"Firing into the Brown" #5 - Campaign finale, Pedestal and stuff..

"So Carnehan weeds out the pick of his men, and sets the two of the Army to show them drill and at the end of two weeks the men can manoeuvre about as well as Volunteers. So he marches with the Chief to a great big plain on the top of a mountain, and the Chiefs men rushes into a village and takes it; we three Martinis firing into the brown of the enemy".

Kipling "The Man Who Would Be King"

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Been waiting to read this one for an age - probably from the first time I saw that it had been published as I am a bit of a Hastings fan boy, and I'm not sure I've read a duff one by him..

Pedestal was the code name for the operation to send a relief convoy to Malta in 1942, and this history was a bit of an eye opener measured against what I thought I knew already..

So what did I take away from this??

First , in 1942 the Royal Navy was nowhere near as accomplished as they were to become in the sphere of anti submarine warfare..  ASDIC was coming on line, but the in depth courses that taught the escort commanders how to tackle the submarine threat were some way in the future - the book is replete with examples of how the ships were just not used in the right way, and how exposed convoys and ships were at this time of the war to submarine attack..  in perhaps the luckiest night for submarines in WW2 an Italian commander sank an oil tanker, and the German U73 sank the aircraft carrier Eagle..

Second, ground to air (or in this case sea to air) coordination was also in it's infancy - despite having successfully offloaded almost 50 Spitfires to Malta, the lack of coordination between Malta and the convoy resulted in huge gaps in air cover for the convoy..

Three, British carrier born aircraft of the period were woefully under powered and under spec when compared with the enemies they were expected to take on in the air - the carriers had Hurricanes and Fairey Fulmars/Albacores, when what they needed was Spitfires.. the carriers themselves were wooden decked (little or no armour plating) and lacked the ability to get lots of planes into the air at the same time

Sinking of HMS Eagle..

Fourth, convoy coordination/communication was also in it's infancy, the Royal Navy put together a convoy comprising fast modern merchant ships (all of them were capable of 16 knots) but once the attacks started going in (by submarine, aircraft, and gunboats) most communication appears to have been by Aldis light as it was quicker and safer than transmitting in plain English..

Fifth, as in the Napoleonic wars, the British navy needed destroyers (frigates) by the score - they were the maids of all work; fast, well armed for their size..  the Navy sent a number of cruisers as convoy escort, but they were almost a liability, requiring more protection themselves than the support they provided, ditto the aircraft carriers -  there almost seemed a palpable relief when the point was reached on the convoy when the capital ships could be sent back to Gibraltar

All in all then a HUGE undertaking, and Hastings does touch on the multitude of views as to whether the action, and the casualties , were justified, but I tend towards his view, and also Churchill's that it was absolutely the right thing to do, and the right time to do it... 

A warts and all history treating each side to an equal review of their good and bad, tactics, personal performance of the offensive forces..  my overwhelming opinion at the end of it was huge respect for the merchant seamen who got those ships to Malta, and the clear indication that the Navy were ready to learn from the mistakes. Good read..   9/10.

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ACW Riverine Campaign – “Hunt the Chattanooga” - Summary Campaign diary

I'll shove this in full on the ACW Naval Project page (link in the sidebar) but as the campaign has come to an end, a summary of the actions and events seems timely..

Union Force/background:

• Monitor (10 SP)  plus two decent wooden clads (8SP each and with a good light and medium armament)
• Two additional ships as transports
• Union player starts with 20 victory points (VP's)
• 5 turns per day

Day 1

1st Turn

• Shore battery identified comprising two earthwork batteries (10 DF each/trained; one with 4 light rifles, one with 1 medium smoothbore)
• Union commander decides to send the Monitor in holding back the more vulnerable wooden clads, both batteries are destroyed but the Monitor takes a point of damage

3rd Turn

• Confederate heavy gunboat encountered (6DF/MRL and LRL)
• Again the Union commander decides to send the Monitor in holding back the more vulnerable wooden clads - the gunboat is quickly overwhelmed and with both guns knocked out , runs for it!

5th Turn

• Tributary is seen leading off the main river..
• Small Confederate gunboat encountered (4DF/LRL and LRL).
• This time the Union commander decides to send in the two wooden clads as well as Monitor for a quick finish – the Confederate gunboat is destroyed in the first turn with no damage to the Union ships...

