Spring and Summertime Audible Reading: WWII (Early War from 1939 to 1941)

Thanks to Audible (via listening in the car and while I am doing the washing up) I am able to keep up with my "electronic book time" (and in all honesty, I usually buy a paper copy of the books I like and have listened to too).  It is nourishing when you can mine a consistent meme or theme, even as a background task. I have recently gone back to one of my first loves of history, the early war period of WWII (clanky tanks, Stukas and all that stuff), with some nice new author "finds" and their revisionist reviews of oft forgotten episodes of the early war.

Reading List (Done):

Starting at the beginning - Case White: The Invasion of Poland 1939 (see below, Robert Forczyk is a great new author find for me and the Poland 1939 Campaign is covered in greater detail that I have managed to find before):

Of interest were the "learning mistakes" of the German Army, as not everything went right for them and how an alliance which looks good on paper is, when tested (France and Great Britain supporting the Poles - allegedly), falls apart through lack of any tangible help Britain and France could give Poland in 1939! The Allies in short wanted everything to go much slower, but were simply not given this luxury.  

The open fighting war in Poland now over, we move onto Narvik .. the campaign before the Low Countries started and the site of the Allies first "land" victory in WWII. This was after a bizarre naval start to to proceedings, where we almost saw an  "Allied invasion of Norway" first and arguably "an Allied act or war on Norway" (courtesy of the RN) ! A beguiling episode of unfathomable "what ifs" that could have spelled out a very different outcome. Overall an excellent book (see below, where bizarrely the displaced Polish troops helped the French and British inflict the first Blitzkrieg era defeat on Germany by the recapture of Narvik in what was the final moments of this ill-prepared campaign [on both sides]):

Then back to more familiar territory of France 1940 proper, but with a twist, not the familiar and beloved Alister Horne's recount, (France 1940: To Lose a battle) and looking predominately at Case Yellow, but instead just a review of that and then greater focus on Case Red. This is looking at the battle of France post Dunkirk, and what was termed the Second BEF's brief campaign. This includes the 2nd Armoured Divisions "trials and tribulations "in what was a travesty of combat, or "How not to attack with a British cruiser armed tank division in 1940, thinking it was the same as a French tank division and had supporting infantry". Fascinating early war "cringe" details, again a story of what could have been (see below, subtext - how allies can hurt each other as much as the enemy):

Then a real focus on Dunkirk from the German view, illuminating when considering the operation from a German perspective (see below, a huge take away was that the German effort to take Dunkirk was uncoordinated and from a C3 perspective was horrifically fragmented and certainly not combined arms, a fascinating read):

After the fall of France how long could Britain stand? Many thought, including Joseph Kennedy, JFK's father and American ambassador to Great Britain, thought not long. Britain was doomed as it could not stand alone. "We March Against England". This gives a peculiar twist to viewing and understanding  this period. Absolutely fascinating stuff (see below, again its from my latest author find, Mr Robert Forczyk):

This information was especially interesting when reviewing it against Paddy Griffith's epic1974 Operation Sea Lion game and the capabilities (see below, Paddy's book is full of of detailed notes and is available from the History of Wargaming Project):

Yet one more thing leading to another, the Western Desert comes into focus and another book from Robert Forczyk fills this gap nicely (see below, those early Italian and DAK battles covered in fascinating details [still as yet only available in hardback - so note to self, it is a book still for me to get]):  

Again a great book and brings a new perspective on the early war Western Desert campaign(s) and specifically Rommel's character and leadership in particular (a tank commander is being very hard on a felloe tan commander). Logistics, logistics and logistics! It is no good getting something after a hard fought battle if you cannot supply yourself sufficiently to keep it.

The above might explain my lack of posting over the last few months (first half of 2024), coupled with increased WhatsApp-Facebook-X  usage (a trio of digital distractions) and heck, a busy work-family life balance.

Reading List (To Do): 

Where next? Historically, all eyes turn East (as did Hitler) and the war swings in a very dramatic fashion as an 'irresistible force' hits an 'unmovable object' (Germany invades Russia) and believe it or not there is a book for that (see below, in truth there are many books, but this one concentrates on tanks which is a leading draw to me, thank you Mr Forczyk): 

Although I think, instead of a picture of a sexy Tiger Tank on the front cover (which is "just" in period, but will sell books for sure), I would have preferred a picture of a weather-worn, workhorse PzIII, which would have been much more appropriate IMHO. 

