"NEW" Toy: (My son's) Telescope

My son is the proud possessor of a mini, National Geographic, starter telescope (see below):

When he goes to bed I get to play with it. So far I have managed to find the moon, so I consider it a huge success :)

1644 Battle of Aberdeen (Montrose) Re-Fight under FGK&C Transcript

Apologies for the "long post" (see below) but this is my 28mm ECW (North of the Border) project under "For God, King and Country" rules returned to life after a long hibernation. First off is to collect the figures (mostly looking at Warlord Games) and then stage another re-fight akin to the one I fought back in 2004. Sadly no pictures survive from this memorable encounter (I was the umpire).


The 1644 Battle of Aberdeen, Justice Mills Scenario. 
Re-fight, May 2004, Redcar England.
 

Notes: Through pre-game player negotiations the Covenanter force was given seven pikes (as per map) instead of the scenario OoB five, but the Irish were factored at Melee 4. Both sides ignored the sunken road terrain feature.

The wind was chilling and carried on it the foreboding foretaste of drizzle, surely the prelude to the ubiquitous Aberdonian rain. The Commander of the Covenanter Army Burleigh looked dismissively at the Royalist forces arrayed below him in the valley. They did not impress Burleigh, they were a rag tag bunch of misfits, ill clad and looking comically irregular, their ranks filled with the Highland rabble that he loathed and worse still "The Irish". With a look of disdain and affront he haughtily declared, “We outnumber them by seven to three in pike, so we shall take the matter to them. Drummer beat the advance.” The matter already seemed to be in motion, for on both wings horse played to and fro in a confused melee, with as yet no side gaining a discernible advantage.

Summing it up nicely from within the Covenanter pike ranks came this remark: 

“Fit like?” “His nibs, the nob, has taken leave of his heed!” “Wa’r to rush at ‘em” “What? At tha’ Irish?” “Aye!” “What’s in his heed must be sawdust.” “Aye, Fine.”

Immediately as the Covenanter Army began their forward movement things began to go awry. The centre advanced slowly and unevenly. The Covenanter C-in-C dashed for one regiment to another chivvying them on in a most ungainly fashion. Montrose could only look on is disbelief and remark, “This goose means to cook itself.”

Just as Burleigh thought his house was in order a peeling crash of thunder spelt disaster as successive cannon shots hit their mark and disintegrated a pike block of Aberdonian levies. Seeing ranks of pike flung to the four winds was too much for the young, raw recruits who turned and fled. A collective shiver went through the Covenanter forces. The Covenanter Army was already well off the sanctuary of their vacated hill and were approaching the deployed lines of the Marquis of Montrose forces, to whom now looked grim with determination and not the rag tag rabble they spied in the morning mist.

The centre became clouded with smoke as the muskets began their staccato chatter, the feeble beck with its trickle of water was lined either side with the opposing forces, discharging volley after volley. The matter did not last long as the Royalists maintained a punishing weight of fire. The Covenanter Army became disordered, recovered briefly, but lost another regiment of Aberdonian levies, who downed pike and ran for it. Then real disaster, under the persistent rain of shot, a unit of the Aberdonian regulars broke and fled.  With gaps appearing in the Covenanter's battle-line the Highlanders now took the opportunity to charge and carried away the Covenanter's cannon. Menacingly the Irish advanced with lowered pike and blood curdling curses.

It did not come to push of pike. The Covenanter "Army Morale" the broke first and they fled towards the supposed sanctuary gates of the city. The crimes that followed on the populace of Aberdeen will not be chronicled here, but Montrose lamented at the behaviour of his troops and the obstinacy of the provost of Aberdeen who earlier dismissed his warning to remove their children and womenfolk to a safe haven as ‘mere bluster’. Montrose could not afford to delay in Aberdeen. He already had news that the third Covenant army was approaching from the south. Already his Highlanders were heading homeward with their plunder. He would follow them, burying the captured cannon en route and take to the highlands where the lowland Covenanter army would be ill suited to follow.

Additional Notes:

Scenario thoughts: We intend to re-play the scenario again with a less audacious Covenanter battle plan. Reading S.R. Gardiner’s History of the Great Civil War: Volume Two 1644-45 (p143-149, ISBN 0-900075-05-8) we are also inclined to alter the scenario by using these optional rules:

(i)            Decreasing the Royalist Cavalry to two bases in total, Rollo(ck?) and Gordon. According to Gardiner’s account there were only fifty-four Royalist horsemen on the day split over two wings (24 horse to the left, and to the 30 right).

