Fifteen years on ...

Fifteen years ago I wrote the first blog post on my newly-minted blog. It stated that:

After much prompting ... and not a little reluctance on my part ... I have decided to take the plunge.

I have now joined the world of the self-publicising, self-centred, self-indulgent blogger.

I intend to share my thoughts on wargaming (and other related matters that crop up) with a wider audience ... probably much to the relief of my wife and wargaming colleagues. So watch this space ... and come prepared to be bored!

Over the past fifteen years I have written well over five thousand blog posts, my blog has been visited more than four and a half million times, and there have been in excess of forty thousand comments ... and blogging has enriched my wargaming in more ways that I can count! It has put me in contact with numerous wargamers from across the globe who I may well never have met – and will probably never meet – whose ideas, feedback, and encouragement have enriched my enjoyment of wargaming To them I say a heartfelt ...

THANK YOU!

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PS. I hope that I haven't been too much of a self-publicising, self-centred, self-indulgent blogger, and that I've never been too boring!

Military History Plus bonus podcast

On Tuesday Professor Gary Sheffield announced on Twitter that there was going to be a bonus Military History Plus podcast released on Wednesday. (I know that Twitter is now called ‘X’, but it sounds silly saying that I’m reading a tweet on ‘X’.)

The bonus podcast featured the Irish military historian and writer Gerry White talking about Irish history from 1913 to 1922. The discussions covered Home Rule, the First World War, the Easter Rising, the Irish War of Independence/Anglo-Irish War, and the Irish Civil War.

This was yet another excellent podcast and I am pleased that Professor Gary Sheffield and Dr Spencer Jones decided to produce this extras podcast.

Warships of the Soviet Fleets 1939-1945

Back in March I reviewed the first two volumes of this three-part study of the WARSHIPS OFTHE SOVIET FLEETS 1939-1945.

The third part deals with Naval Auxiliaries and includes the following chapters:

• Staff & communications ships and boats
• Dispatch ships
• Survey vessels
• Salvage vessels
• Depot ships
• Training ships
• Sanitary transport ships
• Icebreakers
• Transport ships
• Oilers
• Water carriers
• Tugs
• Experimental and special purpose vessels
• Cable layers
• Harbour vessels
• Ex-enemy ships acquired after the end of hostilities
• Armament and sensors
• Project numbers
• Enemy losses of warships inflicted by ships of the Soviet Navy
• Afterword
• Alterations & Additions
• Future updates

I have several other books that deal with the vessels used by the Soviet Navy during World War II, but these three volumes are by far the most extensive in their coverage. The line drawings are very useful, and the writers have tried to find photographs of as many of the vessels covered in these books as possible.

The chapter that covers the armament and sensors carried by Soviet Navy warships covers everything from the heavy guns that were designed to arm the never-completed 1930s battleships to the light machine guns carried by motor torpedo boats. It also covers:

• Torpedo weapons
• Anti-submarine weapons
• Rockets
• Mine warfare
• Sensors

This last section really helps the reader to understand the ship specifications featured in this series.

I thoroughly recommend these three volumes to anyone who has an interest in the development of and role of the Soviet Navy during the Great Patriotic War.

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WARSHIPS OF THE SOVIET FLEETS 1939–1945: VOLUME III: NAVAL AUXILLIARIES was written by Przemyslaw Budzbon, Marek Twardowski, and Jan Radziemski, and published by Seaforth Publishing in 2023 (ISBN 978 1 3990 2281 1).

Seven sessions done; thirty sessions left

This afternoon I will be undertaking my eighth session of radiotherapy … which will mean that I will be a fifth of the way through my treatment.

It has not been easy to achieve the right level of hydration during the recent hot spell, but as I’ve got into the rhythm of my daily treatment, I’ve learned how to pace my water intake so that I’ve got the right amount of fluid in my system at the right time.

So far, I haven’t noticed any side effects, but I’m told that they may well not appear until after the radiotherapy has ended.

Nugget 355

I collected the latest issue of THE NUGGET from our printer – Macaulay Scott Printing Company of Welling, Kent – yesterday, and I hope to be able to post it out to members on Monday.

Due to the webmaster being away from home at present and therefore unable to update the website, members cannot yet read this issue online. However, I hope to send it as an email attachment to all e-members as soon as I can.

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IMPORTANT: Please note that this is the first issue of THE NUGGET to be published for the 2023-2024 subscription year.

If you have not yet re-subscribed, an email reminder was sent to you some time ago with the relevant information you require to do so. If you have lost this and wish to re-subscribe or you are a new subscriber, please request a PayPal invoice or the bank transfer information from the Treasurer or follow the instructions on the relevant page of the website.

A flocking progress report: The Germans and Axis troops and equipment

I have now had the opportunity to photograph the German and Axis figures and vehicles that I have renovated, rebased, and flocked with cork granules, and here they are:

A flocking progress report: The Russian troops and equipment

I have now had the opportunity to photograph the Russian figures and vehicles that I have renovated, rebased, and flocked with cork granules, and here they are:

A flocking progress report

In the run up to the start of my radiotherapy, I had been continuing to work my way through the figures and vehicles that I renovated during the COVID outbreak, flocking their bases with fine cork granules. I have continued doing this – albeit at a slightly slower pace – since my radiotherapy started, and I have now reached the point where this phase of the project has finished.