Note: Any more book recommendations appreciated and welcome, as I seem to have come to the bottom of my list (ready-use locker). 

1904-1905: Russo-Japanese Naval War Literature References

Following of from my hypothetical WWI Naval Russo-Swede battle at CoW-2023 I had a wide ranging conversation with Toby Ewin (a Naval Historian) who kindly passed on these references for the Russo-Jap War (see below, I never knew there was so many and so much to read!): 

I have to confess to once having Julian Corbett's history of the Japanese War but could not get into them (I did read his WWI histories cover-to-cover, so I do not know what mental block I had for the Russo-Jap) and so passed them onto a friend for a 1/3000 figure [ship] swap [I received a modern USN Carrier Battle Group]. I am content with the battles in Avalanche Press' 1904-05 Russo-Jap Naval War board game and David Manley's White Bear and Red Sun rules and scenarios (see below, the amount of detail in the reference list is fascinating):  

I am pleased just to have the complete range of Russo-Jap ships [bar the full number of destroyers] represented in the Navwar 1/3000 figure range for this period (see below, more and more references): 

Final page just to be complete (see below, as the wife says, this is what libraries are for - get it on Kindle if you must!): 

i

I look forward to Toby's book on Russian Imperial Naval Wargaming in the History of Wargaming Project in due course at it is a fascinating subject (that will probably find its way to my book shelf as it has wargaming in the title).

Nimitz - Sam Mustafa Wargame Rules .. is it "The One"?

Is it the .. "The One Set of Naval WWII Rules" .. (to rule them all) that I have been waiting for all my wargaming life (pass me my Hood and Rodney and bring out your Bismarck models)? Now I am a man who has collected a few set of naval rules over the years (and that is an understatement of sorts). I am a grizzled fifty plus year old with a large ship collection - some of which are even painted - in various scales. Post my Paul Hague "Sea Battles (in miniature)" adolescent gaming, I was weaned onto General Quarters I (for WWII) and General Quarters II (for the Great War, aka WWI) .. which were very close to very damn, damn good IMHO - bar time consuming for large fleet actions [but don't ask my opinion on General Quarters III as I think it "went the wrong way" counting turrets rather than abstracting firepower and they broke it .. sniff]. Then there were many such as Sea Krieg that had oodles of charts [but killed playability IMHO]. There were the insanely simple ones (from Full Thrust variants to one brain cell rules, akin to Victory at Sea and Victory in the Pacific Avalon Hill board games - and no I am not forgetting AH Jutland). The great David Manly produced some fine sets of Russo-Jap, WWI and WWII (which I bought and meant to really get into .. but time needed and the urge to learn yet another set, while "feeling around" for the native intuition of what the rule writer wanted to convey - left me cold) .. but what I really, really [Spice Girls] want, is to find the sweet spot of a "pick up an play" set of rules which give very reasonable [but not deterministic] historical results - quickly (as in quicker than the historical battle took) .. that lead into extended campaign play, of multiple scenarios - without premature umpire brain death. I am a man who discovered Fletcher Pratt very late in life, thanks to Wargames Developments [Nugget articles] and the History of Wargames Project [collating, then editing, reprinting and selling the rules]. There I see the beautiful analogue ingenuity of the firing mechanisms [hell it is a damn close to the same set of rules used by the professional US Naval War College in their inter-war years re-fights of Jutland and Sable Island [the latter being the hypothetical USN against the RN action], but for all its historical accuracy and fun suffers from the "mass is mostest and bestest" paradigm .. 48,000 tonnes of Hood could take on the 45,000 (or was it 50,000) tonnes of the Bismarck. No critical hits and punctuated equilibrium, but graduated damage. So back to Sam Mustafa's Nimitz (see below, a good book cover with the great man himself looking out over a battle scene with the USN's finest DDs doing battle, with the backdrop of a historical map): 

I went for the Amazon local print option and am currently digesting it. So far and so good, it is really two sets of rules in one - Nimitz for the tactical and Halsey for the campaign, which I like. Watch this space for further details and hopefully an AAR soon ;) 

Interesting Posts from The History of Wargaming Website

No commentary required, just read them for yourself (see below, recent postings from John Curry): 

• http://wargamingco.blogspot.com/2022/09/wargaming-tactical-actions-in-ukraine.html
• http://wargamingco.blogspot.com/2022/11/my-wargame-says-ukraine-is-going-to-win.html
• http://wargamingco.blogspot.com/2022/12/wargames-are-better-predictive-tools.html

Very thought provoking!

