My latest book sales figures

I am still not very happy with the speed with which Lulu.com are updating my sales figures, but as of today they seem to have got them reasonably up to date.

In late July, my sales figures looked like this:

My current sales figures (as of this morning) look like this:

It is encouraging to see that sales of THE PORTABLE WARGAME and DEVELOPING THE PORTABLE WARGAME remain good.

I only have to sell two more books before I break through the 7,000 barrier ... and with luck, I should achieve that goal by the end of this week.

Nuggets 326, 327, and 328

The ‘missing’ NUGGETs (No.326 and No.327) have been printed and will be posted out to subscribers on Tuesday, and those members who have not yet resubscribed for 2020-2021 will have a reminder sent to them.

The first NUGGET of the new subscription year (No.328) is in the process of being printed, and I hope to post it out to subscribers in about a week's time.

IMPORTANT: Please note that this will be the first issue of THE NUGGET to be published for the 2020-2021 subscription year. If you have not yet re-subscribed, a reminder will be sent to you (see above). If you wish to re-subscribe using the PayPal option on the relevant page of the website, you can use the existing buttons as the subscription cost has not changed.

Battle report: 1st German Panzer Division vs. 1st Russian Tank Corps (28th June 1941)

The second battle on my mini-campaign saw the 1st Panzer Division attack the 1st Tank Corps.

A map of the battlefield.

A photograph of the battlefield.

The forces involved

The 1st Panzer Division comprised:

• General Hentzau (Above average; 6 SPs)
• 4th Divisional HQ (Average; 2 SPs)
• 1st Armoured Car Battalion (Average; 2 SPs)
• 1st Panzer Regiment (Average; 3 SPs)
• 2nd Panzer Regiment (Average; 3 SPs)
• 7th Motorised Infantry Regiment (Average; 4 SPs + 3 SPs)
• 4th Artillery Regiment (Average; 2 SPs)
• 4th Panzerjager Battalion (Average; 2 SPs)
• Total strength: 27 SPs
• Exhaustion Point: 9 SPs

The 1st Tank Corps comprised:

• DivCom Borodin (Below average; 6 SPs)
• 1st Armoured Car Regiment (Average; 2 SPs)
• 1st Tank Brigade (Average; 3 SPs)
• 2nd Tank Brigade (Average; 3 SPs)
• 3rd Tank Brigade (Average; 3 SPs)
• 10th Motor Rifle Regiment (Average; 4 SPs + 2 SPs)
• Total strength: 23 SPs
• Exhaustion Point: 8 SPs

Because the German invasion was unexpected, the 1st Tank Corps had not yet been able to concentrate, and was still scattered over a number of locations. These were determined randomly using a system similar to that used to create the terrain map.

(A D6 die was thrown in turn for each unit to determine which row of grid squares in the left-hand column the location count would start in. 2D6 dice were then thrown, and the combined scores determined how many grid squares across, down, and back from the starting grid square was the one in which the unit was located at the start of the battle.)

The Russian units were located as shown on the following map:

A map of the battlefield showing the locations of the Russian defenders.

A photograph of the battlefield showing the locations of the Russian defenders.

The abilities of the respective commanders affected the median values of playing cards used to determine how many units the red (Russian) and black (German) commanders could activate each turn, as did the quality of their respective communications. Thus, DivCom Borodin – who was rated as below average (-1) and who had poor communications links (-1) – had a much lower median playing card value (2) than General Hentzau, who was rated as above average (+1) and who had good communication links (+1), which gave the German a median playing card value of 6.

Turn 1
The Germans moved first. They turned over a 6 of Clubs, and could activate up to six units.

Led by the 1st Armoured Car Battalion, the bulk of the 1st Panzer Division advanced onto the battlefield in an arrowhead formation, with the 1st Panzer Regiment on the left, the 4th Divisional HQ (with General Hentzau) in the centre, and the 2nd Panzer Regiment on the right. Immediately behind was the 4th Artillery Regiment.

The 2nd Panzer Regiment immediately engaged the 2nd Tank Brigade, and destroying 1 SP.

The 1st Armoured Car Battalion also fired at the 2nd Tank Brigade, and forced them to retreat.

The Russians turned over a 2 of Diamonds, and could activate up to two units.

Realising that the German attack was likely to overwhelm his Corps before his units were able to deploy into proper defensive positions, DivCom Borodin rushed to join the 3rd Tank Brigade. He also ordered the 1st Tank Brigade to advance to meet the oncoming Germans.

The situation at the end of Turn 1.

Turn 2
The 4th Artillery Regiment fired at the 10th Motor Rifle Regiment, and hit the unit's transport and caused casualties to the unit.

The Russians moved first, and turned over a 2 of Hearts. Therefore, they could activate up to two units.

DivCom Borodin might not have been a very experienced or able Soviet commander, but he knew that he had to take the battle to the Germans. He ordered the 10th Motor Rifle Regiment to get off the top of the hill it was on as soon as possible, whilst he personally led the 3rd Tank Brigade forward to engage the 1st Armoured Car Battalion. This forced the 1st Armoured Car Battalion to fall back.

The Germans turned over a 5 of Clubs, and could activate up to five units.

The 1st Armoured Car Battalion charged forward, and occupied a position near to a small settlement from where they were able to fire into the flank of the 2nd Tank Brigade. Its fire caused further losses to the 2nd Tank Brigade, whose situation was becoming parlous.

The 2nd Panzer Regiment turned to engage the 2nd Tank Brigade, forcing it to fall back yet again.

The 1st Panzer Regiment advanced and fired at the 3rd Tank Brigade, causing it to lose 1 SP. Although DivCom Borodin, was with the 3rd Tank Brigade, he survived the engagement uninjured.

General Hentzau also brought forward the 7th Motorised Infantry Regiment and the 4th Panzerjager Battalion. Although it was at the maximum range of its weaponry, the latter fired at the 1st Tank Brigade, forcing it to pull back.

