Dominion of the Spear and Bayonet play-test

I recently decided to play-test Steve Parker's DOMINION OF THE SPEAR AND BAYONET RULES that I reviewed at the beginning of the month.

The first thing that I did was to create a suitable gridded battlefield on the back of one of my spare 30cm square 6mm-thick cork tiles. As my 15mm figures are mounted on 40mm-wide bases and none are deeper than 40mm, I decided to to make each of the sector grid areas 50mm x 50mm. The end result looked like this:

I then chose two armies from the army lists that are included in the rules.

Mahdist War (1881 - 1899 AD)

• Mahdist (1881 to 1899):
• 1 x Skirmishers (Baggara Arab cavalry armed with muskets and spears)
• 1 x Elite spearmen (Hadendowah Beja tribesmen)
• 1 x Elite line infantry (Jihadiyya riflemen)
• 1 x Ambushers (Ansar spearmen on foot)
• 1 x Skirmishers (Ansar with bows or old firearms on foot)
• Egyptians (1882 to 1885):
• 1 x Cavalry (Dragoons)
• 1 x Line infantry (Sudanese)
• 2 x Line infantry (Conscripts)
• 1 x Spearmen (Sudanese native levies or auxiliaries)
• 1 x Artillery (old cannons)

The Mahdist Army.

The Egyptian Army.

(The figures I used came from my 15mm Belle Époque collection.)

Background and Initial Positions

As the power of the Mahdists increased across the Sudan, the Egyptians decided to mount a punitive military expedition against them in the hope that it would stop a full-scale revolt in its tracks. They selected retired British Army Major Archibald Higgs to lead the expedition, and gave him the rank of Pasha. Having gathered his troops together at Jakdun Wells, he set off across the desert to find and fight the Mahdists.

Three days after setting out, the Egyptians were passing through an area of scrubland near a plateau when the Mahdists attacked them. (During the battle the Mahdists were the attackers and the Egyptians were the defenders.)

Turn 1

The Mahdist Baggara Arab cavalry skirmishers attacked the Egyptian Dragoon cavalry in the left sector. Both sides threw a D6 die and scored 4 and 2 respectively. As a result, the fighting was indecisive.

In reply, the 1st Egyptian line infantry attacked the Mahdist Ansar skirmishers in the centre sector. Both sides threw a D6 die, and scored 3 and 4 respectively. As a result, the fighting was indecisive.

Turn 2

The Mahdist Baggara Arab cavalry skirmishers attacked the Egyptian Dragoon cavalry in the left sector for a second time. Both sides threw a D6 die and scored 1 and 2 respectively. As a result, the fighting was indecisive.

In reply, the Egyptian Sudanese spearmen attacked the Mahdist Ansar ambushers in the right sector. Both sides threw a D6 and scored 3 and 4 respectively. As a result, the fighting was indecisive.

Turn 3

The Mahdist Baggara Arab cavalry skirmishers attacked the Egyptian Dragoon cavalry in the left sector for a third time. Both sides threw a D6 die and scored 3 and 5 respectively. As a result, the Mahdist Baggara Arab cavalry skirmishers were destroyed ...

... and replaced by the Mahdist Elite Jihadiyya.

In reply, the Egyptian Sudanese spearmen attacked the Mahdist Ansar spear-armed skirmishers in the right sector. Both sides threw a D6 die and scored 1 and 5 respectively. As a result, the Egyptian Sudanese spearmen were destroyed ...

... and replaced by the Egyptian Sudanese line infantry.

Turn 4

The Mahdist Elite Jihadiyya attacked the Egyptian Dragoon cavalry in the left sector. Both sides threw a D6 die and scored 3 (+1 for being Elite attackers) and 6 respectively. As a result, the Mahdist Elite Jihadiyya were destroyed ...

... and replaced by the Mahdist Elite Hadendowah spearmen.

In reply, the Egyptian 1st line infantry attacked the Ansar Arab skirmishers in the centre sector. Both sides threw a D6 die and both scored 6! As a result, both the Mahdist Jihadiyya and the Egyptian 1st line infantry were destroyed!

There were no Mahdist troops in reserve but the Egyptian 2nd Line Infantry were able to replace the Egyptian 1st line infantry.