Note to Self: Peter Perla Wargaming Research Publication

 Wargaming and The Cycle of Research and Learning (sjms.nu)

Thanks to John Curry from the History of Wargaming Project, Peter Perla himself in the Lost Battles groups.io, Rex Brynan and SDM in Paxsims  for bringing this to my attention.

When three respected sources of information point something out independently, best listen - or even better read it! 

ACW Musings and Distractions

My recent wargaming discovery is that of the late Paddy Griffith, his literature and his life's work in games (courtesy of the gentlemen of Wargames Developments and The History of Wargaming Project) (see below, two of his most inspirational books, let the reading begin):  

On the back of this inspirational reading I decided to finally try and paint up some of the Warlord Games ACW (Epic Scale) ACW I had purchased over the last year of lock-down. To help me I followed the following painting tutorial for inspiration (there are tons available, not even sure the one I ended up using is in amongst this lot:

Confederate: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMQ3GAt546o

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VPdrB094go

Union: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e28316C7S4g

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZNgX3-8zhc

And in Spanish: 

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

Yes, the first pilot was significantly over painted (as is always the case)! So it is one ten man sprue down only 239 to go (gulp)! Time to have a look at the Union troops now ;) 

Corona Virus - Loose yourself in some books

There are always "books" ...

In the professional wargame category I have plenty of books to skim, read and re-read (see below, Sabin's [Lost Battles and Simulating War], GLB [Successful Professional Wargames], Dunnigan, Perla [The Art of Wargaming] are old classics long read, but I have plenty of other stuff with interesting idea in abundance, mainly it seems from the History of Wargaming Project):

Then there are the books from the historical category and there are plenty of them on the bookshelves (see below, the Pacific War is my current theme which ties in with the 1/3000 Navwar models, so this is a small section of my dusty books):

Or a general scientific interest (see below, Blink if a good lite-read):

Slightly heavier but packed full of thought provoking ideas (see below, I particularly like Newton's "apple" on the front cover):

And let's not forget the rules which I have bought and should have really read by now. This is a large category. Carrier and Tokyo Express are specifically solitaire games so ideal for the current circumstances(see blow, XTR Victory at Midway is a personal favourite of mine that I am playing via email to an independent umpire against an unseen third party):

Hopefully chances are by the time you read "one or more" book and played "one or more" games then the Corona Virus thing will have all blown over! Famous last words. Anything not done by the end of the lock-down needs seriously to be put on the "never happening" project shelf!

What I am reading just now ... naturally a wargame book

I know that in this time of world crisis, a place of unreal social distancing, people contact is good via Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Skype or Chime .. not forgetting to House Party, but it is also nice to find a quiet corner, sit down with a cup of tea and just read a good book (see below, Successful Professional Wargames: A Practitioners Handbook - maybe not available at newsagents but at good online retail outlets there should be copies available):

Graham Longley-Brown is one of the driving members of the Connections UK Professional Wargaming Conference, an experienced British Army officer and a genius of bringing together disparate information into a cohesive whole, his art is the art of the "seemingly blindingly obvious" which people forget about, he restates it and it comes to the rightful place in the front not forgotten back of the mind [thank you for also reminding us that, no one person has the answer to everything and a collective of people working together is far more stranger than a silo of clever individuals not talking to each other]:

John Curry's - "History of Wargaming Project":
http://www.wargaming.co/professional/details/professionalhandbook.htm

Amazon:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Successful-Professional-Wargames-Practitioners-Handbook/dp/0244803641

PS: The introductions section itself is a "Who's Who" of Wargaming and informative read!

Note: I am not taking commission but an intent on propagating good wargaming knowledge.

