In my files of magazine clippings, I found a couple of articles that described John Ruddle's garden wargames.
The first article was by the late Stuart Asquith and was published in PRACTICAL WARGAMER in November/December 1990.
A British fortress, garrisoned by Royal Marines.
A typical coastal fortification that is positioned on a hill so that it can defend a small harbour.
A 'Palmerston Folly'. It overlooks an area of disputed territory.
Over a fortnight ago I read on Tradgardmastare's blog (The Duchy of Tradgardland) that he had managed to buy a copy of John Ruddle’s book about collecting Britains model soldiers. I decided to buy a copy ... and after a brief search I found and bought a copy via eBay (as can be seen from my recent book review). I have since spent several relaxing hours scanning its pages ... and it brought back memories of John Ruddle's garden wargames.
I have previously written about John Ruddle’s garden wargames (here and here), and I re-read what I had written … and this gave me quite a bit of food for thought. In particular, the following had particular significance:
'John's garden was laid out to represent six countries: Austria, France, Germany, Great Britain, India, and Turkey, and areas that include Flanders, Africa, Arabia, and Northern Italy are regularly fought over. The actual layout was in no way geographically accurate, with the lawn acting as the 'sea', the paths as 'rivers', and the various flowerbeds and rockeries as the countries. ... Besides an army, each country had a navy. The British had two battleships, two cruisers, eight destroyers, and six torpedo gunboats, and facing them was a German force of one battleship, four cruisers, six destroyers and four torpedo boats. The French was unique in that their navy had a pocket battleship.'
One of the British battleships in harbour. Two of the six torpedo boast are moored alongside just behind her.
The French pocket battleship Richelieu moored alongside in the main French naval base. A French destroyer and two French torpedo boats can also be seen in this photograph.
It set me wondering if I might have gone off in the wrong direction with my Belle Époque project. Perhaps I might have been better to follow John Ruddle’s example and used six real nations but with imaginary geography. It would certainly make some things like place names a lot easier, and as I found with my recent Franco-Prussian War of 1810, a simple map with real place names is perfectly workable for use in an imaginary wargame campaign.
Its certainly something that I need to think about.
I first saw this book when it was published in 1980 but did not buy a copy as funds were a little low at the time. (I think that it might have been related to saving up to get married!) This was something that I always regretted, and when Tradgardmastare featured it in a recent blog post, I was determined to buy a copy.
One of my regular blog reader (Elliesdad/Geoff) made me aware that several copies were on sale via eBay, I found one at a very reasonable price, put in an offer ... and I am now the proud owner of my own copy!
Although I am not able to consider myself an avid collector of Britains figures (I do have quite a few of the later ones that were sold in sets), its nice to have such an extensive catalogue to hand. Furthermore, its author has always been something of an inspiration to me ever since I first read about his garden wargames, so hiving a copy of his book on my bookshelves brings me even more pleasure.
COLLECTORS GUIDE TO BRITAINS MODEL SOLDIERS was written by John Ruddle and published in 1980 by Model and Allied Publications 9ISBN 0 85242 568 6).
Tuesday 8th May 1945 marked the official end of the fighting in Europe, although some combat took place after that date as not all German forces had surrendered.
The surrender was authorised by Hitler's successor, Reichspräsident (formerly Großadmiral) Karl Dönitz and Act of Military Surrender took place at Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAFE) headquarters in Reims, France at 02:41 local time on 7th May. This was followed at 22:43 local time on 8th May by the signing of the definitive German Instrument of Surrender at Karlsorst in Berlin.
This stated that:
It was signed or witnessed by the following representatives of the Allies:
It was signed or witnessed on behalf of Germany by:
Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Keitel signing the German Instrument of Surrender on 8th May 1945.
The news was greeted with celebrations across Europe, although some were more muted than others. My father, who was in Wismar on the Baltic coast of Germany on VE-Day, remembered celebrating with a bottle of warm beer, and my father-in-law, who was in Delhi, India, did not celebrate at all.
Back in September last year, I wrote a bit about the Coronation Day celebrations that were held in 1953. I included a photograph of me at a street party held in Frazier Street, Waterloo, SE1 ...
I subsequently realised that I was probably sitting next to my cousin Jacqueline, who is exactly three years older that me.
I do have some vague memories of the day, and I have since found a memento of the Coronation that we must all have been given at the street party. It was a newly-minted Crown coin (what would have been five shillings (5/-) or the equivalent of 25p in decimal currency) in a hard plastic case. I still have mine, ...
