Note to Self: A Different Take on Gen AI

https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10676-024-09775-5.pdf

It made me smile and nod ;) 

WW2 US Tank Destroyers Book: The Tank Killers

Now here's the thing, what is the difference between a US Tank Destroyer and a US Tank? Late war, seemingly not much on the surface, they are tracked AFVs but they are supposed to fight very different battles. A Tank Destroyer is a 'counterattack' weapon and the the Tank is an 'attack' weapon (according to the 1941 US Army Doctrine). Early war if you were a Tank Destroyer, you either towed an AT gun or mounted it in a light transport (37mm anti tank gun on a M6 Dodge or a 75mm anti-tank gun on a M3 Half-Track). Tunisia was an interesting time, for mobility that was not a good solution, The transition to a fully tracked model started and we got the M10 (Wolverine - 3" anti-tank gun), M18 (Hellcat - 76mm anti-tank gun) and M36 (Jackson). 

Patton hated the concept as he viewed the Tank Destroyer as another form of tank, but the M10 and M18 were not, they had thin armour and so were fast and carried a better weapon to that of the standard Sherman. Tank Destroyer crews were also supposed to be able to hunt enemy armour in closed terrain with bazookas and Tank Destroyer training including fighting dismounted with infantry. The Tank Destroyer (TD) battalions were initially kept separate from the Armoured Divisions but the infantry happily grabbed them. Later in the war US Armoured Divisions could find themselves with Tank Destroyer battalions attached, initially awkwardly but a useful combat synergy arose. 

The "theory" was that the TD Battalions were Divisional or Corp assets rushed to a threatened sector facing a German armoured attack. They could move fast, get into an ambush position or turn flanks and they were highly successful, despite the "battalion formation" seldom being used in battle (see below, this book opened my eyes to the US infantryman's friend for killing enemy armour):   

The battalions found themselves parcelled out in companies and platoons, attached to regiments and battalions of infantry. The higher ranking infantry officers had to be dissuaded from "seeing a tank", pointing to the open topped turret helped, which meant "clearing the path of enemy infantry in attack was essential"! Yes, as the Americans were advancing, the Tank Destroyers were attacking, by stalking and facing off the inevitable German counterattack, which was their forte. Tank destroyers always seemed to be in the right place, at the right time for the "wrong job" from what they were designed for, so they were used in many ad hoc situations, because the US Commanders had them to hand (and could not afford to wait until an armoured battalion showed up). Successful operations with reconnaissance and cavalry was notable, as unlike the tanks the tank destroyers could keep up with the recon troops. Their close training with infantry put them as ideal (far better than tanker training) to be direct fire weapons for infantry - and the infantry knew they had to clear the ground ahead for the Tank Destroyers. Tanks, being armoured, trundled ahead and got themselves into trouble.  M10 and M18 were exceptional in this, the M36 was blessed with an excellent 90mm anti-tank gun but had the armour of a converted Sherman chassis. Some units changed back to M10s because it hindered their operations. Tank Destroyer units suffered less than infantry and tanks, so probability wise it was a good posting, but it was going to be eventful, you would certainly "see the elephant". Their biggest enemy was internal to the US Army, Patton and other armoured Generals hated them and the force was quietly disbanded in peacetime during the late 1940's.

From a wargaming perspective the potential is great at the skirmish level (a supported platoon), especially when in late 1944 the US Armoured Division finally figured out how to use TDs in combination with tanks. TD/tank pairs with armoured infantry could bring all arms and manoeuvre to great effect.

I can recommend the book and was politely surprised that it was again a "Free" read choice for monthly subscribers to Amazon Audible.

Final Note: The late war 1945 Paderborn incident/battle reference in Tiger Battalion 507 was

also alluded to here, described as "a company roughly handled" as opposed to completely routed by two platoons of Royal Tigers. Interesting, it has got me looking at my 20mm US Tank Destroyer pairs (like the ark, I got them in twos) of M10s, M18s and M36s.