Turn 5

The Mahdist Elite Hadendowah spearmen attacked the Egyptian Dragoon cavalry in the left sector. Both sides threw a D6 die and scored 5 (+1 for being an Elite attacker) and 2 respectively. As a result, the Egyptian Dragoon cavalry were destroyed …

… and replaced by the Egyptian Artillery.

In reply, the Egyptian Line Infantry attack the Elite Hadendowa spearmen in the flank. They throw a D6 die and score 5 (+1 for an outflanking attack). (Because the Elite Hadendowah spearmen were being attacked in the flank they were not able to fight back and did not throw a D6 die). As a result, the Elite Hadendowa spearmen were destroyed ...

... and the Mahdist force was defeated! Against the odds, Pasha Higgs had led a successful Egyptian punitive expedition against the Mahdists!

This battle took a lot less time to fight than it did to photograph and write about, and I can see myself using these rules to fight a simple campaign in a day at some time in the future.

---

One thing that this simple type of battle lends it to is the narrative style of battle report. My play-test shows how the rules work, but does not impart the flavour or feel of the battle. What follows is the battle report I would have written (in the character of Higgs Pasha) had I wanted to include it in a campaign that was going to be recorded for posterity.

To his Excellency, the Governor of the Sudan

From Higgs Pasha

Sir,

In accordance with my orders to seek and bring to battle the forces of the so-called Mahdi, I assembled a small field force comprising a regiment of Dragoons, two battalions of Egyptian line infantry, a battalion of Sudanese line infantry, a battery of artillery, and a group of locally-recruited auxiliaries at Jakdun Wells.

I led my force into the desert, and after several days of fruitless searching, we approached a small plateau that seemed to dominate the surrounding area. I suspected that the Mahdists might have chosen it as a base as there appeared to be an abundant supply of water near the plateau’s base.

I sent the Dragoons forward, flanked by the by the one of the Egyptian line infantry battalions and the unit of auxiliaries. Almost at once, a large group of mounted Baggara Arabs appeared from cover and engaged the Dragoons, who gave a good account of themselves.

Seeing a host of Ansar spearmen behind the mounted Arabs, the Egyptian line infantry engaged them with somewhat ineffective rifle fire.

Whilst the two mounted forces continued fighting, the Sudanese auxiliaries attacked another group of Ansar that had suddenly appeared with more vigour than I would have expected of them, although the results were inconclusive.

The Dragoons finally prevailed, and the Baggara Arabs quit the field, only to be replaced by a force of Jihadiyya riflemen. By this time the Dragoons were exhausted, and the arrival of a such a fierce and aggressive enemy caused them to falter slightly … but they proved to be brave fellows and fought their new enemy with great vigour, causing them many casualties. The Mahdist unit withdrew from the fight, only to be replaced by some fearsome Hadendowah infantry.

At the same time, the Sudanese auxiliaries finally succumbed in their somewhat unequal struggle with the Ansar, only to be replaced by my steadiest unit, the Sudanese line infantry. Fighting in the centre was particularly fierce and saw both the Egyptian line infantry and the Ansar unit that was facing them mutually annihilated, but the other Egyptian line infantry unit stepped forward over the bodies of their fallen comrades to continue the fight.

This was none too soon as the hard-pressed Dragoons finally gave way, to be replaced by the Egyptian artillery battery. At this point the Egyptian line infantry proved themselves worthy of their reputation for dogged steadfastness. They enfiladed the Hadendowah with a devastating volley … and the Mahdist unit disintegrated. As only a unit of Ansar spearmen remained, victory was ours!

I remain, Sir, your obedient servant,

Archibald Higgs Pasha

Dominion of the Spear and Bayonet

Just over a month ago I wrote a review of Steve Parker's DOMINION OF THE SPEAR solo wargame rules. Since then, he has added DOMINION OF PIKE AND SHOT and now DOMINION OF THE SPEAR AND BAYONET. The latter enables players to fight Colonial battles set between 1800 and 1900 and uses the same basic design and game engine as his previous rules.

