Note to Self: Naval Kindle(?) Books - Russo Japanese War

I have a strange (hot and cold) interest in the Russo-Jap war (as in I am trying to justify a large collection of 1/3000 Navwar ships of the period). So I was thinking to myself, maybe I should re-kindle it ("Gedit", ok corny joke) with some background reading. An Amazon scan revealed: 

Russo Japanese War Titles:

• https://www.amazon.co.uk/Maritime-Operations-Russo-Japanese-War-1904-1905/dp/1591141974  
• https://www.amazon.co.uk/Maritime-Operations-Russo-Japanese-1904-1905-ebook/dp/B00PSSK61W/ref=sr_1_2?qid=1697060788&refinements=p_27%3ASir+Julian+S.+Corbett&s=books&sr=1-2&text=Sir+Julian+S.+Corbett
• https://www.amazon.co.uk/Russo-Japanese-Naval-1905-Vol-Maritime-ebook/dp/B007PS9CFO/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=xAgvB&content-id=amzn1.sym.3413293e-3815-4359-96ba-1ec5110e0b30&pf_rd_p=3413293e-3815-4359-96ba-1ec5110e0b30&pf_rd_r=257-4679612-4309404&pd_rd_wg=Np39d&pd_rd_r=e23957dd-e77f-4a2f-b07a-d33a4e35a167&ref_=aufs_ap_sc_dsk
• https://www.amazon.co.uk/Russo-Japanese-Naval-War-1905-Vol-ebook/dp/B007PS9CTU/ref=d_pd_sbs_sccl_1_1/257-4679612-4309404?pd_rd_w=wE0Ig&content-id=amzn1.sym.35f2c042-27ab-4aa8-8df6-255fec069b2b&pf_rd_p=35f2c042-27ab-4aa8-8df6-255fec069b2b&pf_rd_r=HVT7DGNDQ3Q7W0KGPMY2&pd_rd_wg=O2N9h&pd_rd_r=d735b6d5-e8ff-4267-a830-d35553e430a7&pd_rd_i=B007PS9CTU&psc=1
• https://www.amazon.co.uk/Imperial-Japanese-Navy-Russo-Japanese-Vanguard/dp/1472811194#:~:text=Book%20Description,in%20Asia%20and%20the%20Pacific.
• https://www.amazon.co.uk/Russian-Battleships-Cruisers-Russo-Japanese-Vanguard/dp/1472835085/ref=pd_bxgy_img_sccl_1/257-4679612-4309404?pd_rd_w=GXXZQ&content-id=amzn1.sym.40f919ed-e530-4b1a-8d7e-39de6587208d&pf_rd_p=40f919ed-e530-4b1a-8d7e-39de6587208d&pf_rd_r=FZYWPR69M0T1R6J7H7GH&pd_rd_wg=akY3A&pd_rd_r=c74aab2b-56ca-4ec8-bfff-6f15dae30360&pd_rd_i=1472835085&psc=1
• https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tsushima-1905-Death-Russian-Campaign/dp/1472826833/ref=pd_bxgy_img_sccl_2/257-4679612-4309404?pd_rd_w=0gV2P&content-id=amzn1.sym.40f919ed-e530-4b1a-8d7e-39de6587208d&pf_rd_p=40f919ed-e530-4b1a-8d7e-39de6587208d&pf_rd_r=M3KFVA2DVGKCEJMAZW4W&pd_rd_wg=iQ5PY&pd_rd_r=6201f873-7c82-45bb-bbf9-34295464d57c&pd_rd_i=1472826833&psc=1

Note: I did have the two Corbett titles but my interest in the period waned and I passed them on (mostly unread, that was the problem - I just could not get into them, unlike the WWI books by the same author, which I devoured). Also for Corbett's books it seems strange how the Kindle version is the same price as the paperback one - at least the one that is currently available!

For my reference material on this period I fell back on a game (see above), the Russo-Jap 1904-05 Avalanche Press naval campaign game and David Manley's "White Bear Red Sun" naval wargame rules. A game and a set of wargame rules instead of books, crazy but true!  