The situation at the end of Turn 2.

Turn 3
For the second turn running, the German 4th Artillery Regiment fired at the 10th Motor Rifle Regiment, this time destroying the unit's transport and causing the unit further casualties.

The Germans moved first, and turned over a 7 of Clubs. Therefore, they could activate up to seven units.

The 1st Panzer Regiment moved forward, firing at the 3rd Tank Brigade as it did so. The fire was ineffective, and the 3rd Tank Brigade emerged unscathed.

The 2nd Panzer Regiment also turned and moved to engage the 3rd Tank Brigade. Their fire was more effective and caused the lose of 1 SP. Yet again, DivCom Borodin survived this intense combat.

The 1st Armoured Car Battalion engaged the 2nd Tank Brigade, which it forced to retire.

The 4th Divisional HQ (including General Hentzau) moved forward so that it was next to the 2nd Panzer Regiment, and the 7th Motorised Infantry Regiment took up a position behind the 1st Panzer Regiment. Finally, the 4th Panzerjager Battalion moved forward and to the left in order to cover the right flank of the advancing Panzer Division.

The Russians turned over an Ace of Diamonds and could only activate one unit.

Seeking to retain as much of his force as a viable fighting formation, DivCom Borodin ordered the 10th Motor Rifle Regiment to withdraw as fast as they could.

The situation at the end of Turn 3.

Turn 4
As there were no targets within range, the 4th Artillery Regiment did not fire.

The Russians moved first, and turned over an Ace of Hearts. Therefore, they could only activate one unit.

Knowing that 1st Tank Corps was very close to reaching its Exhaustion Point, DivCom Borodin decided that taking aggressive action whilst he was still able to was the best course open to him. He ordered the 3rd Tank Brigade forward, and opened fire on the 2nd Panzer Regiment, with the result that the 2nd Panzer Regiment lost 1 SP.

The Germans turned over a 5 of Clubs and could activate up to five units.

Both 1st and 2nd Panzer Regiments fired in turn at the 3rd Tank Brigade, forcing it to fall back before it was destroyed. Despite this, DivCom Borodin survived the encounter, although he was left stranded some way from the nearest of his Corp's surviving units.

(At this stage in the battle, 1st Tank Corps had reached its Exhaustion Point.)

The 4th Divisional HQ (including General Hentzau) moved forward yet again, and occupied a position to the right of the 1st Panzer Regiment. At the same time, the 7th Motorised Infantry Regiment swung to the left, and moved to the left of the 1st Panzer Regiment.

The situation at the end of Turn 4.

Turn 5
As there were still no targets within range, the 4th Artillery Regiment did not fire.

The Russians moved first, and turned over an 3 of Hearts. Therefore, they could activate up to three units.

DivCom Borodin made his way across country to the hill adjoining the 1st Tank Brigade's position. From there he ordered the 1st Tank Brigade to withdraw, along with 1st Armoured Car Regiment.

The Germans turned over a 6 of Spades and could activate up to six units.

The 4th Divisional HQ (including General Hentzau) moved forward to the position formerly occupied by the 3rd Tank Brigade.

They were accompanied by 1st and 2nd Panzer Regiments and 7th Motorised Infantry Regiment, with the 4th Artillery Regiment following some way behind.

The situation at the end of Turn 5.

Turn 6
The 4th Artillery Regiment turned to its right, and fired at the remnants of the 2nd Tank Brigade and the 10th Motor Rifle Regiment. The effect was devastating, destroying what remained of the 2nd Tank Brigade and inflicting further casualties on the 10th Motor Rifle Regiment.

The Russians moved first, and turned over an 3 of Hearts. Therefore, they could activate up to three units.

DivCom Borodin attempted to join the remnants of the 10th Motor Rifle Regiment, which he had ordered to withdraw as best it could.

The Germans turned over a 7 of Spades and could activate up to seven units.

The 1st Armoured Car Battalion and the 4th Panzerjager Battalion moved forward to engage the survivors of the 10th Motor Rifle Regiment. This resulted in the destruction of the 10th Motor Rifle Regiment and the capture of DivCom Borodin.

Elsewhere on the battlefield, General Hentzau ordered his units to stop, regroup, rearm, and refuel prior to their next advance.

By this point, the 1st Tank Corps had effectively ceased to exist as a fighting force. It had lost a total of 18 SPs (including the divisional commander), and only had two full strength units (the 1st Tank Brigade and the 1st Armoured Car Regiment) remaining.

The situation at the end of Turn 6.

Spoils of War: What happened to the enemy fleets after the First and Second World Wars ended.

When the World Wars ended, the victors had to dispose of the weaponry they had captured. This included everything from small arms to battleships ... and it is what happened to the latter (and the smaller warships that had been surrendered) that has always been on interest to me.

A recently published book – SPOILS OF WAR: THE FATE OF ENEMY FLEETS AFTER THE TWO WORLD WARS – is a detailed study of the subject, and makes very interesting reading.

I have written about what happened to the German warships that survived the First World War in earlier blog posts, but I had not covered the disposal of the ships of the Austrian-Hungarian and Turkish fleets. Most of the former navy’s larger units were scrapped (one notable exception was the old ironclad battleship Kronprinz Erzherzog Rudolf, which ended up becoming the Yugoslav Kumbor from 1921 to 1922), but the more modern cruisers, destroyers, and torpedo boats went on to serve in the French, Italian, Yugoslav, and Romanian navies.

The SMS Kronprinz Erzherzog Rudolf as she looked in 1915.

Some of the redundant German warships were converted into merchant ships. The coastal defence ships Frithjof, Odin, and Aegir were converted into vehicle transporters. Their original steam engines were removed and replaced by ex-submarine diesel engines.

SMS Frifthjof when she was serving a coastal defence ship in 1902 ....

... and as she looked after she had been converted into a merchant ship in 1923.