Audible Book Finished: Tiger Battalion 507

Albeit a freebie with Audible (for a monthly subscriber) I found this book a really good listen. It went through the miscellaneous details of the unit organisation, the tank's technical capabilities, battalion and crew personnel structure and training, maintenance needs r rather foibles, plus the combat experience of a late war Tiger battalion. For the majority of its combat life Heavy Tank Battalion 507 fought on the Eastern Front - though in its deaths throws faced the Americans at Paderborn (see below, highly recommended as a casual read that gives you a flavour of the attractional nature of the Tigers demise, their Achilles heel was that they broke down through mechanical maintenance issues, unrecoverable for an army in retreat. They burned too, AT guns with flank shots and teh JS II's [and ISUs 122/152] were hated opponents or close range T34 duels):   

The original source material came from Battalion 507 reunion conversations, that were collated and fact checked where possible. The material was of relatively current interest (for the Cold War that did not  come in teh 1980/90s) to the US Army in the 1980s. So much so the information was presented to the US Armour School in West Germany (circa 1987) on the experiences in fighting the Soviets. It was noted with dark humour, that the reaction to the drubbing of an American Tank Company in 1945 [Paderborn] was greeted with some distaste and brushed aside as an ambush. The German historian pointed out to the Americans that they were guilty of very poor reconnaissance and the Germans responded to a planned American attack in the German rear with a level of professional agility that should be respected (and learned from).    

Painting German WWII Three Tone Camouflage the Vallejo Way! [Shade-Base-Highlights and Washes]

As part of the preparation for the Pendrakon Battleground Middlesbrough Wargames Show, I had to practice my late-war German three tone camouflage painting scheme. The idea was to use Pendrakon 10mm miniatures for the Wargames Development (WD) "A Bridge Too Far" participation game. For my 20mm models I had previously used Tamiya colours (Sand, Matt Earth and Deep Green/Olive Drab, highlighted up with Yellow and White) but for smaller scales the Vallejo paints are a much better to paint with. The Flames of War (FoW) painting guide gives a very good Vallejo recipe (see below, this is "Issue Two" which was the "German" edition - with lots of Panzer (and other things German) painting guides):

The Late War German Three Colour Camouflage Vallejo Recipe:

Shade:

Y: Green Brown (879)

B: Flat Brown (894)

G: Luftwaffe Camo Green (823)

Base:

Y: Middlestone (882)

B: Chocolate Brown (872)

G: Reflective Green (890)

Highlight:

Y: Buff (876)

B: Beige Brown (875)

G: Russian Uniform Green (924)

Tracks: 

German Primer undercoat Cavalry Brown (987)

Brown Wash

Gunmetal (863) Dry Brush 

Black Wash

Final Gunmetal (863) Highlight

Washes: 

Watered down Black and Brown Vallejo "Dipping Washes" (the big vat ones) 

For my first subject matter "test case" I chose a couple of 1/200 Skytrex Action 200 WWII German AFV miniatures I had (see below, two Stug IIIGs, nasty when coupled with close support Panzer Grenadiers. I was pleased with the result but wanted some more experimentation before I jumped up to 10mm):

For my second subject matter "test case" again I chose some 1/200 Skytrex Action 200 WWII German AFV miniatures (they had been around for ages, purchased from a hobby lot on eBay and I have been meaning to repaint them for absolutely ages - no better time than now). In fact these were used in the WD "A Bridge Too Far" participation game I hosted with John Armatys at Partizan, Newark (Second Partizan in the vernacular I think) earlier this year (see below, a Panther [with added foliage] and a Pz IVH, looking for Shermans, or anything with a White Star on it for that matter. They are are old [1980s?] but I think they still hold their own!):  

I always thought the Skytrex 1/200 Action 200 AFVs were nice kits, but I was less taken with their infantry, although perhaps to scale they are a bit spindly. I do have the infantry but I prefer to use their early war 1/200 AFV models freely with Pendrakon's "slightly larger" 10mm infantry figures. I think it works really well for Spearhead and Command Decision level games, wheer a base is a platoon of infantry or a troop of tanks. I use this combination for my France 1940, Russian 1941-42 [while German things were painted grey] collections, however for my new Western Desert project [British, Commonwealth, Italian and DAK] I am going full in for 10mm (Pendrakon and Miniature Figurines being my current figure sources). I have not quite decided for late war, originally it was going to be big-boy 10mm kits in 1943-45 in Europe and the East. Quite unexpectedly though, I acquired two battalions (one Sherman and one Cromwell) worth 1/200 1944 British Armour and a 1944 Panzer Division's worth of German Armour (Panthers, Pz IVHs, Stug IIIs, Half Track 251s, Tigers, King Tigers and various assault guns). eBay, a blessing and a curse! The same old dilemma [same period and multi-scale hell], but in my heart I know I will do what I usually do and - collect both, so late war Eastern Front beckons in 10mm methinks [unless a large 1/200 set of Russians appear]. Which means I will have to double up on German 10mm late war kits - which I think I can live with (see below, I do like the way the camouflage blends into the terrain board):  

