walk.

Having walked the town we both had a really good understanding of how this battle had unfolded and where the main points of action had taken place.

The Black Horse was the highlight with the feel of the place taking the knowledgeable visitor straight back into history and that dangerous night in 1646.

There was one final place we both wanted to see and pay our respects to back at the church.

Point 1 - Last Resting Place of the Fallen

Unmarked and casually walked past by Xmas shoppers is a mound topped with cobblestones next to the church now topped off with trees lining the path.


The mound marks the main burial pit for some of the soldiers killed that night in the battle. It seemed to me rather sad that no formal memorial marked their presence or recorded their sacrafice, and it is easy to overlook the terrible price these great battles cost in mens lives easily forgotten over the centuries.

The struggle for freedom has always demanded the highest price and this anonymous mound near a Devon churchyard is a poignant reminder of that price.

Postscript 
Once over the River Torridge the Royalist troops headed south west back to their base at Launceston and Hopton was able to rally 5,000 of them after the battle, though much dispirited and lacking in arms and accoutrements.

After spiriting away the young Prince Charles to safety and refuge in France, Hopton would surrender his exhausted army to Fairfax in the following March after which, following a short period of imprisonment he was allowed to follow Charles into exile, dying in Brussels in 1652. 

Sources consulted for this post
Battlefield Walks Devon - Rupert Mathews
↧

Vikings!!

December 11, 2016, 3:18 am
$
0
0

Yesterday was spent very happily getting stuck into a large Dark Ages game at the Devon Wargames Group.

If you would like to see how things turned out, just follow the link to the DWG blog

A Ravens Feast at Littleham Cross

The end of year big game is a traditional event in that the club where we usually run three separate games at each meeting to cater for all comers.


However with the Season of Goodwill to All Men fast approaching we like to come together for one last game of the year and go large on the table, figures, mince pies and other goodies that are needed to support a large army on campaign.


You will have seen Saxons prepared by myself and Tom, together with Viking leaders and Scots as part of Mr Steve's contribution and now I can present Steve M's Vikings of which these are a small sample as he has been very busy in recent weeks producing his pagan host.


These chaps together with the others featured were all in action yesterday and I think we will be playing quite a few more games with these chaps going forward.

Nice work Steve.
↧
↧

Talavera 208 - King Joseph, Marshals Jourdan, Victor and General de Division Sebastiani

December 13, 2016, 10:50 pm
$
0
0

King Joseph Bonaparte (1768 - 1844) 

The Emperor Napoleon's elder brother, Joseph, was a lawyer and French diplomat before being appointed King of Naples by the Emperor following his occupation of the territory in 1806.

When the French invaded Spain, Napoleon, in some desperation, turned to Joseph to become his puppet King following the abdication of the Spanish Bourbon Royal family and somewhat reluctantly Joseph agreed to take the job entering Madrid on the 20th July in the wake of Imperial French forces.


What followed was popular uprising against French occupation, forcing the Emperor to enter the country himself in 1808 to restore the French position before turning it back over to his Marshals in early 1809, forced to deal with a new war with Austria.


Joseph was not a soldier and Napoleon never intended for him to command in Spain, hoping to leave the subjugation of the country to his Marshals who were very experienced and had no intention of allowing Joseph to interfere with their operations.

As the French forces sought to defeat the remaining Spanish armies following Napoleon's lightning campaign, they only hardened Spanish resistance with their rapacious habits of terror, theft, rape and murder against the civilian population, rendering Joseph's attempts at winning hearts and minds over to a new Spain governed under the Code Napoleon practically useless.

His early attempts to introduce legislation to curb gambling and heavy drinking, only encouraged a rumour that the French King enjoyed a drink or three himself, thus earning himself the nickname from Spaniards "Pepe la Botella" or Pepe the Bottle, a derisive name that became common parlance among all classes of Spanish society.


When General Wellesley and the British army re-entered Portugal in 1809 and defeated Marshal Soult, Joseph's frustration at his inability to command and co-ordinate the Marshals drove him to take action by putting himself at the head of French forces defending his capital, Madrid, and prove his military credentials and thus assert his authority.

Talavera was to be the first battle at which Joseph was present and supposedly in command, but he can be forgiven if he struggled to assert himself over his commanders given the undermined position his younger brother had put him in.



I have modelled Joseph on a suitably dappled white charger dressed in the uniform of a Colonel of his own Spanish Guard Grenadiers, whose look mirrored that of of the Emperor's guard all be it with buff instead of white facings. As you can see this has been interpreted as an orangey buff to the more lighter version seen in the top portrait which is what I decided to go with.


To capture Joseph's appearance I decided to use a French mounted officer with a head swap using a senior French general officer in bicorne.


Accompanying the King is his senior military advisor, the greying Marshal Jourdan, together with members of the Spanish Guard Hussars and Imperial ADC's wearing white brassards and white and red plumes worn by members of the senior commanders headquarters staff to distinguish them from other staff officers.


Marshal Jean-Baptiste Jourdan (1762 - 1833)

Jourdan joined the French army in 1778 as a private soldier, serving in the American War of Independence and was present at the siege of Savannah in 1779. Later he served in the West Indies where he, like many European soldiers, became ill which forced a return to France and him to leave the army in 1782.

In 1789 he returned to the Colours and joined the Revolutionary National Guard and quickly rose to General de Division in 1793. From 1794 to 1795 his star was in the ascendancy as he led the 70,000 man Army of the Sambre et Meuse defeating the Austrians at the Battle of Fleurus and taking Belgium and the Dutch Republic as the Allied forces were forced to withdraw.


However 'fickle fortune' took a hand in the following campaign of 1796 when in company with General Moreau's forces pushing the Austrians back through Bavaria to the Austrian frontier, Jourdan was caught in a flank manoeuvre by a certain Archduke Charles and beaten at the Battle of Amburg. The campaign then went from bad to worse seeing the French forced back by the end of the year and Jourdan identified as the scape goat for the failure.


His military career then went on hold and he was forced to focus on politics, formulating the Conscription Law in 1798, later known as Jourdan's Law, before returning to military duties in 1799.

He opposed the 'coup' of  the 9th November that brought Napoleon to power as First Consul, but was soon reconciled with the new regime, being appointed Inspector General of Cavalry and Infantry in 1800 and appointed a Marshal in 1804 by the Emperor Napoleon, later overseeing command in Naples alongside Joseph.


When Napoleon bullied his brother Joseph into taking the Spanish throne in 1808 he appointed Jourdan as his military advisor.