The cruisers Gefion and Victoria Louise were converted into diesel-powered cargo ships, again using redundant engines from submarines. The most unusual conversions were the tankers Ostpreussen and Oberschlesien, which were each constructed from two incomplete submarine pressure hulls that were placed side by side. They were used by Hugo Stinnes-Rübeck Montan & Oelwerke A.G. until they were sold to Italian owners in 1927, who renamed them Caucaso and Nautilus. They both survived until the Second World War, during which they were sunk.

The tanker Ostpreussen. The pressure hull of one of the two submarines that were placed side by side to form the basis of the ship’s hull can be clearly seen.

After the Second World War, what remained of the German Navy was disposed of amongst the allies. The heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen was the largest surviving operational warship, and she ended up become a target during the Bikini Atoll nuclear tests. The light cruiser Nürnberg joined the Soviet Navy, where she became the Admiral Makarov. She was joined by the former Italian battleship Giulio Cesare (renamed Novorossiysk) and light cruiser Emanuele Filiberto Duca d'Aosta (renamed Kerch). Another Italian light cruiser – Eugenio di Savoia – became the Greek Helle, and the former Capitani Romani-class light cruisers Attilio Regolo and Scipione Africano became the French Chateaurenault and Guichen respectively.

Very little of the Japanese Navy remained seaworthy at the end of the Second World War, but those vessels that did survive were put into service by the victorious allies. A significant number of smaller vessels (escort destroyers etc.) went on to serve with the Soviet Navy and Nationalist Chinese Navy, and subsequently with the Communist Chinese Navy.

Of particular interest is the story of the USS Stewart, a veteran First World War four-stacker destroyer. She was captured by the Japanese, repaired, rearmed, and recommissioned by them as Patrol Boat (Shokaitei) No.102. She survived the war, and was recommissioned into the US Navy for a short time before being sunk as a target of the coast of California.

The USS Stewart.

The ex-USS Stewart after she had been surrendered. She had been repaired, rearmed, and seen service as the Japanese Patrol Boat (Shokaitei) No.102.

She was hit by eighteen rockets and thousands of rounds of .50-inch calibre ammunition fired by five US Navy F6F Hellcat fighters, but this was not enough to sink her. She was finally sunk by USS PC-799 after being hit by seventeen three-inch shells and twelve 40-mm rounds!

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SPOILS OF WAR: THE FATE OF ENEMY FLEETS AFTER THE TWO WORLD WARS was written by Aidan Dodson and Serena Cant, and published in 2020 by Seaforth Publishing (ISBN 978 1 5267 4198 1).

Battle report: 1st German Infantry Division vs. 2nd Russian Rifle Division (28th June 1941)

The first battle on my mini-campaign saw the 1st Infantry Division attack the 2nd Rifle Division about halfway along the road between the Russo-German border and the city of Riga.

A map of the battlefield.

A photograph of the battlefield.

The forces involved

The 1st Infantry Division comprised:

• General von Tarlenheim (Average; 6 SPs)
• 1st Divisional HQ (Average; 2 SPs)
• 1st Infantry Regiment (Average; 4 SPs)
• 2nd Infantry Regiment (Average; 4 SPs)
• 3rd Infantry Regiment (Average; 4 SPs)
• 1st Artillery Regiment (Average; 2 SPs + 2 SPs)
• 1st Anti-tank Battalion (Average; 2 SPs + 2 SPs)
• Total strength: 28 SPs
• Exhaustion Point: 10 SPs

The 2nd Rifle Division comprised:

• DivCom Pribluda (Below average; 6 SPs)
• 2nd Divisional Reconnaissance Unit (Average; 1 SP)
• 4th Rifle Regiment (Average; 4 SPs)
• 5th Rifle Regiment (Average; 4 SPs)
• 6th Rifle Regiment (Average; 4 SPs)
• 2nd Artillery Regiment (Average; 2 SPs + 2 SPs)
• 2nd Anti-tank Battalion (Average; 2 SPs + 2 SPs)
• Total strength: 27 SPs
• Exhaustion Point: 9 SPs

Because the German invasion was unexpected, the 2nd Rifle Division had not yet been able to concentrate, and was still scattered over a number of locations. These were determined randomly using a system similar to that used to create the terrain map.

(A D6 die was thrown in turn for each unit to determine which row of grid squares in the left-hand column the location count would start in. 2D6 dice were then thrown, and the combined scores determined how many grid squares across, down, and back from the starting grid square was the one in which the unit was located at the start of the battle.)

The Russian units were located as shown on the following map:

A map of the battlefield showing the locations of the Russian defenders.

A photograph of the battlefield showing the locations of the Russian defenders.

The abilities of the respective commanders affected the median values of playing cards used to determine how many units the red (Russian) and black (German) commanders could activate each turn, as did the quality of their respective communications. Thus, DivCom Pribluda – who was rated as below average (-1) and who had poor communications links (-1) – had a lower median playing card value (2) than General von Tarlenheim, who was rated as average and who had good communication links (+1), which gave the German a median playing card value of 5.

Turn 1
The Germans moved first. They turned over a 4 of Spades, and could activate up to four units.

Von Tarlenheim pushed the 1st Infantry Regiment forward to engage the 2nd Divisional Reconnaissance Unit. Both sides suffered casualties, and the 2nd Divisional Reconnaissance Unit was wiped out.

He then ordered the 2nd Infantry Regiment to assault the 4th Rifle Regiment, and the intense fighting resulted in both sides losing casualties.

Finally, von Tarlenheim accompanied the 1st Artillery Regiment as it entered the battlefield and prepared to engage the enemy.

The Russians turned over a 3 of Diamonds and could activate up to three units.

Before doing anything else, DivCom Pribluda moved to join the 6th Rifle Regiment.

He ordered the 4th Rifle Regiment to stand fast and continue fighting against the German invaders. The intense fighting continued, but only resulted in further Russian casualties and the withdrawal of the 2nd Infantry Regiment.