(ii)          If the Royalist Horse fight on the same wing there is the option to combine them (taking one action) into a superior unit, of Melee 4. The force could be split at the cost of one action later, with each stand retaining any damage incurred. 

(iii)         Having the Covenanter Cavalry being always acting as if out of command. They seem to have been really poor commanders on the day.

(iv)         The Covenanter Gordon Horse stand is cariole only. The young eighteen-year old Gordon was ill-informed and not schooled in the ways of war, “the boy knew of no tactics other than those which had been long abandoned in England.”  

The general comment was that this was an infantry battle decided in the middle by push of pike. The Covenanter Cavalry though numerous were extremely badly led and a fair portion simply did not engage.

(v)          Allowing the Covenanters to use the sunken road to attempt a spoiling attack on the Royalist Left with a FH and four stands of horse. However this force would have to start out of command of their wing commander.

Note on (v): Montrose did have to react to a pre-emptive Covenanter move like this, by bringing all of his horse to the left wing and deploying a FH shot of his own.

(vi)         Reduce the Royalist Artillery to one gun (or possibly none!). The battle account seemed to imply that the Royalist’s were inferior in artillery.  

The above are only suggestions and dangerously based on the reading of one book. If you have alternative sources of information I would gratefully appreciate any references. As a final footnote the Justice Mills battle site is now a cinema complex at the end of (or rather just behind) Union Street in Aberdeen. It is rather a steep climb as I know from my own personal youthful experience. I had the pleasure of studying, then working in Aberdeen for over six years and have many happy memories from that time. In fact I lived not far from the Castle Gate where the Covenanter soldiers must have run to for safety, but of course to no avail.

Reunited with "For God, King and Country" ECW Rules

After a long separation, I can happily report that the "For God, King and Country" ECW rule set are back in the bosom of  my rule cabinet (see below):

They have returned undamaged (and unread) from their travels. To recap these rules are the source of my ECW inspiration, north and south of the border (with Scotland). I plan to assemble a Warlord Games 28mm series of ECW armies based on the scenarios from this booklet, this means:

• Parliamentarian
• Royalist
• Covenanter
• Montrose Royalist

The trick is to spot a nice "budding small wargaming force" that has the potential to build upon. Due to the limited size and scope of the northern conflict (the Montrose Campaign) their armies are far smaller than their English brethren which is great. The English battles though tend to be larger affairs and therefore typically require three to four times as many troops. Start with the Scottish you say, the trouble is I am already ahead in the game of English (albeit) unpainted troops at the moment.

My cunning compromise is to concentrate just on a particular "wing" of a larger battle (Naseby, Marston Moor and Edgehill) and perhaps do a bit of light research to try and find smaller ECW small brigade skirmishes. Any research references appreciated.

French D2 Infantry Tank circa 1940 (SHQ)

Clank, clank here comes a tank!

This "French D2 Infantry Tank" has spent a long, long time waiting for its assembly, escaping from 'the box of toys in the loft' (approx two years). Nevertheless it is a highly valued asset from the 1940 French "clanky tank" era (the D2 was first in service from 1933). A forerunner of the much more successful Somua S35 and Char 1B models. Characteristics of both of these more successful tanks can be seen from this predecessor.

One thing that kept its assembly at bay is its metal construction with all the filing and super glue that entails. Thankfully it was far more straight forward that previous Propaganda Tank (see below, the turret and chassis are settling with the super glue in a quiet corner of the kichen):     

It certainly looks French in its shape (see below): 

Suitable methinks for an ad-hoc detachment from De Gualle's 4th Armoured Division (DCR). That way I can get away with fielding a singleton in an eclectic company/battalion. Apart from a few wacky French renaissance half-tracks, my only remaining 1940 French want is an FCM tank (not that it was particularly useful on the battlefield, I just "feel" the need for one).

The AFV assembly montage continues ;)

DBMM Magnesia: Part 3 (The Final Cuts are the Deepest)

Things that decide battles ...