Click to embigen

End of Day 1:

• The Union supply ships have travelled one section behind all day and catch up overnight and rearm the Monitor… 
• Victory points currently 33:
• five turns so -5 pts
• -3 (for damage) 
• + 10 (2 shore batteries destroyed)
• + 10 (heavy gunboat sunk/destroyed) 

Day 2

1st Turn 

• There is a rudder malfunction on Union wooden clad #2 and she can only steer straight ahead - good news given we have a straight stretch of river!
• Confederate hidden battery encountered comprising two earthwork batteries (10 DF each/trained; one with 4 medium smoothbores, one with 1 medium smoothbore)
• Union commander decides to withdraw and try the tributary first

4th Turn

• Rudder repaired on Union wooden clad #2 but no other issues other than some trouble working up steam on the Monitor
• Union commander decides to rest for the night before taking on the earthwork the next morning

End of Day 2:

No ammunition has been expanded, and all ships apart from the supply vessels which were stationary all day, were stationary for two turns.. Union commander takes the opportunity to refuel

Day 3

1st Turn 

• The Union master gunner has become convinced that one of the two guns on Monitor is prone to failure and is likely to burst (throw a 1 and it explodes)
• The Confederate hidden battery comprises two earthwork batteries (10 DF each/trained; one with 4 medium smoothbores, one with 1 medium smoothbore)
• Union commander attacks with his full force in line ahead focussing on the stronger battery first..
• With minor damage to the two wooden clads (1SP each) the two forts are overcome, but the Monitor does indeed lose one of it's guns in the process a major blow to the Union fleet

5th Turn 

• No further issues during the day - the Union commander orders his force to anchor for the evening and brings the supply ships up from the section behind.

End of Day 3:

• Union commander takes the opportunity to refuel the second supply ship..
• VP's 36 (following victory over the batteries and losses to damage)

"...'ere 'Ank, did you hear that funny cracking noise last time we fired??"

Day 4

1st Turn 

• Union wooden clad #1 runs hard aground and is well and truly stuck fast (roll a d6 at the start of each turn. The vessel is freed on a roll of 5+ but becomes permanently trapped if a 1 is rolled)
• Union commander decides to halt until the ship is freed.

2nd Turn

• By supreme effort the crew of Union wooden clad #1 managed to club haul her off the sand bank she became stuck on and the fleet is free to proceed…
• No further issues during the day other than intermittent boiler issues on Union wooden clad #2 reports – speed is reduced but sufficient to keep up with the fleet (d6 roll of 5+ at the start of each subsequent turn will solve the problem)..

End of Day 4:

• All ships were stationary for one turn while the wooden clad was freed up – no ammunition was expended. 
• VP's 31

Day 5

1st Turn

• Union wooden clad #2 reports boiler issues continue; somewhat shame faced the captain of Union wooden clad #1 reports that he has run hard aground again!
• The fleet remain stationary for the whole of the day while they work to refloat Union wooden clad #1

End of Day 5:

• All ships were stationary for all but one turn while the wooden clad tried to free up – no ammunition was expended. 
• VP's 26

Day 6

1st Turn

• By the supreme effort throughout the night by the crews of all the Union ships, they are able to report in the morning that Wooden Clad #1 is afloat again and ready to proceed. 
• Pausing only to allow time for food and coffee the Union commander orders “up steam”.. and the Union flotilla departs

2nd Turn 

• The lead ship identifies a Confederate shore battery comprising two earthworks both with rifled artillery (3 in one, 2 in the other). Union commander orders his force to open fire immediately..
• Despite opening fire first, the initial Union broadside is devastating, completely destroying the first earthwork with one barrage! The other is also quickly reduced…

3rd  Turn 

• The lead Union ship spots a huge Confederate ironclad – they have found their prey! The Union commander orders full ahead and all ships engage… 

Stay tuned for a battle report!!

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Not a great one for film critiquing but this was an unexpectedly good watch (I got it on Netflix) so I thought I'd pass the word to my reader, since wargamers do not live by little metal men and acrylic paint alone..

This is a docudrama on the Iranian embassy siege in 1980, the background of which in the film was good and also informative - despite having seen the pictures in the press and knowing about the SAS assault I hadn't realised what the hostage takers had been asking for, or indeed how duplicitous the Iraqi's were in all this.

The role of the negotiator I wouldn't have wished on my own worst enemy - between the Iranians on one side and Margaret on the other there was no way they were every going to get a good result by talking.. Mark Strong played the role brilliantly.

The role of the SAS is known, but as their representative Whitehall advised Cobra (the mini cabinet that meets in all emergency situations)  they are not supermen, and it was always going to be messy... and so it was (if the film is to be believed), with one of the SAS men being trapped while abseiling down the front of the building, and lots of smoke and confusion, but despite that, all hostages were freed (apart from one the terrorists killed during the siege, and one they killed before it) - and the terrorists? Well only one survived and he was paroled 25 years later.

Reading up on this on Wiki after seeing the film (well you do don't you..) the film looks to have been pretty close to the actual reality - the only major difference being the role of the diplomatic policeman who was taken hostage at the same time was under played in the film - in reality he got the George Cross for his actions during the assault, and it's a shame the film couldn't show that...