WWII Naval Book: Atlantic Escorts and HTML5 Browser Bismarck Game

I have a very soft, weak compulsive spot for WWII naval stuff, so when David Manly recommends a "good" book I am a sucker, albeit a happy one (see below, the checklist was easy to complete - naval, WWII, Battle of the Atlantic, RN, escorts .. what is not to like):  

And in addition I already had three of David K Brown's books on warship design through the World War eras (to complement my Conway and Janes). In short, as you would expect, when a naval maritime designer recommends a naval constructor's book and says "it is good" then, it is good. One thing to shout out is that it does concentrate on the technical bits. WATU (Western Approaches Tactical Unit) is not mentioned (well not in the index - as I have just started reading it I might come across it yet). The Raspberry, Pineapple, Beta Search, Step Aside tactics are not mentioned.

For more details on these see: 

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

Or see the BBC interactive game: 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/launch_gms_battle_atlantic.shtml

It "was" a great game but you need Flash 7 (a now deprecated multi-media scripting language) that most modern browsers have moved away from (aka uninstalled and blocked). 

Update I: Some Flash games can still be accessed (there are clever people in the world): 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyw5qT3XbhM

Note: I have not (as yet tried this myself)

Update II: HTML5 WWII Games - Addictive ...

https://itch.io/games/html5/tag-world-war-ii

https://speculativesimulations.itch.io/defenders-of-the-atlantic

"Defenders of the Atlantic" is VERY ADDICTIVE

Old Good is still Good: Naval WWI Article from 1989 Wargames World

As part of the Covid-19 lock-down activities I (like many wargamers I suspect) have been going through their collections musing over past, present and twinkle in the eye projects. You may also be like myself who nervously hears their beloved spouse mentioning "de-cluttering" in bewitching tones. Palpation and cold sweats follow as I hurriedly tidy piles of things, one of which being old tattered "but loved" magazines, that flip open at beguiling pages. One of which was Wargames World #3 dating back to 1989 (see below, in classic [now faded] yellow but still in relatively good condition - not my original I may hasten to add but one picked up either from a Wargames Show or cast-off from a friend):

It has several great articles, one of which is by Ian Drury entitled "Where was the Navy?" in 1914 - that is the Royal Navy, when the Germans (HSF) were shelling Scarborough, which has inspired me in several ways to invigorate my flirtation with WWI naval gaming - again, as I have had several "false starts" (see below, the title that got the wheels of my mind turning - good question I thought, read on I thought, to find out more, and I did and I was happy):  

It also came with an uncomplicated map of the North Sea theater of operations (see below, and remember that these were the days before the Internet, Google Maps and indeed desktop publishing; wargaming aids like these were gold dust - you can almost imagine the fleets of armchair admirals salivating with "map pins" primed in sweaty hands): 

With a certain spooky serendipity a long standing naval wargaming enthusiast friend had also just emailed me with a solo lock-down battle report using David Manly's recent WWI rule-set (1918) which he had found 'very playable' (he had done the Jutland "Run to the South Scenario" with his Hallmark 1/6000 ships) - these newer rules were used over the default venerable General Quarters 2 (GQ2) set (see below, "Si Vis Pacem" - to my shame - I still have "not read" despite having printed them out two years ago): 

It was just too much fro me to take and I launched (literally) into obsessively thinking about my fleets of 1/3000 Navwar battlecruisers in the loft, the ladder came down and up I went in "search and rescue" mode (see below, although I flinched when I saw "how I did waves" back in the day, there was a wave [unintentional pun] of nostalgia as these tiny ships took me back well over twenty years when I first started collecting them - amazingly they are cheaper per ship that the Hallmark ships a quarter the volume, I am a fan of the chunkier chaps - even wanting to go so much bigger and have a go at Fletcher Prat in 1/1200 at CoW [Conference of Wargamers] someday [are you listening Tim Gow?]):  

Not satisfied with the toys I turned once again to the book shelf. A useful addition to my naval library was an Osprey title called "British Battlecruiser vs German Battlecruiser 1914-16" which covered Dogger Bank and Jutland battles (interesting leaving out Falklands, but I guess you could say [although covered by a seperate Osprey Campaign book] was British Battlecruisers vs German Armoured Cruisers) in some detail (see below, I am a sitting duck for a book with battleships or battlecruisers firing at each other on the front cover): 

