Sunday, March 29, 2020

Isolation Book Reviews

Between a variety of factors in 2020 and most recently the Coronavirus isolation I've done next to no gaming and in it's place have gotten to read a great deal.  For me at least.  I thought to share my readings and recommendations (mostly) with you today.

Being a mature/old person who always had a love for military history it is getting harder to find something new.  My interests in general have turned from grand, sweeping campaign reports to ones that highlight the individual and their contributions.  The anecdotal side of things adds that human element so often missing from books just of statistics.  So to begin:


I had a basic understanding of Japan's foray into the Indian Ocean but had no knowledge that Churchill post-war described perceiving it as his most dangerous moment.  So it was an easy choice to acquire.  The book succeeded in giving me a blow-by-blow description of the air-to-air and air-to-surface combat.  Also the commerce raiding by a Japanese cruiser force.  The sacrifice of the allied airmen who faced long odds in typically inferior aircraft was sometimes hard to read.  The strategic decisions made by British Admiral Somerville became far clearer to me.  He had the largest British battle fleet assembled during the war but hardly dared face the Japanese except under his explicit conditions.

The author has a personal connection to the campaign as his father survived the sinking of HMS Cornwall by the Japanese.  The stories told and photos, many I'd never seen before, added to the tale.  Certainly the Japanese dive bombers made short work of the allied warships and were at the peak of their ability.  I've always been interested in wargaming this campaign, though the challenge would be long for the British.

On the negative side the book tends to repeat itself frequently.  I sometimes got the sense that the author had a word count goal and was determined to make it.  Some minor errors regarding Japanese ships and classes were made but really didn't significantly detract from the overall story.  180 pages long with lots of black-and-white illustrations.  If like me you don't have a background in this "most dangerous moment" it is definitely worth the read.  As to the perception of danger, the British assumed the Japanese foray was a precursor to an invasion of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) which would have had far-reaching effects.  In actuality the Japanese were looking to eliminate the Royal Navy power in the Indian Ocean to give them a free hand elsewhere.  In this they were mostly successful, sinking several significant warships and forcing the fleet to pull back to Madagascar and East Africa.  3.5/5 stars.

Next up "Night Duel Over Germany: Bomber Command's Battle Over the Reich During WWII."


Again, I was aware of the enormous sacrifices made by Bomber Command during the war and had been particularly moved when I saw a portion of a Lancaster bomber at the Imperial War Museum many years ago.  But I could not appreciate the technological as well as airborne duels that took place.  Beginning in 1940 and progressing to the very end, the advantage see-sawed back and forth as each side developed new measures and counter-measures to combat the air assault. 

The book follows a chronological approach that gives you a clear feel for the ebb-and-flow nature of the combat.  While the main focus is on Bomber Command and the personalities therein, it does not skip the Luftwaffe airmen and technicians that fought until they died or surrendered.  The Luftwaffe always focused on keeping their "Experten" airborne and some of them racked up remarkable confirmed victory totals.  Some 8,000 bombers were lost to all causes with the cost of 55,573 airmen over the course of 365,000 sorties.  Whether the strategic campaign was worth the cost to the allies and German civilian population is not given a conclusion by the author, but he never loses sight of the cost as men whose names that became familiar now become fatalities. 

I trifling criticism is the absence of a good appendice of airmen and other statistics.  I know I earlier said I preferred to see fewer, but the absence had me Googling some points for a more graphic understanding.  Still, a very solid 4.5/5 rating over 208 pages.

Finally, I offer up "Gibraltar: The Greatest Siege in British History." 


The best for last.  This book punched all my buttons, strategic view, personal glimpses, internal conflict and great footnotes and bibliography (yes, I'm one of those types).  As usual, I am not an authority on the three year siege, though I feel a bit of one now, but I can find no fault in the material contained within it's 452 pages.  The book largely follows day-by-day chronology, skipping forward during the quiet times.  The siege is unique in the that Spanish took no aggressive action for the first two years beyond trying to starve out the garrison, seeking instead to have it part of a negotiated peace.  Millions were invested trying to save or defeat the garrison, in the end to no avail. 

Of particular note to me was the ripple effect.  As the American War for Independence carried on the Crown was forced to decide between letting the island fall from starvation or pulling all ships together to force a relief convoy through, at the cost of other areas.  They opted to pull blockading ships from French ports to ensure the convoy success, which allowed one Vice-Admiral Compte de Grasse to slip out of Brest, bound for the West Indies and eventually a place called Yorktown.  So in saving Gibraltar the Crown lost the American colonies.

The besiegers and besieged were an amazing mix of ingenuity, energy and ineptitude.  The Spanish, later joined by the French after their successful conquest of Minorca, missed a huge number of opportunities.  Even when they did unleash their fury upon "The Rock" it was not all it could have been.  For those who reveal in drama and gaming ideas, there were sorties by the garrison and actions from gunboats up to ships of the line.  Even the grand assault across the straits that never occurred could be gamed.