Practice run complete and I jumped up in scale to the 10mm Pendrakon AFVs (see below, a 10mm Stug IIIG - it is very nice, it naturally takes more time to paint but it is very satisfying and the metal pieces went really well together - nice casting Pendrakon!): 

When the camouflage painting is done there comes the tactical markings and/or national insignia, so do you decal or go free hand paint? I decided to give the free hand a go [it was only a single tank], with the aid of a new secret weapon! A Posca Art Paint Pen I had picked up ages ago, in a back to school sale (see below, sadly I discovered the pen nibs were a tad too large for meaningful detail work [OK for 20mm-25mm-28mm-54mm] but all I could get was a blob that was useful for the outer white cross area, so I could then fill in black and touch up round the edges (see below, the finished product, which in the end I am quite proud of):  

Altogether a satisfying project. I intend to finish the rest of the 1/200 German battalions (Spearhead and Command Decision Order of Battle) in this scheme.

That's another book read: 3 Para - Afghanistan

It all started for the UK with this deployment, other UK troops had been "in theatre" but now it was ISAF, War on Terror and "nation" rebuilding (with the intention of creating a Western mindset nation, in Afghanistan - that swallowed Alexander the Great, the Colonial British Empire [how many Afghan Wars?] and the post war Soviets .. their Vietnam). Good luck. The British intension was to follow the Malayan "ink blot" counterinsurgency plan, so Afghanistan could "nation build" (using their own troops) but "one political favour" right at the start of the deployment scuppered all this. "Hold this place first with your troops then we will take over with ANA (Army) and ANP (Police)". From that moment on 3 Para were forced into a static "blockhouse holding" strategy which at best was a long drawn out "draw". To quote Frazer from Dad's Army "We're doomed!" The ANA and ANP were woefully under resourced, infiltrated by the Taliban and suffered from corrupt levels of officials - taking the official money for themselves. Then to make matters worse, take a world class elite force (full of offensive spirit) and make them sit tight with bullseye targets on their chests! Everybody knew it was wrong but nobody could see a sensible alternative path forward .. Greek tragedy lived out in the twenty first century (see below, it is a very good read and outlines the actions in subtle matter of fact light and tells a fascinating story of professional soldiering): 

It is a harrowing read though, total respect for the boys in 3 Para who were put in all the wrong places, to do a series of tasks that were simply impossible to achieve without destroying the very fabric of society there were trying to nurture. Take for example that Immediate Impact Project for a local hospital, a simple bit of plumbing, it never happened, the washing machine stayed in its original packaging .. as slowly all hell broke loose outside .. sadly, I kid you not. The Paras, 3 Para, showed incredible courage in adversity - "taking it" from the Taliban and then "giving it back" in Spades but under strict rules of engagement (the Taliban free by comparison to do whatever they wished). But after six months - what was it for? The Western political establishment never addressed the endemic corruption at teh core of the Afghan government or understood the Tribal logic or dare I say philosophy, the Afghan way. It was the Afghan Elders who eventually told both sides to stop, the real Afghanistan villagers would not support either of the sides .. they demanded and got a "ceasefire". 3 Para rolled out in this lull and 3 Commando rolled in. No surprises what my next book is then!

Read:

• 3 Para by Patrick Bishop (Paratroopers - Afghanistan 2006)
• An ordinary Soldier by Doug Beattie (Irish Guards - Afghanistan 2006) 
• The Junior Officer's Reading Club, by Patrick Hennessey (Grenadier Guards - Afghanistan 2007)

To go: 

• 3 Commando Brigade Helmand by Ewen Southby-Tailyour (Afghanistan 2006) 
• Joint Force Harrier by Commander Ade Orchard RN
• Apache by Ed Macey
• Apache Dawn by Damien Lewis
• Task Force Helmand by Doug Beattie
• 3 Para, Ground Truth by Patrick Bishop 
• 3 Commando Brigade Helmand Assault by Ewen Southby-Tailyour
• Dead Men Risen by Toby Harnden (Welsh Guards)
• Sweating The Metal by Flt Lt Alex 'Frenchie' Duncan (Chinook)