... along with several other commemorative coins that have been issued down the years. I understand that in good condition and still in its case, this coin is worth about £30.00.
I understand that the coin was designed by the sculptor Gilbert Ledward, and the obverse features the Queen riding on horseback rather than her face in profile, which is normal on Brtish coins. The reverse features a crown in the centre of an emblematic cross formed from a thistle, rose, leek and shamrock, the symbols of the countries that make up the United Kingdom.The edge inscription reads 'Faith and Truth I will Bear Unto You' which is taken from the Coronation Oath the late Queen took 1953.
Today is the Coronation Day of Charles III, and I wish him a long and prosperous reign. I hope that the country will benefit from today's events in the same way that it did in the aftermath of his mother's coronation in the 1950s. That coincided with the beginning of a period that saw UK society gradually change for the better, and I sincerely wish that a new wave of improvement will come on the back of the ascension of our new king.
GOD SAVE THE KING!
A short request: please don't expect me to reply to any anti-monarchist comments that are made.
If you do not like the fact that the UK is a monarchy, that's fine by me. You are entitled to your opinion. Mine is that it is the best of a number of imperfect forms of government and having seem what a mess some 'elected' monarchies (i.e., republics) can get themselves into, I'd rather stick with a system that has been around for a very long time, even if I don't have a great deal of time for some of the individual members of the Royal Family.
We tried republicanism in the UK back in the seventeenth century, and the monarchy was eventually restored. The reasons why are open to debate, but I am not going to join in that debate here. What I will state is that the Restoration marked the beginning of the development of the parliamentary democracy we now 'enjoy' in the UK. It's by no means perfect, but it works after a fashion.
Finally, I hope that everyone in the UK, be they monarchist, republican, anarchist, or whatever manages to enjoy themselves today. I certainly will!
Stefan, who is one of my regular blog readers, has made me aware of an interesting blog post that appeared on Chad Thorson's Maximum Rock and Role Play blog back in 2012.
This posting featured illustrations of flags designed by Mike Stelzer for the various countries of Hyboria and is probably a resource that a lot of Hyboria fans will find interesting. I would reproduce them here, but I am unsure of the copyright situation, so I have chosen not to.
On 4th May 1945, a German delegation arrived at the headquarters of British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery at Lüneburg Heath, east of Hamburg. The delegation included Generaladmiral Hans-Georg von Friedeburg, General Eberhard Kinzel, and Konteradmiral Gerhard Wagner. Montgomery accepted the unconditional surrender of all the German forces in the Netherlands, northwest Germany, and Denmark, effective from 8.00am on the following morning.
Field Marshal Montgomery greets the German delegation at Lüneburg Heath. (The German delegartio are (from left to right) Admiral von Friedeburg, General Kinzel, and Konteradmiral Wagner.
The Instrument of Surrender stated:
The signing of the Instrument of Surrender.
On the same day, the 7th Inantry Regiment of 3rd Infantry Division of Seventh United States Army captured Berchtesgaden in Bavaria.
Two American soldiers (one of whom seems to be a member of 101st US Airborne Division) celebrating the capture of Berchtesgaden. Although it is a popular belief that the town and the surrounding area (including the Obersalzberg) was captured by the 101st US Airborne Division, they actually arrived after the 3rd Infantry Division had already done the job.
On 2nd May 1945, the Battle of Berlin ended and the Axis forces in Italy and Austria surrendered.
The commander of the Berlin Defence Area, General der Artillerie Helmuth Weidling unconditionally surrendered the city to General Vasily Chuikov of the Soviet Army. On the same day, the commanders of Army Group Vistula’s two armies (General Kurt von Tippelskirch of the German 21st Army and General Hasso von Manteuffel of 3rd Panzer Army) surrendered to the Western Allies.
Yevgeny Khaldei's famous photograph of the raising of the Soviet flag over the Reichstag.
After begotiations led by SS Obergruppenführer Karl Wolff, a surrender document was signed by General Heinrich von Vietinghoff (the commander of Axis forces in Italy and Austria) and approximately a million Axis troops surrendered unconditionally to Allied forces led by British Field Marshal Sir Harold Alexander.
The German representatives (on the left, wearing civilian clothes) preparing to sign the surrender document in Italy.
