Some More Excellent Reading.

At the risk of flooding my blog with more reviews, while I've been out of action in terms of actual games the past few weeks  I have had plenty of opportunity to tackle the large pile of books I have accumulated on the past month or so.

Fall of the Merchant-Farmer Republic, the Battle of Visby 1361 and the Danish Conquest of Gotland by prolific Helion contributor Mchael Fredholm von Essen is the first in a new series from Helion, ‘a Time of Knights 400CE to 1453CE.’ It is one of those books that sounds quite worthy on the cover and then promptly turns out to be a very enjoyable read indeed. It is the story about which I had absolutely no knowledge, of a state that tried to juggle trade, agriculture, and politics all at once — and slowly discovered that keeping all those balls in the air is a recipe for disaster and rarely ends well.

Von Essen writes with an easy confidence that makes complicated ideas feel pleasantly straightforward. You drift from markets and land reforms into factional squabbles, military panics, and political overreach almost without noticing. It all feels very human: lots of good intentions, plenty of sharp elbows, and the occasional moment where you can practically hear the wheels coming off.

The real fun lies in the contradictions. Merchant elites preaching civic virtue, farmers footing the bill, and armies that never quite arrive in the right place at the right time. Von Essen has a dry eye for these things, and he lets the absurdities peak for themselves which makes for a much more enjoyable read. 

The maps and illustrations are well judged and actually useful (always a plus), and the book has that familiar Helion neatness about it — clean layout, no fuss, easy on the eye.

In short, this is a lively, readable account of a republic that overreached itself with impressive energy. The colour plates are as ever very striking and characterful, and the black and white illustrations and photographs of surviving fortresses and equipment are helpful. 

Informative without being heavy, thoughtful without being dull, and very easy to recommend. Just the sort of book you start ‘for a chapter or two’ and end up finishing in one sitting. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys history with a bit of character and a lot of heart. 

ISBN: 978-1-804518-29-8                          195 pages                   Paperback

Moving half way round the world and 500 or so years into the future, Sunstruck Giant, Vol. 1: The Sino-Japanese War 1894–95 by John Dong is one of the latest additions to Helion’s ‘from Musket to Maxim 1815–1914’ series. It is book that got me thinking why this war does not get written about more. It is usually boiled down to ‘Japan modernised, China did not’ and left at that. What I find useful is that this volume actually rolls its sleeves up and shows what was really going on.

What I liked straight away is that it does not treat either side as cardboard cut-out stereotypes. The Qing forces come across as uneven, sometimes frustrating, but far from useless, while the Japanese army and navy are clearly effective without being magically perfect. Training, kit, leadership, and sheer luck all play their part, and the author is good at showing how quickly plans start to unravel once shooting begins.

The battle sections are clear and nicely paced. You can follow what is happening without needing to stop after every page and re-read a paragraph, which is always a good sign. There is a real sense of confusion and pressure, especially as modern weapons meet old systems and neither side fully controls the results.

The excellent maps and illustrations do their job properly—clear, sensible, and actually useful, which cannot always be taken for granted. The colour plates are particularly impressive and vivid. The book also contains a large number of contemporary black and white images. The appendices are also useful in explaining the Chinese and Japanese military ranks and Japanese uniform colour, and liberally spread throughout the book are various useful charts and tables to support the narrative. 

Overall, this is a very readable and surprisingly gripping account of a short, sharp war that changed a lot more than people tend to realise. Informative without being heavy, and interesting without trying too hard. If this conflict has ever felt like a blind spot, Sunstruck Giant is a very good place to start.

ISBN: 978-1-804518-15-1 233 pages        Paperback

The Gaelic World at War: Soldiers & Soldiering in Ireland 1366–1547 by Fergus Cannan-Braniff is one of those books that quietly fills a significant and unrealised gap until one begins turning the pages. The Gaelic World at War takes us into late medieval Ireland at ground level, away from the familiar Anglo-Norman castles and Tudor policy papers, and instead plants us firmly among the kerns, gallowglasses, horse boys and war leaders who actually did the fighting. This is No. 5 in Helion’s new and exciting series ‘a Time of Knights 400CE –1453CE.

The author’s great strength is that he treats Gaelic warfare as a coherent military system rather than a chaotic prelude to real early modern armies. Recruitment, pay, equipment, tactics, logistics – it is all here, and handled with an admirable lack of romance. The kern is not some mist-shrouded skirmisher out of Victorian myth, but a professional soldier with a defined role, expectations, and limitations. Likewise the gallowglass emerges as more than a two-handed axe with legs. It was a social and military institution that evolved over time and adapted to changing conditions.