Well worth a watch - I'll give it an 8 out of 10..

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Laters, as the young people are want to say...

Fury.. a review

Steve the Wargamer has never been what you would call "up to date" with his viewing habits.. to be honest I watch very little on the haunted fish tank theses days, it's mostly repeats, or formulaic nonsense, but every now and again he finds an hour to sit down and watch something.. 

Anyway, I bought this for my Dad for Fathers Day (along with the truly, seriously, awesome, and excellent, Benedict Cumberbatch/Alan Turing/Enigma [clicky] offering which I had seen), and as he was visiting, and he knew I hadn't seen it, he brought it with him...

The film starts from the the truism that the Allied tanks in the Second World War were inherently inferior to the Germans, and the thrust of the story is about a veteran tank commander (Pitt - who has served in tanks since Africa) who has promised his crew he will do everything possible to bring them through the war safely...

The film is set late in the war, April 1945, and the Allies are advancing through Germany after Hitler has proclaimed his total war, all men women and children are ordered to resist...

The film is errrr...  brutal, no other word for it..  don't expect any light moments... it starts with Pitt killing a German by stabbing him in the eye ball and it doesn't change much from there on in. It owes a whole truck load to the Peckinpah Wild Bunch school of "realistic" film making, but where something like Tarantino's "Inglorious Basterds" made me rip it out of the video machine and chuck it in the bin after 10 minutes (utter bolleaux in case your wondering..) this was mesmerising...

Everything in the film is dirty, gritty, grey, and muddy; the inside of the tank (an M4 Sherman "Easy Eight") is filthy, and so are the crew... the experience of the war has brutalised them, they have a pathological hatred of any SS (it is intimated that they were present when one of the camps was liberated) and they shoot them on sight, irrespective of whether they have surrendered or not, at times... they also have an incredibly close bond, they've been together a long time and it shows..

Cue then a new recruit arrives to replace a recently killed member of the close knit crew..  he's very young, and the story is basically about how he learns to fit with them, and what they do to help him.. all set against the every day struggle just to stay living whil serving in what the Germans called the "Tommy Cooker".

The film was inspired by a number of war time biographies by actual tankies (the main one seems to be Belton Y. Cooper's "Death Traps" NB. Only £3.64 on Kindle!), and also by the directors own family who also served, and to the limits of my research/reading it seems remarkably authentic.. having to prime shells before they are fired...  use of smoke, and speed to counter fire power, etc... the scene where three Sherman's take on a Tiger (and this is the first film since the end of the actual war to feature a real Tiger tank - the one in the film is the one from Bovington Tank Museum, as is the Sherman portraying "Fury" come to that) is frightening, and the end scene shorty after at the cross roads is brutal..  brilliant.

I'm still thinking about it now almost a week after seeing it...  stunning..  Steve the Wargamer gives this one a 9 out of 10, right up there with "Saving Private Ryan".

Hobbit - Battle of the Five Armies

Out for Christmas...  can not wait...! 

 

"The Desolation of Smaug" - a review..

One would think that glaciers might move more quickly than I add content to the blog at the moment (and you may well be right), but such is the way when life gets busy...

Any free time at the moment is being spent on the boat [clicky], either working on it or preparing to work on it, and when I'm not doing that I'm eating, sleeping, or working...  so much so that last week I took stock, and decided to step off the treadmill for a while - with holiday booked the current Mrs Steve the Wargamer and I headed for the pictures.

We may very well be the last people in the universe not to have seen it, but I had tickets for "The Hobbit - The Desolation of Smaug", so what did I think (and again what the hell that matters I have no idea, given even my cat has reviewed it before I have! )?

First, and on a more general note, I do recommend going to see a flim at least 3 months after it's been released - the current Mrs Steve the Wargamer and I were two of only ten people in an entire 70 seat cinema - one can only imagine what bliss this is when you bear in mind the abilities of my fellow members of the human race in the question of "how to behave in public"...

Next, I should own up to being a huge fan of the Peter Jackson view of Middle Earth having seen Lord of the Rings and the first part of the Hobbit more times than I can count so I'm hardly objective (though having said that I've never understood why the press/media sends someone to review something they are already pre-disposed to not liking... what sense does that make?)

So this is the second part in the trilogy, and starts off (after a little scene setting) at the point where the party were being hunted by Azog the Defiler and the rest of an Orc party (love the Wargs in these films .. so good)...  Either way, they escape and in looking for somewhere to hide out meet Beorn the half bear/ half man. A really nice bit part, with loads of character - he could have been left out of the film but wasn't so hats off to Mr Jackson.