These events came to mind because I happen to be re-reading Antony Beevor's book BERLIN: THE DOWNFALL 1945 (ISBN 978 0 670 03041 5) at present.
Having had so much fun fighting the Second Stalbanian-Khakistan War, and having some ideas on rule changes I’d like to tryout, I left the terrain from the previous mini-campaign in place ...
Please click on the image to see an enlarged version of the map.
Please click on the image to see an enlarged version of the photograph.
... and over the past few days I have been fighting the Third Stalbanian-Khakistan War.
The main changes to the rules were as follows, and borrowed quite heavily from the PORTABLE WARGAME stable of rules:
The defenders
The Stalbanian Army had been completely rebuilt and re-equipped sine the last war with Khakistan and was deployed as follows:
The Stalbanian troops in Fort Ridoni.
The Stalbanian troops in Fort Stelbasan.
The Stalbanian forces totalled 20 SPs and had an Exhaustion Point of 7 SPs.
The attackers
The Khakistani Army was deployed as follows:
The 1st Khakistani Division.
The 2nd Khakistani Division.
The Khakistani forces totalled 40 SPs and had an Exhaustion Point of 14 SPs.
Turn 1: Day 1: Morning
As had happened during the Second Stalbanian-Khakistan War, the Khakistani 1st and 2nd Divisions advanced towards the Stalbanian defences guarding the entrance to the Banik Pass.
Turn 2: Day 1: Afternoon
The Khakistani 1st and 2nd Divisions reached the villages of Burrat and Mirat respectively where they both encamped for the night.
Turn 3: Day 1: Night
Both sides rested.
The situation at the end of Day 1.
Turn 4: Day 2: Morning
As dawn broke, the Stalbanian artillery opened fire on the encamped Khakistani 1st Division in Burrat. The Stalbanians rolled a D6 die and achieved a D6 die roll score of 5.
The Khakistani 1st Division's artillery fired back also rolled a D6 die and scored a D6 die roll score of 6.
As a result of this artillery exchange, the Khakistani infantry lost 1 SP and the Stalbanians had to roll a D6 die to see if their General survived. They rolled a D6 die score of 5, and the Stalbanian General was unhurt.
Leaving their artillery behind in Burrat, the Khakistani 1st Division assaulted the Stalbanian garrison in Fort Ridoni.
The Khakistani 1st Division's assault on Fort Ridoni.
The Khakistani 2nd Division also joined in the assault on Fort Ridoni.
The Khakistani 2nd Division also joined in the assault on Fort Ridoni.
The Khakistani 1st Division rolled 4D6 dice (1D6 die for each base, plus 1D6 die for each different type of unit taking part in the assault (4 x infantry and 1 x General = 5) plus 1D6 for each of the two different types of unit taking part in the assault = 7. Because they were attacking an enemy that was in fortifications, the number of D6 dice rolled was halved, with any fractions being rounded up = 4.)
Their D6 dice roll scores were 3, 4, 4, and 6.
In reply, the Stalbanian defenders rolled 6D6s. (1D6 die for each base, plus 1 D6 die for each different type of unit in the fort (2 x infantry, 1 x artillery, and 1 x General = 4) plus 1D6 die for each of the three different types of unit present = 7. However, because the artillery had already fired this turn, the number of D6 dice was reduced by 1 = 6.)
Their D6 dice roll scores were 3, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 6.
(NB. All Stalbanian dice roll scores are shown underlined so that readers can distinguish them from the Khakistani dice roll scores.)
When the two sets of D6 die roll scores were compared, and once any pairs were removed the results were as follows:
The Khakistanis 2nd Division rolled 5D6 dice (1D6 die for each base, plus 1D6 die for each different type of unit taking part in the assault (4 x infantry, 1 x artillery, and 1 x General = 6) plus 1D6 for each of the three different types of unit taking part in the assault = 9. Because they were attacking an enemy that was in fortifications, the number of D6 dice rolled was halved, with any fractions being rounded up = 5.)
Their D6 dice roll scores were 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6.
In reply, the Stalbanian defenders rolled 6D6s. (1D6 die for each base, plus 1 D6 die for each different type of unit in the fort (2 x infantry, 1 x artillery, and 1 x General = 4) plus 1D6 die for each of the three different types of unit present = 7. However, because the artillery had already fired this turn, the number of D6 dice was reduced by 1 = 6.)