The book is well illustrated with black-and-white and color pictures, many contemporary from the siege or immediate aftermath.  Finally some color photos of the current island show key land points. In the "Aftermath" chapter the author follows the lives of surviving participants, great and small.  Some had remarkable careers while others happily went to private life as their regiments were disbanded in the peace.  A bit of trivia that I found fascinating was that, although recognition from the Crown was somewhat stingy, the three Hanoverian regiments present was given "Gibraltar" as a battle badge.  In 1914, as the BEF retreated a rear-guard action led to British battalions from the siege engaging German forces wearing the sleeve badge Gibraltar.

I'll close with a poem from one of the soldiers, as a tribute to all the brave and terrified men and women who have humbly gone to war:

Remember friends if war should spare,
My life, I expect to share,
At my return each dainty dish,
Fowls, beef, mutton, veal or fish,
A jug of the best home-brewed beer,
To quench my thirst, my spirits cheer,
A pipe provide tobacco good,
A cheering fire of coal or wood,
A corner it must be my seat,
And then my wishes are complete.



Sunday, March 8, 2020

Henry House Hill - First Bull Run

July 21st, 1861 saw First Bull Run, or First Manassas fought by two poorly trained and poorly led armies.  On the left flank of the Union army their attack was successful, driving the Rebels from Matthews Hill back towards Henry House Hill where a brash brigadier and his Virginians stood to stem the tide of retreat.

Scale is 15mm, rules are Johnny Reb III with four players on a 4x6' table.  The Union forces are advancing across open, grassy fields.  The Confederate forces are significantly outnumbered to start, but reinforcements, including mounted troops under a cavalier named Stuart, are on the way.  For game purposes all troops were rated "green."

Initial deployment.

Union view of the waiting Rebels.

Jackson's Virginians.

Knowing they will only grow stronger in time, the Yankees
advance boldly.

Early Union success as green troops do not stand well
against flanking fire.

A charge captures some guns from disengaging Rebs as the rest
of the brigade then advances.

We begin to lever Jackson off the hill as reinforcements arrive
along the Warrenton Pike.

"There stands Jackson like a stone... wait, where'd he go?"  But
Stuart arrives with his Virginia Horse.
The two cavalry regiments pictured above charged the next turn and routed two Union infantry regiments caught in the flank, with one pushing deep into the Union sector.  With several charges going all over the table and being out of practice playing, I missed the photo op.

Slow progress on the left as Georgians fill the woods.

The Confederate line is getting thin and multiple units shaken
by the sight of routing comrades keep them from filling the line.

The only Rebs remaining on the hill are the routing or shaken
remnants of Stuart's cavalry.

End of turn 6 and time to end the game.

The Confederates were outnumbered in infantry, but had a slight edge in artillery and cavalry.  Their cavalry did prodigies of valor in our game but weren't enough to stem the tide.  A good game with both sides experiencing some success.

Sunday, March 1, 2020

Armored Fury! - Flames of War

After enjoying the Flames of War D-Day campaign featured by the Battlefront folks, some of us wanted to continue the theme.  So my friend Paul and I started into the scenarios provided in the American and German "army" books.  The Americans were victorious in two of three games in the US book so we started on the German book scenarios.  The first is Armored Fury. 

As an experiment we opted for 150 point forces instead of the usual 100.  This led to a higher troop density than we are used to, but also allowed a lot more toys to see the table.  The mission calls for a German counter-attack.  The Americans are pinned along one of the long table edges with the Germans attacking from a short edge.  American reserves, 40% of their total, would enter from the opposite short edge, delayed till turn 3 and scattered.  My reserves could be rolled for immediately.

I chose an Aufklarungs (recon) company since I had a mess of newly painted SdKfz 250 halftracks.  Artillery, tank destroyers and regular tanks in support.  The Americans featured a tank company with oodles of artillery, air support, airborne spotters and armored infantry backing them up.  As the designated attacker, I had the first move.

One victory objective is on the road, the second to the far left.
My reserves were a company of MkIV tanks and I got one platoon immediately.  Using the spearhead move, one platoon of recon halftracks with panzergrenadiers aboard scooted down the left side of the table, with Puma armored cares and mortar halftracks accompanying.

My recon platoon continues to scoot as the Pumas engage some
Shermans from the flank.

P-47s with 2000lb. bombs sweep in but are ineffective.  This time.

The Americans lay down a smoke barrage to hinder my movement
on the center objective as the TDs brew up the Shermans.
The Americans started the game with most of the artillery and support platoons on table with limited tank support.  Counting on their airpower and artillery to keep the Germans at bay till the highly mobile reserves showed up.  The question is where they will arrive.

I reach the required proximity of the far objective on a dash, but
cannot claim it yet.

The P-47s return with rockets and kill six of seven halftracks.
The survivor passes his last stand test.

The TD and panzer grenadiers kept up the pressure in the center.
Out of view to the right are the MkIV tanks.
In a make-it-break-it move the American reserves and self-propelled artillery attempt to shoot me off the objective, without success.  So the game ended with a major German victory.  This means the Germans will also be the attacker in the next game.  A total of five games will determine the ultimate success of the break-out.  Of course, by then we'll have the new British book in hand and will have to play those scenarios!