Of Kerns and Gallowglasses - ‘‘tis a wonderful book!

 

Well I won’t finish that sentence off with ‘to be sure, to be sure!’ Or my Irish great-grand parents, if they were still with us (?) would probably have something say about stereotyping people……

No. 24 of Helion’s ‘from Retinue to Regiment 1452-1618 covering the Irish armies of the sixteenth century is absolutely great. I write as someone with a limited knowledge of Irish armies between 1487 and 1587 but a good understanding of the politics of the time. I think. This interest has certainly been enough over the years to have the Elizabethan-Irish wars on my list of projects to ponder, and even work out army lists and a shopping list.

I digress. This is quite a meaty book by the standards of other Helion books in this series; 287 pages. It’s still not a massive tome but it certainly packs in an incredible amount of information (stuff) within its covers. The author Robert Gresh has produced a tremendously fun-to-read and informative book about a subject not often written about. Yes, the Tudor period, Elizabeth and Essex and all that stuff gets fair coverage but I am unaware of anything that goes any way to explained the Irish Wars, and to some extent as well, 15th and 16th century Irish society in general, from the perspective of the home team. 

I don’t know really what else to say. The illustrations are as one would expect from Helion, plentiful and appropriate to the subject, the colour plates in the centre of the book are eight pages of glorious imagery. There are some quite useful maps, especially the one showing the areas under the control of the myriad of Irish lords. It certainly helps with orienting oneself when reading the narrative. 

The chapters cover such subjects as ‘The Power of Irishmen’ to the different troops types found within a typical Irish army, be they Gallowglass, Kern, Redshanks or the light horse, to naval issues, castles, banners, even music. I particularly liked the section on the Wilde Irish Living History Group. 

This is a great addition to the series and an enjoyable and informative read. Whether this era is your ‘thing’ or not this is well worth the time spent reading it. Highly recommended and worth a space on anybody’s bookcase.

ISBN 978-1-804513-54-5      soft covers.    287 pages.

Seventeenth Century Sewing B and the Battle of Fribourg - Two book reviews

Author Laurence Spring has again demonstrated the depth of his knowledge of all things military in the early seventeenth century, with this comprehensive and scholarly study of the clothing worn by soldiers of pretty much all nations involved in the Thirty Years War and the various conflicts which together make up the British Civil Wars.

The book covers every aspect of the dress of soldiers during this period, what was worn and how and when and probably if it was issued. We are then treated to a detailed analysis of the ‘end users’ and their dress across the many and varied armies and conflicts. Examples are the British army in the 1620s-1630s, the Trained Bands, the Bishops Wars, the Irish Rebellion, the various armies involved in the Civil War, including the Scots. Further chapters cover the Danes, French, Dutch, Spanish, Swedes and Holy Roman Empire, all of whom were ahead of the game when it came to soldiers’ clothing.

The level of detail is incredible yet a little daunting unless you know what it is you are after. Not a bad thing, and overall I found the premise and subject matter of the book well presented, nearly written and well supported by a range of contemporary quotes and correspondence.

The appendices are equally interesting and varied, covering as they an eclectic subject mix; Cecil’s army in 1625, Parliamentarian and Royalist coat colours, Thirty Years’ War coat colours and more. These are presented in tabular form and easy to follow.

The book is illustrated throughout with reproductions of contemporary images which provide a bit of visual context to the main narrative which is very helpful. The tables also dotted through the book provide a similar purpose and do so well.

I guess that the readership of this book will include re-enactors, wargamers, the casual reader with an interest in the seventeenth century as well as more serious scholars, historians and researchers. As a person who would be numbered among the ‘casual’ category I must say I found the book highly informative and the choice and presentation of the subject matter to be fascinating.

ISBN 978-1-804514-44-3. 346 pages, soft cover.

When one thinks of great French generals of the seventeenth century, Turenne and the Duc d’Enghien, the future Great Conde spring instantly to mind. So, with this new book Stephane Thion presents the reader with an immersive experience as the narrative leads us up to the climactic and costly battle(s) of Fribourg in August 1644.

Briefly, the author begins by providing us with an overview of the 1644 campaign, followed by quite comprehensive descriptions of each of the main commanders, Turenne, D’Enghein and the very capable Feldmarshall Mercy. The next two chapters are especially good, as they cover in some depth the French and Bavarian armies during the campaign, complete with lists of the regiments present and their strengths where known. Obviously the two chapters covering the battles on the 3rd and 5th of August form the core of the book, and I found them very useful when trying to get an understanding of the commanders’ actions and the performance of their subordinates and soldiers. A range of quotes and snippets from contemporary correspondence liven up the narrative nicely.

The book contains an impressive number of contemporary black and white images, and the centre spread of 14 wonderful colour plates, depicting a variety of troop types and personalities taken from original water colours by renowned artist Karl Alexander Wilke, and accompanied by three pages of regimental banners, some by Wilke and others by the author.

There are several full colour and quite detailed maps depicting the battle and the manoeuvres that led the armies to meet and fight. These would be of great use to anyone wishing to retreat the battle on the wargames tabletop.

This is No. 122 in Helion’s excellent Century of the Soldier series, and if the later Thirty Years War or indeed the exploits of the main protagonists are of interest to you then this book will not disappoint. I almost wish I'd kept my 30 Years War collections.......almost.


ISBN 978-1-804515-51-8. Soft covers 120 pages

Marignano Refought

Continuing the Italian Wars theme Conrad and John were here on Friday for another refight, this time of the battle of Marignano, a contest between the French and the Swiss in the pay of the Sforza dukes of Milan. The 30,000 French were camped behind a drainage ditch that had been deepened, the bank built up and even rows of patisserie er, pavises, embedded along the top of the bank. The 15,000 or so Swiss and 200’ish Milanese men at arms did not need to attack the French as precipitously as they did and so late in the day, but the arrogance of the Swiss and the faith they had in their invincibility prevailed so attack they did. We used Pike and Shotte with my house amendments. Conrad took the Swiss while John, aided by me, had the French.