;)

Inspired by "Small Wars"

I think the greatest compliment I can give a game designer is "Thank you, you inspired me to play and from there I made my own version of your game." Small Wars is already worth its weight in gold to me (see below, also see The History of Wargaming Project - Small Wars):

I played one solo and one group game of "Six Months in the Sahara" French Foreign Legion (FFL) game. Both games ending with the FFL being overrun with hostile Arabs, dying (if not lead) in the finest tradition of The Legion (see below, the "homemade board):

What is more the "system" was taken one step further and applied to the apocalyptic world of "The Walking Dead" (see below, spoiler alert "everyone died" in a glorious do or die battle at the end):

The sign of a good game is one you enjoyed playing. The sign of a great game is when it inspires you to make one of your own for others! Thank you Mr David Wayne Thomas, the fun continues as I contemplate the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

My [First] Conference of Wargamers (CoW) 2018 [Part 1: Friday - Embarkation]

The games I played and the "adventures" I participated in, recorded for posterity, so that my memory does not fade:

D-Day - Friday (Hit the Beach):

The Journey: A long affair but probably not as traumatic as Bob Cordery's frustrating experience travelling up from London. Coming South from "The North" has the benefit of a less troublesome route south, the glorious A1 Roman Road by comparison is a far friendlier beast than the deadly M25, sired by the mischievousness thoughts of delinquent Motorway Planners. However the "northern route" still took its time (four hours) and had its own "interesting features". Along with the traditional 'roadworks' there are more exotic 'visual distractions' to the unwary male driver ... did anyone else know that after The Little Chief franchise of "motorway fast food stops" went into liquidation several of the prime sites were 'transformed' into a chain of 'Motorway Sex Shops!' [How did that get through planning permission?] I can tell you that it caused several instances of "rubbernecking and breaking lights quickly going on" by various drivers including myself [the signs were pretty big]. Once was an 'amusing' double-take (far better than a serious crash when traffic usually slows down) but the apparent success of their 'A1 Business Model' made reacting to other drivers an all too frequent a distraction. It left this driver with a strange 'sense of expectation' as unsure of quite what to expect as the next service junction appeared. No secret roadside wargaming emporiums for sure! It has to be said that BP and Shell filling stations looked dull by comparison. Despite these siren-like dangers (and the closure of that silly little bridge next to [the lovely] Knuston Hall, see below) I arrived at 4 pm mightily tired but excited at the thought of the long wargaming weekend to come.

The Welcome and The Wall: As I entered the foyer I uttered a spontaneous comment , "I feel I am in the presence of wargamers!" At home! The force was strong here and thankfully everybody laughed. I turned left to see the smiling face of Tim Gow unpacking boxes of 'interesting' books ... again I immediately felt at "home". There was tea, coffee, biscuits and a "bring and buy stall". Tim gave another newbie and myself a quick tour of the facilities and introduced us to the "focal point" of CoW, the "games signing-up sheet". This is the brain centre where "Gamer's get their game fixes .. if they are quick!" A poster wall of  A4 flyers with "available player spaces" posted alongside or underneath a master time sheet. A cornucopia of fun was to be had for sure. A bit like a box of chocolates (Forrest Gump style), the wealth of selection mixed with the paranoia of sign fast or "you might not get a game at all" [the 'six' Traveller slots were all gone for example]. I was here to fill my boots so I was a keen scribbler! Old hands have no such qualms as they seem to realise like the feeding of the five thousand there is more than enough to go round [all games being good games]. Having 'scribbled' my name to a few games immediately (aka bankers) I turned to the question of 'my accommodation' which meant putting up "The Tent". Which given the windless sunny day was far easier than I expected. I returned to see a much changed "poster wall" - plenty of games already filled up and new ones appearing. My brow furrowed into intense concentration until I was satisfied I had all Friday sorted plus 'Saturday and Sunday' were three quarters full, including two Matrix Games ('A Gathering of Vultures' and 'Save Gordon'). Note: The latter were high on my "list" to get under my belt. I had read the books now it was time to 'walk the walk and tango with the pros'. "All" were called into The Lounge, and "all" were formally welcomed to CoW 2018. The two 'Newbies' stood up [everybody staring at me] and we were individually welcomed [identified to old hands as 'fresh meat' perhaps?] and then we were called to 'dine and sup' in preparation of the festivities to come [PS: The food is first class]. Anticipation was high!