Still to get: 

• Khandak Fighting with Afghans: Patrick Hennessey

Battleground 2024 - Pendrakon, Middlesbrough

Hats off to Pendrakon for organising Battleground 2024 in Middlesbrough on Saturday (see link below): 

https://www.battlegroundshow.co.uk/

I had the pleasure of hosting the Wargames Development (WD) Arnhem participation game: "A Bridge Too Far", that went down really well with the 'participation game punters' (see below, the classic well-trodden WD [courtesy of the designers, John Armatys and Jerry Elsmore] game in the foreground and I helped with a second game inspired by Phil Sabin's "Take That Bridge" in the background - where US Paratroopers try to rush a bridge on the outskirts of Eindoven, against randomly generated enemies [which could be fake or real, you don't know unless they start shooting]):

I think this is the furthest north (convention wise) "A Bridge Too Far" has travelled with WD (certainly this year). Everyone who played it remarked on how good it was and brought the story to life in 'ten minutes'. Copies of the WD circular, "The Nugget" was distributed to participants as a taste of what Wargames Developments do. One game was particularly poignant when a player remarked at a point on the map, "This is where we lost my uncle, his body was never recovered, but his Dakota reportedly made it to the jump-off point but didn't return, so we don't exactly know what happened." That made you stop and think, he would have been just be a young lad (see below, in memory, with respect to all that fought): 

One of the pains or requirements of presenting a game is that you never get the time you want to take in all the other beautiful games. Luckily there was this lovely Renaissance game was next to our table so I could periodically enjoy its gameplay (see below, Durham Wargames Group - Display Game C - The Sesia-Italian Wars, lovely 28mm Figures and Scenery, using Pike and Shot rules I think): 

In the afternoon I did achieve a "bucket list" conference tick, as I managed to get across to see (and play) Renko's Blood Red Skies (BRS) tournament set-up [beautiful planes and playing map], where my late war Spitfire IX Polish Pilots managed to take down a Spanish Blue Squadron ME 109G Hun, but sadly I was bested by a far better player (Leslie) who is a pleasure to play against (we have a history, flying Gloster Gladiators he managed to shoot down my Me 109E Ace of mine - it is the curse of the BRS dice and my poor rookie tactics). All said and done a brilliant game, BRS is something I must play more of (see below, my moment of glory captured for all to see, winning me a tournament prize of a Warlord Games Heinkel 111 squadron pack, perfect for my Battle of Britain Project): 

The bring and buy had many temptations, but sadly a few of the sprues (I always seem to go for the unmade stuff) were a but vague on the sizes [10mm, 12mm, 15mm so I could not in my heart commit], so I probably passed up on a couple of bargains. Though I did spy a curious one, for a £5 I picked up a copy of Avalon Hill's Flight Leader. Now most flight, particularly jet, simulations are a tad complex unless you love flight (which I see myself more of a BRS abstract passenger, rather than 2joystick jock") but I am hoping to at least get to the basic game level with this (see below, if for nothing else it has a beautiful game board that can be reused, so I have a "Plan B"):

Finally my sin, with a 10% show Warlord discount voucher in hand (another joy of the BRS competition) I saw my Achilles Heel and succumbed gladfully [no "convention day after" regrets here]- 2000AD ABC Warriors (see below, one word describes this set to me "Hammerstein", never heard of "Increase the Peace" so there may be a graphic novel too to buy in the future): 

 

I now know I have to get the complete ABC Warrior set (I do have a chunky Foundry [?] Hammerstein) but the Warlord offerings look impressive resin kits. The fact that ABC Rules are compatible with Judge Dredd seals the deal for me. I tool the opportunity to pick up Mongol too, as the figure looked brilliant. Happy days!  Other "normal" purchases were 20mm Vietnam casualties and 10mm MkVI British Light Tanks for my early war Western Desert Project (Command Decision - Benghazi Handicap). 