What I really like about this book, though, is its balance. This is not just a catalogue of weapons or a parade of battles. There is real attention paid to how war fitted into Gaelic society: lordship, kinship, cattle raiding, seasonal campaigning, and the blurred line between warfare and politics. English forces in Ireland are sensibly integrated into the story rather than treated as an external intrusion, which makes the whole period feel far more dynamic and contested than the usual ‘decline and conquest’ narrative.

The illustrations deserve a mention too. They are well presented, clear, purposeful, and actually useful – showing equipment, dress, and organisation in a way that complements the text rather than padding it out. Wargamers and reenactors will get plenty of inspiration here, but it never feels like the book is pandering to them.

If there is one takeaway, it is that Gaelic Ireland was not militarily backward, merely different – and that difference persisted, stubbornly and effectively, well into the sixteenth century. For anyone interested in medieval warfare beyond the usual French and English circuits, this is an absorbing, corrective, and very readable study.

In short this a serious book that does not take itself too seriously, and all the better for it. One I will be reaching for again as the whole subject matter is a fascinating dive into soldiering in Ireland between 1366 and 1547.

ISBN: 978-1-804518                  126 pages        Paperback

Some interesting books.

 This is No.155 in Helion’s from Reason to Revolution 1721–1815 series.

In Fuentes De Oñoro, Massena’s Last Battle and the Campaign of 1811 Kenton White has produced a clear, steady and authoritative account of one of the more awkward, fascinating battles of the Peninsular War, relying on a well-paced and absorbing narrative that guides the reader through the messy realities of 1811 with calmness and precision. 

The author brings out the personalities—Massena fraying at the edges, Wellington juggling risks—with just enough colour to keep things human without drifting into melodrama. The campaign context is handled particularly well and as a result I never felt lost, nor did I feel lectured. It is simply explained, neatly structured, and surprisingly easy to follow. The Peninsular War is not an area I am as familiar with as say, 1805 to 1808, so this approach certainly helped me through the detail admirably. 

The battlefield analysis is sensible rather than showy, and the maps and illustrations support the text without overwhelming it. For wargamers, there is more than enough in here to spark scenario ideas, but it never feels like that is the book’s aim. For me I was content to let the facts carry the story. The two appendices make interesting reading and comparisons, as they present the orders of battle and strength returns for both Wellington’s and Massena’s armies as of 1 May 1811.

All in all, it’s a measured, engaging and quietly impressive study—one that rewards a relaxed afternoon’s reading and leaves you with a solid appreciation of a complicated little corner of the Peninsular War. 

ISBN:978-1-804518-24-3                        269 pages              Paperback

Moving on to a very popular subject, the Great Italian Wars. The Battle of Pavia 1525 by Massimo Predonzani is a reminder of just how chaotic early-modern warfare could be, even when some of Europe’s biggest names were on the field. You go in expecting pikes, shot, and grand manoeuvre — and you come out with mud, confusion, desperate firefights in the dark, and a king having a very bad day indeed, no doubt wishing he had stayed in bed!

The Italian Wars seem to be a very well-represented conflict at the moment, with numerous wargamers’ guides, rule sets and supplements in abundance. This book complements the author’s five-book series on the Italian Wars, also published by Helion. Predonzani tells the story with a nice, steady hand. The build-up is clear without being ponderous, and when the fighting kicks off it is brisk, sharp, and refreshingly uncluttered. The clash between French gendarmes, Swiss pikes, and Imperial shot is explained in a way that actually makes sense, which is no small achievement given how often Pavia gets buried under layers of myth and hindsight.

What really works is the sense of things going wrong very quickly. Command decisions unravel, formations lose cohesion, and suddenly this carefully planned campaign turns into a brutal scramble in woods, parks, and broken ground. Predonzani is particularly good at showing how firearms and terrain teamed up to ruin traditional assumptions about cavalry and shock tactics.

The maps and illustrations carry the book and are genuinely helpful rather than decorative. You can follow the action without constantly flipping back and muttering under your breath, which is always a good sign. The colour plates are amazing, especially the eight pages of the Pavia tapestries. The colour drawings, particularly that of Francis I and the one depicting the fight between the Imperial Landsknechts and the French Black Band, together with the banners, are also detailed and beautifully executed.