Reading through the Dogger Bank section gave me great delight (a copy of The Rules of the Game by Andrew Gordon also nostalgically winks at me for another read from my bookshelf) and the urge to re-fight this classic stern chase (although it could have ended up so many different ways if you incorporated map moves in it too). As Ian Drury pointed out in his 1989 article most of the major naval actions fought in the North Sea started with meeting engagements and clashes of battlecruisers with more of the "threat of" battle fleets of dreadnoughts appearing over the horizon (see below, my fevered scribbled notes after reading The Duel's section on Dogger Bank - it has to be done, even solo):   

Although I have an unread (as yet) copy of Castles of Steel by Robert K Massie sitting on my shelf, Ian Drury also makes another good point about excellent "of the time" sources available, i.e. Marder's volumes of "Dreadnought to Scapa Flow" and Julian Corbett's volumes of "Naval Operations". That seems at odds with my spouses desire to de-clutter but the magic of a Kindle may come to the rescue as certainly Marder's volumes are available electronically. Watch this space as I think this project has yet to run its full course!

David Manley's House Rules for Cruel Seas

Notes to self :-

House Rule, Comments on Torpedoes and Submarines:

http://dtbsam.blogspot.com/2018/12/house-rules-for-cruel-seas.html
http://dtbsam.blogspot.com/2019/01/torpedoes-in-cruel-seas.html
http://dtbsam.blogspot.com/2018/12/submarine-rules-for-cruel-seas.html

General Review of Cruel Seas:

http://dtbsam.blogspot.com/2018/12/a-review-of-cruel-seas.html
http://dtbsam.blogspot.com/2018/12/cruel-seas-qlr.html

Warlord Games: Cruel Seas Errata Sheet
https://www.warlordgames.com/announcement-cruel-seas-errata-v1/

David Manley's Coastal Forces Postings: Cruel Seas and more!
http://dtbsam.blogspot.com/search/label/Coastal%20Forces

Note to self: WW2 Naval Wargame Rules (David Manly)

http://wargameterrain.blogspot.com/2019/01/long-face-games-find-fix-and-strike.html
https://www.wargamevault.com/product/263954/Find-Fix-and-Strike?affiliate_id=368817

Worth a look in 2019!

Russo-Jap War Naval: Port Arthur Break Out (Part 6) Freedom or Death?

Yet another similar looking Russian photo of the "enraged" cruiser action (the lighter ships do seem to get hurt when they get hit). A this point the Japanese cruisers seem to have the upper hand. The Russian battleships seem to have a fairly straightforward run off table (see below):

A vicious round of gunfire sees a damaged Japanese battleship (red hit) top left, in the middle of the battle line, but in return a pounding of the Russian flagship causing a critical hit, a steering jam pointing her to the side of the table (away from the target bottom edge) and a morale failure which hurts even further the thought/chance of getting off table [insert Japanese smile "emoji"]. Meanwhile another "silenced" Russian protected cruiser but a huge crippling explosion on the lead Japanese protected cruiser ("silenced and dead in the water"). Additionally the Mikasa is majestically leading the two damaged armoured cruisers is leading the ad-hoc formation (the armoured cruisers are actually using their own command dice) back into the fray (see below):

Not caught on camera was the escape of the battered Russian protected cruisers to Vladivostok via courtesy of the of the world/table edge "fog bank". The Russian battleships were in chaos as despite fixing the steering the Russian flagship could not fix its morale as quickly. So as they headed for the wrong edge of the table the remaining (one had sunk) Japanese protected cruisers sallied forth in a "do or die" torpedo attack on the meandering Russian First Battleship Division. They took severe damage from the Russian battleships but also managed to silence the last remaining Russian cruiser [the Rurik I think] in the run in (see below):