DivCom Pribluda also managed to contact the 5th Rifle Regiment, which he ordered to move forward.

The situation at the end of Turn 1.

Turn 2
Both sides fired their artillery. The 2nd Artillery Regiment fired over open sights at the 1st Infantry Regiment ... and missed! The 1st Artillery Regiment fired at the 4th Rifle Regiment, which they hit, causing the unit further casualties.

The Germans retained the initiative this turn, and turned over a 4 of Clubs. They could therefore activate up to four units.

The 1st Infantry Regiment opened fire on the 2nd Artillery Regiment, as a result of which the artillery unit lost 1 SP.

The 2nd Infantry Regiment opened fire on the 4th Rifle Regiment, and the latter was wiped out!

The 3rd Infantry Regiment now moved onto the battlefield, and advanced towards the farm building between the hill and the road.

The Russians turned over a 3 of Hearts and were able to activate up to three units.

DivCom Pribluda personally led the 6th Rifle Regiment's attack on the 1st Infantry Regiment. The fighting was intense, but neither side could prevail.

At the same time, the 2nd Artillery Regiment limbered up prior to moving, and the 5th Rifle Regiment continued to move towards the fighting.

The situation at the end of Turn 2.

Turn 3
As the 2nd Artillery Regiment was preparing to move, only the 1st Artillery Regiment was able to fire ... but no suitable target was with its range or line-of-sight.

For the third turn running, the Germans had the initiative. They turned over a 5 of Clubs, and were therefore able to activate up to five units.

Von Tarlenheim ordered the 3rd Infantry Regiment to move forward and fire into the flank of the 6th Rifle Regiment. They did so, and in the process not only inflicted casualties on the Russian unit but also killed DivCom Pribluda!

(At this point the Russians had lost 13 SPs and had passed their Exhaustion Point.)

The 1st Infantry Regiment mounted a spirited attack on the leaderless and demoralised 6th Rifle Regiment, inflicting further casualties on that unit in the process.

The 2nd Infantry Regiment moved forward and reached the road to Riga.

The Russians turned over a 2 of Hearts, and were able to activate up to two units.

The 6th Rifle Regiment fell back, accompanied by the 2nd Artillery Regiment.

The situation at the end of Turn 3.

Turn 4
The 1st Artillery Regiment fired at the withdrawing 6th Rifle Regiment, which caused the latter to fall back even further.

The Russians had the initiative this turn, and turned over an Ace of Diamonds. This meant that they could only activate a single unit this turn.

The 2nd Artillery Regiment retreated off the battlefield, leaving the remnants of the 5th Rifle Regiment and the 6th Rifle Regiment to fend for themselves.

The Germans turned over a 6 of Clubs, which meant that they could activate up to six units.

The 2nd Infantry Regiment moved rapidly up the road towards Riga, and opened fire on the 2nd Anti-tank Battalion. As a result, the latter withdrew towards Riga.

The 3rd Infantry Regiment skirted around the hill, and fired into the flank of the 5th Rifle Regiment, causing them to lose a further SP.

The 1st Infantry Regiment moved forward and occupied the nearby woods, from where they fired at the 5th Rifle Regiment.

Fearing the the Russians might have tanks nearby, von Tarlenheim brought forward the 1st Anti-tank Battalion to guard the right-hand flank of his division.

The situation at the end of Turn 4.

Turn 5
The 1st Artillery Regiment yet again fired at the 6th Rifle Regiment, this time causing it to lose 1 SP.

The Russians retained the initiative this turn, and turned over a 2 of Diamonds. This meant that they could activate up to two units this turn.

Both the 5th and the 6th Rifle Regiments withdrew as best they could.

The Germans turned over a 4 of Spades, which allowed them to activate up to four units this turn.

The 2nd Infantry Regiment pushed forward towards Riga, whilst the 3rd Infantry Regiment attempted to pursue the retreating 5th and 6th Rifle Regiments. They fired at the 5th Rifle Regiment at long range, forcing them to fall back even further.

The 1st Infantry Regiment moved forward from its position in the woods, and opened fire on the retreating 6th Rifle Regiment. They did not inflict any losses on the Russian unit, but did force them to withdraw still further.

By this point, the 2nd Rifle Division had effectively ceased to exist as a fighting force. It had lost a total of 16 SPs (including the divisional commander), and only had one full strength unit (the 2nd Anti-tank Battalion) remaining. Its artillery regiment was down to half strength, and it could only field the equivalent of a regiment of rifle troops.

The situation at the end of Turn 5.

On the mend

After feeling rather rough for the last few days, I woke up this morning feeling much better. So much so, that I have already set out the terrain and forces for the first of my Eastern Front/Great Patriotic War mini-campaign battles, which I hope to fight later today.

I also spent some time working on an MS Paint-based version of my grid 'master' for making 8 x 8 square gridded maps. It was even simpler to create than its MS PowerPoint equivalent, and should be easier to use. It looks like this:

The ‘missing’ Nuggets

Due to the COVID-19 lockdown, NUGGETs 326 and 327 were not printed, and were only published in PDF format.

Now that things are beginning to return to something approaching normal, and the printer we use is open again, these ‘missing’ NUGGETs will be printed and sent out to full members of Wargame Developments as soon as possible. Once this has been done, the next issue (which will also be the first issue of the new subscription year) will be published.

Still feeling under the weather

Our summer colds are now well into their second week, and show no signs of going away.

Both Sue and I have found these colds rather debilitating, and everything seems to require more effort than usual as well as being very tiring.

Yesterday morning we tried doing some gardening in the hope that a bit of physical exercise might help to sweat the colds out of us, but although we actually managed to complete the tasks we set out to do, the only real consequence was that we got dirty and tired, and both needed a long rest after we had finished.