The French had a speed bump of light cavalry out in front, then behind the embankment were gendarmes, French pike and lots of French crossbowmen. Behind that line was the main body with more gendarmes, several cannon and two huge units of Landsknechts (the Back Band). The French rearguard was behind the camp and another drainage ditch, and was composed of even more gendarmes, light cavalry and Landsknechts, but these would take no part in the battle. In fact, if the French were forced to commit them (unbeknown to Conrad) it was an instant Swiss victory. 

The Swiss objective was to destroy the enemy and hold the camp at the end of the game (nightfall). Their army was made up of a unit of Milanese gendarmes, two light cannon and three humungous unis of pike, each with small units of attached arquebusiers and halberdiers in support. The pike units were big as you can see; two were 108 figures strong and the other was a mere 96 figures strong. They have much increased stamina and fighting capabilities but can be quite cumbersome. I also allow them to move a little quicker and more easily than the French.

The French cavalry screen being driven back by the Swiss.

The first real line of defence - woefully outmatched French pike and crossbows supported by gendarmes on each flank.

These huge units are rather impressive. My motto is don’t do anything by halves and take advantage of Foundry’s Xmas sale of several years ago. During lockdown actually. 

Every pike block needs a bear. 

The poor French were in for a tough fight. After first of all pushing through the light cavalry screen, the Swiss traversed the ditch without too much trouble and smashed into the enemy line. 

All three of the Swiss pike blocks cross the ditch and embankment.

The central Swiss pike block seeing off the French pikemen.

The Swiss drove the French defenders back but failed to break any of them.

John needed to buy himself some time so threw some gendarmes at the left-hand pike block. This had the desired effect of forcing the Swiss to stop and deal with the threat

The right-hand Swiss column had crossed the ditch and earthwork, destroying the French crossbowmen defending it. They had then been then charged by unit of Landsknechts and driven back over the defences. The aftermath can be seen at the top of the picture above. 

The central Swiss pike block drove off or routed the French pike units and suddenly found itself facing the French artillery and another large unit of the Black Band.

The Black Bande charged the Swiss to their front while the artillery blasted the other pike block.

John's cavalry wormed their way round the Swiss and after avoiding some arquebusiers and swordsmen charged the Swiss artillery and rode them down.

This Swiss pike block had been forced backwards over the ditch, shaken and disordered. The French gendarmes are queuing up to charge them.

Meanwhile the huge pike block in the centre was hit in the flank by another Landsknecht unit while it was still locked in combat with another one to their front.

Same event from a different angle.

By now all three of the Swiss pike blocks were shaken. In my house rules the Swiss pike blocks do not run away in rout. Instead, when they reach their army break point the whole lot turn around and march off the battlefield, daring anyone to stop them as they head off towards the nearest Alp.

The Swiss conceded defeat (not that they had any choice in the matter) and the game was suddenly over. We had managed about eight turns I think, and we had a result which more or less mirrored what happened at the real battle. We did not bother resetting the game for the next day's action as it was obvious that the French were still a very strong force to reckon with.

So, an excellent game and a good result. This is a very hard one for the Swiss and they did well, but not well enough. 

Renato et Gloriam Army Lists for the Great Northern War and War of Spanish Succession

 

Players of Renato et Gloriam will be pleased to note the publication of this book of suggested army lists for the Great Northern War and the War of the Spanish Succession. Written by Simon Hall, Simon Clarke and Alasdair Harley and published by Helion this is a welcome addition to their Helion Wargames series.

There are 25 lists for the Great Northern War and 34 for the War of the Spanish Succession. These are not just generic lists, but do each focus on specific campaigns or battles, so for example, the Russian army of Peter the Great gets seven different lists, covering amongst others, Narva, Lesnaya, and the Pruth River. As well as the more usual armies, we are also given lists for rather more exotic armies such as the Khanate of Khiva, Cossacks, the Danubian Principalities.

The lists for the War of the Spanish Succession cover all of the major and minor players, again focusing to an extent on actual campaign and battles. In fact I would struggle to think of any nationality that has been omitted. Again, we get several different versions of the French armies of Louis XIV, the Holy Roman Empire and Great Britain.

The lists themselves are presented very clearly, each over one or two pages, and come with useful contextual historical notes as well as guidance on how to navigate each list. Each of the lists appears to be well researched and based on the armies I am familiar with are a true reflection of their composition. There is also quite a detailed section on generating terrain, which form part of the Pre Battle System (PBS) used in the rules and which represent the five days leading up to a battle and to determine the terrain over which the battle takes place.

Clearly a great deal of thought has gone into producing this book and it shows in the overall presentation. If you play ReG then these will be a very satisfying addition to your arsenal.



ISBN 978-1-804515-56-3 135 pages, soft covers, large format.

Games, books and revolting little men.

I’ve not done much in the way of gaming this year as much of it has been spent away from home.  I have however been able to read and post reviews of a good number of books, mostly from Helion & Co as regular readers will be aware. 

My painting has also stalled somewhat, but I have almost finished troops for a little side project, based around the Peasants’ War. Steel Fist and Artizan produce some nice 28mm miniatures for this war.

These were done while I was away with a limited palette but I’m reasonably happy with them now they’re washed and based. Hopefully once I’ve completed the basing they will look even better….. Two more of the bigger peasant mob units to base, and another unit of handgunners. Then all I need to do are a couple of commanders, a cannon and crew and some wagons and crews. Then I shall probably sell them.