Interesting because of the element of the uncharacteristic "war of movement" prior to "trench warfare" and dispelling certain myths about the BEF. The vital role the Indian Corps played was fascinating, much understated in other other histories I have read to date.
Showing posts with label World War One. Show all posts
Showing posts with label World War One. Show all posts
Monday, 8 August 2022
Fire and Movement (BEF 1914) - Audible Book
Been listening to an Audible version of Fire and Movement (see below, it has been nicely filling up those little gaps between car journeys):
Interesting because of the element of the uncharacteristic "war of movement" prior to "trench warfare" and dispelling certain myths about the BEF. The vital role the Indian Corps played was fascinating, much understated in other other histories I have read to date.
Interesting because of the element of the uncharacteristic "war of movement" prior to "trench warfare" and dispelling certain myths about the BEF. The vital role the Indian Corps played was fascinating, much understated in other other histories I have read to date.
Wednesday, 11 December 2013
Notes to self: Musings on WWI Naval rules (North Sea) Part #1
Recent sources of Inspiration: Dreadnought Gunnery Book
Michael Brooks
Though please note, my version was the good old fashioned paper edition.
And a long standing favorite:
What I want from a set of naval rules?
- Fast Play
- Historical Accuracy
- No "fiddle and widdle, billimeter twaddle"
- GQ I and GQ II Rules (over thirty five years old now)
- (Best bit) Gunnery abstraction is excellent
- (Worst) Movement and Command & Control
BCF Actions in the North Sea (Version 1)
Context
of Rules
Mainstay of the naval actions in the North Sea was between the Battle Cruiser Fleet (BCF) and the High Seas Fleet (HSF) Scouting Groups (SG), as running engagements rarely got to the point of battle squadrons of the Grand Fleet (GF) engaging the battle squadrons of the High Seas Fleet (HSF).Miniatures/Counters:
Each ship will be represented 1-to-1 on the ‘table-top’, therefore there is a high element count to the game.
(Note: This could mean quite a lot of counters)
Formations:
However the counters are not moved individually (bar ‘exceptional circumstances’ – i.e. ships being damages and sunk) but moved in squadrons relative to one another. Counters/Ships are held in a fixed position within the formation.
Movement:
Absolute movement is not measured, rather relative movements (sea areas) between squadrons. The umpire may have to have a form of master map (to be confirmed).
Movement ‘orders’ are maintained as: Close (decrease distance), Maintain and Open (increase distance) and issued to squadrons. The success of the intention is based on simultaneous order declarations.
Gunnery:
Gunnery is handled as per General Quarters (GQI and GQII) is abstracted into fire-power factors and ‘quartered’ reductions (I like the way the traditional GQ does it) rather than counting turrets and shells.
Command:
Command and Control is based on the relative position to the Flagship. Command “PiPs” are used/spent by the Admiral to control his formations (signalling), messaging (intelligence to GF and HSF admirals and ‘over the horizon’ scouting formations) and gunnery (target priority).
Individual battle squadrons or formations have their own initiative and morale levels.
Design Goal:
German and British doctrines are different and will be reflected in the orders allowed to be played by the admirals. Note: This is a form of constraint propagation to make the rules specific to North Sea actions (1914-1918 WWI period). The personal and national characteristics of the commanders (Beatty, Jellicoe, Hipper and Scheer) also will effect the 'freedom of movement' to perform certain actions.
I hope the "festive period" turns out to be a fertile period of naval wargaming experimentation. Note I an trying to keep the context of the game scope quite tight to re-fight historical scenarios and the "what-if" permutations.