A lot of action was missed but this photograph helps in a way fill in the missing gaps. In the top of the picture (middle) the old (obsolete) Japanese battleships are departing along with the Japanese protected cruisers. For all their valor they (the protected cruisers) scored no hits with their torpedoes. They did however delay the Russian battleships to allow the Japanese (modern) battleships and armoured cruisers to close to effective range. The Second Russian Battleship Division is seen middle right. It has to be said the Japanese obsolete battleships still managed to deliver telling blows on each Russian battleship, as all the Russians carry a red permanent damage marker. Honour, praise and respect for their courageous commander (aka we all thought he would get sunk). Down at the bottom of the picture the First Russian Battleship Division is making its bid for freedom. However the Japanese Battleship Squadron is "peppering" their tail vigorously. The Japanese armoured cruisers are once again in the fray in a supporting fire role [the lead two ships on the left], but trying not to block "line of sight" from the bigger more deadly battleship calibre guns (see below): 

The Russians are in the home stretch, they can literally see the light at the end of the tunnel. Then "kazam!" there is a huge explosion from the last in line Russian battleship [First Division], as she goes from "damaged", to "silenced", to then "crippled" (aka dead in the water). To remove the crippled status it would take too many "Command Points" so the Russian Admiral pragmatically knows she is doomed. Lightning then strikes twicw. "Kaboom!" In the background the Second Russian Battleship Division's rear ship also suffers a critical hit leaving her chugging along at half speed. Not what you wanted when you were two "full speed" turns from exiting! (see below):

Another "almost duplicate" Russian photograph. The only thing to add was that the unfortunate half-speed Russian battleship also became silenced (see below, well actually she is the one Russian ship you cannot see is off table top left silenced):

End Game: 

The game as it ended (there was a family keen to sit down and eat their supper) as night fell. Where have all the Russians gone? All off to Vladivostok I suspect apart from one crippled stationary battleship and one critically damaged half speed battleship (their names sadly escaped me) that the Japanese have eyes on sinking. A third lingers top right but will depart into the "end of the world" fog bank with her next move and there is nothing the Japanese can do about it (see below):

The verdict?

Well most of the Russian Fleet is off table heading to a friendly port (albeit some perhaps looking a bit like a battered colander). However they are shell torn (certainly the cruisers) and battle worn (battleship wise) but are free from imprisonment. The Japanese Admiral was keen to claim the two Russian "limpers" as sunk or captured. That would mean an even 4:4 ratio in battleships, but Tojo also has a squadron of armoured cruisers. Yes he did lose a couple of protected cruisers (and a few more damaged) but it was the battleships he was after. A tactical win! Now strategically the Russian can feel more happy. As he knows the Second Pacific Squadron (along with the Third Pacific Battle Squadron) is en route (if they can get past the Hull fishing fleet that is). So when they turn up instead on a breakthrough to Vladivostok Operation Mark II, Togo is facing a potential "pincer movement" and a fight for his life well outnumbered in modern battleships (the Russin "Borodino" class to be exact).

Tactical: Japanese

Strategic: Russian Advantage

The rules: Simple and brilliant, highly recommended, all I have to do is now go away and read them! As it was a "spontaneous game" we had just thrown a mat down without consideration about the "table edge end of the world" syndrome. Not a great matter here but something to consider for more meaningful campaign games .. where results from one game get pushed into another. The sum of little things counting!

Russo-Jap War Naval: Port Arthur Break Out (Part 5) Tooth and Claw

The Russian Admiral seemed to like to take very similar "pairs" of photographs. Perhaps Russian intelligence has developed a stereoscopic 3D image viewer? Anyway, top left you can see a pesky Russian destroyer flotilla have laid a defensive smokescreen to cunningly shield the main squadron of Japanese battleships from hitting the First Russian Battleship Squadron. Over to top right, the reverse situation is in play where a Japanese destroyer flotilla shield the Japanese Obsolete Battleship Squadron from Russian battleships. Meanwhile the two squadrons of protected cruisers (one Japanese and one Russian) fight it out at the bottom of the picture. One Russian protected cruiser has received critical rudder damage and it sailing in the "wrong direction". To the left hand side the Mikasa and the two Japanese armoured cruisers have reformed from their disorder and are attempting to reenter the battle. The Russians are hoping to vigorously "punch through" (see below):