Imperial ADC's displayed the rank of their commander with brassards and plume colours
Plume /Brassard , Brigade - Lt Blue/ Lt Blue, Division - Black and Red/Red, Commander - White and Red/White 
Jourdan was certainly an experienced commander and he is believed to have offered Joseph sound if somewhat cautionary advice. He was by 1808 past holding an active command of his own and like Joseph was unable to exert any influence over the other French Marshals. It was Jourdan who would again play the roll of scape goat for French failure at Talavera, being replaced by Marshal Soult after the battle, only to return to his former post in 1812 when Soult was recalled for the invasion of Russia.


I wanted an older looking general officer model to represent Jourdan, he was 43 in July 1809, and so used the AB model of the bespectacled Marshal Davout, but gave the figure a suitably grey haired appearance as seen in his portraits.

Marshal Victor, Duke of Belluno (1764 - 1841)

Claude Victor Perrin, entered the artillery as a private age 17 and was noticed by a certain Colonel Bonaparte at the siege of Toulon in 1793 for his leadership qualities soon rising to the rank of General de Division in 1797.


If Jourdan represented the old guard of revolutionary generals, then Victor certainly represented the new generation of ambitious young officers who were able to ascend to to high command under the patronage of Napoleon.


He particularly distinguished himself at the battle of Marengo and was present at the battles of Jena, Pultusk and Friedland where he again gained the notice of the Emperor whilst leading I Corps and was created a Marshal soon after.

http://www.napoleon.org/en/history-of-the-two-empires/articles/friedland-or-the-consecration-of-marshal-victor/


Victor led his I Corps d'Armee into Spain in 1808 defeating Blake's Spanish army at Espinosa and together with the Emperor spearheading the attack through the Somosierra Pass leading to the capture of Madrid.


In 1809 he he won decisive victories over Spanish forces at the battles of Ucles and Medellin where in the latter he he defeated General Cuesta's 35,000 men with just his own corps of 16,000.

Uniform of a French Marshal
By the time of Talavera, Victor had won for himself a reputation for outstanding bravery and impetuosity which goes much of the way to explain how he came to have his way over the weak willed Joseph and the cautious Jourdan.


However Victor had never fought the British and he seems to have been totally oblivious about their tactics or abilities and his troops paid a heavy price for his ignorance and impetuosity.

For my model of Victor I chose to use the AB model of Marshal Ney as a suitable stand in as another of Napoleon's rather impetuous commanders.


Alongside the commander of I Corps can be seen a senior staff officer drawn from the ranks of the 2nd Hussars

French 2nd Hussars were part of the Light Cavalry brigade under GdB Beaumont in Victor's I Corps

General de Division Sebastiani (1771 - 1851)

General Horace Francois-Bastien Sebastiani commanded IV Corps at Talavera. Like Napoleon, he was a Corsican and was commissioned into the army in 1789.


Sebastiani served as the future Emperor's cavalry commander in the Army of Italy during his Italian campaign and saw action at Marengo. After the campaign he was sent on his first diplomatic missions to Turkey and Egypt before promotion to General de Brigade in 1803.


In 1805 he was wounded leading a cavalry brigade at Austerlitz and was subsequently promoted to General de Division.


He then returned to the diplomatic corps serving as Napoleon's ambassador at Constantinople, before returning to the army in 1808 to command an infantry division in Lefebvre's IV Corps as part of the Emperor's Grand Armee for the invasion of Spain.


He saw action with his division at Zornosa in October in pursuit of Blake's Spanish army and at the end of the year was promoted to command IV Corps when Lefebvre was sacked for continuously disobeying orders.

In early 1809 he and IV Corps were deployed south of Madrid observing General Cartaojal's Army of La Mancha which in the March he successfully attacked and routed at Cuidad Real.


However the Spanish troops soon rallied after their defeat  and Cartaojal was replaced by General Venegas who was supposed to have detained Sebastiani and his corps whilst Wellesley and Cuesta moved against Victor at Talavera. He however skilfully slipped away from Venegas to bring his troops along with those of King Joseph to fight at Talavera.


Sebastiani was more suited to leading a cavalry charge than high command. His corps acted with little cohesion during the battle, with the German Division becoming disorientated during its advance and attacking first when it was supposed to have attacked last in a plan to refuse the French left flank. However it was Sebastiani's own division that came the closest to winning the battle for the French.

Uniform of a French General de Division
I have modelled Sebastiani using one of the AB French general officer models accompanied by an ADC displaying the red brassard of an aide serving a General de Division.


Uniform of a French General de Brigade



Alongside the senior French commanders are the balance of five French General de Brigade to complete the command of the French forces.


If you have enjoyed reading this post then add to your enjoyment by popping over to the "Talavera 208 Just Giving" page using the link below and make any contribution you care to, towards a great cause, Combat Stress, and enjoy the warm feeling that will come knowing you have added to the good in the world; not to mention the thrill when you see these command bases in action in 2017, and a message from me thanking you for your support. After all we are in that season when giving is what it's all about.

Cheers all 
JJ

Just Giving - Talavera208

Other sources referred to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Bonaparte
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Baptiste_Jourdan
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Victor-Perrin,_Duc_de_Belluno
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horace_François_Bastien_Sébastiani_de_La_Porta
Osprey Campaign, Talavera 1809 - Chartrand & Turner
Talavera, Wellington's First Victory in Spain - Andrew W. Field
↧

King Joseph & Marshal Jourdan Video Clip - Talavera 208

December 15, 2016, 9:51 am
$
0
0


As an addendum to my previous post and as the saying goes 'a picture is often worth a thousand words' and perhaps some moving ones are worth a few more, I offer up a video clip of my recent work with some painting ideas to go with it.

First up I should say that I was prompted at having a go at this by Mr Paul Alba who is a bit of a 'dab hand' at at this kind of stuff and as mentioned in the comments around the Joseph post, I benefited from Paul's useful video clip of some of his own command groups - see the link below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reIimxMhQUs

I can see some distinct advantages displaying figures using this medium perhaps in future alongside the stills photography. To save you commenting, I will do the two together in future, when I have my lighting set up, to give you a better chance at seeing the detail clearly.

'Rafa's book', referred to in my commentary, is referring to Rafael Perez' excellent edition of "Painting War - French Army" which I reviewed back in July 2014 and constantly refer to when working on my own French collection.


http://jjwargames.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/painting-war-napoleonic-french-army.html

Other colour combinations I tried out for the first time came from Rafa's recommendations including the red tunics and saddle-cloths in this particular group. All I can say is, if you want to develop your own techniques pick up a copy of this really useful reference.