All told, this is a cracking account of one of the Renaissance period’s truly decisive battles. Clear, engaging, and very readable, it strips away the legend and leaves you with a fight that feels messy, dangerous, and very real. If you have ever wanted a book on the battle of Pavia that actually makes sense, this one is well worth your time. This is No. 33 in Helion’s superb and eclectic ‘from Retinue to Regiment 1453–1618’ series.

ISBN: 978-1-804518-34-2 161 pages Paperback

1940 France. This time it is the turn of the French, part un.

This was a very simple scenario when an opportunity arose for a small 1940 game with John the Red. This time it was the turn of the French. John was the French and I took the Germans.

The French had a battalion of Moroccan tirailleurs, a single battery of 75mm guns and as reinforcements the divisional recce group comprising four Panhard armoured cars, a company of motorcyclists, another of  motorised ‘dragons portee’ and a 25mm AT gun mounted on the back of a chenillette carrier. 

The Germans had a recce ‘battalion’ of two armoured cars and a company of motorcyclists, a full motorcycle battalion, a battalion of motorised infantry and a battery of 105mm howitzers. They could also call in up to two Stuka strikes.

German recce troops negotiate their way through a long column of refugees.

Armoured cars lead the way.

I suspected that the hotel was occupied so the best way to find out was to drive past at high speed.
Lo and behold there was a company of Moroccan tirailleurs lurking ready to ambush the Germans, which they did, knocking out one motorcycle combination. The Germans dismounted and stormed the hotel, driving the Moroccans out and across the cornfields.

More refugees on the other road.

The main German infantry force arrived in the shape of a motor rifle battalion.

My motorcycle battalion then arrived (finally, having been delayed for two turns!) down the other road. 

One company chased after the refugees while the rest moved to occupy the garage, which to my surprise (not) was full of Moroccans, with mg support from the railway station just out of shot. We, the Germans, got a bit bogged down here and couldn’t shift the French from the garage.

A battery of French 75s engaged the German armoured cars without any success.

French reinforcements- their divisional reconnaissance group, of armoured cars and dragons porte.

I managed to call up air support to knock out the French artillery. A Stuka duly arrived, located the target, avoided desultory anti aircraft fire then blew one of the guns to pieces. The resulting morale check forced the remaining gun to limber up and retreat, pursued by one of my armoured cars.

Panhard of the 12th Cuirassiers.

The refugees are still trying to make good their escape from the fighting.

 

We had to stop at this point when it was just about to get interesting as my back was once again playing up.  However, we shall hopefully be able to finish the game this coming Friday.

 

Holding the Canal Line, or Trying To - France 1940

After hundreds of hours and in all likelihood hundreds of pounds I finally got some of my Fall of France collection in action. The game was not based on any real action, but more my fervid imagination. We used Rapid Fire Reloaded for the first time ever and as nobody else had played them this century it was going to be 'interersting'. Before going on to the battle, here are some photos of the sleepy town of Montcuq not far from the Dunkirk perimeter.

A young lady caught sunbathing in her backyard.

The town and British HQ. 

The town square.

Another vew of the square and the BEF command and HQ.

The table from the south (garden end). The Germans start where the swastika is.
Reinforcements in the form of a panzer battalion will arrive behind the red line on the table. The red line marks the first line of the BEF deployment( held by 4NF and 12 Lancers; the yellow line the second line, of the DLI and supporting artillery. 

Conrad and Jon were the BEF, commanding a squadron of the 12th Lancers, the 4th Motorcycle battalion of the Northumberland Fusiliers, 6th battalion the Durham Light Infantry, a troop of 2pdr AT guns, a battery of 18/25pdrs and one of 6” howitzers. As reinforcements they would have the 3rd battalion Royal Tank Regiment. There was a remote chance they might get some air support.

The Germans had a motorcycle battalion, a recce battalion, a motorised infantry battalion, plus supporting on and off table artillery. They also had access to two Stukas.

The only and somewhat battered bridge across the Oreille Canal. It is a choke point currently clogged up with refugees. 

Shaun pushed his wheeled transport straight through the refugees in order to get over the bridge.

Neil commanded a motorcycle battalion and some recce troops.

Hidden behind the station, a battery of 6” howitzers.

BEF 25pdr battery in hiding behind the woods in the centre of the table.