In his description of the rules, Steve states that:

‘Dominion of the Spear and Bayonet is a very, very simple set of solo wargames rules … allowing one to fight two Colonial armies … against each other in around ten minutes. They are written for the game to generate a plausible and – with some imagination – an amusing narrative. Although figures can be used, battles can easily be fought on paper (no measuring) using pen or pencil and two different coloured six sided dice. Armies consist of 3 to 6 units and a points system is included.’

There are five different types of unit:

• Line Infantry: These are infantry that fight in close formation and rely on firepower to destroy enemy units. It also includes Machine Guns.
• Ambushers: These are infantry or cavalry that attack enemy units by ambushing them.
• Skirmishers: These are infantry or cavalry who fight in a dispersed formation and rely on firepower or missile weapons to destroy enemy units. It includes European light infantry, natives or militia with firearms or bows, light cavalry with carbines or rifles, dismounted cavalry, and horse archers.
• Melee Units: These are infantry units that are armed with spears (Spearmen), bayonets (Bayonets) or cavalry. It includes infantry and cavalry that fight in close formation and rely on charging their opponents and fighting with melee weapons (e.g. spears, swords, lances, bayonets).
• Artillery: It includes all artillery (e.g. cannons, field guns, and rockets). Artillery is especially useful against troops in fortifications.

Examples of units include:

• Trained militia armed with muskets – Line Infantry (cost 2 points).
• Zulu veteran warriors – elite Spearmen (cost 3 points).
• Tribesmen firing from sangars – fortified Skirmishers (cost 3 points).
• British Highlanders infantry – elite Bayonets (cost 3 points).
• Best European infantry – elite disciplined Line Infantry (cost 4 points).

As in the previous rules, the battlefield is split into eight areas:

The booklet also includes a number of optional rules:

• Optional Artillery and Rocket Battery rules.
• Optional Alternative Activation rule.
• Optional Rallying Phase.
• Optional Unreliable Troops.

The book includes a play through of a battle between British Indian Army units (the British Chitral Relief Expedition) and Pathan tribesmen (Chitrali and other Pathani tribesmen) on the North-West Frontier, and this really helps the reader to understand how the game's mechanisms work.

The booklet also includes 122 army lists that cover the the following conflicts:

• The Second Anglo-Maratha War (1803 to 1805)
• The Bolivian War of Independence (1809 to 1825)
• The Argentine War of Independence (1810 to 1818)
• The Mexican War of Independence (1810 to 1821)
• Tecumseh’s War (1811 to 1813)
• The Fourth Xhosa War (1811 to 1812)
• The Creek War (1813 to 1814)
• The First Seminole War (1816 to 1818)
• The First Anglo Burmese War (1824 to 1826)
• The Padri War (Sumatra) (1821 to 1838)
• The First Anglo-Ashanti War (Ghana) (1823 to 1831)
• The Java War (1825 to 1830)
• The Second Seminole War (1835 to 1842)
• The First Opium War (1839 to 1842)
• The French Conquest of Algeria (1830 to 1903)
• The Mexican-Texan War (Texas War of Independence) (1835 to 1836)
• The First Anglo-Afghan War (1838 to 1842)
• The British invasion of Sindh (1843)
• The Franco-Moroccan War (1844)
• The Franco-Tahitian War (1844 to 1846)
• The First Anglo-Sikh War 1845 to 1846)
• The New Zealand Wars (1845 to 1872)
• The Mexican-American War (1846 to 1848)
• The Taiping Rebellion (1850 to 1864)
• The Anglo-Persian War (1856 to 1860)
• The Second Opium War (1856 to 1860)
• The Indian Mutiny (1857 to 1858)
• The French Intervention in Mexico (1862 to 1867)
• The Fenian Raids (1866 to 1871)
• The British Expedition to Abyssinia (Ethiopia) (1867 to 1868)
• The North-West Frontier Black Mountain Expeditions (1868. 1888, and 1891)
• The Russian Conquest of Central Asia (1866 to 1881)
• The Third Anglo-Ashanti War (1873 to 1874)
• The Aceh War (Indonesia) (1873 to 1904)
• The Great Sioux War (1876 to 1877)
• The Nez Perce War (1877)
• The Second Anglo-Afghan War (1878 to 1880)
• The Anglo-Zulu War (1879)
• The First Boer War (The Transvaal War) (1880 to 1881)
• The Belgians in the Congo (1880 onwards)
• The Mahdist War (1881 to 1899)
• The Tonkin Campaign (Northern Vietnam) and Sino-French War (1883 to 1886)
• The North-West Rebellion (1885)
• The Italo-Ethiopian Wars (1887 onwards)
• The Abushiri Revolt (Tanzania) (1888 to 1889)
• The Hehe Resistance (1891 to 1898)
• The Second Franco-Dahomean War (Benin) (1892 to 1894)
• The First Matabele War (Zimbabwe) (1893)
• The North-West Frontier Chitral Campaign (1895)
• The Conquest of Gaza (Mozambique) (1895 to 1897)
• The Cuban War of Independence (1895 to 1898)
• The North-West Frontier Tirah and Tochi Campaign (1897)
• The Spanish-American War (1898)
• The Philippine-American War (1899 to 1902)
• The Boxer Rebellion (1899 to 1901)
• The Second Boer War (1899 to 1902)