One other reference I would particularly recommend getting hold of, are the collection of Rousselot plates. I have originals published back in the 70's by Historex and I treasure them as a resource above many others.


The main aspect I find particularly useful is the level of detail Rousselot goes into that really allows the painter to work out what is what when looking at a figure and importantly the colour options to choose

http://www.napoleon-series.org/reviews/uniforms/c_rousselot.html
http://www.napoleon-series.org/reviews/uniforms/c_rousselot2.html
http://www.napoleon-series.org/reviews/uniforms/c_ryan.html


If you have enjoyed viewing and reading this post then add to your enjoyment by popping over to the "Talavera 208 Just Giving" page using the link below and make any contribution you care to, towards a great cause, Combat Stress, and enjoy the warm feeling that will come knowing you have added to the good in the world; not to mention the thrill when you see these command bases in action in 2017, and a message from me thanking you for your support. After all we are in that season when giving is what it's all about.

Cheers all 
JJ

Just Giving - Talavera208

↧
Search

Talavera 208 Charity Collection Update

December 17, 2016, 12:12 am
$
0
0
I wanted to publicly thank everyone who has contributed to the project so far and helped move the collection past its first goal which now looks like a modest target of £340.

This week the collection went past that total and we now have £340.06 plus £47.50 Gift Aid.



With contributions still to come in from players and other interested parties I am hoping we can now set our musket sights (Light Infantry model Brown Bess and Baker Rifles) on doubling the collection as we head on into 2017 and the first date of the first game gets announced.

In addition you will see regular updates here and on the Just Giving site about additions to the collection and, on the Just Giving page, a review of the scenarios played leading up to this point together with a look at the other units and formations constructed previously.

This is a great platform on which to build going into the new year and I really appreciate the support shown.

JJ

Next up will be a focus on the last additional General Officers needed to complete the British order of battle.

↧

Happy Christmas

December 24, 2016, 5:20 am
$
0
0

It's that time of year again when thoughts turn to spending time appreciating the people that mean the most and celebrating good company.

I thought Christa Hook's superb picture of a group of 42nd (Black Watch) Highlanders and a 60th Rifleman gathered round the fire, sharing a good story against a very bleak snowy mountain-scape somewhere in northern Spain really captured the theme of JJ's and this festive time.

So here is wishing everyone a very happy and peaceful Christmas

Cheers
JJ
↧
↧

Battle of Langport, 10th July 1645

December 28, 2016, 4:06 am
$
0
0
With the Wagg Rhyne clear of Royalist dragoons, Major Bethel leads the New Model cavalry
on its charge up Picts Hill at the Battle of Langport 1645
As is customary at this time of year, I very often like to get out into the countryside and burn off a few excess calories whilst getting loads of fresh air and looking at places of interest.

I thought this year I would carry on the story of looking at the English Civil War in Devon by focussing on a battle in Somerset that was pivotal to the siege of Exeter and the Battle of Torrington posted about earlier this month.

http://jjwargames.blogspot.co.uk/2016/12/battlefields-in-devon-battle-of.html

I don't propose to go through why the Royalist forces in the south west found themselves defending a hilltop river crossing in Somerset in July of 1645 against Fairfax and Cromwell's New Model Army.

Suffice to say, the last significant Royalist army and base of support lay in the West Country in 1645 and following the defeat of the King's northern army at Naseby on the 14th June 1645, Fairfax took the war to this part of the country looking to end the first civil war the following year.

For a more thorough explanation of the strategic situation you should follow the link below to the excellent BCW Project site.

BCW Project - English Civil War in the West-Country/South-West,1645

This and the links below at the bottom of the post formed my principle recap on the battle and its events and I discovered the guide leaflet to the Langport Trail provided by the Langport & District History Society, which was a very handy route to follow and gave a very pleasant two hour walk across the fields via the country footpaths. I would however recommend taking a copy of the OS map illustrated on the Battlefield Trust site as further guidance to the trail map and for getting a better idea of where the two armies are thought to have lined up.

Battle of Langport Trail Guide


You will also find that there is still some debate on the precise battle site as the three nearby crossing points of the Wagg Rhyne have been suggested as the focal points of the battle, with the modern day railway crossing in amongst them.

Opposing Commanders at Langport - Goring (left), Fairfax (right)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Goring,_Lord_Goring
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Fairfax

I have gone with the accepted offering ready to do a follow up post if necessary once the needed battlefield archaeology research has been completed.

We started our walk after a very welcome hot bowl of soup and bread at the Rose & Crown (Eli's) Pub (Point 1 on the map above) famous for its bar or more correctly that it doesn't have one. On entering the pub you find yourself almost stood among the pumps and optics.

The battle was fought in July and the ground would have been quite different to the December day we decided to walk the area. If you decide to follow the route I would suggest taking a pair of walking boots as the paths could be quite muddy whatever the season.

The footpath leading from the pub, over the railway line towards the rear of the Royalist line on Picts Hill
We headed out across country following the footpath north from the pub over the railway line and out onto the modern B3153 which is the road out of Langport heading east towards Somerton over the position at Picts Hill chosen by Lord Goring to make his stand on the Wagg Rhyne.

Goring was looking to cover the withdrawal back north towards the coast at Bridgewater and further supplies of men and materials from the King's forces across the Bristol Channel in Wales.

He had already sent off the bulk of his artillery and supplies earlier and felt confident in holding the New Model Army up until nightfall using the hill and Rhyne to help compensate for his lack of guns and numbers.

Point 2, The incline of the road shows the significance of Goring's choice of ground to set up his rear-guard
The climb up and over Picts Hill towards the Royalist positions illustrate the significance of the chosen ground and the likely benefit offered to Royalist cavalry charging downhill.

Point 3. The view from the Royalist guns down to the Wagg Rhyne and up which Majors Bethel and Desborough charged
Moving out on to the ridge line of the Royalist position gives an excellent view of the Parliamentary lines and the hedgerow enclosures used by the Royalist dragoons to garrison and contest the crossing points on the Rhyne.

Point 4. Moving out onto the ridge line of Picts Hill and looking east towards the New Model lines on the hill opposite above the crossing over the Rhyne just behind the van on the road
Looking out across the fields, you can almost imaging the New Model with banners flying and artillery pointing towards the Royalists opposite as their dragoons set off down to towards the Rhyne on that July morning in 1645.