Another physical book read: "An Ordinary Soldier" by Doug Beattie - Afghanistan 2006

This certainly was a read from the "sharp end" of Afghanistan combat with a spoiler alert, after surviving and thinking that is it for Captain Beattie he goes back for more (see below, the cover seems to sum up teh combat very well): 

Interesting back story of why and how Doug Beattie joined the Army, the hideous hazing he got as a recruit, then sanctuary as he joined up with the Irish Guards and his older brothers, his early career - then Afghanistan. Very emotional in his reflections and understanding of the paradoxes that is Afghanistan in a power vacuum.

Read:

• An ordinary Soldier by Doug Beattie (Irish Guards - Afghanistan 2006) 
• The Junior Officers Reading Club, by Patrick Hennessey (Afghanistan 2007)

To go: 

• 3 Para by Patrick Bishop (Afghanistan 2006)
• 3 Commando Brigade Helmand by Ewen Southby-Tailyuor (Afghanistan 2007) 
• Joint Force Harrier by Commander Ade Orchard RN
• Apache by Ed Macey
• Apache Dawn by Damien Lewis
• Task Force Helmand by Doug Beattie
• 3 Para, Ground Truth by Patrick Bishop 
• 3 Commando Brigade Helmand Assault by Ewen Southby-Tailyour
• Dead Men Risen by Toby Harnden (Welsh Guards)
• Sweating The Metal by Flt Lt Alex 'Frenchie' Duncan (Chinook)

Still to get: 

• Khandak Fighting with Afghans: Patrick Hennessey

 

When in need of painting inspiration .. just paint Sci Fi or Fantasy, nobody can say you are wrong!

Games Workshop "late 1980's or early 1990's era" Space Orcs for Space Crusade which is an early (or just before) Xmas painting project, where I intend to run a retro Space Crusade game for my original D&D friends (see below, early stages of work): 

What can I say, they have only been waiting to be finished for about twenty years! Passed on to me by a nephew who grew up when I didn't!

Wargames Atlantic - 28mm BEF Figures - Reference Material

I think Wargames Atlantic have surpassed themselves with their 28mm WWII BEF kit. I am bowled over with their quality and the ease at which things fit together. Brilliant, the variety too is brilliant. The classic LH and RH numbering system for the arms works really well! Although no printed "instructions" (look at the pictures) I found the additional Internet resources invaluable for me (see below, otherwise I would have doubled up on the entrenching tools): 

https://www.sofmilitary.co.uk/bef-infantrymans-dunkirk-1940-uniform-set.html

Other people have shared their opinion and interest in BEF 1940 in the battle of France:

https://iagsmgm.blogspot.com/2019/06/bef-platoon-28mm.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6m0oShxuMc4

Look Back at my CoW 2024: List of Games

Long overdue, but here it is! CoW 2024 at Missenden Hall,

There were so many games in parallel sessions that you could have attended CoW 2024 (and apart from the all inclusive plenary game) you could have had at least five separate parallel strand CoW experiences. Mine was fun and informative as detailed below: 

• The Plenary: Papal Conclave of 1559, an interesting game of papal political intrigue, back stabbing, rioting, opportunism and deceit. As a Spanish Cardinal I feigned disappointment as a French Pope (with audacity to take the name of Innocent[?]) sat enthroned as God's vicar in Rome. French gold clinked in my pocket and a position of "favour" awaited me.

• The Cactus Air Force (Guadalcanal 1942) - Blood Red Skies (BRS) fighting the IJN from Henderson Field:

Naturally I find myself surrounding by enemy Zeros, but I am distracting them from the USN bombers hunting a damaged IJN heavy cruiser!

Some how they all missed me and ACE made it back home, although the bombers missed the heavy cruiser in this game (a repeat game saw the cruiser heading to the bottom)!

• The Great War in the Pacific in the 1920's (what if the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 failed to take place and the USA and Japan ended up fighting a huge naval war in the 1920's? What sort of fleet would you build as the US to fulfil "War Plan Orange" and what in fact would be your war plan? [Ticket to Manilla, Home Island Hawaii Defence, Island Hopping, Japanese Homeland Assault]):

The game's bits and pieces (AH's Victory in the Pacific used as a map, 1/3000 Navwar ships, Jenga Blocks and plenty of sticky labels):

The USN Admirals Plan - note serious faces of austere concentration .. [obviously a posed photograph]

And they keep on planning. Note, then there is this guy in a Hawaiian shirt on the end, getting very chummy with the US Marine Corp chap MacArther ! Yes he got promoted to C-in-C, obvious with hindsight!