The booklet ends with suggestions for a very interesting Big Battle version of the rules and also includes a QRS (Quick Reference Sheet) on its back cover.

I have yet to try the rules, but I certainly hope to do so soon.

---

DOMINION OF THE SPEAR AND BAYONET was written by Steve Parker and published in 2025 by Orc Publishing. It is available to buy online in PDF format from Wargame Vault for £4.40/$5.69.

I have been to ... St Nicholas Church, Plumstead

Recently, Sue and I paid one of our infrequent visits to local cemeteries and churches to look at interesting graves and memorials. This time we visited St Nicholas Church, Plumstead, which was formerly the parish church.

There has been a church on the site since 960(!), although the current building dates back to the twelfth century.

During the seventeenth century the brick west tower was added and the nave was rebuilt in 1818. Further restoration took place between 1867 and 1868, and the church was enlarged in 1907. The building was extensively damaged on 6th February 1945 by the one of the last V2 rockets to hit London. This damage was repaired in 1959.

Unfortunately, the extensive graveyard was turned into a small park in the 1960s, and the gravestones were moved to locations around the edge of the park. Subsequently, these were removed when the park was remodelled and the original railings were taken down.

Only one gravestone remains, and it is located against the south wall of the church. It is a Commonwealth War Grave (formerly an Imperial War Grave) and marks the burial of Private Robert Gosling of the Army Service Corps (ASC), who died at home on 3rd March 1918.

What we had hoped to find were the following graves:

• Colonel Charles Bingham (1815 to 1864): The son of Colonel Charles Cox Bingham and Sarah Bingham and brother of Captain Edmund Hayter Bingham. He served as Adjutant-General of the Royal Artillery.
• Captain Edmund Hayter Bingham (7th January 1820 to 9th October 1856): The son of Colonel Cox Bingham and Sarah Bingham. He served with the 1st Battalion, West India Regiment from 1839 to 1850, being promoted to the rank of Captain on 1st March 1848.
• Major-General Joseph Brome (1712 to 1796): He joined the Royal Artillery at the age of 8 as a drummer and rose through the ranks to become commander of 1st Battalion, Royal Artillery. He was Master Gunner from 1760 and later became Colonel-Commandant of the Royal Artillery. He was promoted to the rank of Major-General in 1793.
• Captain Frederick William Burgoyne RN (28th May 1778 to 22nd October 1848): He was the son of General Sir John Burgoyne, 7th Baronet of Sutton Park. Frederick was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 7th March 1797, Commander on 22nd October 1810, and Post Captain on 20th September 1815. At various times he commanded HMS Defender, HMS Transit, HMS Tyrian, HMS Port Mahon, and HMS Sparrowhawk. From 1st November 1824 until early 1831, he commanded the Coast Guard at Kinsale and Wexford; and from 6th August 1841 until September 1844 he was Captain of HMS San Josep (a 114-gun ship-of-the-line captured from the Spanish on 14th February 1797), the flag-ship of the Admiral Superintendent at Devonport, Sir Sam Pym.
• Daniel Cambridge VC (27th March 1820 to 4th June 1882): He was born in Carrickfergus, County Antrim, Ireland. He joined the Royal Artillery in 1839 as a Gunner and Driver and initially served in the 4th Battalion, Royal Artillery. After serving in Malta from 1841 to 1847 he transferred to the 7th Battalion, Royal Artillery - which was then in Canada - in 1848. He returned to the UK in 1853 and returned to the 4th Battalion, Royal Artillery in Woolwich. After the Crimean War broke out, he transferred to the 11th Battalion, Royal Artillery and landed in the Crimea on 19th September 1854. The battalion was involved in the Siege of Sevastopol and Daniel also took part in the Battle of Inkerman. He was promoted to the rank of Bombardier on 3rd April 1855. On 8th September he took part in the failed Assault on the Redan as part of a spiking party and he was badly wounded. Despite this, he helped other wounded soldiers to safety. In his despatch, Cambridge's commander (Lieutenant-Colonel Strange CB) reported that 'Early in the day he was wounded in the leg but did not on that account leave the Assaulting Party though recommended to do so – At a subsequent part of the day he went out in front of the advanced trench in the Quarries under a heavy fire in order to bring in a wounded man, in performing which service he was severely wounded a 2nd time, having been shot through the jaw'. As a result, he was awarded the Victoria Cross on 23rd June 1857. Daniel was the twenty-second person of the original sixty-two to be given this award. He was also awarded the Sardinian Military Medal of Valour (Al Valore Militare). He was promoted to the rank of Sergeant on 21st April 1856 and Quartermaster-Sergeant a year later. In 1857 he was promoted to the rank of Master Gunner with the 8th Coastal Battery, Athlone, County Roscommon, Ireland, and on 21st February 1862 he transferred to Fort Tarbert, County Kerry, Ireland. He retired on 27th June 1871 and was appointed to the sovereign's bodyguard, the Yeomen of the Guard. He died as a result of the wounds he had suffered during the Crimean War on 4th June 1882 at 57 Frederick Place, Plumstead. He was sixty-two-years-old.

Daniel Cambridge VC.