Point 4. Looking further along the Parliamentary held ridge towards the south-east, the approach route of the New Model Army.
Colonel Thomas Rainsborough
http://bcw-project.org/biography/thomas-rainsborough

The New Model dragoons under Colonel Thomas Rainsborough soon established superiority over their Royalist opposition and with the crossing secure, perhaps one of the most audacious cavalry attacks began as Major Bethel led a column of cavalry up the lane, four abreast which broke in among the Royalist cavalry.

I have also read some comments that Bethel may well have deployed into line once crossing the Rhyne, which seems more likely but less glorious!

Major John Desborough
Bethel was held and pushed back by weight of numbers only to be reinforced by a second charge led by Major Desborough (or Disbrowe) with the remaining cavalry, which finally broke the Royalist army and routed them back towards Langport.

Point 5. Looking north with the New Model line on the right of picture. The Wagg Rhyne runs alongside the lane, Wagg Drove and was a key focal point of the battle with debate on the likely crossing point still not decided by archaeological research. 
General Lord Thomas Fairfax described the action in his report back to Parliament written at 7pm on the night after the battle.

"We understanding their intentions by some scouts and other countrymen, resolved to charge them and accordingly drew down a commanded party of musketeers to beat them from the hedges which was done with gallant resolution, advancing the same time with two regiments of horse into the lane, all that we could draw up in front was but a single troop and that commanded by Bethel, the enemy standing ready with bodies of horse of about 1,000 to charge him. He with a single troop charged and broke two of their divisions, of about 400 received the charge of the third division both in front and flank was somewhat overborne at last and forced to retire to the General’s Regiment which was about 100 yards behind Desborough, with the General’s troop sheltered him by his flank to rally and charge up himself with about 200 horse of the General’s Regiment disposed of the enemy and set them all a running, gained freedom by it for all our horse and foot to draw into bodies, sent the enemy running not being able to endure another charge. The General, Lieutenant General and some other officers upon the hill, beholding the gallant charges commended it for the most excellent peice of service that ever was in England."

Point 5. Looking back towards the west and the Royalist line atop Picts Hill
The rout by the Royalist troops through Langport saw them set fire to the western edge of the town close to the old bridge over the River Parrett in a desperate attempt to hold off Cromwell and his cavalry leading the pursuit.

The defeat of Goring's army shattered Royalist resistance, and he withdrew the remnants back into Devon harried on the way by Somerset Clubmen (partizans against both armies) who had negotiated with Fairfax on the 11th of July to not interfere with the New Model in return for supplies.

Fairfax quickly moved to secure his own lines before moving off in pursuit of Goring and into Devon. The first major garrison to fall was at Bridgwater which was finally surrendered on the 23rd July to be followed by the City of Bristol which was stormed on the 10th of September.

Point 5. Our route back to the pub this time under rather than over the railway line that straddles one of the suggested alternative crossing points used by the New Model.
The defeat at Langport not only unhinged the Royalist hold on the South West but seriously undermined the confidence in Royalist troops and commanders to be able to meet the New Model Army in the field and have any hope of defeating them. This, probably more than the loss of territory was the critical turning point that the Battle of Langport represents and was commented upon by Lord Goring in his own assessment of the battle.

"the consequences of this blow is very much for there is so great terror and dejection amongst our men that I am confident at this present they could not be brought to fight against half their number"
↧

Viva Los Locos - Just Another Day in San Pedro - "Black Ops" (plus a quiz and some wildlife)

December 30, 2016, 4:28 am
$
0
0
Presidential Guard Units enter the FARC drug plant in San Pedro, during operations this week
In between Xmas and New Year it has become a bit of a tradition to present to you the games we like to play up at Chez Chaz on our annual trip up to Deepest Darkest North Devon and to be honest none of us are ever sure what we might be playing, which is all part of the fun.

This year Chaz decided to whisk us all off to a little town, we'll call San Pedro, deep within the Venuzcolumolivia forested mountains, fought over by the political factions, drug cartels, government official and unofficial military/para-military forces overseen by US spooks and CIA proxy forces.

When that little cocktail of stake holders are brought together with a heady mix of a major drug deal going down between the Cartel's, Mr Big and the leader of the local Communist Venuscol FARC group who has only gone and kidnapped the US Ambassador to the country and is holding him for ransom somewhere in the dense streets of the local favela, then anything could happen!

To help our little adventure along we were using a set of rules written by a former member of the Devon Wargames Group and now seen messing about editing a certain wargames publication, Mr Guy Bowers and his rule set "Black Ops"


In addition to getting into our various character roles we also enjoyed a lunch time quiz to test the collective military history knowledge of our little group and I have attached the questions and answers for your enjoyment. Modesty forbids me from declaring our top scores.

Xmas Quiz
1. Our Commander is, who’s yours

Battle - Our Commander - Your Commander?

  • Edgehill 1642, Charles I 
  • Borodino 1812, Napoleon 
  • Teutoburg Forest, Publius Quintilius Varus 
  • Bosworth 1485, Richard III 
  • Iwo Jima 1945, General Holland Smith 
  • Battle of Issus, Alexander the Great 
  • Battle of Smolensk 1812, Napoleon 
  • Battle of Cropredy Bridge, Charles I 
  • Battle of Agincourt, Henry V 
  • Battle of Lutzen 1632 Gustavus Adolphus 

2. Name five of the nine US Pacific Amphibious Island Landings in 1944

3. “Bloody Fighting” Identify that battle

  • Bloody Angle 
  • Bloody Ridge 
  • Bloody Ditch 
  • Bloody Gulch 
  • Bloody Hill 

4. Which War?

  • Battle of Poitiers 
  • Siege of Masada 
  • Siege of Kut 
  • Battle of Fontenoy 
  • Battle of Poltava 
  • Siege of Jadotville 
  • Battle of Fuentes d’Onoro 
  • Battle of Fort Necessity 

6. Name the three British and one German Battle Cruisers sunk at Jutland


7. Name the five battles of the Prayer Book Rebellion


Answers at the bottom of the post.

As with most fictional accounts there is often a significant element of fact underpinning the plot and this little affair has its roots in some Xmas reading that Chas was doing that inspired our game.


So on with our game and the set up.
Below can be seen a CIA aerial picture of San Pedro with key points of interest identified as part of the preparation for the safe extraction of the US Ambassador known to be held in the town by the local FARC leader and his supporters in the North and South Boy Gangs.

The FARC HQ is the building identified as target 2 in the picture together with the drug packaging and production plant, target 3.

The town is heavily policed by the two paramilitary gangs, the North and South Boys under nominal control of the FARC leadership and they have the main exits into town under checkpoint control identified in the red circle areas.

