The Other Partizan - 5 September 2010

I attended Partizan on Sunday in my Wargame Developments capacity.  This is always a pleasant day out, not least because it is only a half hour drive from home.

This was the final scheduled outing of 'The End' - our players included Phil Steele and I refer you to his blog entry at http://pbeyecandy.wordpress.com/     With his Fuhrer complex in full chat, Phil made short work of the Allies and preserved several acres of the sacred soil of the Reich.

When I arrived at the show, a couple of friends mentioned my appearance in a recent magazine.  Never having met William Hague I was at a loss to think what they meant until Duncan Macfarlane showed me his copy of the current (No 23) issue of Battlegames.  This includes a report by Paddy Griffith of his Operation Weserubung - The invasion of Norway game which took place at IWM Duxford back in May.  A photo on page 13 shows me (I was the Political Umpire) in the company of the Norwegian player team waving a Norwegian flag.

Purchases at the show included two books.  The operation Starlite book was a no-brainer as I ran a game based on this scenario a few years ago.  I'm not sure if I took any photos at the time but I'll have a look. 

The second book is clearly related and may generate more scenarios for games.  Not bad for £5 each!

The Op Starlite game required the use of some models I didn't at the time own, so I had LVTP-7 models standing in for LVTP-5s and helicopters rather garishly painted instead of in plain drab.  Most challenging though was the need for two Ontos models.  I know that GHQ makes the model now (I have some as yet unassembled) but no 'off the shelf' option was then available.  Mine were made from a cut-down M-114 (I think) hull with the RCL barrels made from lengths of 25mm scale spears.  Here (in a hastily posed photo) we see an Ontos platoon safely ashore in company with a Marine tank platoon and a battalion HQ.  M48A3 and figures are Heroics & Ros, Jeeps are GHQ)

The full horror in close up.  I know it's vastly overscale but it looked the part.

I had looked earlier in the day at the new 20mm WW2 Russians from Plastic Soldier.  While they were very nice I managed to resist - I already own an undisclosed quantity of Soviet Rifle Corps (organised and based for Megablitz).  Indeed, I have just finished painting the infantry for another one. 
Metal figures from various manufacturers.

In the afternoon, however, I succumbed to the temptation.  The blame must lie with Chris Ager and Phil Steele for failing to talk me out of it!  A quick calculation revealed that the 57 figures in the box were about right for another two Rifle Corps. 

Further careful application of wargamer's logic (spend a further £20 to justify the original £10...) led me back to another trade stand I'd looked at earlier.  I had spotted a number of new (to me at least) 20mm plastic kits but resisted on my earlier visit because they were - you guessed it - more bloody Russians!  Still, having bought the figures the floodgates were now open.  Next in the shopping bag was a box of Italeri guns.  I had bought and built (but not yet painted) the Italeri model of the Italian 90mm AA gun last year and been mighty impressed with the gun and even more so with the crew figures.  This new kit was all the more appealing for the gun (there are two in the box) being the widely used 76mm ZIS-3 - liable to appear (in the land of Megablitz) as part of Corps artillery, AT Brigades or Artillery Divisions.   I note that the crews are described on the box as 'servants' - very pre-revolutionary!

To tow the guns I clearly needed some lorries (you can never have too many) and as I have relatively little lend-lease transport in my Soviet 'army' (actually I think It's probably at least one Front) I treated myself to these little beauties.

Finally, I am completely unable to justify the purchase of more Soviet armoured cars.  Maybe it was the outlandish box art which clinched the deal?

I suppose I'd better get painting.

Action on the River Gette, 18 August 1914

This game used Richard Brooks' Op14 rules to recreate the action between the German 1 Army under von Kluck....  (Not this one though!)

....and a force consisting of fully half the Belgian Army led by King Albert I.  I had previously played this game - umpired in person by Richard - at COW in July.  On this occasion we used my 6mm toys.  Martin Rapier took the part of Albert while I stood in for von Kluck.  This one:

The table was set up as per the photo below - as usual all photos are taken from my (the German) side for reasons of pure laziness.  The photo shows the situation at the end of turn 1.  The Germans (from left - IX, IV and III Corps) have moved on in a menacing Teutonic manner while aviators are scouting the positions of the Belgian Cavalry Division.  The Belgian 3 and 1 Divs can be seen in the distance.  2 Division is on the way but has not appeared yet.  The sharp eyed among you will no doubt have spotted that the 'Belgians' are in fact Brits and French (cavalry).

A German Taube aircraft overflying cyclists of the Belgian Cavalry Division.

The beginning of turn 3.  The Germans press forward while the plucky Belgians advance to contact.

The situation of the right flank - The Germans are forced to deploy both Corps to put pressure on the cavalry.

Turn 4.  The contact is made on the left while the Germans cross the Gette on the right.

Turn 4 on the right flank.