The same scene from a slightly different angle. The Russian heavy forces look like they might just have enough momentum to push on through, if the Japanese Protected Cruiser Squadron can be disposed of (see below):

The smokescreens dissipate and a maelstrom of battleship gunfire erupts. Although it is within effective range the renewed opening bout of salvos are strangely bloodless. The Russian destroyer flotilla (now without torpedoes) which has strayed too close to the Japanese Battleship Squadron is however "damaged" for its troubles. The major conflict here is between the protected cruisers at the bottom of the picture  (see below):

Spot the difference? A missing orange tape measure? Note the Mikasa bottom left, taking "a pop" at the protected cruisers (see below):

Again the Russian Admiral was keen to take "composite" shots of the scene from various slightly different angles. Nice photographic composition (see below):

Note: The edge of the table seen [right] below is no good as the Russian Fleet has to escape to the bottom of the table, past the Japanese protected cruisers.

Panning out you can just see the "exit table edge" to the right hand side and the orange Japanese tape measure on the left hand side (see below, bottom right):

The cruiser action up close. In the initial exchange the Japanese were besting the Russians as all the Russian ships were carrying permanent "red damage" markers. It is just the question as to whether the Japanese can get in a killing blow. A second hit is "silenced", but a third would be "crippled". The only thing to add is that the Russian battleship van is also "carrying damage" with two out of three of the battleships carrying a "red" hit (see below):

The battle is approaching its climax!

Next: The Final Push

Russo-Jap War Naval: Port Arthur Break Out (Part 4) A Crisis Point in the Breakout Battle

The battle has formed as the Japanese Admiral Togo wants it. He it heavily engaged with a portion of the Russian battle fleet (thus having a slight numerical 4:3 advantage) and is trading blows to his advantage. Also by threatening to cross the Russian "tee" they are changing course, The old obsolete Japanese battle squadron (made of captured ex-Chinese battleships) is catching up and his protected cruisers are on course to intercept the Russian protected cruisers. Tojo is much more interested in stopping the Russian battleships from escaping than anything else (see below):

A close up of the battleship action sees that the Japanese have traded two 'red damage' hits given to one taken. At this point it is critical they follow up and cripple the engaged Russian battleship squadron by pressing home and taking the initiative (see below):

However the Japanese Admiral faces a dilemma as at the rear of his battle line, where the armoured cruisers are stationed in a separate division, they have been worsted by the Russian protected cruisers and long range battleship gunnery from the second Russian battleship squadron. The lead armoured cruiser is silenced with critical steering damage, swinging out of line of battle (see below):

Suddenly all is chaos. There is a profusion of destroyers laying defensive smoke screens (using the ever so useful 'belly button fluff' from the tumble dryer). A Russian destroyer flotilla shielding herself from the long range fire of Japanese obsolete battleships (see below, top left), a Japanese destroyer flotilla shielding the obsolete Japanese battleships from the Russian second battleship squadron (see below top right) and finally retreating armoured cruisers from the Russian protected cruisers and long range Russian battleship fire (see below, bottom right). Confused? That's how the battle was. Very confusing! In addition to all the smoke the Mikasa had suffered a second red hit silencing her and in addition took a critical steering hit. This deluge of damage demanded a morale test which Togo failed (in a very untimely and uncharacteristic way) and the Mikasa sadly limped out of line (see below bottom left above the Japanese protected cruiser squadron). The three remaining Japanese battleships still managed to maintain contact with the Russian first battleship squadron, keeping the contest "hot" (see below):

The Russian Admiral senses a chance to achieve his "breakout". He is over half-way down the table [two thirds if you look at the lead Russian protected cruiser squadron -see below bottom/middle right] and the Japanese barrier of impenetrable (mostly British made Vickers Armstrong) steel has been broken into three parts. The obsolete Japanese battleships are engaging the Russian second battleship squadron to their disadvantage, the three Japanese battleships are crossing the reverse "tee" of the Russian first battleship squadron and Mikasa has been recovered (spending lots of command points to remove the second red damage marker indicating "silenced") and has formed a composite battle squadron (see below, middle/bottom left) with the disengaged Japanese armoured cruisers. Finally the Japanese protected cruisers have positioned themselves in a good place to cross the Russian protected cruisers "tee" (see below):