• Major-General Sir Alexander Dickson KGCB, KCRGO (1777 to 1840): He entered the Royal Military Academy in 1793 and became a Second-Lieutenant in the Royal Artillery in 1794. He saw service in Menorca in 1798 and Malta in 1800. By 1806 he was a Captain and took part in the disastrous Montevideo Expedition. In 1809 he joined Brigadier=General Edward Howorth in Portugal where he served as brigade-major of the Portuguese artillery. Within a short time he had become a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Portuguese army and commanded the Portuguese artillery in the Allied army in the Peninsular. As a result, he served under Sir Arthur Wellesley (later the Duke of Wellington) at the Battles of Busaco, Albuera, Ciudad Rodrigo, Badajoz, Salamanca (by which time he was in command of all of the Allied artillery in Wellesley's army, even though he was still just a Captain in the Royal Artillery), Vittoria, San Sebastian, Nivelle, Nive, and Toulouse. He was sent to North America after Napoleon's abdication and took part in the Battle of New Orleans. He then returned to the UK and served as a member of the now Duke of Wellington's staff at the Battles of Quatre Bras and Waterloo. He was awarded the Peninsular Gold Medal with six clasps (only the Duke of Wellington, with nine clasps, and Sir Dennis Pack and Lord Beresford who had seven clasps, had more) as well as the Knight Grand Commander of the Bath and Knight Commander of the Royal Guelphic Order. He ended his service as Master Gunner, St James's Park. He was also one of the earliest Fellows of the Royal Geographical Society.
• Major-General Duncan Drummond (1731 to 1805): Commanding Officer, Royal Artillery and Director-General of the Field Train Department.
• General Sir William Green (1725 to 1811): A Royal Engineer, he designed and oversaw the building of the defences of Gibraltar (1779 to 1783).  In 1772 he suggested that a regiment of military artificers should be raised to replace civilians who had formerly been recruited on an ad hoc basis to construct military works. This led to the raising of the Soldier Artificer Company which eventually evolved into the Corps of Royal Sappers and Miners. He was Chief Engineer of Great Britain from 1796 until his retirement in 1802.
• Doctor Olinthus Gilbert Gregory (29th January 1774 to 2nd February 1841): Mathematical Master of the Royal Military Academy in 1802. He succeeded Charles Hutton as Professor in 1807, and was one of the founding member of the Royal Astronomical Society. He also proposed improvements to the way in which musical notations were recorded and served as editor of the Gentlemen's Diary (1802 onwards) and the Lady's Diary (1819 to 1840). From 1817 onwards he also supervised the almanacs published by the Stationer's Company. He was also one of the driving forces behind the setting up of a secular university in London, and by 1825 he was a member of the committee that appointed the new university's teaching staff.
• Lieutenant-General Sir John Angus Macleod GCH (29th January 1752 to 26th January 1833): He was commissioned into the Royal Artillery in 1771 and served during the American War of Independence under General Cornwallis, and as a result he took part in the Battle of Guilford Courthouse. In 1782 he became commander of the Royal Artillery and oversaw its expansion from five to ten battalions. He was appointed Deputy Adjutant-General of the Royal Artillery in 1795 and became Master Gunner, St James's Park in 1808. In 1815 the Duke of Wellington appointed him Director-General of the Royal Artillery (an honorary position), and he subsequently became Commander of the Field Train, another honorary appointment.
• Major-General Sir John May KCB, KCH (1778 to 1847): He joined the Royal Artillery in 1795 and was promoted to the rank of Major-General in 1838. He served during the Napoleonic Wars and was at the Battles of Quatre Bras and Waterloo.
• Colonel Sir William Robe (18th February 1765 to 5th November 1820): He entered the Royal Military Academy in 1780 before joining the Royal Artillery in 1781. He served in Jamaica from 1782 to 1784 and was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 22nd November 1787. He returned to the UK in 1790, and in April 1793 he took part in the Flanders Campaign under the command of Sir William Congreve. He had returned to England by the end of November 1794, having been promoted to the rank of Captain-Lieutenant and battalion Quartermaster of the 1st Battalion, Royal Artillery on 9th September 1794. In 1797 he set up the first regimental school for the education of soldiers and in 1806 he became Regimental Major, an administrative role. Two years later he took part in the Duke of York's Helder Expedition. He was appointed Brigade Major of Royal Artillery under General Sir Anthony Farrington and was present at the Battle of Bergen on 2nd October 1799. (Incidentally, this was the day on which he was promoted to the rank of Captain). He then took part in the capture of Alkmaar before returning to the UK in November. He was then posted to the 2nd Battalion, Royal Artillery. Next year he transferred to the 4th Battalion, Royal Artillery, which was stationed in Canada. He returned to the UK in June 1806 and was promoted to the rank of Major, and then to Lieutenant-Colonel the following year. In 1807 he took part in the Copenhagen Expedition, where he came to the attention of Major-General Thomas Bloomfield, who commanded the expedition's artillery. The next year saw him in Spain in command of the artillery in Sir Arthur Wellesley's army. He subsequently took part in the Battle of Rollica, the capture of Porto, the Battle of Talavera, the retreat to the Lines of Torres Vedras, the Battle of Bussaco, the Battle of Salamanca, and the Siege of Burgos. During the retreat from Burgos he was wounded and subsequently returned to the UK. He was promoted to the rank of Colonel on 16th May 1815, and by then he had been made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath and a Knight Commander of the Royal Guelphic Order.

Nugget 370

I collected the latest issue of THE NUGGET from the printer (Macaulay Scott Printing Company of Welling, Kent) on Saturday, and I posted it out to members yesterday.

I will also send the PDF copy to the webmaster as soon as I can so that members can read this issue of THE NUGGET online.

---

IMPORTANT: Please note that this is the seventh issue of THE NUGGET to be published for the 2024-2025 subscription year.

If you wish to subscribe for the 2024-2025 subscription year and have not yet done so, please request a PayPal invoice or the bank transfer information from the Treasurer or follow the instructions on the relevant page of the website.

The Portable Wargame at Dice on the Hill YouTube video

I have now created and uploaded a short (i.e. just over eight minutes long) YouTube video about the rules and Operation Barbarossa mini-campaign scenarios that I used at my local gaming club, Dice on the Hill, to my Wargaming Miscellany YouTube channel.

You can view the video here.

Nugget 370

The editor of THE NUGGET sent me the original of the latest issue on Sunday evening, and I sent it to the printer (Macauley Scott Printing Company, Welling, Kent) on Monday. I hope to be able to collect it later this week and post it out to members of Wargame Developments by the end of the month.