Turn 5.  On the left flank the Germans pin the Belgians.

The Germans drive back the Belgians on the right.

The left flank solidifies while on the right the Belgians prepare to sell their lives dearly!

Endgame - As the Belgian 2 Div finally arrives (top right), the left flank digs in while on the right the Belgians crumble.  As night fell we agreed that the Belgian 2 Div, together with some survivors of the 1 Div legged it off towards Antwerp.  3 Div meanwhile has fallen into a German trap and is pinned in place.

I have been to...France

Well, actually I was there some weeks ago but as previously mentioned I have had a lot on since my return.  Any guesses about the photo above?

We only had time for a short holiday so we caught the 11am sailing from Dover to Bolougne on Monday 2 August, and returned on Friday 6.

On arrival on Monday we spent most of the day strolling round the older parts of Bolougne.  I had previously only passed through in going from and to the ferry port, except for my first visit in (I think) 1990 as part of a 'conference'.  Memories of that visit are somewhat hazy as my colleagues and I (led by a senior - ie - with a larger expense account than me - manager) hit the first bar we came to and stayed until it was dark.  I obviously cannot disclose the name of the company I worked for at the time but it was a large insurance company with it's head office in Norwich...

On Tuesday we drove the 30-ish km south to Le Toquet.  For the first half of the twentieth century this was a very prestigious destination and still has a very well to do feel about it.  Lest any readers mistake me for a lottery winner I should point out that we were staying in the Ibis Hotel!  Still, this was hardly slumming it, as the view from our hotel room window will confirm:

I can recommend a visit to Le Toquet for those of you who enjoy a nice stroll on the beach or on quiet streets, followed by a pleasant meal.  Among the many small shops in the town was one which sold only Lego and Playmobil toys.  Oh to be a child again!  Most bewildering, though, was a small chocolatier which also turned out to be an ice cream parlour and  - wait for it - a games shop!  Mostly family boardgames but also some 15mm toys.  When we passed by later that evening (c9pm) the guy from the shop was demonstrating a game using 15mm Napoleonic toys on a hex terrain.  On a small table in the middle of the street! 

On Thursday we set off from Le Toquet to visit the battlefield at Azincourt.  When we had planned the holiday a couple of months previously, I had looked over a map to identify an interesting (ie military history themed) outing.  Leaving aside the 'obvious' fortifications, battlefields and cemeteries form the world wars, my eyes strayed inland and lit upon Azincourt.  Apparently this isn't a typo, but the original English recording of the name as 'Agincourt' is.  By coincidence (or fate?) I had picked up a copy of Juliet Barker's book 'Agincourt' earlier in the year. 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Agincourt-Campaign-Battle-Juliet-Barker/dp/034911918X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1283078706&sr=1-1

It was, I freely admit, an impulse purchase as this really isn't my period.  Having now read it, I can recommend this book to anyone with even a passing interest in history.  I finished reading it the day before we set off to explore the battlefield. 

A slight navigational error meant that we missed the turning I had intended to take and instead ended up following the route taken by Henry V for the last few miles (a bit more quickly given his steed's one horsepower to my 250).  My reading had indicated that the English were very concerned about the final river crossing they made before the battle.  On a map the Ternoise looks a very minor obstacle, but crossing it now (albeit with the luxury of a bridge rather than a ford)  one winds down through the village of Blangy and then up a surprisingly steep hill.  Given that then French army had been reported only 3 miles away, I can well understand Henry's anxiety.

Cresting the ridge, we arrived at the crossroads below and turned left on to the D71 which pretty well marks the original English line.

Although many features in the locality have changed, the field itself remains  - tapering slightly (due to the surrounding woodland) towards the English line and surfaced with thick, heavy mud.  Even on the fine day I visited it retained a lot of moisture (on the eve of the battle it had rained heavily) and I'd not have wanted to walk across it in ordinary clothes, let alone in full armour and carrying a shield and a bloody great axe.

The visitor centre in Azincourt village is worth a look, although the animated slideshow displays seemed to me to be astonishingly pro-English.  There is lots of armour and pointy things (did I mention it's not my period?) on display, along with a rather splendid 6x6 foot diorama made using 20mm toy soldiers.

Thursday night was spent back in Bolougne and then it was back to Blighty on the 9am Friday ferry.

A quick update!

Yes, I'm still here.  I realise it's been a good while since my last posting - due to holidays, work etc.

As much to commit myself to writing them, here are the subjects I will cover in my next few posts:

1. My holiday in France - including a visit to the battlefield at Azincourt.

2. The battle of the Gette - August 1914 in Belguim.

3. The battle of Ctesiphon - November 1915 in Iraq.

4. Photos of toys originally made by the late John G Robertson.

5. My latest big toy - a camper van!

6. Hardware tables for NBC.

Watch this space!