The Japanese commander has command and control headaches. Togo needs to bring the disparate elements of his battle squadron together and attack the Russian battle squadron before they "turn the corner". This may mean sacrificing the obsolete battleships (well fully committing them .. to almost assured destruction ) and bringing the Mikasa back into the action as soon as possible. The down side is that the Russian Admiral, with an uncharacteristic national attribute (for a 1904-05 Russian Admiral), has been astute, resolute and has managed to coordinate and concentrate his forces effectively.

Note: At this point the Japanese Admirals camera phone "ran out of power". Fear not, the Russian Admiral took over and has supplied photographs from the "Russian perspective" of the second half of the battle. The "race to the edge of the table/world".

Russo-Jap War Naval: Port Arthur Break Out (Part 3) Fire All Guns that bear at the Bear!

The Russian destroyers sweep past their Japanese counterparts unabashed and bravely face the "obsolete Japanese battleship's secondary armament" which proves to still have teeth as well as ornate paintwork. One Russian destroyer flotilla is "dispersed" (some sunk, some damaged and some morale broken) and takes no further part in the battle. The second Russian destroyer flotilla conducts a torpedo attack but is unsuccessful (see below, red shell splashes indicate where the first Russian destroyer flotilla used to be):

From the "viewpoint of the gods". The Russian Fleet is steaming down the middle of the table, bar the destroyer attack on the top right of the photograph. The objective of the Russian Admiral is to breakout to Vladivostok with as much as his fleet as possible. The Japanese have him hemmed in on three sides (see below, Togo and the battle fleet to the bottom, protected cruisers to the left and obsolete battleships to the right):

The Japanese main battle line find the range of the leading Russian battleships. The Japanese Admiral chose (unwisely) to engage opposites and thus spread damage along the enemy battle line, whereas the Russian Admiral chose to concentrate his fire on the Mikasa (and Admiral Togo) and try and take him out of the battle (see below):

The IJN Mikasa bears the brunt of the Russian fire but sails majestically on (see below):

Meanwhile the Russian "protected cruisers" come into range of the two Japanese "armoured cruisers" trailing the main Japanese battle line and score a damaging hit on the leading Russian ship (see below):

Good shooting by the Russians "returns the compliment" and the IJN Nishin is rather unexpectedly damaged in the exchange of fire. At this juncture the Russians are in danger of having their "tee" crossed but paradoxically they need to surge through the enemy lines at all costs (see below):

Telling blows are being landed at this point. The Russians and Japanese are committing their battleships to a "slugging dual". The end of the table is an artificial "end of the world" and represents either a fuel limit or fog bank that saves/hides any ship that enters.

Next: Forcing the Gate (or not)

Russo-Jap War Naval: Port Arthur Break Out (Part 2) Action Stations

On patrol outside of Port Arthur, aboard the flagship Mikasa, Admiral Togo sees the unmistakable form of the Russian Fleet in battle order steaming directly at him. He sets in motion the signals to concentrate all the Japanese battle squadrons which are currently in three separate formations: The main battle squadron, a squadron of protected cruisers and a third squadron of obsolete old battleships (see below, "The Russian First Pacific Fleet" in a condensed sailing formation trying to bust the Japanese encirclement):

Sensing an opportunity to strike first the Russian commander orders his destroyers to concentrate on the obsolete Japanese battleship squadron (see below, in the top part of the picture two Russian destroyers head towards the Japanese battle line). If nothing else this desperate attack should delay their  arrival in the main theatre of action and increase the odds for the Russian breakout to be successful. As a countermeasure the Japanese Vice Admiral detaches his destroyer formation for protection (see below):   

Meanwhile the Japanese third force appears on the horizon. A squadron of four protected cruisers with another destroyer flotilla. Note: They are armed with small relatively calibre guns but carry torpedoes with are a greater threat (see below):