Monday, 2 December 2013
Notes to self on: WWI Naval Technical Reference Resources
This is a random 'pull together' of my current WWI (and slightly earlier Pre-Dreadnought) Naval Resources:
Primary Data Sources (Books):
Conway's Pre (blue) and Dreadnought (green), as both types fought in WWI (see below):
Jane's, although it could be argued that it is a mixture of fact and fiction it certainly gives the flavour of the era (see below):
Brown who describes in great detail the RN's ship building programme (see below):
Source of "Ship counters/models and maps" to cover all nations and theatres in WWI:
Avalanche Press, Great War at Sea Series:
Russo-Japanese War 1904-05 (see above), I also have these ships in 1/3000 courtesy of Navwar Tsushima Pack and extending out to cover the pre-Tsushima "Yellow Sea" and the like battles around Port Arthur
Board Game Vol. I - The Mediterranean (see above), I had been after this one for a while (seeing it for £60 at Salute in London years ago when I was in London I didn't mind buying it for £25 and waiting while it came from America). Likewise, I have the combatant nations ships (down to and including a representative few destroyers) in Navwar's 1/3000.
Board Game Vol. II - The North Sea, where the big boys play. Jutland and everything else that went on in the North Sea including the American Sixth Battle Squadron of the British Grand Fleet. Yes I have the Navwar 1/3000 models (gaining a flying start with the Jutland Battle Pack and expanding afterwards) for this (down to the representative destroyer level), including the Americans, Baltic Russians and Swedish Fleets.
The remaining Avalanche Press WWI naval game of interest is the Cruiser Warfare (more "commerce raider" global strategy than "Fleet Action"). This would cover Von Spee's East Asiatic Squadron (which did have small squadron actions at Coronel and The Falklands), SMS Emden, SMS Karlschruhe and the SMS Konigsberg.
The Navwar lists have now by and large have been 'plundered' regarding WWI 'standard fair' and I seem to be now extracting the more and more exotic or "ships that never made it off the drawing board"
What Next?:
What is needed is to put all the above to some good use in a "Naval Wargame Campaign"
Primary Data Sources (Books):
Conway's Pre (blue) and Dreadnought (green), as both types fought in WWI (see below):
Jane's, although it could be argued that it is a mixture of fact and fiction it certainly gives the flavour of the era (see below):
Brown who describes in great detail the RN's ship building programme (see below):
Source of "Ship counters/models and maps" to cover all nations and theatres in WWI:
Avalanche Press, Great War at Sea Series:
Russo-Japanese War 1904-05 (see above), I also have these ships in 1/3000 courtesy of Navwar Tsushima Pack and extending out to cover the pre-Tsushima "Yellow Sea" and the like battles around Port Arthur
Board Game Vol. I - The Mediterranean (see above), I had been after this one for a while (seeing it for £60 at Salute in London years ago when I was in London I didn't mind buying it for £25 and waiting while it came from America). Likewise, I have the combatant nations ships (down to and including a representative few destroyers) in Navwar's 1/3000.
Board Game Vol. II - The North Sea, where the big boys play. Jutland and everything else that went on in the North Sea including the American Sixth Battle Squadron of the British Grand Fleet. Yes I have the Navwar 1/3000 models (gaining a flying start with the Jutland Battle Pack and expanding afterwards) for this (down to the representative destroyer level), including the Americans, Baltic Russians and Swedish Fleets.
The remaining Avalanche Press WWI naval game of interest is the Cruiser Warfare (more "commerce raider" global strategy than "Fleet Action"). This would cover Von Spee's East Asiatic Squadron (which did have small squadron actions at Coronel and The Falklands), SMS Emden, SMS Karlschruhe and the SMS Konigsberg.
The Navwar lists have now by and large have been 'plundered' regarding WWI 'standard fair' and I seem to be now extracting the more and more exotic or "ships that never made it off the drawing board"
What Next?:
What is needed is to put all the above to some good use in a "Naval Wargame Campaign"
Thursday, 28 June 2012
Fearless Pierre learns FEAR ...