TOP SECRET - OPERATION LOS LOCOS
In recent days another group was identified setting up residence in the town at target one, later identified as the "Mr Big" in narco-exports to the US, known to Venuzcol and Federal Drug agencies as Don Pablo Gonzalez or simply "The Don" or in other circles "Speedy" in recognition of his ability to never be around when the proverbial hits the fan.

Sleepy San Pedro after a night celebrating a new business partnership between the FARC and their new friend "The Don"
The situation in Venuzcolumolivia can only be described as delicate and complicated. US relations with President El Nino have cooled as the Ambassador has sought to bring pressure on the regime to reform and improve its human rights and legal standards whilst also bearing down on the drug traffic that underpins much of the countries black economy. Needless to say the kidnapping of the Ambassador cannot be seen as a total disaster in some quarters of the Venuzcolumolivia government and his demise would present new opportunities and threats to be managed accordingly. Of course covert access to narco-profits would more than make up for US threats and pressure and the President would not be averse to opening up communications with the senior management within the Cartel.

This relationship has only increased mistrust between the two governments and the CIA are active in the country pursuing US interests with their own deniable special forces teams operating within the interior and occasionally co-operating with Venuzcol forces when it suits them, whilst always trying to stay one step ahead of them.


Venuzcolumolivia is, like many narco economies, riven by competing stake holder and the forces available to the regime consist of forces reliably loyal to the President in the form of his elite guard units, who operate alongside a more shady and ruthless paramilitary police with the infamous "Black Berets" among their ranks known for their reputation for making problems and people disappear.

The leader of this ruthless force, General Juan Carlos Fernando, rumour has it that he was the Fernando sung about by Abba in the late 70's, narrowly survived a bomb attack at his HQ arranged by the Cartel and specifically "The Don" and he has vowed to make that particular problem disappear.

Our cast of characters were (Chas) our host and gamemeister for the day, (Mr Steve M) General officer commanding the Presidential Guard, a perfect choice being ex Royal Marines. Just see the way his troops patrol into town; you never forget the training. (Nathan) as General Juan Carlos Fernando, our ruthless killing machine and Abba fan, (Tom) the youngest member of the cast led the enthusiastic if somewhat unskilled North and South Boy street gangs who made up for their inability to shoot straight with pure numbers, (Clive) Comrade Che, the special one, the leader of the Communist FARC faction in the country, a skillful, artful politician breaking into the world of kidnapping and narco-economics designed to drive his political ambitions, but as we shall see a terrible driver, all though he blames his girlfriend, I mean secretary; and last but by no means least Vince who played the role of Felix Leiter our man in Venuzcolumolivia, but I can neither confirm or deny that last statement.


I don't know why, but I (JJ) played the role of The Don, in town having sealed a deal for a new supply of the purest snow this side of the Panama Canal manufactured by my new friends in the FARC and awaking to a new day to the reassuring sound of gunfire that seems to have replaced the dawn chorus in this part of the world. No worries, I have my elite team of bodyguards and minders to keep the riff-raff at bay and I should be on a fast plane out of this flea hole of a town by lunch time.

You know that gunfire does sound extremely close!

Presidential Guard units come under fire from the North Boys Gang as they force one of the four check points
Unbeknown to FARC and the Don the town of San Pedro was under assault at first light as Presidential Guard units and Black Beret squads were tasked with securing the FARC drugs plant, monies and if possible the Don, preferably alive and away from any American interference.

Of course the alive bit didn't include the Black Berets and they did what they do best "Keel all of them!"

FARC guards and North Boys gang members are alerted by the increasing gunfire on the outskirts of town
Aware of the operation US deniable forces were also in on the fun coming in on the last road out of town.

With bullets hitting the rear and side of his villa, The Don  prepares to leave town with "Tiddles" his pure bread Persian
The North and South Boys were no match for the assault teams that assailed their checkpoints and many were simply gunned down as they sleepily emerged from their huts close by.

However not everyone was off guard and a Black Beret reeled back dead before he hit the ground as the Don's close protection team opened up on them from the back of the Villa.

Suddenly the armoured four by four is hit in the bonnet by an RPG killing the driver and The Don narrowly escapes.
Carlos unloads a clip at the Black Berets along the street. The Don himself gifted him that lime green tie!
Quickly assessing the situation Carlos, the Don's main man, shepherded his boss to the car outside organising all round defence as the party prepared to leave.

Suddenly, Black Beret troops opened small arms fire and RPG rounds at the car from another road point having already driven off the FARC and North Boy garrison. The Don's driver was killed in the explosion but the other passengers escaped leaving Carlos on the wrong side of the vehicle.

Shouting to the other members of the team to get the Don away from the house, he announced he would hold the Black Berets off from the Villa and cover them. What a guy!

Presidential Guard units make steady progress into town eradicating points of resistance along the route
With all routes blocked and the crescendo of battle all around the FARC and the Don were looking for secure routes out of town and quick.

The Don and his men boarded the town bus and were getting ready to make themselves look like the other passengers when the Don's mobile rang.

The caller announced himself as the Colonel in charge of Presidential Guard units entering the town and approaching the bus with a "Presidential Offer" of safe conduct to the Don in return for information.

It was then that the Don thought he heard a second click on the line as the Guard Colonel ended the call and Vince was seen to hastily scribble something down on his quiz notes. These CIA types get everywhere, the Don thought!

US Special Forces disguised as goats surprise a South Boys check point
Noticing a BBC journalist on the bus and quickly recognising that the situation was not looking good the Don made a deal and led his men towards the awaiting guardsmen under the eyes of the world media.

Meanwhile the US special forces and Black Berets were mopping up the remaining South and North Boy gang members as the FARC teams desperately tried to secure their monies, drugs and captive for immediate evacuation.

With a helicopter summoned to come in and take the Ambassador away from the town, Comrade Che grabbed a car in the rear compound and together with his secretary slammed the vehicle into gear and charged the fence blocking access to the only road not guarded by the Americans.

The car got stuck on the wire and abandoning it, the FARC leader quickly hot wired the other one close by, this time leaving it to his secretary to negotiate a route to the road and a fast get away.

With the Don's car burning, the North Boys commandeer a bus to blockade the crossroads in town
With "Black Berets" and Military Police entering bottom and left, Presidential Guard, top and US deniable forces, right, all roads out of town are blocked, or are they?
As the government forces closed in on the centre of town, a small helicopter could be heard approaching.

The Don looked up to see where the aircraft was when he was shot by a Guardsmen close by who was quickly dispatched by his comrades, who discovered later that the man was a Black Beret infiltrator tasked with his mission to ensure the Don never made it to custody.