Shaun’s motorised infantry had dismounted and scrambled across the canal using lock gates and the odd sunken or not sunken barge. They headed towards the chateau where they came under fire from its occupants, a company of the 4th Northumberland Fusiliers Motorcycle battalion and an HMG, and another 4NF company in the wood behind the chateau. Heavy supporting fire from across the canal soon destroyed the chateau and its garrison. The Northumberland Fusiliers in the woods were also driven off after failing a morale check.

The Germans decided to deploy their 75mm infantry gun on the bridge. It was taken out by a lucky shot from a British 2pdr lurking in the woods.

The aforementioned 2pdr. 

Richard arrived marking the appearance of the German flanking force, a panzer battalion
mostly equipped with what I had available in the form of Czech 35T, Czech 38Ts, PzIs, PzIIs and a heavy company of PzIII and PzIV.

To balance things up I allowed the British reinforcements to arrive early. 3 Royal Tank Regiment with their mixture of light and cruiser tanks came belting down the road.

Part of the panzer battalion bypassed the train wreck bit were ambushed by a 2pdr and an AT rifle from the DLI carrier platoon. They damaged one tank but were soon knocked out.

Jon had to relieve the pressure on the dwindling number of defenders around the chateau so sent his CS9 armoured cars of the 12th Lancers forward. They had some success in forcing the Germans to ground or to seek refuge in the now empty chateau.

3RTR motoring towards the enemy.

I allowed the British to try for air support. I don’t own a Hurricane and my Fairy Battle isn’t finished so I roped in a random French fighter. It arrived, located a target, missed and flew off again.

The panzers were now behind the railway station where they spotted the BEF howitzers. A Stuka was called up but it failed to locate the guns.

Conrad managed to knock out a Pz 35T with one of his A13 cruiser tanks.

A second Stuka strike was more successful, obliterating the 6” howitzer battery.

The 12th Lancers turned their attention to Richard’s armour. In a brief exchange of shots two were destroyed and one damaged, with no loss for the Germans.

Another view of the end of the 12th Lancers. They never really had a chance.

Most of the refugees had been dispersed, never made it over the bridge or were hiding in woods and ditches, the exception being these.

At this point we had to stop. The Germans were declared the winners but whether the British armour would have had any effect is unknown.

I was happy with the rules (given we were all new to them) and the models and terrain looked terrific imho.

Most of the miniatures are from Early War Miniatures, as were some of the vehicles. The majority of the AFVs are 3d prints, most of which I did myself. 

A few more French for May 1940

I decided to continue with any displacement activity which let me avoid starting to paint my Triple Alliance ships for Riuchello. Hence, we have more French for 1940. The 507e Regiment Char de Combat (507 BCC) was one of the best trained armoured units in the French army, having until 1937 been commanded by a certain Charles de Gualle. As such it was considered 'elite'. 

The new additions - five Char 2D tanks, worn out, mechanically unreliable and obsolete but they were to give a good account of themselves in May 1940. 

A close up. I have only used five AFVs for the 507e as almost all of their tanks were lost thrugh breakdowns rather than enemy action.

Another close up - I am really taken with French camouflage patterns.

A Laffley truck with a 47mm AT gun. I've not seen these in any order of battle but I will add this one to the already completed model to make a SP AT company of sorts.

My French civilian omnibus taken into military service. A lovely resin model.

 

These can go and join their compatriots in barracks under the table until such time as I manage to get a Fall of France game organised! Now, what other displacement activity can I do....?



 

Danish Napoleonic Smørrebrød

Before I lock the barracks gates on my Napoleonic Danish collection they have been ordered to take part in a parade to celebrate the completed project. The only way I could add to it would mean buying more miniatures, and that is unlikely to happen (but never say never….?).

I never planned to buy any Danes. However, once the seed had been planted (partly by my friend John the Red) to devise a campaign based on the planned invasion of Sweden by a French, Spanish, Danish and Dutch corps in 1808 that was it!

Anyway, here they all are.

A couple of ADCs

The CinC von Essen

Three batteries of artillery. One battery are not really cannon at all being 1pdr amusettes, but needs must.

Line cavalry in greatcoats (Steve Barber)

Two battalions of light infantry.

The infantry en masse. 

More cavalry including the guard hussars and their attached squadron of Bosnaiks.

In total there are four cavalry regiments, 10 infantry battalions (including one guard and two Lanvern), two light battalions and three batteries of cannon. Oh, and some ski troops.

Rather colourful and impressive but they don’t have a wonderful record on the tabletop so far. Maybe now the whole lot are finished….?