The Admirals of the class of 1926 all successfully "pass" the Ship Identification "end of term test", all proudly spotting the expensive, six funnelled USS Ranger aircraft carrier - a very advanced ship, laid on the stocks with no chance of being finished in time to participate in the war.

The Great Pacific War of the 1920's starts with the Manilla Squadron in dire trouble as an elite IJN fast battlecruiser squadron tries to Copenhagen them, but thanks to the foresight of the American Admirals the modernisation of the Manilla Squadron pays off and the IJN are sent packing, though vowing to come back with reinforcements.

With "The Ticket to Manilla" as War Plan Orange the USN charges across the Pacific, sadly loosing the CV they managed to build (the USS Langley) and the seven funnelled USS Lexington to IJN air and torpedo attacks. Nevertheless they arrive in time to face the IJN Combined Fleet (without Kaga and Akagi superdreadnoughts due to slow production and lack of steel thanks to US sanctions). Both sides engage in a battleline fight and loose all their battlecruisers. The USN have an advantage in battleships and the IJN in light forces (cruisers and destroyers).

A stroke of USN tactical genius and bravery sees the damaged USN Manilla Squadron sortie and catch the IJN in a pincer move. The Japanese battleline is Trafalgar'ed and remnants escape back to the Home Islands. The Japanese sue for peace. Well played the USN!

• Air Strike Nigeria - Planning a Jet Air Ground Attack (simple plan, rather than attacking the heavily defended by AA assets enemy HQ, we chose the high value AA asset [radar] for a points win [some would say long game] to take out - as the Rookie ordnance man I loaded up with range zero "big bombs" and some A-2-A self defence missiles which caused some consternation with the " married family men" of the flight): 

Death before dishonour, through evasive action that really jangled the pilots nerves [lose too much cool and you are a poor flyer which is not a good thing] we survive the close AA barrage [if I had swapped that for long range ordnance we might have suppressed the AA - lesson learned, a mixed array of weapons works best]. The big bombs clobber the important Soviet Era AA radar [4pts] and almost getting a win-win with the fuel dump too [just one hit point off] and try and "leg-it" but there are bandits on our tails.

We lose a boomer to enemy A-2-A combat but thanks to the plentiful availability of A-2-A in the attack flight we down "two" fighters which make the mission an outstanding success .. I am skimping over the pilot who ejected over "No Man's Land" due to "uncool flying technique" and had to hitch a lift home in a Yellow Taxi wearing civilian clothes.  

• Poland 1939 - One Hour WW2 (watched a game of Martin Rapier's excellent WW2 Brigade Level rules play an interesting Poland 1939 scenario [Stukas, Pz I's, Armoured Cars, Pak 35s, polish Cavalry and bridges that must be held at all costs]): 

The broad landscape with a good bit of Polish strategic pointing at the key terrain feature - the bridge across the river!

Massed German armour and stout hearted Poles in defence of the strategically important bridge that had been "pointed out" earlier!

The Luftwaffe's Stukas ensure "War is Hell". The Poles fought well, but the Germans were too "combined arms" for them in the end.

• A Simple Dice COIN Game (developed as part of his PhD wargaming research at Bath Spa University Pete Sizer has come up with this interesting solitaire COIN game, using a lot of dice):

Pete guiding six players simultaneously playing his solitaire COIN Dice Game, with dice acting as handy game tokens [representing things in various states] as well as "things to roll" - the amount of dice rolling was deafening! I stood on the side lines and watched this one as I was still mentally exhausted from putting on The Great Pacific War just prior to this, but need to play it. Perhaps in a quiet moment in CoW 2025 Pete can take me aside with a pint in hand to show me it again! 

• War of the Roses: Princes in the Tower - Cluedo(ish). There is Cluedo, then there is almost Cluedo with the Princes in the Tower historical authors battling it out with their egos over-filling rooms to define teh best "pet absurd theory" that will get them a lucrative "book deal"! I don't think I got all the in jokes, but enough to make it very amusing! 

