Merry Christmas From The General

Well it’s another year over and not a very exciting one for this blog again and not how I would have liked to end 2018 but it's too late now. It seems that my wargaming has come to a complete stand still again even though I have been to a couple of shows this year again which I had hope would jump me into action. Although you can not see it, I have been doing a little bit of painting here and there but still no completed units yet. Once the Christmas and New Year period is over I will sit down and finish them off  if you can remember what I was painting.

I would like to thank my nine followers once again for staying with me and for all of you who have taken a look over the year from around the world. 
I hope that you all have a really great time with plenty to eat and drink. So I would like to wish you and your families a very Happy Christmas.

SELWG 18 Report

Yesterday I went to my second show of the year by going to Crystal Palace Sports Centre and SELWG 2018. It seems that even at this time of year, the weather was very sunny and warm. Not a bad for an autumn day but it always seem to be so on SELWG day. With a few coppers from the war chest with my small list of things to buy, off I went.

I was hoping to be there by eleven but with heavy traffic I did not arrive until 11.20 am. The half hour drive took me an hour.

Once I had brought my ticket I looked around the concourse and small hall, which I always do at SELWG. There did not seem to be many people around as I made my way to the Bring & Buy tables. At this point you are usually being pushed around as it is always busy but not this year. There was a load of goodies here from books to models but nothing for me so I thought that I would come back to it later on in the day.

So off I went to the main hall. Here there seems to be a few more people but still room for you to see all the trade stands and what was on offer. But it was once I was half way round I suddenly realised that there we no trade stands selling 20mm HaT figures or much 20mm accessories for the battle table.  I am beginning to think that I am the only person still playing with 20mm wargames, as there were loads of 28mm stuff to no end. But just like last year there were a few traders tables still vacant and a couple of gaming tables.

So on to the games. The game that caught my eye was in the small hall from the Shepway Wargamers doing a demonstration game from The Lords of the Ring, “War in Middle Earth” in 28mm. As you can see from the pictures there were loads of figures in this game all well painted with a very good layout/table.

Next up was this lovely model from the Maidstone Wargames Society “Zeebrugge 1918”. The picture shows the ship H.M.S Vindictive landing a force of sailors and Royal Marines on the mole at Zeebrugge in 28mm.

There were also a lot of participation games this year and they all seemed to be very busy which is great for the hobby. For me the show was a little disappointing as I could not get my HaT French command figures, so the money has gone back into the war chest for Skirmish 2019.

British Heavy Cavalry Sword 1796 Pattern

The Pattern 1796 Heavy Cavalry sword was produced from 1796-1821, and it is one of the most iconic swords of the Napoleonic period. The sword was used by all regiments of British heavy cavalry regiments. The Life Guards, Royal Horse Guards, Dragoon Guards and Dragoons and even used in the King’s German Legion Dragoons, throughout the Napoleonic Wars. The 1796 heavy cavalry sword played a big part at the battles of Salamanca and Waterloo. The Swedish and Portuguese also adopted the sword in their cavalry.

The British 1796 Heavy Cavalry Sword was copied from the Austrian Pallasch sword of 1769 in their heavy cavalry regiments. It was John Le Marchant, a cavalry officer who had already designed the 1796 light cavalry sabre, saw the Austrian sword in action during the low Counties Campaign from 1793-95. His first design was rejected by the board of general officers to arm the heavy cavalry with a straight sword but when they finally agreed to use a straight sword, he suggested at the Austrian sword was to be used as a design.

The 1796 pattern sword was technically a backsword which is a sword with a straight blade with one cutting edge with the opposite back edge of the blade was thickened for most of its length to git the blade added strength. The steel blade was 35 inches (890 mm) in length it had a single broad fuller on each side. The grip was of ribbed wood bound with cord and covered in leather. The iron back-piece of the grip had ears which were riveted through the tang of the blade to give the hilt and blade a very secure connection. The hilt had a disc guard pierced with two semi-circular and six oval holes, with a single knucklebow and two slim 2 inch (51 mm) long langets extending from the front of the guard. The langets were often removed on the left hand side of the guard to reduce wear to the uniforms. The modification also made it more comfortable to wear on horseback.

Officer Sword

The sword was often modified by its owner as the point was originally a ‘hatchet point’, a curved diagonal front edge similar to that of the Japanese Katana sword, but most were changed to a ‘spear point’, which was more common at the time. (Due to the sword's broadness this type of point would be very poor at piercing heavy clothing or rolled cloaks, making a thrust a largely unprofitable exercise)

This was done in order to improve the sword’s ability to thrust. They are a very large number of spear-pointed swords that exist with 33 inch (840 mm) blades converted from the original 35 inch (890 mm) blade with shorter modified scabbards to match.

The sword was carried in an iron scabbard with wooden liners. The scabbard hang from the trooper’s waist via the sword-belt sling attached to two loose suspension rings.

In the Household Cavalry there were several sword types with the standard trooper’s blade with a bowl hilt which was similar to the officers’ pattern, with the hilt in brass with a brass scabbard as for the Life-Guards, or iron with iron scabbard for the Horse Guard. Most cavalry troopers used the blades like bludgeons and the guards as knuckle dusters. 

The cavalry officer John Gaspard Le Marchant, who was later to be killed leading a brigade of British heavy cavalry to victory at Salamanca in Spain 1812, wrote that the British cavalry were prescribed a method of sword fighting where the cut was emphasised above the thrust. This method had some advantages which were thought to outweigh the fact that cuts tend to be less fatal than thrusts. The cut is a more instinctive blow than a thrust, and in melees the average cavalryman will tend to cut even if his sword is more suited to the thrust. Also cuts can be directed to any part of the body, whereas thrusts must be delivered to the torso or head if they are to have a reasonable chance of striking home. Lastly an enemy incapacitated by a cut to a limb, particularly an arm, is as useless in battle as if he had been killed. Given that the cut was the preferred method of sword fighting in the British cavalry, then it would be logical that swords optimised for cutting should be adopted, which is indeed what happened.