The morning sun broke through the clouds and greeted the Entente pair of scouts. Again an Englishman and a French man head towards the German lines "a hunting" (see below):
As regular as clockwork the Boche appear, two scouts guarding a two-seater. With battle cries of "Tally-ho" and "Merde" the battle commences (see below):
The Englishman is fearless and bold (some say too fearless and too bold) diving into the center of the melee without a passing thought to the killing power of modern industrial machinery (obviously a product of the British class based "gentleman's elite" old school system). Pierre meanwhile hatches a cunning survival plan called "come in from the side" (see below):
The Englishman clashed head-to-head with his foe and mutual "greeting cards" (of damage) were exchanged (see blow):
Pierre for all his fancy planning ended up in a similar position as the Yellow Albatross of "Kev" angled across to meet him (see below):
Pierre suffered a far more dangerous outcome. The "rat-a-tat" greeting from the Spandau (courtesy of Killer Kev's Albatross) is met with a resounding metallic ping from deep inside the N17's engine bock, followed by an conflagration of fire, flame and caustic choking smoke. Pierre is left blinded with the Nieuport 17 losing height rapidly and the whole world swirling around the top of his head. Out of control, helpless and with his life flashing before his eyes Pierre fights ingloriously with the controls. The fire fans out and the immediate risk of explosive oblivion seems to have receded.
Barely managing to level the stricken plane off, the N17 disintegrates upon contact with a small copse of stunted trees, gorse and brush mercifully wet and springy from recent rains. Pierre is flung to a position relative safely amidst the wreckage. The 'Fates' have ordained that this fallen angel to survive once more, even granting him the luxury of falling on the right side of the line. "Nine Lives Pierre" seems to have used a fair few of them up by now. Some five missions to his credit, no kills, but twice 'shot down' and the cruel statistics of war say that the 'third time' usually gets you. Pierre has now earned the right to a "pass" in his commanders eyes to savour a week's respite with Eros in lively Paris, as a stark contrast to his daily dance with Thantos over the Western Front.
A short and not so sweet duel, summed up in a single posting. Still to be continued on Pierre's return from Paris!
As regular as clockwork the Boche appear, two scouts guarding a two-seater. With battle cries of "Tally-ho" and "Merde" the battle commences (see below):
The Englishman is fearless and bold (some say too fearless and too bold) diving into the center of the melee without a passing thought to the killing power of modern industrial machinery (obviously a product of the British class based "gentleman's elite" old school system). Pierre meanwhile hatches a cunning survival plan called "come in from the side" (see below):
The Englishman clashed head-to-head with his foe and mutual "greeting cards" (of damage) were exchanged (see blow):
Pierre for all his fancy planning ended up in a similar position as the Yellow Albatross of "Kev" angled across to meet him (see below):
Pierre suffered a far more dangerous outcome. The "rat-a-tat" greeting from the Spandau (courtesy of Killer Kev's Albatross) is met with a resounding metallic ping from deep inside the N17's engine bock, followed by an conflagration of fire, flame and caustic choking smoke. Pierre is left blinded with the Nieuport 17 losing height rapidly and the whole world swirling around the top of his head. Out of control, helpless and with his life flashing before his eyes Pierre fights ingloriously with the controls. The fire fans out and the immediate risk of explosive oblivion seems to have receded.
Barely managing to level the stricken plane off, the N17 disintegrates upon contact with a small copse of stunted trees, gorse and brush mercifully wet and springy from recent rains. Pierre is flung to a position relative safely amidst the wreckage. The 'Fates' have ordained that this fallen angel to survive once more, even granting him the luxury of falling on the right side of the line. "Nine Lives Pierre" seems to have used a fair few of them up by now. Some five missions to his credit, no kills, but twice 'shot down' and the cruel statistics of war say that the 'third time' usually gets you. Pierre has now earned the right to a "pass" in his commanders eyes to savour a week's respite with Eros in lively Paris, as a stark contrast to his daily dance with Thantos over the Western Front.
A short and not so sweet duel, summed up in a single posting. Still to be continued on Pierre's return from Paris!
