The recent publication of Steve Parker's DOMINION OF OTTO VON BISMARK has provided me with an excuse to do some background research before I refight the Battles of Dybbøl and Als.
I have several books that deal with the Second Schleswig War, including:
- THE SECOND SCHLESWIG WAR 1864: PRELUDE, EVENTS AND CONSEQUENCES which was written by Inge Adriansen and Jens Ole Christensen and published by the Tøjhusmuseet (now the Danish War Museum) in 2013 (ISBN 978 8787 37527 6) ... and I bought my copy from the museum when I visited it in December 2014.
- 1864: THE FORGOTTEN WAR THAT SHAPED MODERN EUROPE was written by Tom Buk-Swienty, translated into English by Annette Buk-Swienty, and published in English by Profile Books in April 2015 (ISBN 978 1 781 25276 5). (It was originally published in Denmark in 2008 by Gyldendal, entitled 1864: SLAGTEBÆNK DYBBØL [which can be translated as ‘The Dybbøl Slaughterhouse’].)
The latter formed the basis of the Danish TV/film series 1864. This was produced to mark to 150th anniversary of the war between Denmark and Prussia which ended with Denmark losing control of the Duchies of Schleswig, Holstein, and Lauenburg.
When I visited the Tøjhusmuseet in 20214, the museum was staging a special exhibition about the war, and I was able to take several photographs of the displays.
As one would expect, there are numerous paintings ...
The Danish trenches during the siege of Dybbøl. (by Jørgen Valentin Sonne)
The counter-attack of the Danish 8th Brigade during the Battle of Dybbøl. (by Vilhelm Rosenstand))
... and line illustrations that cover the war.
The Danish ironclad, Rolf Krake, which took part in the Battle of Als.
Prussian soldiers storming the Danish positions during the Battle of Dybbøl.
All very inspiring!
This new ruleset covers an interesting range of battles - the old Airfix ACW, WW1 German Infantry and FFL figures used to serve for this period!
ReplyDeleteMaudlin Jack Tar,
DeleteIt’s a period (1860 to 1914) that I’ve always enjoyed wargaming and I look forward to using these rules.
All the best,
Bob
Bob,
ReplyDeleteI was in two minds over the Prussian army at Dybbøl. As it stands it is powerful but somewhat fragile as it has only four units so a couple of unlucky dice rules could prove disastrous. An alternative might be 1x elite Line Infantry, 3x Line Infantry, 1x elite Artillery. It would be interesting to see which army list gives a battle that feels closest to the historical battle. As for the battle of Als, I look forward to seeing your ironclad on the table!
Steve
Steve,
DeleteI suppose it depends upon whether or not the Prussians use their artillery to soften up the Danish defences before mounting their attack. It might be interesting to see how the battle pans out using your suggested ORBAT.
I will need to either build a model of the Danish ironclad or use the monitor that I currently have in storage.
An interesting ‘what if …’ would be to see how well the Prussian would have done if the Danes had not evacuated the Danevirke and made the Prussian assault it.
All the best,
Bob
I remember reading the book and find this lesser known conflict intriguing, including the comments or observations of Hans Christian Anderson during the war interesting. As well as writing the much illustrated Steadfast Tin Soldier folk/ fairy tale, he made and sold paper cuts for the war effort. He also used his writing to raise funds to support the relatives of fallen Danish soldiers.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/406971#:~:text=Andersen%20sold%20this%20work%20to,Second%20Schleswig%20War%20of%201864.
Mark, Man of TIN,
DeleteThanks very much for the link. I had not realised how much Hans Christian Anderson had done to help the Danish war effort.
Outside of Denmark, I suspect that few people know or understand what a watershed the Danish defeat had on the nation. At a stroke, the area ruled by the King of Denmark as King and Duke of the lost duchies was reduced by 40%, with a similar loss of population. Furthermore, a sizeable number of those in northern part of the lost Duchy of Schleswig were Danish-speakers and not culturally German, despite Prussian assertions to the contrary.
All the best,
Bob
Indeed awkward being on the wrong side of a redrawn border when you are linguistically and culturally different. Many examples around the world today.
DeleteThe earlier 1848 and later 1864 Danish-Prussian War or the Second Schleswig War significantly strained Andersen's relationships with German friends, critics, and writers and his strong connections with German literary circles. As you say, the 1864 war created a rift or national trauma as Denmark lost so much territory and influence.
Mark, Man of TIN,
DeleteIt is one of the problems that often occur in border areas where people from differing cultures settle on either side of the border, never expecting that it will ever impact their lives.
I understand that there was considerable resentment in amongst the 'Danish' population in Schleswig when their sons were conscripted into the Prussian/German armed forces, and that this lasted for several generations.
Although Anderson's stories had their origins in Denmark and Danish culture, they easily crossed national and even international boundaries and enriched the whole world. As such his importance cannot be understated.
All the best,
Bob
What is somewhat ironic is that it appears that it was the Danish people and Parliament who precipitated this war. Things were just about bumbling along okay.
ReplyDeleteSteve
Steve,
DeleteIf anyone was responsible for starting the war, it was the Danes who supported the annexation of Schleswig, particularly King Christian IX and his Council President, Ditlev Gothard Monrad. The former was not Prussia's preferred candidate to become king after the death of his Frederick VIi in November 1863, and the latter seems to have had an inflated opinion of his own abilities and yet proved to indecisive during the war.
All the best,
Bob
A very interesting conflict. I've only done a little research and reading on it, having spent much more time and effort on the Austrian/Prussian war. I think it would be a great project for a refight of the war as a mini campaign with A naval battle to boot.
ReplyDeleteMark Cordone,
DeleteIt is an idea 'little war' to refight. None of the land battles were large by contemporary standards and the Danish blockade of the German ports was never seriously challenged although there were some small battles between steam-powered frigates, corvettes, and gunboats off Rügen and Heligoland.
All the best,
Bob
Bob - as you know, I have been a member of the Continental Wars Society for a VERY long time - well by happenstance, the very first CWS demo game that I participated in, at the old VMS Fair in (I think!) the United Services Institute, was a re-run of the battle of Alsen - using a wonderful model of the Ralf Krake that John Pocock had scratchbuilt and my old Peter Laing Prussians. The Danes were a mix of paint-converted ECW figures, both Laings and old Minifigs. So your post brought back a lot of good memories!
ReplyDeleteIan Dury,
DeleteI well remember the VMS fairs at the USI and actually judged the ‘best in show’ wargame award one year. I don’t remember that game … but I wish that I did.
The Peter Laing figures would have been ideal for representing the Prussian and Danish armies, and I wish that they were still available!
All the best,
Bob