The Japanese destroyers trade blows with their Russian counterparts, however given the 2:1 odds some Russian destroyers are bound to get through. The Japanese obsolete battleships main their secondary armament in anticipation of a fierce battle to come (see below):

Away from the destroyer action the main contest begins at long range. The Japanese expertise in gunnery shows (or was it just the dice) as the Retvizan suffers the first serious damage of the contest. First blood to the Imperial Japanese Navy. Note: The significance of this is that it is permanent damage and cannot be repaired. This means the Russian ship has a negative Dice Roll Modifier (DRM) in its attack rolls (see below):

The van of the Imperial Russian First Pacific Battle Squadron (First Division) is surrounded in long range shell splashes. At this point it in teh proceedings it becomes apparent that the odds are 4:3 in the Japanese favour, as four Japanes battleships are firing to the three Russian Battleships. A small tactical advantage the Japanese wants to use, particularly as there are three Russian battleships lurking yet to be engaged (as in the The Imperial Russian First Pacific Battle Squadron, Second Division). Unbeknownst to the Russians the Japanese have actually lost two battleships that were struck by mines and floundered outside Port Arthur. To supplement their depleted battle line and make it back up to a round "six" Tojo has pulled in two armoured cruisers to "strengthen the line". However it is a very mute point as to whether or not these armoured cruisers really want to go toe-to-toe with a battleship, even if it is a Russian battleship. Currently they are sight seeing events at the back of the battle line (see below, the armoured cruisers are out of the picture but following on bottom right, a friendly squadron of Japanese destroyers can also be seen bottom right):     

Next: Time to Trade Big Blows

Russo Japanese Naval War Rules: White Bear, Red Sun by David Manly (Part 1) Set-Up and Contact

Does this sound familiar?

I have a collection of 1/3000 RJW naval models that have been lurking in my loft (strangely all painted, which is the unusual bit), dormant since last century (or so it seems to me). They certainly took part in my "Attack on Port Arthur" and "Tsushima" wargames I staged pre-2000 [last century] at the Exiles Wargames Club (in London) but .. confession .. I cannot remember using them since.

However I found out that I am not alone in this RJW interest. My friend Renko found (or rather rediscovered) he had some some too. He found his in "his loft", naturally while looking for something completely different, however he also pulled out a stored memory from his vast data bank about David Manley's White Bear, Red Sun RJW Campaign and Pre-Dreadnought Rules. He then discovered they are still available through the Wargames Vault On-Line Store (see below):

Link: http://www.wargamevault.com/product/223354/White-Bear-Red-Sun

Being a clever man he purchased them and being 'ultra cool' when he was part of the next "gathering of friends" (ostensibly we were there to be talking about WWII 28mm Germans and Soviets in Stalingrad) lo and behold there appeared 1/3000 RJW "naval toys" (see below):

I found myself in command of a Japanese First Battle Squadron as Admiral Togo himself aboard the IJNS Mikasa (see my portion of the fleet above). Cutting to the end (game report to follow), the game was so good and I enjoyed the rules so much I immediately went and downloaded a set for myself (taking advantage of a cheap 50% sales price) and also took the liberty of getting a copy of David Manley's Spanish American War Campaign Set (for a future "small" 2018 naval project).

Rumaging and Reviewing through some Rules Sets for "Interest"

During the hiatus I caused myself looking for my misplaced "For God King and Country," I discovered some interesting rule sets in "other" peoples's collections I just "had to borrow".

There was something "old" relating to earliest naval times, from the very credible David Manley (see below):

Something "new" to me, as in Phil Sabin's first Society of Ancients (Soc) rules pre-Strategos and Lost Battles, trying to mix board games with miniature rules style of play (see below):

Some thing(s) "borrowed" (as in all three of them) and something "blue" an early [1970's] WWII Pacific naval game ziplock game (see below):

Lots of interest but so little time to cram them all in. It is one fine thing to find them, then quite another thing to read and then quite yet another thing to sit down and play, past the "taster session" stage.

Watch this space to see ow far I get. (Do not remind me of my New Year's resolutions)