• Lynchville is Burning (Again) - Role Playing and Committee Game. Naturally no photos as decreed by the 1950's emergency laws pressed into service. In an extreme state of anti communist paranoia where security and sensible lifestyle choices are paramount for the survival of the United States of America I can now fully understand the attraction of the Fallout Vault option. Sadly we did not have a vault, but we did have several cunning plans to infiltrate the seemingly harmless Trade Union to discover Soviet sleeper agents and undesirables. Each cunning plan failing in quick succession, the team turned to ever more desperate and darker tactics to give results, any results - no matter how fanciful to the powers that be that "ran" the organisation. The result was naturally chaos; it followed in an inevitable tragic sense. The fire at the gas mask factory was teh last straw, the bewildered workers mixed with agent provocateurs bused in for the occasion and unfortunate, unwanted newspaper coverage of agents no longer with the service, retired early before their prime. Are we still safe, that all depends on Department 12. 

• Ukrainian National Guard - A small squad tactics game, with maps and counters. A team planning and execution of a simple task that can always be made harder by doing something silly. Thankfully we watched, got lucky and flushed out the Russian observers but enemy drones blew up our BMP lift home.   

• GMT's - Last Hundred Yards Play Through. Using the serendipity of two people having the same game and wanting to know if they are playing it right this was a sit down session of a basic scenario. The good news was that we seemed to be playing it correctly, the game made sense and was a nice alternative to Advanced Squad Leader (ASL).   

• Bring and Buy Sale Bonanza (loot and swag collected at the bring and buy stall): 

Plenty of helicopters, Norman Knights and Hoplites, so what is not to like? Supplementing existing collections and periods.

 Plenty of "New Rules" courtesy of the stable of senor Trebian, for periods I want to get into!

 Old rules, but still the period is interesting and ideas are great to explore.

My personal weakness - other people's lead, end of collections and odds and sods, that could fit in somewhere (possibly) to my old collections. Pennies well spent I think, as the alternative is much more expensive late night Internet purchases, that you probably regret the next day! Well that is my excuse ;)   

Finally - the things that you never thought you would see again and missed getting first time round. A personal soft spot for me 2000AD, Judge Dredd RPG. A classic despite what Enzo the dog thinks about it!

And take a deep breath, sir all the above, mixed with great food, alcoholic drinks and good company. Fantastic event, I can recommend it to one and all.

More details of Wargames Developments can be found at: https://wargamedevelopments.org/

I know bookings for CoW 2025 are now open to the General Wargaming Public, come on in the water is lovely https://wargamedevelopments.org/event/cow-2025/ if you have read this far you will probably enjoy it!

Proud to have .. read a Book! "The Junior Officers Reading Club"

This makes a welcome change from my usual Audible listening to a book behaviour, actually opening and leafing through the pages of a physical book. I found it most enjoyable (see below, I also found it a different form of history from the norm, as you stepped inside the mind of a British Army infantry officer as his career built up to the expectation of combat and then experienced the elephant, albeit the new asymmetrical warfare of Afghanistan):   

This was a book from the pile of "many" paperbacks I have acquired over the years on this peculiar piece of history. "Their time" of reading has appeared to have now come. The Afghanistan list to date (in a sort of chronological order) is as follows: 

COIN:

• An ordinary Soldier by Doug Beattie (Irish Guards)
• 3 Para by Patrick Bishop
• 3 Commando Brigade Helmand by Ewen Southby-Tailyour
• Joint Force Harrier by Commander Ade Orchard RN
• Apache by Ed Macey
• Apache Dawn by Damien Lewis
• Task Force Helmand by Doug Beattie
• 3 Para, Ground Truth by Patrick Bishop 
• 3 Commando Brigade Helmand Assault by Ewen Southby-Tailyour
• Dead Men Risen by Toby Harnden (Welsh Guards)
• Sweating The Metal by Flt Lt Alex 'Frenchie' Duncan (Chinook)

Further recommendations list (still to get):

• Khandak Fighting with Afghans: Patrick Hennessey

Russian invasion of Afghanistan:

Still to get:

• The Bear Went Over the Mountain: Soviet Combat Tactics in Afghanistan by Grau and Glantz
• The War in Afghanistan by Mark Urban (Google Book preview) https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/War_in_Afghanistan/D-i-DAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA1&printsec=frontcover

In the library: 

• War in a Distant Country Afghanistan: Invasion and Resistance by David Isby

Any further recommendations to the above greatly appreciated. So perhaps with this background knowledge I should be able to finally get into GMT's COIN "A Distant Plain" (another 'Bucket List' item). 

Never Forgotten