At this point in the write-up I realise I should have taken far more photos but thankfully others have done in my place, so I may direct you to their blogs with the links below, to give a much wider taste and feel of CoW:

http://tgamesweplay.blogspot.com/search/label/COW
http://wargamingmiscellany.blogspot.com/search/label/COW%20%28Conference%20of%20Wargamers%29
http://megablitzandmore.blogspot.com/search/label/COW
http://wargaming4grownups.blogspot.com/search/label/Conference%20of%20Wargamers

After dinner I then started CoW 2018 proper:

Playing: "Out On A Limb" (by Tim Gow) which meant searching many distant lands (in my case mainly South American) as a UN WMD Inspector, and reviewing many 'suspect' terrorist organisations, with various nefarious means of causing mass terror and destruction. Plus interesting "Random Events" (Think Cluedo with several extra interesting dice rolls). The question is which one was the "real true threat"? The answer can now be revealed that it took place in the Library, with a Boardgame and the person responsible was a certain Tim Gow. It was the perfect after dinner game for wargamers although I was glad that far finer minds than mine were sorting through the layers of logical calculations (better knowledge of First Order Predicate Calculus would have come in handy here). My excuse was that it was hot and the alcohol had started taking effect, despite the elaborate clue tracking mechanism I devised which involved a lot of question marks. The ticking clock was winding down to the last few seconds from the set time of 45 minutes (quite appropriate I am sure everyone will agree) when the player to my immediate right announced he had solved the mystery (huzzah) - he made his predictions and was proved right! A well earned round of applause that was cut short by Umpire Tim who announced that as he had correctly identified the threat but remained in the "threat area" (where the baddies were), an assassination attempt must be made and the "winner" in the blink of an eye went to "dead person" very quickly, but the world was still saved. A lesson for us all perhaps there, "Only be brave when you are backed up by a US Armoured Division or equivalent or well away from the area". A really good ice breaker of a game. Clutching a cold pint of beer in hand I went of in search of my Lancaster Bomber "J for Johnny", leaving in the background the dazed UN Charted Accountants holding the UN WMD collective "travel and expense bill" claims.

Next up ...

Playing: "Target For Tonight" (by John Curry aka "Wingo") which meant I was flying "J for Johnny" with my fellow crew member, none other than Martin Rapier (of The Games We Play fame). Two bloggers in a cardboard simulator of a Lancaster Bomber, what could possibly go wrong? .. Nothing except my school boy maths for sure, luckily Martin was the Navigator. "Wingo" informed us that tonight was a 'Maximum Effort' (what another one?) to the industrial city of Koblenz .. collective groans .. Germany and night fighters. When asked if he was joining us on the raid, "Wingo" informed us that sadly no [how he keeps a straight face we don't know] the MO had not yet cleared him for flying active missions again, but he would be 'with us in spirit'. Mutterings from "Q for Queenie" indicated that "Wingo's" maximum effort would be down at the Dog and Duck with Maisey the barmaid again. No chance, since the USAAF were setting up shop in town. Meanwhile "J for Johnny" was stocked with a suitable mix of explosive and incendiaries for the target. By contrast "T for Timmy" (Gow) had chosen "a big B@$T@rD" bomb [aka a Grand Slam] just in case the Tirpitz or a U-Boat Pen had been moved secretly to Koblenz. Everybody made a mental note to be well ahead of "T for Timmy" as that bomb had to be released from such a high altitude (10,000') either the back-blast from the explosion or worse the bloody thing would hit our Lancaster on the way down and knock us out of the sky. Pilot Officer Gow responded to this with a maniacal grin (too many missions). Donning our flight suits we ran through our pre-flight check, revved the engines and took off in such spectacular fashion we were awarded a "green" chit for perfection (the first and last we got all night). Then followed a series of navigation tests that seemed to get increasingly harder (or was it a product of my beer intake?). I think we picked up a "red" poor effort token at some point for navigation, we were sure we were either over Belgium, France or Germany [somewhere]. Martin was up in the "astroglobe bubble" taking celestial bearings [I kid you not this was state of the art navigation in 1942] when we were suddenly attacked by a night-fighter. In traditional WD fashion we successfully evaded it by leaning over suddenly to the right (or rather I let Martin push me that way). We then picked up another "red" poor effort counter when we opened fire and shot down a Mosquito Pathfinder [Note: Not the way we wrote it up in the report though, it came across as a classic Nazi KG200 trick of using captured planes against their former owners - "Wingo" likes that sort of stuff]. Then came the bombing mission and the atmospherics reached an unprecedented high as the pathfinders had lit up Koblenz like a dream. From 5,000 feet it looked like a toy town of little wooden houses illuminated by small Xmas candles [Note: That's exactly what it was]. A beautiful sight in the still night air, then we bombed it, wondering at the same time where the hell was "T for Timmy" with his ruddy great big Grand Slam. Whether it was the fatigue at the length of the flight, my intake of alcohol, the summer heat or the 'pressure' of my first CoW, I inaccurately passed on the bombing data to Martin so we were off by some 180 degrees and consequently released late, probably killing some innocent grazing German cows. The other Lancasters in the stream were more skilful and Koblenz was ablaze, but thankfully we safely returned home, missing out in "the ditching in the sea" by one red counter (the skin of our teeth - saved by a good take-off I think). "T for Timmy" however got rather wet, but luckily for their crew the RAF Rescue Launches (remember that 1/72 Airfix kit) were to hand. This will be much to the annoyance of "Wingo" as Maisey is a sucker for a 'I nearly bought it in the drink story' so I think the crew for "T for Timmy" are in with a chance. Somehow "J for Johnny" was actually awarded a medal .. methinks it was for the (ahem) night fighter we shot down. Pity Maisey doesn't go for medals.