Sunday, 24 July 2011
Jacques takes to the air: Wings of War
It came as a bit of much needed light relief to just pop into the "club" and take to the air in a fabulous French flying machine for a one-off night of Wings of War, a WWI dogfighting game of minimal fuss and maximum fun. I unwrapped the cards for my whimsical Nieuport 17 (the only one of my collection I had not yet tested in combat), flying solo rather than as part of a Escadrille "Jacques" searched for the Hun. The game was well underway so I just joined in by setting up in a what I thought was a patch of clear blue sky and tried to remember how to "fly" again (see below).
No sooner was I airborne than a buzzing sensation around my eardrum meant that the Boche had found me. A stubby little Pfalz III with "grinning devil" pilot was gunning for me. I ducked and weaved but the "Hun from the Sun" had me dead in his sights. Drawing the requisite damage cards first one for his long range pop, then two more for his shorter range pop (with the dreadful salad dressing of +1 additional damage for a successful follow on shot) I wondered if it was going to be my shortest ever game (see below for the German's perspective, how could he surely miss?).
But behold, I had the luck of the devil himself as all three cards were zero damage and even better a strange symbol meant the "grinning devil's" guns had jammed! My name was now "Lucky Jacques". With fists clenched in rage (lyric nicked from American Pie) the Hun swerved away as a friendly RFC SE5a swooned in after him. Laughing like a madman, I turned and nearly crashed into a Sqad flown by "Hat in the Ring" Rickenbacker (US) himself. With friends like that who needs the Hun? Nearing the "edge of the world" I practised an immaculate Imelman which meant that I had an unexpected head-on with a equally astonished German flying "something white with stripes". What the alarmed German saw of me is shown below.
It all became a bit of a blur as the short-range exchange gave me a new central parting and an aeroplane full of holes that could not turn right for three turns. I saw holes appear in his fabric, but he flew on. Off in the distance there was a bright ball of flames denoting the demise of the Pfalz III at the hands of the rampaging SE5a. As I finally righted my crippled plane I saw with some satisfaction my "something white with stripes" nemesis disintegrate at the hands of that unstoppable SE5a (again, I think that was number three for the night). For me it was time to go home as I had less than half a plane left, I was badly in need of a glass or red wine and the satin sheets of a "feme fatale" .. ""vive la France".
No sooner was I airborne than a buzzing sensation around my eardrum meant that the Boche had found me. A stubby little Pfalz III with "grinning devil" pilot was gunning for me. I ducked and weaved but the "Hun from the Sun" had me dead in his sights. Drawing the requisite damage cards first one for his long range pop, then two more for his shorter range pop (with the dreadful salad dressing of +1 additional damage for a successful follow on shot) I wondered if it was going to be my shortest ever game (see below for the German's perspective, how could he surely miss?).
But behold, I had the luck of the devil himself as all three cards were zero damage and even better a strange symbol meant the "grinning devil's" guns had jammed! My name was now "Lucky Jacques". With fists clenched in rage (lyric nicked from American Pie) the Hun swerved away as a friendly RFC SE5a swooned in after him. Laughing like a madman, I turned and nearly crashed into a Sqad flown by "Hat in the Ring" Rickenbacker (US) himself. With friends like that who needs the Hun? Nearing the "edge of the world" I practised an immaculate Imelman which meant that I had an unexpected head-on with a equally astonished German flying "something white with stripes". What the alarmed German saw of me is shown below.
It all became a bit of a blur as the short-range exchange gave me a new central parting and an aeroplane full of holes that could not turn right for three turns. I saw holes appear in his fabric, but he flew on. Off in the distance there was a bright ball of flames denoting the demise of the Pfalz III at the hands of the rampaging SE5a. As I finally righted my crippled plane I saw with some satisfaction my "something white with stripes" nemesis disintegrate at the hands of that unstoppable SE5a (again, I think that was number three for the night). For me it was time to go home as I had less than half a plane left, I was badly in need of a glass or red wine and the satin sheets of a "feme fatale" .. ""vive la France".
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