Today, I am even finding reading and writing difficult, as I just cannot seem to concentrate, and find myself having to reread passages because they don’t seem to make sense. I was supposed to be fighting an online battle with Gary Sheffield tomorrow, but I have had to cry off as I had not managed to put a scenario together, and doubt that I’d be able to concentrate well enough to be even a reasonable opponent.

At least we do not seem to have contracted COVID-19, although the infection rate in our part of London does seem to be rising.

Friegur: An inter-war commercial German wargame

Back in 2012, I wrote a blog post about the German commercial wargame FRIEGUR, which was first published in 1934.

I have recently been contacted by a German blog reader called ThiefMaster with information about a copy of the game that his father wishes to sell. Judging by the following photographs, the game is in a very reasonable condition, and the price (1150€) reflects this.

The game is described as follows:

• Pawns made of tin
• Painted in colours
• Spare pawns included
• Game board very well-preserved
• Original player's guide and setup plan
• One flag replaced (aluminum, no Nazi symbols)
• Case lid has some damage
• From around 1937

I’ve told ThiefMaster that I’ll be mentioning this sale on my blog, and I am sure that if anyone is interested in buying this game, a comment will be picked up by him.

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Please note that the photographs featured above are © ThiefMaster.

Maudlin Jack Tar’s Shambattle campaign

Recently, Maudlin Jack Tar has been fighting an interesting campaign using the map from SHAMBATTLE (a wargame book published in 1929).

In the original rules, two countries - Bluvia and Redina - were separated by a river. Each of the countries had three cities, which were connected by roads. There were also two hills, two forests, and two marshes, and the border river was crossed by three bridges.

The opposing armies were equal in size, and comprised:

• At 40 soldiers (infantry and cavalry)
• 6 medical corps men
• 1 cannon
• 2 machine guns
• 3 hospitals (of which 2 are field hospitals)

The troops were placed according to the following rules:

• At least half of the soldiers were to be deployed in cities, with a third of these figures in each city
• The permanent hospital had to be deployed at a fixed spot, but the field hospitals could be placed anywhere within the country’s territory
• Each player chose a soldier to represent themselves
• Each player secretly picked an enemy soldier who would act as a spy. The identity of the spy was written on a piece of paper, and this was placed in one of the cities near the border

Maudlin Jack Tar has taken the map, and altered slightly so that it now fits onto an 8 x 8 grid.

Each army comprises three divisions, each of which has three brigades. Initially, Bluvia and Redina each deployed a dividion to protect their respective capital cities whilst the others were mobilised close to the border.

To date, he has fought:

• The Opening Moves in the Blue/Red Campaign
• Red/Blue Campaign Turns 2-4
• Red/Blue Campaign Turn 5
• Red/Blue Campaign Turn 6 & Battle Report
• Red/Blue Campaign Turn 7
• Red/Blue Campaign Turn 8 & The Last Battle

I have followed this campaign with great interest, partly because of its interesting use of original SHAMBATTLE map, and partly because he is using my PORTABLE WARGAME rules to fight the battles. It was an exciting campaign, and ended up with a decisive victory for one side ... which could well lead to further conflict in the future.

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Please note that the second map featured above is © Maudlin Jack Tar.

A German detective: Bernie Gunther

Last month, Tony Jones recommended that once I had finished reading George Simenon’s Maigret books, I might try reading the late Patrick Kerr’s Bernie Gunther books. Since my recent cold started, I have done just what he suggested, and have already read the first two books in the series.

Bernie Gunther is a World War I veteran (he was a sergeant and won the Iron Cross, Second-class) who joined the Berlin police after his wife died during the Spanish ‘flu epidemic. He eventually became a member of the Berlin Kripo (Kriminalpolizei/Criminal Police), where he was a murder detective with the rank of Kriminalinspektor. He resigned in 1933 before he was purged by the new Nazi regime, and then became a private detective.

Before he died 2018, Philip Kerr wrote fourteen books that featured Bernie Gunther. These were (in order of publication):

• March Violets (1989), which is set in Berlin during 1936, particularly during the period when the Olympics were being held
• The Pale Criminal (1990), which is set in Berlin during 1938
• A German Requiem (1991), which is set in Berlin and Vienna during 1947–48
• The One From the Other (2006), which is set in Dachau, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Vienna and Palestine during the period up to 1949, although its introduction is set in 1937
• A Quiet Flame (2008), which is set in Berlin during 1932-33 and Buenos Aires in 1950
• If The Dead Rise Not (2009), which is set in Berlin in 1934 and Havana in 1954
• Field Grey (2010), which is set in Havana during 1954, with flashbacks set in Berlin during 1931, 1940, 1941, and 1945-46
• Prague Fatale (2011), which is set in Berlin and Prague during 1941
• A Man Without Breath (2013), which is set in Berlin, Katyn, and Smolensk during 1943
• The Lady From Zagreb (2015), which is set in Berlin, Zurich, and Croatia during 1942–3 and the French Riviera during 1956
• The Other Side of Silence (2016), which is set on the French Riviera during 1956
• Prussian Blue (2017), which is set in Berchtesgaden during 1939 and the French Riviera during 1956
• Greeks Bearing Gifts (2018), which is set in Munich and Greece during 1957
• Metropolis (2019), which is set in Berlin during 1928

So far, I have read March Violets and The Pale Criminal, and I am about to start reading A German Requiem. So far, I've enjoyed the novels I have read, and felt that the portrayal of Berlin during the run up to the outbreak of the Second World War feels right.

Our summer colds just won’t go away!

By now, both Sue and I had hoped that we would have been over the worst of our summer colds ... but we are not!

We have to go out to do some shopping later today, but other than that, I expect that will spend most of our time reading, dozing, and watching TV and DVDs. With luck, we shall be over the worst by the weekend, especially as we have several things that I want to get on with. Top of my list are the first two battles of my Eastern Front/Great Patriotic War mini-campaign and completing the P17CW book.