PS: Check out Martin Rapier's Blog for additional photos and commentary [My "Lancaster pilot's bottom" can be just seen next to the Map Table in one]

Two cracking games.

The night was yet young as we walked away from "J for Johnny" I had the good chance to run across Bob Cordery "in the mess" and as wargamers do several hours passed chatting about almost everything under the sun - with lots of wargames stuff thrown in. This is what must be referred to as one of the "hidden treasures of CoW". The sheer joy of passing time and sharing ideas with like minded souls. We retired ready for the sun to rise on Saturday's session in all its wargaming glory.

To be continued ... Saturday ...

Data Driven Lives of Wargaming Miniatures (Video)

I am getting more like my kids and this is a good thing. I am learning to use YouTube more. True hours can be whiled away doing nothing particular, but every now and then amongst the "cats" videos something interesting turns up. If I said "The Data Driven Lives of Wargaming Miniatures"; pull up a chair, have a cup of tea/coffee, click on the link and trade 16 minutes of your life for something I found quite mind blowing - but I do have a 'tiny mind' (see link below):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCGQrs3aX8A

My Pondering Thoughts: 
True it makes references the life and times of GW miniatures but "abstracting out" I think it is generic. Where it is going? That I don't know but the research [and research is often an open ended journey] is ultimately looking at generating better User Experience (UX). I found the first couple of slides new, so highly interesting and the "narrative of the object" again an interesting concept. However talking about the miniature without the specific reference to the game [why it is played] lessened the understanding of what [miniature-tabletop] wargaming actually is and that in turn weakened the understanding of the miniature's purpose [IMHO]. If you understand the game [or gaming] better then you understand the purpose of the miniature better; then surely you will be able to design [or evaluate] future 'things' much better. However if can you explain that to a mainly academic and non-wargaming audience in a few slides, then you are a better man than me.

Footnote: Climbing off my virtual soapbox I actually enjoyed the video and was genuinely excited about academics [daring to] create a video/research like this.

The chap who put the video together can be found at:
https://cdt.horizon.ac.uk/dimtri-darzentas-mixed-reality-storytelling/
https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/research/groups/mixedrealitylab/people/dimitrios.darzentas2

The "Paper" can be found at:
https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/~psxdpda/Ddarz_Papers/Paper_2015_CHI15_Data_Driven_Lives.pdf

I wonder if he could be brought into the "historical fold" or venture into Connections UK or Wargames Development/Conference of Wargamers? I would have thought John Curry's History of Wargames web-site may be of interest or 'blow his mind' ;)

Warsaw Pact (Modern Russian) Armoured Tactics - Article (Very Good Read)

For those interested in the modern (defined post 1970+ Cold War through the 90's [excluding the recent COIN era] and could be said to be coming back into fashion in the 2017+) this article may be most illuminating and frightening (see link below):

Why Cold War Warsaw Pact Tactics Work In Wargaming

Another reason to read it is that it is written by John Curry from the History of Wargaming Project

Book: Small Wars (from The History of Wargaming Project)

Courtesy of John Curry's History of Wargaming Project subscriber email and Bob Cordery's (Wargaming Miscellany) post this little tome caught my eye (see below, and it's a beauty!):

It concentrates on asymmetrical wargame and fills a gap I have in COIN games (or could be seen as a starter into this area). The figure count required is low and te ingenuity level is high. Having read each section you want to play.