---

IMPORTANT: Please note that this is the seventh issue of THE NUGGET to be published for the 2024-2025 subscription year.

If you wish to subscribe for the 2024-2025 subscription year and have not yet done so, please request a PayPal invoice or the bank transfer information from the Treasurer or follow the instructions on the relevant page of the website.

Operation Varsity: Eighty years on

Today marks the 80th anniversary of Operation Varsity, the largest single airborne operation of World War II.

Operation Varsity was part of Operation Plunder, the Allied operation to cross the northern Rhine River and enter Northern Germany. It was mounted by US XVIII Airborne Corps, which was commanded by Major General Matthew B Ridgway. The Corps comprised British 6th Airborne Division, US 13th Airborne Division (which did not take part in the operation), and US 17th Airborne Division. Their drop zones were located between the Diersfordter Wald, the River Issel, and the towns of Hamminkeln and Wessel. It was the largest airborne operation ever conducted on a single day.

The objectives set for the two divisions that took part in Operation Varsity were as follows:

• British 6th Airborne Division: Capture the villages of Schnappenberg and Hamminkeln, clear the northern part of the Diersfordter Wald (Diersfordt Forest) of German forces, and capture the three bridges over the River Issel.
• US 17th Airborne Division: Capture the village of Diersfordt and clear the southern part of the Diersfordter Wald of German forces.
• The two divisions were then to hold the territory they had captured until they were relieved by advancing units of 21st Army Group.

Despite some confusion due to elements of US 17th Airborne Division landing in the wrong places, the objectives had been captured, and by nightfall the 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division had linked up with British 6th Airborne Division. By morning of the next day, the first of twelve bridge had been constructed across the River Rhine.

---

My father took part in the operation as a member of 53rd (Worcestershire Yeomanry) Airlanding Light Regiment, Royal Artillery, and he was the only veteran who attended the special commemorative event held at Firepower, the Royal Artillery Museum, in 2006.

He was treated as an honoured guest by the museum staff and the members of the 89th (Parachute)/317th (Airborne) Field Security Sections re-enactment group. The latter were portraying 53rd (Worcestershire Yeomanry) Airlanding Light Regiment, Royal Artillery at the event, and my father had several photographs taken with them.

Beutepanzers of World War II

I must admit to an interest in the way that the German Army adopted and adapted captured armoured fighting vehicles during the Second World War. As a result, it made lots of sense for me to buy a copy of Steven Zaloga's recent BEUTEPANZERS OF WORLD WAR II: CAPTURED TANKS AND AFVS IN GERMAN SERVICE when I saw it on sale ... so I did!

The book is divided into eleven sections:

• Introduction
• Polish tanks and AFVs
• Dutch and Belgian tanks and AFVs
• French tanks
• Tank turrets for the AtlantikWall
• French Beutepanzer units
• Becker self-propelled gun conversions on French AFVs
• Other self-propelled gun conversions on French AFVs
• The Beutepanzer division
• British tanks and AFVs
• Soviet tanks and AFVs
• Italian tanks and AFVs
• American tanks and AFVs
• German identification numbers for Beutepanzers
• Further reading
• Index

I particularly enjoyed the section that dealt with the conversions undertaken by Hauptmann Alfred Becker's Baukommando, which included conversions of both French and British tanks and AFVs. (His first conversions were based on the chassis of British Mark VI light tanks. He removed the existing turrets and read bodywork which he replaced with an open-topped casemate in which a 105mm leFH 16 howitzer was mounted. He also modified the same chassis as a command/reconnaissance vehicle and ammunition carrier as well as creating ammunition carriers based on the chassis of captured Bren carriers.)

The 10.5cm leFH 16 auf Geschutzwagen auf Fahrgestell Mk VI 736 (e) self-propelled gun.

The Mk VI Beobachtungspanzer command/reconnaissance vehicle.

The Mk VI Munitionspanzer ammunition carrier. The trailer it is towing appears to be a Renault UK tracked trailer that has had its original wheels and tracks replaced by a simple two-wheeled axle.