Black Beret men seek to liquidate members of the Don's close protection team in his Villa (bottom left) as the Don is forced to surrender to Presidential Guard forces by the bus under the watchful eye of the BBC
As part of his arrangement for safe passage, the Don had revealed the location of the US Ambassador to the Guardsmen who whilst securing the FARC drugs narrowly missed securing the diplomat as FARC members escorted him to the helicopter.

With options rapidly closing, the FARC leader and his secretary make a dash for the road via the fence in his suitably red set of wheels
Surrounded by Presidential Guardsmen and about to be led away, The Don is fatally wounded by a member of the Black Berets secreted among the ranks of the Guard 
The Black Beret murder squads were busy going house to house crushing all resistance and the Don's Villa was a particularly appealing target; but they little expected the resistance they encountered as Carlos El Loco lived up to his name and the ability to wear extraordinary suits and ties with a display of weapons skills that left the South Boys gaping in awe as he filled the front and back door of the house with Black Beret corpses, only to fall in hail of automatic gunfire as he used up his last clip.

Meanwhile back at the Villa, the Black Berets  pay a heavy price as the Don's main man, Carlos El Loco, the man in the brown suit shows off his shooting skills to members of the South Boys
Black Berets dead in each doorway and a South Boys fighter stunned but unhurt pointing his assault rifle in the wrong direction
What did I say about Clive and his driving. - "Whatever you do, don't throw a one and get stuck on the wire."
With the smoke hanging over the battle ground of San Pedro littered with burning cars and strewn with dead and wounded, we called it a day.

The Don was dead, the President and his loyal guard had the drugs, the FARC had their money and their hostage, the Black Berets had their revenge, the North and South Boys had had a lesson in shooting and the CIA well they weren't involved were they?

On information received from the dying Don, the guards narrowly miss finding the US Ambassador in the Group 4 truck
I really enjoy playing the occasional game where I have absolutely no idea what I am doing but can spend a few hours losing myself in the story that is the game, enjoying the banter and laughs with friends.

Such was our game yesterday and thank you to Chas for putting the day together and hosting the fun, and to Steve M, Tom, Nathan Vince and Clive for equally losing themselves in their respective characters.

FARC escort the US Ambassador to their escape plan B
Answers to the Xmas Quiz
1. Your Commander

  • Robert Devreaux, Earl Of Essex
  • Kutuzov
  • Arminius
  • Henry Tudor
  • Tadamichi Kuribayashi
  • Darius
  • Barclay de Tolly
  • Sir William Waller
  • Charles d’Albret
  • Albrecht von Wallenstien

2. Name five of the nine US Pacific Amphibious Island Landings in 1944

  • Pelieu
  • Guam
  • Saipan
  • Tinian
  • Kwajalein
  • Eniwetok
  • Anguar
  • Leyte
  • Truk

3. “Bloody Fighting”

  • Battle Spotsylvania/Antietam, ACW
  • Battle of Edson’s Ridge, Guadalcanal, WWII
  • Battle of Roundway Down, ECW
  • Battle of Carentan, Normandy, WWII
  • Battle of Wilson’s Creek, Oak Hills ACW

4. Which War?

  • Hundred Years War
  • Jewish Revolt v Rome
  • World War One
  • War of Austrian Succession
  • Great Northern War
  • Congo Crisis 1961
  • Peninsular War
  • French & Indian War

6. Name the three British and one German battle cruisers sunk at Jutland

  • Lutzow
  • Indefatigable
  • Queen Mary
  • Invincible

7. Name the five battles of the Prayer Book Rebellion

  • Battle of Fenny Bridges, 2nd July 1549
  • Battle of Woodbury Common, 2nd August 1549
  • Battle of Clyst St Mary, 5th August 1549
  • Battle of Clyst Heath, 6th August 1549
  • Battle of Sampford Courtney, 16th August 1549
Postscript.
The really great aspect of living in Devon is that you are never very far way from beautiful countryside and its nature and whilst enjoying a break from the game we were treated to an amazing display of bird-life in Chas' garden including this stunning pair of Great Spotted Woodpeckers.


I didn't have the tripod to hand so had to rely on long distance steady hand hold to take these shots which is never easy, but I think you can see what amazing birds these are


Next up;
End of Year/New Year Review and more Napoleonics for Talavera 208









↧

JJ's Look Back on 2016 and Plans for 2017

December 31, 2016, 2:24 am
$
0
0

I hope you like the theme of my header picture for this post as JJ's Wargames goes through the annual event of looking back on the year gone and contemplating the fun that lies ahead in the year before us.

This concept and how things come together here at JJ's HQ could be summed up in the picture of Napoleon and his entourage of General Officers who use their telescopes to look at the events of 2016, swapping banter about the highlights that stick in the mind, of the fun and games that caused the most comment and of the expeditions and travel that will be forever the landmarks of 2016.

All this whilst a distracted Emperor, contemplates the year ahead about what are the priorities, with projects started, projects yet to begin, projects to complete, exciting games, shows and travel ideas to fit into the schedule for the new year, not to mention all the units with their painting and modelling plans. Ah the weight of all these decisions, I can often be found sat on the camp chair lost in thought amid the plans of Empire.

Anyway back to the real world and our review of 2016 and a look forward into 2017 and the ideas about what you can expect to see covered here on JJ's.

Scanning back over the one-hundred plus posts, I started to struggle to pull out highlights, to carry on with the analogy above, my telescope was moving from one point to another continuously scanning the horizon.

However I am determined to keep this post as a review and a look forward so have grouped a few things under one topic for conciseness.

In addition, JJ's Wargames is all about working to plans and themes and if you cast a look back to this post in 2015, there was definitely a plan. So I will cast a glance to see if I did what I said I was going to do and more.

Review of 2016


Look back on 2015 and 2016 plans


The year started very much on the theme that it has finished with, namely, Napoleonics and the project that has evolved into Talavera 208.

The completion of the 45e Regiment de Ligne moved the building of Victor's I Corps to about two thirds done at that stage  and the completion of the corps as a whole in August 'broke the back' of the Talavera project and left me looking at light at the end of the tunnel.

Marshal Victors I Corps d'Armee - Talavera


I had never done a project of this scale or intensity, Napoleonics with all the intricacies of uniform peculiarities are always intense, and under the gaze of an audience which demands discipline and I have grown personally in knowing what I am capable of doing.

