...by way of an intermission...

...and because the year started so well on the painting front you can guarantee it's going to slow down a little this is a kind of "catching up post", just to let you know that the mental clocks are still ticking... J

...first off I've added some resources links to the War of the Spanish Succession project - this is not the only thing happening with regard to that project but is probably the most tangible as I've not had much time at the painting table since the "birth" of Meredith's. Suffice to say however, that 24 Minifigs infantry are currently attached to the painting sticks and undercoated, and are just awaiting some spare time to start applying paint. This unit is destined to join the Allied Army as one of the other Dutch infantry regiments that was present in Beinheim's Brigade for the assault on the Schellenberg. This brigade comprised 6 battalions of Dutch, Swiss/Dutch & Ansbach troops - I have already painted Beinheim's own regiment, this next one is most likely to be Sturler's Regiment (Swiss Dutch) as I have a handy flag source (Warflag comes to the rescue again).... if anyone reading this has ANY sources for flags for the other regiments in the brigade however, please feel free to contact me via the comments! For reference these were Goor (Dutch), Rechteren (Dutch), Hirzel (Swiss/Dutch) and Heidebrecht (Ansbach)

...separately, as a wargamer you can never have too many books, and via various means and sources I have taken delivery of the following within the last week...

"The Airfix Magazine Guide (#28) to the English Civil War" (George Gush and Martin Windrow)

"Wargamers Guide to the English Civil War - 2nd Edition" by our very own "old school" colleague Bill Protz and dating back to the early 70's - this in particular looks to be good value as it is chock full of information as well as a comprehensive set of rules...

"Uniforms of the Civil War" by Philip Haythornthwaite - another one of my favourite historians; this is also very good and will join the the two volumes on Infantry and Cavalry uniforms that I bought at Christmas as the basis for my painting activities in this sphere - one I decide which rules to use! It also reminds me of the Mollo American Revolution book - same series I think...

I also have on order - waiting to be delivered these two volumes:

"ENGLAND UNDER QUEEN ANNE:BLENHEIM" by G M Trevelyan - this was following a recommendation on GrimsbyMariners blog (link to the left) - I look forward to reading this - even more so as it is a second edition dating from 1930 (there's something about old books!) and has the fold out maps of the campaign which some of the newer paperback versions may not have (not sure)

...the one I'm looking forward to the most however, is "GIANT OF THE GRAND SIECLE: THE FRENCH ARMY, 1610-1715" by John A. Lynn - what I was looking for was something that covered the French army as well as Chandler - the book is huge (almost 700 pages!), has had good recommendations elsewhere, so I decided to take the plunge and blow some of the Christmas vouchers... I'll give a more comprehensive review once I've read it, but have to say the bedside table is currently groaning with a pile of books waiting to be read that is two and a half feet high so it may be a while! As a taster however the contents indicate that the book covers off Administration, Supply, Commissariat, Command (Regimental and Higher), Army Composition, Recruitment, Discipline, Morale and Motivation, Weaponry and Tactics and Positional Warfare

Last of all - not sure if you have heard of Project Gutenberg (click here)? either way - you need to know. The site is dedicated to publishing as many books as possible online, and totally free. No catch but obviously the books have to be a bit old in order not to fall foul of copyright injunctions, as a starter for ten, however, I would direct you to the following (wargaming inspired) authors:

G. A. Henty - I read loads of his books when I was young - of particular interest to me though are "The Cornet of Horse A Tale of Marlborough's Wars", "With Frederick the Great
A Story of the Seven Years' War" and "With Kitchener in the Soudan A Story of Atbara and Omdurman" - excellent reads one and all...

H. G. Wells for "Little Wars" and "Floor Games" (which also appear to have audio versions I must check out)

Under Churchill (as in Winston) they have "The River War - An Account of the Reconquest of the Sudan", the "The Story of the Malakand Field Force - An Episode of Frontier War"

...and many more - well worth visiting!