The Munitionspanzer auf Fahrgestell Bren-Carrier (e) ammunition carrier. The trailer it is towing appears to be similar to that towed by the French Renault UE 2 Chenillette and was known as the Renault UK tracked trailer.

It is interesting to note that although the Germans captured large numbers of Russian tanks and AFVs, they did not use them as much as one might have expected, mainly because they did not have access to supplies of spare parts etc. This was not the case with the French and Italian tanks and AFVs they captured and reused, and in the latter case, they actually continued to produce vehicles in the occupied northern part of Italy after the Italian king deposed Mussolini and the country changed sides and joined the Allies as a co-belligerent.

---

BEUTEPANZERS OF WORLD WAR II: CAPTURED TANKS AND AFVS IN GERMAN SERVICE was written by Steven J Zaloga and illustrated by Felipe Rodriguez and published by Osprey Publishing in 2024 (ISBN 978 1 4728 5938 9).

Ancients at Shrewsbury House

On Wednesday I carefully rested for most of the day in order to conserve my energy so that I could set up and take part in a battle using the Portable Ancient Wargame rules from DEVELOPING THE PORTABLE WARGAME. My strategy worked, and I had a very enjoyable evening introducing my opponent (Richard) and an interested bystander (Ian) to the joys of THE PORTABLE WARGAME system.

I provided the terrain and Richard provided the figures ... and it turned out that although he had been assembling his collection for some years, he had not had the opportunity to fight a wargame with them. The terrain looked like this:

I chose to field a Spartan army ...

The right of the Spartan army. It comprised a unit of slingers and two units of Helot spearmen.

The center of the Spartan army. It comprised eight units of Hoplites.

The left of the Spartan army. It comprised a unit of slingers and two units of Helot spearmen.

... and my opponent chose the Athenians. (He even provided a suitably ruined temple for Athena to occupy and oversee her city-state's army.)

The Athenian army.

Two units of Athenian Hoplites.

Two more units of Athenian Hoplites.

The Athenians took the offensive ...

... and after both sides used their light troops to try to disrupt their opponent's Hoplites ...

... the battle soon became a trial of strength between the rival bodies of Hoplites.

It was a hard fought battle ... but the Athenians eventually prevailed and the Spartans withdrew after losing their slingers and Helot spearmen in order to preserve their elite Hoplites.

The battle took just under an hour to fight, and once it was over we reset the forces and re-fought the battle twice more, firstly using the 'two hits = unit destroyed' rule and 'two hits plus hit effect' rule. The Athenians won both battles, and they even managed to kill the Spartan commander during the last battle.

By the end of the evening Richard and Ian were both enthusiastic converts to the whole PORTABLE WARGAME concept ... and I hope to be able to give them a chance to try the PORTABLE NAPOLEONIC WARGAME rules soon.

Terrain in a hurry

Last Wednesday I was asked if I could stage a Portable Ancients Wargame at the Dice on the Hill club on the following Wednesday (i.e. today). The request was from the member of staff who is usually on duty on Wednesday evenings and who is - it turns out - both a railway modeller and a wargamer. He has an extensive collection of mainly 28mm Napoleonics and Ancients and as he has read DEVELOPING THE PORTABLE WARGAME, he would like to tryout the Ancients rules from the book.

After I had agreed, I suddenly realised on Sunday that all my terrain was in storage in Dartford and that I would have to visit the storage unit to collect everything that I need. Unfortunately, the virus I have been suffering from made that rather difficult, and rather than disappoint my opponent, I had to come up with an alternative fairly quickly.

My first thought was to get hold of a felt cloth that I could make up with the necessary grid of 10cm x 10cm squares, but none of the suppliers I looked at could fulfill an order in less than a week. Instead, I ordered a pack of 30cm x 30cm 6mm-thick cork tiles from Amazon ...

... and they were delivered on Monday. I have now marked the corners of the grid squares with a small crosses drawn using a red Sharpey pen, and have enough cork tiles to set up a 9 x 9 grid of 10cm x 10cm squares ... and still have a spare cork tile!

I also needed some hills, and I made these by trimming some IKEA cork pot stands to shape.

I now have a set of portable terrain that I can take to the club this evening, and assuming that I am well enough to go, I hope to be able to take some photographs and share them on my blog later this week.