We then get Mirkwood, and the party get lost wandering off the track, before they are attacked by spiders, and "rescued" by Wood Elves - the escape sequence is almost exactly as I imagined it when reading the book, and was handled in a suitably light hearted way - the Hobbit was always the lighter of the two books...

Tauriel - played by Evangeline Lilly...sigh....

While the Dwarves face these perils, Gandalf and Radagast (the Brown - brilliant part by Sylvester McCoy) investigate rumours of dark doings at the old fortress of Dol Guldur...

Back at Mirkwood, having escaped, the Dwarves pay Bard to take them across the lake and smuggle them into Lake Town - but not before they have to fight off a party of Orcs sent by Azog to hunt them down.

The last part of the film features the Dwarves entry to the lonely mountain - to find what had happened to their families, and other inhabitants. They, or rather Bilbo, also awaken Smaug (the Dragon) who, in the way of Dragons, is sufficiently cheesed off by their attempts to kill him that he takes flight to lay waste to Lake Town - and there it ends....   until the end of this year and Part 3!

So any downsides - none, in my humble opinion..  the better part of three hours flew by...  so there were some additions to the story (Legolas back on the scene? The whole part of Tauriel - for which thanks as Evangeline is lovely! ) but I don't care really - I get to travel to Middle Earth of three hours and that's more than enough...  Best bits?? The grandeur of Erebor, the Orcs/Wargs, the escape by the Dwarves, and the New Zealand scenery...  easily as good as the first part, better perhaps? I rate this one 9.5 out of 10....

Zulu

Can you believe that "Zulu" is 50 years old on January 22nd??

Time to site down with a decent beer, and a comfortable arm chair, for a re-watch I think..! 

Despite the source (), I thought the following was a remarkably well balanced view of the film...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2532420/A-salute-Zulu-A-spell-binding-story-raw-courage-NO-gore-NO-political-correctness-NO-swaggering-Yanks-great-British-war-film-50th-anniversary.html

The Desolation of Smaug

Out on 13th December... can't wait!

The Hobbit - a review...

....dreadful dreadful, dreadful... no not the Hobbit, the fact that it's been 8 days since I last posted...  heads will roll...

Anyway, I've had the Hobbit on pre-order from Amazon ever since they first announced it, and it finally arrived last week, so at last I had a chance to watch it..

I missed it at the cinema , no idea why, I think we just got too busy, and although the current Mrs Steve the Wargamer wanted to see it the two ingrates, sorry daughters, didn't...  anyway, it was missed so I was desperate to see it...

Opinion seems to be divided (like Mrs Thatcher) between those who think it's brilliant, and those who think it's a huge mistake..  I fall into the former camp as I sat down and had no idea where two and a half hours went, it was so good...

The dwarves are brilliant, think heavy metal, authoritarian, biker gang and you're getting close - everything is leather, metal, armoured, heavy, hairy...  just how you imagine they would have been... all axes and moustaches....  superb...

The plot line is pretty close to the book, and like the book Jackman has stayed faithful to the tone..  I first read The Hobbit 30 odd years ago and remember grinning at the joke about the invention of golf, and it's in the film - the tone is just right...  The Hobbit was written for children and is lighter than Lord of the Rings, so is the film..

The acting is superb, the special effects extraordinary (the city of the Goblin king is just amazing!), I loved the incident with the trolls, and Bilbo's riddle competition with Gollum was exactly as I remembered it in the book....

The side story with the pale Orc (Azog, the Defiler) whilst not specifically a part of the original book is a good one, and provides some wonderful scenes with the Orc scouting pack mounted on Wargs chasing the party across that beautiful terrain...

Loved the depiction of Radagast the brown (another character we know of through the Lord of the Rings who didn't feature in the Hobbit), Saruman continues to be a pompous irritant, and is there anyone better suited to depict Galadriel than Cate Blanchett??

Watch it....   just trust me on this...  watch it...  Steve the Wargamer rates this 9 out of 10  (I'm already looking for a two and a half hour slot so I can watch it again)...

"Inglorious Basterds" - a review..

..don't bother...

...it's windy, it's raining, the boat went into the water on Saturday, and what better than an afternoon in the loftwaffe catching up on some wargaming activity with the assistance of a little DVD action following weekends of boat maintenance ....?


Some time ago I managed to get a copy of Quentin Tarantino's "Inglourious Basterds", which for one reason or another I had not yet seen, so it seemed opportune...


...wished I hadn't bothered - what a deeply unpleasant film - straight in the waste paper bin....formulaic, pointlessly violent, pastiche characters...  yuckkk....


...Steve the Wargamer gives it a solid 0 out of 10.. 


...now where's my copy of "Ice Cold in Alex"!?