To date I have flocked the following:

RUSSIAN

• Infantry figures: 89
• Artillery figures: 41 (including 4 x naval gunners)
• Officer figures: 10
• Tanks and self-propelled guns: 6 (1 x T-60 light tank and 5 x T-34/76 medium tanks)
• Armoured cars: 5 (5 x FAI)
• Artillery pieces: 19 (including 7 x 45mm M1932/M1937 anti-tank guns, 4 x 76.2mm M1927 regimental guns, 1 x 76.2mm M1939 divisional gun, 2 x 122mm M1938 howitzers, 3 x 152mm M1909/30 howitzers)
• Artillery tractors: 11 (including 2 x STZ-5 light tractors, 3 x T-20 Komsomolets light tractors, and 3 x Komintern heavy tractors)
• Wheeled vehicles: 15 trucks

GERMAN & AXIS

• Infantry figures: 114 (including 1 x Policeman, 12 x Hungarian infantry, and 8 x Spanish infantry)
• Artillery figures: 39 (including 6 x Luftwaffe gunners and 5 x Hungarian gunners)
• Officer figures: 8 (including 1 x Hungarian officer and 1 x Spanish officer)
• Tanks and self-propelled guns: 10 (2 x PzKpfw III medium tanks, 2 x PzKpfw IV medium tanks, 2 x Hungarian 38M Toldi light tanks, 2 x Panzerjager I, 2 x 150mm sIG 33 [1 x PzKpfw II chassis and 1 x PzKpfw III chassis) self-propelled guns)
• Armoured cars: 2 (1 x SdKfz 222 light armoured car and 1 x SdKfz 231 heavy armoured car)
• Artillery pieces: 17 (including 2 x 37mm PAK 36 anti-tank guns, 4 x 50mm PAK 38 anti-tank guns, 1 x 75mm GK 06 light mountain gun, 3 x 75mm leIG 18 light infantry guns, 1 x 150mm sIG 33 heavy infantry gun, and 3 x leFH 18 light howitzers)
• Half-tracks: 5 (1 x SdKFZ 11 light half-tracks, 1 x SdKfz 251 armoured half-track, and 3 x SdKfz 7 medium half-tracks)
• Wheeled vehicles: 15 (including 1 x Citroen staff car, 5 x Kubelwagen light cars, 2 x Steyr 1500A heavy cars, 3 x Opel Blitz light trucks, and 2 x Krupp Protze light trucks)

As I look back at what I have done, it turns out to be a more extensive list than I expected ... and whilst searching for something else on Saturday, I found another couple of boxes of stuff that need to be renovated and rebased. So much – in fact – that I suspect that it will double the size of the collection that I have already done!

Nugget 355

The editor of THE NUGGET sent me the latest issue earlier this week, and I sent it to the printer this morning. With luck it should be ready to be posted out to members by the middle of next week.

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IMPORTANT: Please note that this is the first issue of THE NUGGET to be published for the 2023-2024 subscription year.

If you have not yet re-subscribed, an email reminder was sent to you some time ago with the relevant information you require to do so. If you have lost this and wish to re-subscribe or you are a new subscriber, please request a PayPal invoice or the bank transfer information from the Treasurer or follow the instructions on the relevant page of the website.

Things did not quite go as expected

Firstly, thanks to everyone who wrote a comment on yesterday’s blog post. By the time I got home from the hospital I wasn’t in the mood for answering each one individually, but I enjoyed reading them.

As you might gather, things did not quite go as I expected. Sue and I arrived at 1.00pm and whilst she remained outside in the waiting area, I was ushered into the Radiology Department. I waited there until nearly 1.45pm, at which point I was told to empty my bladder and then drink 350ml of water as quickly as I could.

At 2.00pm my bladder was subject to an ultrasound scan … and was found to be too empty. I then had to drink a further 350ml of water and at 2.30pm I had a second ultrasound scan … and this time I was told that the scar tissue from my colostomy was making it difficult to see how full my bladder was and that I was going to need to have a CT scan.

I was directed to a changing room and changed out of my clothes and put on a back-opening gown and non-slip socks. Once I had done this, I was taken into the treatment room and given a CT scan. This apparently satisfied the radiotherapists who were administering my treatment, and my prostate and its associated lymph nodes were then zapped with directional X-rays. Once this was done (and the zapping only lasted a few minutes) I was shown back into the changing room, and once I was dressed, I was allowed to leave. By this time it was 3.15pm and I was both hungry (I’d had no lunch) and bursting to go to the loo!

Apparently, the problem with my bladder is associated with my slow metabolic rate, and I take longer than the average person to pass water through my system. Therefore, as from today, I have to start the water drinking process at least an hour before my appointment to ensure that my bladder is full when I am given my pre-procedure ultrasound.

To add a further bit of confusion to my situation, at the end of today's treatment I was given a completely different schedule of treatment times from the ones I was given during my recent visit to Guy's Hospital, London Bridge. As a result, I am going to have to change a number of appointments I have already arranged, and I am definitely going to have to miss several important Masonic meetings that I was due to attend. This is somewhat annoying and inconvenient ... but the success of my radiotherapy is my most important concern and must take priority over everything else.