The plan to complete the Talavera collection in 2016 has proven to be elusive, principally down to other demands on my time that weren't a factor in the previous year. That said, the whole point of a plan is to adjust it as required but still progress towards the desired goal, and that has happened.

Spanish 2nd Cavalry Division at Talavera


In addition to Victor's Corps, Albuquerque's Spanish  2nd Cavalry Division are done together with the French command and as I write this the last of the British commands are done, together with a battery of French horse artillery.

The French will also require three more foot artillery limbers which are on the paint desk now and I will complete a couple of British foot limbers to finish that collection and then we are back to the Spanish.

I should also mention that friends and family supported the progress by getting me some lovely presents this year in the form of the wagons and rear area models such as surgeons and cantinieres from Blue Moon, plus extra casualty sets from Captain Games and AB which will only help bring the game alive with the added drama and eye candy they create.

Talavera 208 King Joseph & Marshals


So although we still have Bassecourt's Spanish Infantry Division to complete plus a few supernumeraries, the collection should be about done in the first quarter of 2017; and of course the final 'big game' recreating the Afternoon Attack by the French forces has now morphed into Talavera 208 and support for Combat Stress which has really added to the project as a whole.

Talavera 208 (1809-2017) In support of Combat Stress


So Talavera has to be a huge high point in 2016 and will feature large going into the New Year 2017.

As discussed in last year's review, I was and am very keen to make 'JJ's Wargames' a magazine style blog and have looked to develop that theme in 2016.

I took a look at the numbers viewing the blog and even given all the issues of distracting fluctuations brought on by 'crawler software' and spikes in traffic from Russia, the traffic to the blog continues to grow as does the followers and comments from you guys.

So what has changed from last year to develop the blog? Well we have contributions from friends of the blog, Mr Steve and Steve M who have added their own insights into places visited and books reviewed which really adds breadth to the content that I create.

The Book Review section of the blog has really developed this year with thirteen reviews posted from Mr Steve and myself that seems to have been well received. We have both looked to write reviews from the eye of the historical wargamer.


Books Reviewed

In addition to books, rule sets have featured with three rule sets getting the JJ's Wargames thumbs up
on the "Game/Simulation, Fun/Pins in the Eye" score-ometer.

I am really looking forward to running another play-test of Over the Hills in January at the Devon Wargames Group first meeting in 2017 and have resurrected my Vimeiro scenarios originally done for Carnage & Glory and Napoleon at War and converted the troop stats to OTH.

Over the Hills - Army/Brigade Fatigue Record Card
Following the first test I have also come up with some adaptations that I want to try out including my own Fatigue Record Cards for the various brigades, using dice to monitor fatigue losses, rather like the arm morale system used in Sam Mustafa's Maurice.

Once I have tested my adaptations I will post them for others to use if they wish.

As well as OTH I am really looking forward to more games of Sharp Practice and A to A in the new year and I am hoping to produce some initiative tokens instead of cards for the latter game as I found the use of the tokens in Sharp Practice much more convenient that card shuffling and is definitely the way I want to go.


Augustus to Aurelian
Over the Hills Napoleonic Rules
Sharp Practice II

A real find occurred whilst on holiday this year. As regular followers will know, I have looked at various campaign vehicles for my Napoleonics which is where I want to go as the collection develops and so this board game drew my attention.

Of course you can only gauge the potential after having played the campaign fully and so Will and later Tom and I played through the game from start to finish with all the possible historical event cards taking a hand.


I was really taken with this neat system of a game and in anticipation of using it in the future have my trusty Cyberboard version all set and ready to go.

The addition of the "Over the Hills" rules to my trusty "Carnage & Glory" also makes campaigning even more doable going forward.

Wellington's War Pacific Rim Games
Wellington's War Campaign PlayTest

One of the best parts of our hobby is the ability to combine it with just about anything we are doing in doors or out. Books and games pretty well have the indoors covered and holiday expeditions and trips to historically themed sites have the outdoors covered.

The highlights of this year for me have been the museums, shows, historical sites and holidays abroad.

The Penarth show, Crusade was a new addition to the wargaming calendar and a very welcome one to start the year, with a very nice show, good selection of traders plus the added attraction of two excellent authors presenting. Great day out.

I am really looking forward to going again in 2017 and to hear Gareth and Adrian present on Command and Control in the Ancient world and Napoleonic warfare in the Mediterranean.


Crusade-2016 Penarth & District Wargames

Another trip up to Cardiff followed the Penarth show to visit the Roman ruins at Caerleon and the National Roman Legion Museum, both fantastic sites to visit.


Caerleon & National Roman Legion Museum (1)
Caerleon & National Roman Legion Museum (2)

Wargames shows always form a big part of my hobby and I try and bring the best games  to JJ's as well as other highlights, which this year included me getting an original copy of 'Dracula' at this year's Attack at Devizes where Mr Steve, Vince and I spent a very pleasant summers afternoon.

In addition, the Talavera collection got a day out at Legionary in Exeter as Steve M and Will went at it in a Carnage & Glory demo game of the Pajar Vergara Scenario that ended up being featured in Wargames Illustrated.


Wargaming Shows

Of course no review of 2016 would be complete without reference to our big holiday this year, principally to meet up with Tom who was touring Australia and the Far East and our trip to Vietnam.

I did several posts about this extraordinary country and the lovely people we met together with aspects of the history of this amazing place, plus Will was doing his bit to promote Anglo-Vietnamese relations in his role as British Ambassador without portfolio.


Vietnam 2016 War Museums

Later in August we took a short week's break to France close to Paris. As well as celebrating my birthday I had the chance to visit two sites I hadn't visited before, Vernon and Rommel's HQ at La Roche Guyon.

It is always fun retracing the steps of the warriors from history and Vernon had an added poignancy for me as it was where my Dad crossed the Seine back in 1944 with Guards Armoured Division on his way up to Brussels.



France 2016 Vernon & Rommel's HQ

Exploring battlefields and sites abroad and away from home is always interesting but it is easy to forget that my home county of Devon has battle sites of its own going back over centuries and I, and it seems you, have enjoyed the series posts looking at the Battlefields in Devon, some new to me.


Battlefields in Devon

This series of posts will continue into 2017 and I am really looking forward to bringing you the many and varied battles from history that can be seen here in beautiful Devon.

I have noticed that Meeples Podcast have started a "Grumpy Wargamers" section airing their rants and 'beefs' against petty annoyances that crop up in the hobby.

As you will know JJ's Wargames is not afraid of exploring the odd subject of contention in the hobby news, and I am pleased to say that the posts and the accompanying comments have been discussed in a constructive way, a quality not always in evidence on other forums.