Their D6 dice roll scores were 1, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6.
When the two sets of D6 die roll scores were compared, and once any pairs were removed the results were as follows:
The situation at the end of the morning of Day 2.
The first morning's fighting had seen the Stalbanians lose 1 SP and the Khakistanis lose 3 SPs.
Turn 5: Day 2: Afternoon
The Khakistani 1st and 2nd Divisions continued their assault on Fort Ridoni.
The Khakistani 1st Division rolled 5D6 dice (1D6 die for each base, plus 1D6 die for each different type of unit taking part in the assault (4 x infantry and 1 x General = 5) plus 1D6 for each of the two different types of unit taking part in the assault = 7. Because they were attacking an enemy that was in fortifications, the number of D6 dice rolled was halved, with any fractions being rounded up = 4. They then added a further D6 die for the supporting artillery that had been left in Burrat. This was in range of the fighting but was not directly involved in the assault = 5.)
Their D6 dice roll scores were 1, 2, 3, 3, and 6.
In reply, the Stalbanian defenders rolled 7D6s. (1D6 die for each base, plus 1 D6 die for each different type of unit in the fort (2 x infantry, 1 x artillery, and 1 x General = 4) plus 1D6 die for each of the three different types of unit present = 7.)
Their D6 dice roll scores were 1, 2, 3, 3, 5, 5, and 5.
When the two sets of D6 die roll scores were compared, and once any pairs were removed the results were as follows:
The Khakistanis 2nd Division rolled 5D6 dice (1D6 die for each base, plus 1D6 die for each different type of unit taking part in the assault (4 x infantry, 1 x artillery, and 1 x General = 6) plus 1D6 for each of the three different types of unit taking part in the assault = 9. Because they were attacking an enemy that was in fortifications, the number of D6 dice rolled was halved, with any fractions being rounded up = 5.)
Their D6 dice roll scores were 1, 2, 4, 4, and 6.
In reply, the Stalbanian defenders rolled 7D6s. (1D6 die for each base, plus 1 D6 die for each different type of unit in the fort (2 x infantry, 1 x artillery, and 1 x General = 4) plus 1D6 die for each of the three different types of unit present = 7.)
Their D6 dice roll scores were 1, 2, 2, 4, 5, 5, and 6.
When the two sets of D6 die roll scores were compared, and once any pairs were removed the results were as follows:
The first day's fighting had seen the Stalbanians lose 2 SPs and the Khakistanis lose 7 SPs.
Turn 6: Day 2: Night
As those units that had lost SPs were still in contact with enemy units, they were unable to recover any lost SPs.
Turn 7: Day 3: Morning
The fighting continued much as before.
The Khakistani 1st Division rolled 5D6 dice and their D6 dice scores were 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6.
In reply the Stalbanians in Fort Ridoni rolled 7D6 dice and their D6 dice scores were 1, 1, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6.
When the two sets of D6 die roll scores were compared, and once any pairs were removed, the results were as follows:
The Khakistani 2nd Division rolled 5D6 dice and their D6 dice scores were 2, 3, 3, 4, and 6.
In reply the Stalbanians in Fort Ridoni rolled 7D6 dice and their D6 dice scores were 1, 3, 3, 5, 6, 6, and 6.
When the two sets of D6 die roll scores were compared, and once any pairs were removed, the results were as follows:
The situation at the end of the morning of Day 3.
The second morning's fighting had seen the Stalbanians lose 2 more SPs and the Khakistanis lose a further 8 SPs. This brought the total losses to:
Turn 8: Day 3: Afternoon
The Khakistanis had reached their Exhaustion Point and were no longer able to continue their assaults. They therefore fell back to the villages of Burrat (1st Division) and Mirat 2nd Division).
The situation at the end of the afternoon of Day 3.
The remaining Khakistan requested and was granted a ceasefire ... and to all intents and purposes, the Third Stalbanian-Khakistan War was over.
Some after-battle thoughts
As I had hoped, the use of SPs and the Exhaustion Point improved the feel of the rules. Likewise the rule giving artillery the opportunity to fire in support of a formation or unit that was involved in combat or in an optional pre-move Artillery Fire Phase gave the two sides slightly more tactical flexibility.
I am quite happy with the mechanisms that are now in place, although I might be tempted to change the effect of the D6 die roll scores slightly for late nineteenth/early twentieth century battles. Its certainly something that I want to think about and play around with.
