Generals by Mark Urban - Finished

I liked the consecutive sweep of history, particularly learning about Generals I knew little or naught about. It has inspired interests in new periods and was very thought provoking. The fearful factor in all the reading was how difficult a task a modern General has in keeping up with the rapid pace of technology. From Gordon onwards they seem to get out of step with the capabilities, with fearful consequences in the First World War in particular (see below, a "good read" - my only regret is that it has took me several years to get round to reading it): 

I will have to back fill my bookshelves (perhaps virtually) with some more of Mark Urban's books. I have read Fusiliers and I definitely want to read Rifles (with Sharp Practice skirmish in mind). 

The Generals: Gordon - Certainly an Interesting Character

My journey through "The British Generals" by Mark Urban continues. Passing through the relatively  familiar chapter on Wellington I come to General Gordon. From Taiping to Sudan, Egypt and back again. Er, an interesting fellow, certainly clever - well at times, a sapper and engineer by training - undoubtedly brave and driven by nothing short of a religious messianic zeal (see below, Mark Urban's book, a very nice little Covid distraction at the moment):  

Colonial history is all new to me in so I am gaining more background, so I now know slightly more than a certain film with Charlton Heston in it and the two Matrix games put on by Bob Cordery at CoW 2018 and at CoW 2019. I must openly thank Bob for my ever growing collection of soft plastic 1/72 Colonial figures in the loft (we won't mention the 28mm Zulu's from Perry's they are just a different project that has to be done) .. although the wife might not be as amused. I am feeling that familiar feeling of a new period slowly gaining interest and the urge for an armoured paddle steamer with a thirty two pounder cannon on it that General Gordon had in China.

;)   

[Update] Highly Recommend taking a look at Trebian's Taiping Era Link, some published rules and wargaming AARs: http://wargaming4grownups.blogspot.com/search/label/Taiping%20Era

Reading "Generals: British Commanders Who Shaped the World" by Mark Urban

I finally got round to reading this book that I have had for years. An interesting read and not what I had expected. Rather than promoting the "good bits" it is a "warts and all" review of significant hinge points in history (see below, the story so far Monck (positive though side-switching), Marlborough (positive though politically complicated) and Howe (mainly negative - we did lose the American colonies after all) and currently reading about the Duke of York (frustratingly bad in battle but used his royal position to push through organisational change of the staff  and officer training) .. Wellington next):  

A good read in these Covid times.

Tiny Little Tau (Gun Drones)

Tiny companions to the Tau leader's Crisis battle-suit (see below):

In the background some tactical reading, Mark Urban's "Tank War" following the Dirty/Filthy 5th RTR. Starts off "Phoney War" (France 1940) where the 5th could claim only "one enemy tank kill" versus score of lost cruisers to mechanical breakdown, really good for The Desert War (1941-43), a bit of Italy (1944) [reece in particular] and excellent for Normandy to Hamburg (1944-45). 

Got me thinking WWII again ;)