Subjects covered have included, 'Painting Mojo', 'Great looking Games vs Not' and recently the future look of Miniature Wargames since the departure of Henry Hyde and the take over by new management.

Miniature Wargames Magazine - Whats Going On?
Aesthetics in Wargames - Another Aunt Sally?

I tend to engage in these debates if the subject grabs me and I always enjoy hearing your opinions so I aim to keep that as a feature of the blog going into 2017.

And Finally

In between the work on the Talavera collection there has been the inclusion of projects for friends, with an end of year focus on the Dark Ages big game at the Devon Wargames Group, that finally prompted me to get a copy of Dux Britanniarum and start my own Saxon/Viking collection which I will be adding to, going into 2017.

The Dacian War collection also got some input as I finished off a project that Tom left me, namely to base up the unit of auxiliary infantry he had painted and finish off the Roman commander plus dog.



So there we are, some of the main highlights for me that featured in 2016 and there is still other stuff that didn't make the cut.

It really has been a great wargaming year and one that will live long in the memory, but life is all about what you are going to do now and always having a plan; and so it is time to put down the telescope and to ponder the weight of Empire and who to invade next, no, no, I mean what we will do next...... now you can see why I'm not Napoleon's greatest fan!

2017 Plans

Well as alluded to in the review of 2016, Talavera 208 forms the centrepiece of the year and I am really excited, as it seems many of you are if the comments I have had are anything to go by, about the prospect of seeing the Talavera battle up and running. 

As wargamers, a lot of us have those 'bucket list' of games we want to do and the manner we want to do them in. In this age of skirmish level rule sets and pressure on time to play games of anything over two hours, I feel a bit anachronistic in wanting to play games like I used to, 'In the Grand Manner'.


So for a Peninsular War nut like me, Talavera is one of those games that wouldn't let go, and the excitement of playing it in the grand manner now that the collection is so near to completion is building.

However I was always brought up to believe that life is more about giving than taking and that there is more satisfaction to be had in doing things for others than for ourselves.



Two occasions in my life brought this home to me and one example was fully understanding why my Dad, for many years, continuously raised money for Guide Dogs for the Blind a UK based charity that for many years was based here in Devon. 

His support and money raising efforts spanned decades and only after his death and only after my research into a family story about the commander of his tank being killed in Belgium, did I realise the significance of his efforts. 

Captain Wifred Geoffrey Good was just 31 when he died in one of the bitter battles that were a feature of the German retreat from France into the Low Countries.


Dad always described his officer in loving terms as being like a father to the crew and that his eyes were badly injured at the time of his death. His loss left a deep impression on Dad that obviously demanded a response from him and I came to understand that his efforts for the Guide Dog charity symbolised that.

In 2005 I had the privilege of accompanying my uncle back to the Burma railway, the scene of his traumatic time in captivity as a Japanese prisoner of war and in company with other former POW's as part of an organised trip with the Royal British Legion. I got to get a personal understanding of what those men went though under such a brutal imprisonment.

My uncle was one of the more fortunate survivors in that he received psychiatric support as part of his rehabilitation back into civilian life and his account of surviving his experiences and making a good life following them was truly inspiring.

The realities of war bear no relation whatsoever to our hobby, but our hobby exits because of the interest many have in warfare over the ages and the challenges it creates. I am sure many of us with that interest in the hobby end up having a great appreciation of what our servicemen and women can and may well experience during their service.

So in addition to the fun we will have, playing and sharing these games in 2017, will also have a sincere pursuit of using them as a vehicle to generate as much support as we can for Combat Stress.

The plan is to have the collection as a whole finished and ready to play by the close of May 2017 with an objective to get the first of four games played in June with three players on each side running the two forces.

For more information just check out the Talalvera 208 plan linked at the top of the page or here.
Talavera-208 (1809-2017) - In-Support of Combat Stress

As mentioned, I am planning to run a smaller game using the "Over the Hills" rule set in January at the Devon Wargames Group for the die hard bone rollers out there, so an AAR on that will also follow.


As the painting of the Talavera collection reaches a conclusion the plan will be then to gradually start stepping up the production of the other main theme here on JJ's namely my Dacian Wars project in 28mm as the Napoleonics move off the top spot for painting.

I have covered off the plans for this collection in a series of posts and I can't wait to get stuck into the task of putting the units together and getting the first game up and running.
http://jjwargames.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/augustus-to-aurelian-dacian-war-unit.html
http://jjwargames.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/ancient-campaign-plans.html

Like many I am eagerly anticipating the release of the Victrix EIR Legionaries and Auxiliaries and given that Tom and I have already created a core of Roman units I will start putting together some Dacian Warbands and cavalry so we can get a game going sooner rather than later thus playing while the painting is happening.




I will not be joining the latest craze, it seems, of looking for a new Ancient rule set. Spearpoint from the chaps at Gripping Beast looks like being the latest set doing the rounds.


Over the couple of test games played, I really like Phil Hendry's Augustus to Aurelian rules with their more "Lardy style" randomised activation system and they have the added attraction of being focused on the era I am looking to play.


I have already designed my own stat cards for the various troop types and have, as mentioned made some enquires about getting some purpose made counters to use for activation instead of cards.


The new collection will also demand its own terrain and in the build up for this project I have already acquired some pieces for the games planned.


And I am really excited about the launch of this new range of Roman buildings from Warbases in 2017 as shown at Warfare this year


One piece of terrain I am on the look out for is a suitable selection of Greco/Roman fortress walls, gates and towers to recreate the Dacian fortresses.


The other smaller collection that will demand attention as we move into 2017 is my newly acquired Saxon and Viking forces that I intend to work on so I can get into some more shield-wall warfare

So there we are, alongside all the usual content that you would expect to see here on JJ's, the plan will see the painting shift from Napoleonics to Ancients in the second half of the year whilst the gaming will lean heavily towards the former, and the building of a good collection for Combat Stress, until the Romano-Dacian collection takes the table hopefully towards the end of 2017 interspersed with some Dark Ages action.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to making JJ's Wargames a really interesting and fun blog to do in 2016. I really appreciate the comments and feedback from fellow enthusiasts, the kind of interaction many of us can't get from friends outside of our peculiar hobby, who don't really get it. It is the exchange of ideas and thoughts that really make the hobby the sociable interaction that it is and I hope you find that this blog, if anything, is a celebration of that.

Here's wishing everyone an exciting and happy 2017 and even more fun with this hobby.

JJ

↧
Viewing all 958 articles
Browse latest View live
Search