I am always on the lookout for small wars that can be a source of inspiration for wargames, and when a copy of THE PAULISTA WAR: VOLUME 2: THE LAST CIVIL WAR IN BRAZIL, 1932 arrived in the post from Chris Jarvis, I realised that this was such a war. (The war got its name from the fact that the main support for the uprising came from the population of the Brazilian state of São Paulo.)
The war was a relatively short one (it lasted from 9th July to 2nd October 1932) and was mainly fought in the Brazilian state of São Paulo and some parts of Mato Grosso, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, and Rio Grande do Sul. Approximately 40,000 soldiers, police, and volunteers fought for the Constitutionalists (or Paulists) against 100,000 army, navy, and police personnel under the command of senior officers who were loyal to the President of Brazil, Getúlio Vargas. It is interesting to note that both sides deployed small numbers of aircraft and armoured vehicles.
As one might expect, the forces loyal to the President prevailed, bringing to an end a period of political instability in Brazil that had seen a series of civil wars fought between 1889 and 1932.
I must admit, that having seen the uniforms worn by both sides (mainly a mixture of Colonial and First World War style uniforms with the odd Iberian touch), it struck me that the forces involved in the Paulista War could form the basis of a couple of small PORTABLE WARGAME armies, and that if I wasn't currently working on other projects, I would be tempted to develop this idea further.
Constitutionalist/Paulista troops. Note the varied headgear, which included examples of the French Adrian helmet, the British Brodie helmet, cloth versions of the Colonial-style sun helmet, and fore-and-aft forage caps.
Loyalist/Government troops. Note the variety of headgear worn by these troops, who seem to be armed with Mauser 7mm carbines and rifles as well as Czech-built ZB vz. 26 Light Machine Guns. 1,080 the ZB vz. 26 were ordered in 1930 for the Polícia Militar de Minas Gerais (Military Police of the State of Minas Gerais) in 7mm Mauser calibre.
Loyalist/Government FT-17 tanks in action.
An example of an improvised armoured tractor used during the Paulista War.
THE PAULISTA WAR: VOLUME 2: THE LAST CIVIL WAR IN BRAZIL, 1932 was written by Javier Garcia de Gabiola and published in 2021 by Helion & Company [ISBN 978 1 913336 37 0).
Looks like the sort of thing that could be done from odds and ends from the spares box, especially if you have WWI armies.
ReplyDeleteNundanket,
DeleteFunnily enough, I just discovered a number of 15mm painted US Army World War I figures a few days back, and they would be ideal figures to use for a wargame based on the Paulista War.
All the best,
Bob
Another fascinating period from the 1930's to possibly game. Always good to find about this sort of stuff and any ideas it might generate:)
ReplyDeleteSteve J.,
DeleteIt’s an ideal war to refight using the PW rules and any odds and ends that you might have sitting underused in your wargames room.
All the best,
Bob
Hi Bob -
ReplyDeleteThe thing about these ... little conflicts is that they look like a cross between the Civil Wars of the novel 'One Hundred Years of Solitude', and the revolutionary struggles you sometimes read of in Tintin books. In a way, the narrative of my own 'Long live the Revolution' campaign (thanks for reminding me, Ion) was modelled on what I remember of those source, though the setting is way different.
Come to think of it, now that my table is up, I really need to fight out the Tchagai government's attempt to wrest Maimajikwand back from the BARF revolutionaries/ terrorists...
Solid. That's for tomorrow...
Cheers,
Ion
Archduke Piccolo (Ion),
DeleteThe small wars of the 1920s and 1930s lend themselves to wargaming. Not too much complicated kit being used, plenty of political turmoil to generate revolutions and rebellions, and unusual settings (i.e., not the usual Russian steppes, Norman bocage, or North African desert).
I look forward to reading the next instalment of your ‘Long live the Revolution’ campaign.
All the best,
Bob
Bob,
ReplyDeleteYou may have written about this already, but in case not, the Swiss experienced the the Sonderbund War in 1847. It lasted all of 3 weeks, mainly because the government wanted it over before France, Austria-Hungary, and Prussia could intervene. the conflict had a major effect on Swiss government and history thereafter, and was one of the sparks that lit the rebellions across Europe in 1848. I just purchased a copy of "A Very Civil War" by Joachim Remak, almost 350 pages of pictures, OOBs and uniform information. I'll let you know how it goes.
Best regards,
Chris
Chris,
DeleteThanks for reminding me about the Sonderbund War. I did mention the war in passing some years ago, after reading an article by Arthur Harman about wargaming the conflict. It lends itself to being refought as a wargame campaign because it was so short, yet in the longer term, decisive for the future of Switzerland.
I have a copy of the book, and have thought about creating a couple of PW armies based on it … but that is a project for the future.
All the best,
Bob
Bob,
ReplyDeleteSounds like an interesting small war. I looked at the Peter Pig listings, and I think everything needed is there.
NickM,
DeleteIf you found this interesting, have a look at my blog post about the Madeiran Revolt of 1931 (https://wargamingmiscellany.blogspot.com/2017/04/the-madeiran-revolt-of-1931.html).
All the best,
Bob