A rotten summer cold!

Almost as soon as the hot weather of the last week abated, I began to experience the early symptoms of the common cold, and by yesterday it had developed into a full-blown one.

I tried doing some work on both redrafting the latest version of my Eastern Front/Great Patriotic War rules and adding more text the P17CW book, but I found concentrating somewhat difficult, and in the end, I gave up trying. Instead, I did some much-needed sorting out in my toy/wargame room.

With luck, the cold will go as quickly as it came. At least the symptoms aren’t the same as those for COVID-19, so unless the KCL monitoring project that I am taking part in asks me to take a test, I’ll just carry on as best I can with a box of tissues, some aspirin, and a hot drink close to hand.

VJ Day ... Seventy-five years on!

Seventy-five years ago today, the war in the Far East against Japan and her allies came to an end.

Coming as it did four months after VE Day, it was not marked with quite the same level of rejoicing in many countries, although Americans did mark the event with large numbers of public celebrations. People in Europe were coming to terms with the aftermath of the war there, and the surrender of the Japanese seemed to be inevitable as the might of the British Empire, the United States, Soviet Russia turned against them.

On 6th and 9th August 1945, the United States Army Air Force had dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki respectively, and the Soviet Union has declared war on Japan on 9th August. On 10th August, realising that defeat was inevitable, the Japanese government communicated its intention to agree to an unconditional surrender.

Just after midday on 15th August 1945, Emperor Hirohito announced Japan’s surrender, and on 2nd September the formal surrender document was signed on the quarterdeck of the US battleship USS Missouri. Some fighting did continue in China after the surrender, and in the interim between the Emperor's declaration and the surrender, some Japanese soldiers killed Allied Prisoners of War before they could be liberated.

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The UK celebrates the anniversary of the declaration of surrender – 15th August – as VJ Day (Victory against Japan Day) whereas the President Harry Truman chose the day after the surrender document was signed – 3rd September – to be that day on which the US would celebrate the end of the war.

Maigret et Moi: Part 5

Back in February, I wrote about my love of the Maigret books written by Georges Simenon. At the time I wrote:

'I still have some way to go before I have read all the books, but I seriously hope to manage this task over the next few years.'

Well, thanks to the pandemic and the extended period of time I have spent at home since then, I have almost managed to achieve that ambition. I have certainly read all of the novels and some of the short stories, but many of the latter are difficult to find copies of at a price that I can afford. For example, I found a second-hand, hardback copy of all the Maigret short stories online ... but it was priced at over £900.00!

I will wait until the short stories become available in a more affordable format before I read them. In the meantime, I'm off to read several other books which have been sitting in a pile next to my bed awaiting my attention for some time.

Georges Simenon, the creator of Chief Inspector Jules Maigret.

An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Uniforms of the Napoleonic Wars

The second book that my wife bought me for our anniversary was AN ILLUSTRATED ENCYCLOPEDIA OF UNIFORMS OF THE NAPOLEONIC WARS: AN EXPERT, IN-DEPTH REFERENCE TO THE OFFICERS AND SOLDIERS OF THE REVOLUTIONARY AND NAPOLEONIC PERIOD, 1792-1815.

The book is split into seven chapters, each of which is divided in several sections:

• Europe in the Late Eighteenth century
• The Political and Social Position of European States
• The balance of Naval Power
• The Life of a Soldier
• Uniforms and Badges of Rank
• Major Campaigns and Battles
• France
• Revolutionary France 1789-96
• Napoleon's Rise to Power
• French Army Uniforms
• The Republican Infantry
• The Republican Cavalry
• The Republican Artillery, Engineers and Miners
• The Army in Egypt 1798-1801
• The Imperial Guard
• The Imperial Line and Light Infantry
• The Imperial Carabiniers and Cuirassiers
• The Imperial Dragoons and Lancers
• The Imperial Chasseurs a Cheval
• The Imperial Hussars
• The Imperial Artillery, Engineers and Miners
• Foreign and Auxiliary Troops
• Great Britain
• Britain's Government and the Birth of her Empire
• The Structure of the British Army
• The British Army in the Napoleonic Wars
• The Generals, General Staff, Royal Wagon Trains and Guards
• The Line Infantry
• The Heavy Line Cavalry
• The Light Cavalry and Hussars
• The Artillery and Engineers
• The King's German Legion and the Black Brunswickers
• The East and West Indian regiments and the African Corps
• Other Foreign Regiments
• The Austrian Empire
• Austria's Empire
• The Austrian Army
• The Austrian Army's Record
• The Landwehr in 1809
• Generals, Field Marshals, and Staff
• German Fusiliers and Grenadiers
• Hungarian Fusiliers and Grenadiers
• The Light Infantry
• The Border Infantry
• The Carabiniers and Cuirassiers
• The Dragoons, Chevauxlegers and Mounted Rifles
• The Hussars
• The Lancers
• The Artillery and Pioneers
• The Imperial Contingents
• Russia
• The Czar and the Army
• Russia's conflict with Napoleon
• The Imperial Guard
• The Line Infantry and Jagers
• The Cuirassiers and Dragoons
• The Hussars and Lancers
• The Artillery and Engineers
• The Cossacks, Kalmucks and Baschkirs
• Prussia
• The Prussian State
• The Catastrophe of 1806
• The Prussian Army and the Campaigns of 1812-15
• The Infantry before 1806
• The Cuirassiers before 1806
• The Hussars before 1806
• The Artillery and Technical troops Before 1806
• The Infantry after 1806
• The Cuirassiers after 1806
• The Dragoons and Hussars after 1806
• The Lancers, Landwehr, and National Cavalry regiments after 1806
• The Artillery and Technical troops after 1806
• The USA and Other Nations
• The Federal Forces of the USA
• The Kingdoms of Denmark and Sweden
• The Kingdom of Bavaria
• Saxony and Westphalia
• The Kingdom of Wurttenberg
• The Grand Duchy of Warsaw
• The Kingdoms of Italy and Naples
• The Kingdoms of Spain and Portugal

I already own several books about Napoleonic uniforms that were published many years ago by Blanford, as well as the famous two-volume Napoleonic uniform books by Funcken, and I was not sure that this book would add much to my existing collection or knowledge. In fact, it covers aspects of the Napoleonic Wars that the other books do not, and I am very pleased that my wife bought this book for me.

