Now that I have the bit between my teeth, I am determined to renovate, varnish, and base some more of my Napoleonic figures. The choice has fallen on my Dutch-Belgians, and they are currently on my work table awaiting my attention.
I have enough 'new' figures to add two more units (i.e. regiments) to my existing Dutch-Belgian army, and once they are added it will boast enough figures to form a purely Infantry Division (i.e. no Cavalry or Artillery at present) and a spare Infantry Regiment.
The figures are all wearing white trousers and Belgic shakos, and from a distance (quite a distance!) will pass muster as US Infantry for the War of 1812 ... which makes them useful if I ever want to re-fight any of the battles from that war.
To keep me 'in the mood' for all things Napoleonic, I have just finished reading C S Forester's THE GUN ..
... and have just begun DEATH TO THE FRENCH.
I've read both books before, but as I enjoy Forester's writing, it has been a very enjoyable experience to re-visit them.
I have enough 'new' figures to add two more units (i.e. regiments) to my existing Dutch-Belgian army, and once they are added it will boast enough figures to form a purely Infantry Division (i.e. no Cavalry or Artillery at present) and a spare Infantry Regiment.
The figures are all wearing white trousers and Belgic shakos, and from a distance (quite a distance!) will pass muster as US Infantry for the War of 1812 ... which makes them useful if I ever want to re-fight any of the battles from that war.
To keep me 'in the mood' for all things Napoleonic, I have just finished reading C S Forester's THE GUN ..
... and have just begun DEATH TO THE FRENCH.
I've read both books before, but as I enjoy Forester's writing, it has been a very enjoyable experience to re-visit them.
You know bob - I was thinking of doing just the same with my Dutch Belgians.
ReplyDeleteConrad Kinch,
DeleteThere might be a few purists who will shake their heads and mutter under their breath at such heresy, but if looks sufficiently like a duck, and makes a noise that might just sound like a quack, then I'm not too worried if it isn't exactly a mallard.
All the best,
Bob
Always good to have two armies out of one!
ReplyDeletePancerni,
DeleteI have always liked to have 'generic' armies that I can use across a variety of different conflicts.
All the best,
Bob
Hi Bob
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear that you are making progress with your Napoleonic army. Dutch-Belgian is an unusual addition to the order of battle, but all the more welcome for that. Do you find with your wargame rules that you have a problem when you field one army without cavalry or artillery? I find that it is very difficult to counter the enemy cavalry or gunners when I do so. Less infantry is not so much of a problem, but no cavalry or artillery makes a big difference. Of course you could always field one of your other armies without their horse and artillery to make it more balanced.
I know exactly what you mean about reading old book favourites. I recently read all of the Sharpe books in sequence. I read them previously when each one was first published, but that was many years ago. Reading them again I was surprised to find so much detail that I had forgotten.
I also had a great time reading all seven volumes of Charles Oman “A history of the Peninsular War”. For my money a much easier read than Napier, and so much information that it was well worth reading twice.
Finally I recently read the two collections of Brigadier Gerard books by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. If you have not yet read them you are in for a real treat.
Best regards
Paul
Thistlebarrow (Paul),
DeleteThe Dutch-Belgians were included in the Del Prado RELIVE WATERLOO collection, hence their inclusion in my Napoleonic collection.
What I forgot until you wrote your comment that I also already have two units of Carabiniers ... plus another waiting to be varnished and based. I can therefore give my Infanty Division some Cavalry and still have enough to form a separate Cavalry Brigade.
Artillery is something that I will need to either 'convert' from suitable figures in my collection or to paint myself. Neither will be too difficult to do ... and once I do they will enable me to field a complete, small army.
I recently downloaded Mercer's memoirs to my Kindle ... for free ... and hope to read them in the near future. I have read the Brigadier Gerard stories quite recently, and really enjoyed them.
I have read some of the Sharpe novels, which are better than the TV versions of the stories. That said, I still think that Rifleman Dodd deserves to be recreated onscreen as he is - in my opinion - the prototype for Sharpe.
All the best,
Bob
At last I have got my Austrian Army Corps posting published. It is a fairly long posting, but you might find it informative.
ReplyDeleteOn the subject matter of this posting, I have read, and I think I have copies of, all C.S. Forester's Hornblower books (great yarns I discovered at age 11), and I've also read the two you have mentioned here. I can't say I liked them quite as much. The only other books of his I have read were 'The Ship' - not bad; and 'The General' - excellent. To my mind, Forrester was really at his best when his stories were as much character-driven as plot-driven. 'The General' is a fine example of this.
Archduke Piccolo,
DeleteI look forward to reading your latest blog entry with great interest. I don't have any Austrians - yet - but I suspect that I might do in the future!
Funnily enough I didn't really start reading Forester's books until I had to read THE SHIP at school. It hooked me, and I read the entire Hornblower series for the first time - in sequence - very soon afterwards.
I understand that THE GENERAL was required reading at one time at one of the Staff Colleges ... and may still be. It really does go some way to explaining the sort of thought processes and actions of some British First World War generals in a way that merely reading history books or memoirs does not.
All the best,
Bob
Come to think of it, 'The Ship' is also character driven, if you think of the eponymous cruiser as the central character...
ReplyDeleterchduke Piccolo,
DeleteTHE SHIP was written at a time when the British Government wanted 'we are all in it together' stories, where it could be shown that regardless of social class, education, or aspirations, by working together Britain could defeat the threat of Nazism and Fascism.
I have always thought of it as being more like a film script than a normal novel. Rather episodic and dealing with one character at a time within a whole narrative. Forester was - after all - a Hollywood scriptwriter at the time, and I think that this novel reflects that in its construction.
(Wow! All of the above sounds rather like the introduction to an English or Media Studies essay!)
All the best,
Bob