• ISAF Operations
• Colonial Foreign Legion
• Afghanistan (Soviet Era)
• Bush Wars (Africa) 
• 1920's Ireland: The Flying Column
• Vietnam

Note: I am not on commission but it is a little gem, see link below (Note: It is in the Solo Wargaming Section although I think the games would be best run with an umpire and group of players over a pint).

Small Wars

Provocative Titles from The History of Wargaming Project: Innovations in Wargaming Volumes 1 to 3

Dear Santa,

Please bring me something "thought provoking" this Xmas. Such as (see below, "Ping as if by magic" something appeared via Amazon Prime):

For those who have trouble reading the tilted titles they are the: Innovations in Wargaming Series from The History of Wargames Project by John Curry and various talented people associated with the Wargames Development group and people who put on the CoW (Conference of Wargamers) events. Boxing Day reading is now sorted ;)

• Volume 1: A really interesting compendium of "Interesting" games
• Volume 2: Matrix Games
• Volume 3: Confrontation Analysis

Thank You - Santa (or rather those people who love and know me and simply ask what would you like this Xmas, other than the "socks" we are also getting you)!

Fletcher Pratt Wargame Video Links to YouTube

Fascinating series of YouTube videos on the subject of the "history of" The Flestcher Pratt wargame:

Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1K_TMVO3OIM
Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkZJsz259t4
Part 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SOBV7BtiPg
Part 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOLU57A0zYU
Part 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsDN0Rjirh4

CoW Convoy Battle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8IsQTm6vh4

Thanks to the good elves of The History of Wargame Project, the Conference of Wargamers (CoW) and the Wargames Development Group.

My expanding Wargaming Library ... Fletcher Pratt Naval Rules

Courtesy of the History of Wargaming Project ran by the indomitable John Curry, but just as importantly coming highly recommended by both "Tim" and "Bob", I have (finally) purchased the infamous Fletcher Pratt Naval Wargame Rules of WWI and WWII (see below):

Purchase number two was the prerequisite "golf tees" to be used inverted as "splash markers" in teh game (see below):

The shape of things to come "a straddle" (see below):

Time to depart to the loft to dig out the 1:1200 Airfix "Sink the Bismarck" and Revell "Battleship series" waterline models!

Wargame Rules: Blood and Guts

Following along the Amazon trend of "go on you always wanted to get this wargaming book at some point, so why not get it now" while shopping on Amzon to make it past the £10 free delivery level, and originally known courtesy of the informative The History of Wargaming Project by John Curry, I decided to get "Blood and Guts". Why? Well yes another set of home grown (over twenty years) wargaming rules making it to the publishable level (hell knows I have so many already, particularly WWII) but this one is coming from a former army officer (US Marines) who had always wargamed. Thus there is a meld between hobby and profession that enthused my interest (see below):

I am still in the process of reading it but I can definitely say am glad I made the purchase because it has already "made me think" long and hard. He wants a playable game, that is not chess or checkers but feels right. His rules are not definitive (he encourages discussion) and pitched at the squad element, platoon organisation and company or sub-company game scale. Lots familiar but with some twists, consider the familiar concepts of: 

• Rate of Fire 
• Platoon Strength

A simple mechanism reduces the former as the latter declines. Interesting enough for me to see others (as in respected rule sets) don't show that relationship. I would say Chain of Command does, but there are lots of dice! (Note: Not necessarily a bad thing in itself, but not in the place of tactics.) I stand to be corrected but Spearhead, Crossfire and Command Decision didn't observe this (albeit not necessarily aimed at the same battle scale) relationship. I am not saying that I agreed with some of his national squad ratings but his mechanism provides interesting effects.

Early days, much more reading to do,