Another description with the use of the sword was made by Sgt.Charles Ewart of the 2^nd Dragoons (Scots Greys) while capturing the Imperial Eagle at Waterloo.

“It was in the charge I took the eagle off the enemy; he and I had a hard contest for it; he made a thrust at my groin, I parried it off and cut him down through the head. After this a lancer came at me; I threw the lance off my right side, and cut him through the chin upwards through the teeth. Next, a foot soldier fired at me, then charged me with his bayonet, which I also had the good luck to parry, and I cut him down through the head; thus ended the contest.”

Painting of Charles Ewart at Waterloo

News From The Front

I have just seen the new line drawings of the Prussian Artillery Limber and Ammo Caisson on the HaT web site. No wagon drawings just at the moment. I am very happy about this as it has been on their list for ages. But when we will see these on sale is another matter, but at least they are in production and on their way now.

I Want To Buy This

This Napoleonic fort, on its very own island off the coast of Pembrokeshire is on the market in November 2016 for £550,000. Built in the 1850s to fend off Napoleon III, it was once used as a hotel.

The property on Thorne Island has 10 bedrooms (one as a wargam room) and three reception rooms, plus a waterslide, two bars and a sauna. The Island can only be approached by boat. The accommodation is approximately 8,000 square feet, set on 2.5 acres of land. 

Has Waterloo 1815 met their Waterloo

What a great disappointment from the makers Waterloo 1815 for their “Prussian Officers and high Staff 1813-15” figures. It seems that they are not 20 mm but 28 mm in height. On the PSR site (Plastic Soldier Review) the pictures of the figures look really good and I think that there is a way around having two Blucher's in a box by taking his pipe arm away and putting a sword arm in its place. The company, Waterloo 1815 seem to made big mistakes with a few of their Napoleonic set lately, like the Box AP100 of “Dutch/Belgian Carabiniers 1815” in which there are just six troopers and horses all made in metal. I just wish that HaT had made these instead

News From The Front

At the beginning of last week, Waterloo 1815 have announced that they are going to produce a Prussian Officers and High Staff 1813-1815 box number AP058.  The box contains 12 mounted figures and horses and they are made in a tan colour plastic.

The disappointing thing about this set is that the mounted figures come in 6 different poses on two identical sprue frames, which means you get two Blucher’s etc. The horses come in a couple of different poses with one in a standing position. The figures look really great but for just under £11 UK Pounds per box, I think I will have to see these before I even think about buying them.

Skirmish 2018 (Vietnam Special)

After we had the “Beast From the East” a couple of weeks ago here in the UK, where we had a few days of snow and cold temperatures, we have had a mini “Beast From the East” again over the weekend. So I did have a think wherever or not to go to the show. But on a very cold and windy day I decided at the very last minute to make the trip to Sidcup.

Arriving at just after 10.30 am I was told at the entrance before I paid, that a few of the Traders and Wargaming clubs have not turned up. Now this is what I was feeling before I came to the show but that’s just how it goes.

In the main hall, there was just a few traders selling, books, figures and some terrain pieces but mostly there was an exhibition of Weapons, Equipment, and artifacts relevant to the Vietnam War on the main stage and around the hall floor.

In the gaming hall there was about seven games going on and yup, mostly all about Vietnam. With the Bring & Buy stall, when I arrived there was just a few things on sale but that seemed to of picked up when I left at 12. 30.

The best game for me was from the Maidstone Wargames Society where in their Vietnam wargame, a helicopter had crashed and the Americans had to go in and rescue the helicopters occupancy, but they soon came under fire from the VC. This is where I had spent most of my time talking the guys, Alan, Andy and Dave. 

The other game that caught my eye was from the Old Guard Wargame Club, where using the Sharp’s Practice rules, the English army with Spanish Guerrillas in support had to go and  rescue the Colonels wife and children. Both of today’s games were demonstration games.

Although the weather was bad this time the number of people attending the show was well down on the previous two shows that I have been too. Still it was nice to get out and catch up with the wargaming world.

Lets finish the Figures

We are nearly at the end of January already so I thought that it is about time to leave the house alone and give me some hobby time. Way back in November 2012, I started to paint the Italeri French Carabiniers, yup that long ago. I finished painting the horses in October 2013 and started to paint the first batch of troopers in the following month. 

Well here we are in 2018 and the first batch are still not finished completely with the second batch half done. So I am back in the painting chair to finish these as soon as I can. The good news is that I am already thinking about the next regiment to paint which will defiantly be Infantry. 

Now where are the paint brushes?

First Post of the Year

I know it’s a bit late but I had some really lovely presents from my family at Christmas and I did manage to get a few wargaming items. First I received some terrain pieces from Jarvis which are the Muddy Ditch and the Shallow Stream.  Also some summer 2mm Grass Tufts from Serious Play. You can also see that I was given a war DVD “Hacksaw Ridge” which is a true story about a  an American called Desmond Doss in WW11 who is a conscientious objector and becomes an army medic. I am really looking forward to see this.

I would like to congratulate wargamers who have finished painting mountain of figures, vehicles, Ships, planes and terrain pieces over the last year and for those who have already finished painting units in the first few weeks of the New Year.

If you follow my blog then you will know that I do not make lists or plans of things to do each year as it seems that my painting mojo has vanished over the last few years. This could be down to not having any new figures being produced by the world’s plastic companies, but there are a few in various pipelines being made right now which look good but how long do we have to wait? Still is this my first post of the New Year and hope that more will appear soon.