The Roman left flank "although although known as lost" put up a fierce rearguard action. In fact they cause a major upset in striking back at the flank of a careless elephant with an auxillia stand (see middle, centre below where the invisible elephant should be). The auxillia unexpectedly won (or otherwise I would have got the dramatic "before and after" shots) and killed the elephant and even better in the elephant's retreat squashed a unit of knights, ow. This bought the Roman centre some more precious time (see the resulting disposition below):

The phalanxes again were winning (in the sense of a grinding push back back) but at the same time were putting themselves in losing positions when the legion surged back into the attack on its turn. So much so a Roman cavalry unit took its chance to sweep in from the side and compromise the integrity of the phalanx. Notice also the yawning clear space between the Seleucid pike blocks (see below):

Fate smiled once more upon the Romans and the Seleucid pike, again three layers worth , perished (see below):

Sensing the break point of the Seleucid Army approaching the Romans took advantage of poor Seleucid command PiPs roll leaving the phalanx still vulnerable. This time it was legionnaires on the flank making another "do or die" dilemma for the Seleucid (see below):  

Rome prevails in dramatic fashion, three more layers of pike are sent to Hades (see below):

That was enough for the Seleucid Army break point to be reached and the game had been snatched from the jaws of defeat by the plucky Republican Romans legionnaires.

I have not dwelt on the rules too much, as always there was "heated debate" it three, but that is best forgotten about as the search for a different set of ancient rules continues.

My vote is for Lost Battles.

DBMM Magnesia: Part 2 (The Deadly Danger of the Short Stabbing Blade)

The Seleucid general meets his doom. In ways in which I cannot fathom the legion just has to beat (not double) a pike on "their attacking turn" to destroy pike. I don't care as it gets me out of a tight pickle but I still am wary of the beast they refer to as DBMM. Goodbye brave Seleucid General history shall forget you, I shall not miss you and those nasty "cataphract legion killing knights" behind you will now have PiP point trouble getting into the fight (see below):   

The other Seleucid pike blocks apply relentless pressure to the rest of the legions, but in "their" turn the legions have a sting in their blade (see below): 

The result is more brave pikemen fall (to the glory of Rome) as the legion buzz-saw goes to work (see below):

Even worse is to follow for the Seleucid plater(s) as a lowly Psilio places itself on the flank of the phalanx as the legion surges forward again. Unable to retreat this time "three layers" of pike fall like sheaves of wheat being harvested in the summer sun, Homer does it better but you get the drift  (see below)

It does not all go Rome's way though as the as the pike surge back t the legion(s) on their own go, however for every Seleucid success (as in push back, with compulsory pike follow up) there also comes a haunting danger as the "phalanxes" continuously risk exposing their [very] vulnerable flanks against the thin Roman line. The Seleucid does struggle to keep his forces ordered as pike sits next to warband, which sits next to knight or elephant (see below):  

It all still hangs in the balance ... to be continued!

DBMM First Battle of Magnesia: Part 1 (Into the Maelstrom)

Two months into the year (2014) and I finally got an opportunity to play a wargame, A re-fight he First Battle of Magnesia to be precise, Republican Rome versus the Seleucid Successors of Alexander the Great, in 190BC.

It is a case of the might of the Republican Legion [blade and spear] versus the Pike Phalanx [pike] (see below)

I joined a battle 'already in motion' with the flanking wing actions out of the way and the heavy infantry about to get stuck in. By this time the Romans have to win in the center as the wings look ahem, "lost". The central skirmish lines are being brushed to the rear as the pikes lower to charge (see below):

As seen from from behind the Seleucid center, I am commanding the "Red", "Yellow" and "Green" Legions in the top half of the picture (see below):

The eagle eyes view depicts the threat to Roman line.

In addition to four huge phalanxes the Seleucid have two murderous elephants and a line of deadly Knight Cataphracts waiting in reserve to run down the legion in "quick kill" fashion (see below, middle left):

The left most legion in the Roman line is heavily engaged (see above). Its left flank rests on a river. The first surge of the Seleucid phalanx is checked and a local Roman counterattack has a fleeting opportunity to attack an exposed "Seleucid general" (see bottom middle below):  

The only down-side to the game is that we are playing under the DBMM rule set. I play it only under duress. These games always seems to start off on the right tack but then devolve into ever so frequent disputes over "how the rules read and are interpreted", this even after "years of playing". I always feel that this "bottom up" set of rules is more geometry based rather than historical simulation/game, lacking formation morale and army cohesion (for alternative "better" examples see Impetus, Lost Battles, Strategos II and even Fields of Glory). Sorry rant over.

IMHO there always seems to be an unexplained counter intuitive element to the rules which need just a little more of a plain speaking or diagram for me to "get it". They sometimes seem to work fine, but then along comes the DBMM "Barker moment" with a twenty minute discussion on whether a living and dying by +1/-1 modifier is to be applied or not. Or maybe it's just me (possibly/probably).

So far it still looks very, very pretty. In fact it is a joy just to see so many well painted figures on the table.

:)