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AN ILLUSTRATED ENCYCLOPEDIA OF UNIFORMS OF THE NAPOLEONIC WARS: AN EXPERT, IN-DEPTH REFERENCE TO THE OFFICERS AND SOLDIERS OF THE REVOLUTIONARY AND NAPOLEONIC PERIOD, 1792-1815 was written by Digby Smith and published in 2019 by Lorenz Books (ISBN 978 0 754 81571 6).

Never, ever reinforce failure!

I had hoped to write a battle report about the first play-test of my redrafted RED FLAGS & IRON CROSSES rules ... but after setting up the table and gaming through the first three moves, I walked away. Basically, the rules worked ... but were so cumbersome and clunky that I was not enjoying the experience. Furthermore, they failed what I term ‘Cordery’s Second Rule of Wargame Design’.

This rule states that:

‘If you are not enjoying a wargame and you wrote the rules, how do you expect other people to enjoy them?’

Now I try to design rules where the player should have picked up the basics by the end of the third turn, and can pretty well remember the rules by the end of their first game. Once they have reached that stage, they should only need to look at the text of the rules to clarify a point.

The draft of RED FLAGS & IRON CROSSES looked as if they complied with this, but by the end of the third turn I must have spent more time looking at the charts and text, and still I managed to miss things ... and don't forget, I wrote them! I kept reverting to the modern version of THE PORTABLE WARGAME and forgetting the relevant game mechanism from RED FLAGS & IRON CROSSES. Furthermore, the movement distances in RED FLAGS & IRON CROSSES were so short that I knew it was going to be an age before any proper combat was going to take place, and I kept forgetting that unlike in THE PORTABLE WARGAME, artillery does not fire at the beginning of the turn and but during each player's section of the turn.

It is a well-known military maxim that you should never, ever reinforce failure ... and to my mind this 'new' set of rules are going to fail. I am therefore going to leave them as they are, and fight my first mini-campaign battle using the modern version of THE PORTABLE WARGAME as featured in DEVELOPING THE PORTABLE WARGAME.

This setback could have been very disheartening, but I re-learned a valuable lesson. This is that 'if it ain't broke, it doesn't need fixing!'

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For those of you who do not know, ‘Cordery’s First Rule of Wargame Design’states that:

‘If players consistently ignore a rule because it does not make sense or hinders the flow of the wargame, then the rule should be discarded. If players do not notice that it has gone, then it probably should not have been there in the first place.’

An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Uniforms of World War I

My wife and I recently celebrated our thirty-eighth wedding anniversary (it has no name as such, and is one where the traditional gift is an example of a Beryl gemstone), and (as usual) my wife was stumped as to what to buy me.

I had recently bought a copy of AN ILLUSTRATED ENCYCLOPEDIA OF UNIFORMS OF WORLD WAR II: AN EXPERT GUIDE TO THE UNIFORMS OF BRITAIN, AMERICA, GERMANY, USSR AND JAPAN, TOGETHER WITH OTHER AXIS AND ALLIED FORCES, and Amazon had recommended that I might like to buy some of the other books in the series. I mentioned this to my wife ... and low and behold, copies of AN ILLUSTRATED ENCYCLOPEDIA OF UNIFORMS OF WORLD WAR I: AN EXPERT GUIDE TO THE UNIFORMS OF BRITAIN, FRANCE, RUSSIA, AMERICA, GERMAN, AND AUSTRIA-HUNGARY, WITH ADDITIONAL DETAIL ON THE ARMIES OF PORTUGAL, BELGIUM, ITALY, SERBIA, THE OTTOMANS, JAPAN, AND MORE and AN ILLUSTRATED ENCYCLOPEDIA OF UNIFORMS OF THE NAPOLEONIC WARS: AN EXPERT, IN-DEPTH REFERENCE TO THE OFFICERS AND SOLDIERS OF THE REVOLUTIONARY AND NAPOLEONIC PERIOD, 1792-1815 were presented to me as my anniversary present. I will review the second book separately.

AN ILLUSTRATED ENCYCLOPEDIA OF UNIFORMS OF WORLD WAR I: AN EXPERT GUIDE TO THE UNIFORMS OF BRITAIN, FRANCE, RUSSIA, AMERICA, GERMAN, AND AUSTRIA-HUNGARY, WITH ADDITIONAL DETAIL ON THE ARMIES OF PORTUGAL, BELGIUM, ITALY, SERBIA, THE OTTOMANS, JAPAN, AND MORE is split into seven chapters, each of which is divided in several sections:

• Introduction
• The Political Arena of 1914
• The War's Origins
• The World Reacts
• The Global View
• Manpower and Conscription
• Weapons and New Technology
• The Uniforms
• The Campaigns
• Aftermath and Peace
• Great Britain
• The British Army
• Generals and Staff
• Guards
• The Western Front
• Infantry Other Theatres
• Cavalry
• Yeomanry
• Aviation
• Artillery
• Technical Troops
• Troops from Canada and Newfoundland
• Troops from Australia and New Zealand
• African Troops
• The Indian Army
• France
• The French Army in 1914
• Wartime Developments
• Generals and Staff
• Infantry
• Chasseurs and Mountain Troops
• Foreign Troops
• Colonial Troops
• Cavalry
• Artillery
• Technical Troops
• Flying Troops
• Russia
• The Russian Empire in 1914
• The Russian Army
• Generals and Staff
• Imperial Guard
• Elite Infantry
• Infantry
• Cavalry
• Cossacks and Native Cavalry
• Artillery
• Technical Troops
• The Russian Civil War: Red Armies
• The Russian Civil War: White Armies
• America and Other Allies
• The USA Enters the War
• Allied Armies
• US Infantry
• US Marines
• US Technical Troops
• Portugal
• Belgium
• Italy
• Serbia and Montenegro
• Romania
• Greece
• Japan
• Germany
• A Military Staff
• Prussia and the German States
• Wartime Developments
• Generals and Staff
• Guards
• Infantry
• Colonial Uniforms
• Jages and Mountain Troops
• Stormtroopers
• Landwehr
• Cavalry
• Artillery
• Technical Troops
• Austria-Hungary and Germany's Other Allies
• The Hapsburg Monarchy
• Austro-Hungarian Generals and Staff
• Austro-Hungarian Infantry
• Austro-Hungarian Cavalry
• Austro-Hungarian Landwehr and Honved
• Austro-Hungarian Technical Troops
• The Ottoman Empire
• Bulgaria

The book also contains a glossary and an index, and is 256 pages long. It is easy to forget that the uniforms worn by the belligerents were not all drab in colour, and that small amounts of colour were used by most armies to help identify particular units.

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For anyone who might be interested, I gave my wife a Pandora bracelet and some charms that I knew that she wanted.

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AN ILLUSTRATED ENCYCLOPEDIA OF UNIFORMS OF WORLD WAR I: AN EXPERT GUIDE TO THE UNIFORMS OF BRITAIN, FRANCE, RUSSIA, AMERICA, GERMAN, AND AUSTRIA-HUNGARY, WITH ADDITIONAL DETAIL ON THE ARMIES OF PORTUGAL, BELGIUM, ITALY, SERBIA, THE OTTOMANS, JAPAN, AND MORE was written by Jonathan North and published in 2017 by Lorenz Books (ISBN 978 0 7548 2340 7).

A map for my first Red Flags & Iron Crosses play-test battle

It took me less than ten minutes to use my new PowerPoint square grid master map to create a map for my first Red Flags & iron Crosses play-test battle.

I used the terrain generation system outlined in THE PORTABLE COLONIAL WARGAME to create a black and white map of a cultivated are within the coniferous steppe part of Russia. I then pasted it into MS Paint, where I tidied up a few minor errors (i.e. where I had not lined up the terrain squares exactly on the MS PowerPoint grid) and then added some colour. The resultant map looked like this:

The Germans will be advancing from the bottom edge of the map, and the Russian units will be located randomly using the system for locating hills etc., as outlined in THE PORTABLE COLONIAL WARGAME.

Getting to grips with PowerPoint

Having experimented with drawing a hex grid 'master' for making maps, I proceeded to do the same for an 8 x 8 square grid. The result looked like this:

This was much easier to create than the hex one, and later today I hope to use it to create the map for the first of my RED FLAGS & IRON CROSSES play-test games.

Hot and humid weather can be very oppressive ... but a change of plan means I didn’t waste time sitting doing nothing

I had hoped to fight the first battle of my Eastern Front/Great Patriotic War mini-campaign today, but my wargame/toy room was very hot (even with the tower fan going full blast, it was over 35°C!) and the 42% humidity made it feel very oppressive in there. I found it difficult to concentrate, and became very drowsy after only a few minutes, so in the end I gave up the uneven struggle and postponed fighting my wargame until the weather becomes cooler.

Instead of fighting that wargame, I retired to our living room (which was relatively cool) and managed to do things that I hope will be of use to me in the future. Firstly, I ordered a new laptop to replace the one that had caused me problems some weeks back, and secondly, I began to learn how to draw hex gridded maps using PowerPoint. I am hoping that once I’ve acquired this skill, it will speed up the process of producing maps for my wargames.

My first attempt at using Microsoft PowerPoint to draw an 8 x 9 hexed grid and some terrain features.

I have been to ... Rochester, Kent

Yesterday was our thirty-eighth wedding anniversary, and Sue and I decided that as it was going to be a hot day (it reached 35°C during the afternoon), we would like to go somewhere that we have not been able to visit since the start of the pandemic.

After a lot of discussion (including the possibility of going to the Kent coast), we decided to go to a Rochester in a Kent. We parked in the Cathedral Gate car park, and then went for a walk along the High Street.

The exit from the car park is in Northgate, from where the ruins of Rochester Castle could clearly be seen.

From Northgate, we turned left and walked southwards along the High Street.

On our right was Rochester Cathedral, which was built on the site of a former Saxon priory by Gundulf, the first Norman Bishop of Rochester (he was appointed in 1077).

Some distance further along the High Street was the French Hospital Alms Houses in La Providence. Not far from the Hospital one can find the Huguenot Museum.

Once the High Street reaches Blue Boar Lane, it becomes Eastgate. Although many of the buildings in the centre of the city now have Georgian frontages, some have architecture harks back to an earlier period of history.

The southernmost end of Rochester High Street, looking northwards.

Although the city was empty (it is usually full of tourists during the Summer months), a few shops, pubs, and restaurants were open. We looked for somewhere to have lunch, but our favourite restaurant – Mama Mia – was only taking diners who had prebooked, and the others were either full or had menus that did not appeal to us.

In the end, we drove on to Chatham Maritime, which is a residential and outlet centre that has several restaurants. We were able to get a table at the Villagio restaurant, and had a great lunch of antipasti, pizza (Sue) and calzone (Me) (both served with salad), and ice cream.

After lunch, we drove home ... and just managed to miss getting stuck in a massive traffic jam that affected the M25 and A2 as a result of an accident earlier that afternoon. By the time we got back, our house was like an oven inside, and we spent some time opening all the windows to try to get a breeze through the house to help cool it down.

We spent the rest of the day relaxing, reading, and drinking lots of cold drinks, and enjoying what remained of our anniversary.