My wife and I had the good fortune to be able to spend three weeks in Europe this pest October and our readership will be curious, I think, to learn about some of the places we went to that are germane to the period in question. I use the same grading key as used in the previous article.

The Vauban Citadell Fortress of Lille (Lille, France) ++

While motoring from Belgium into northeast France, I noticed a city map of Lille, France showing the perfect outline of a Vauben fortress in downtown Lille, France. Thinking this to be a perfect opportunity. we headed there to inspect same. Upon arrival. the authorities mentioned that VC is still a French Army Post and that entrance !s not allowed for tourists. Indeed, Honorary Member Brigadier Peter Young, later advised me that the post was defended for a time by the French in 1940 when the Wehrmacht invaded France.

A little daunted, we drove there anyway and were rewarded with a walk that completely circumnavigated the citadell. An educated eye is able to discern the features of the citadell and I was pleased that one could see the entire exterior of the place to get a visual picture aside a mental one of whet such a place must look like. Trees are everywhere which surely were not present in its heyday and the locals use the covered way as a jogging path.

The Army Museum (Paris, France) +++

Time being at a premium (which it was all too often) we spent only an afternoon in the Muses de le Armee. It is massive and is quite the place for the student of French military history. We had time only to see the exhibits devoted to the 18th century and the Napoleonic Wars.

The first thing that caught my eye as we entered the interior courtyard was a variety of differently shaped cannon barrels standing on and along a wall. Upon inspection of same and by reading cords adjacent to each. I was delighted to discover that most were cast just prior to the SYW. Present was an array of "4" "8" "12" and "16" pounders. One confusing thing had to do with two different 4 pounder barrels. One was short, as one might expect, but the other was very long and came close as I recall to the length of either an 8 or 12 pounder. Sometime ago I did some research on French artillery, I found that there was a movement to cut back on the ponderous weight of all French calibers because they were extremely cumbersome to move about on a battlefield and because of expense. The weight of even a little 4 pounder was considerable and upon change, it became much less weighty. Perhaps what I saw were originals of each. Each that I saw had a date on the barrel either of the SYW or pre-dating same.

Next came the 18th century exhibit area I surely spent an hour observing all the relics and paraphrennalia there. Some observations:

1. The subject of French white coats comes up from time to time. Were they white, or were they gray? Well, on exhibit were two white coats, one of a mid-18th century officer. It was white even after all this time, not a pure white, mind you, but white enough for me to be called so. It was not gray at off; In the Napoleonic exhibit area were a few uniforms faced in gray and there is no comparison between the two. Later, when in Yspes, as we drove along and saw literally millions of sheep in the countryslde, it occured to me that the color of these animals closely resembled the white of the French uniform I had seen in the Musee de le Armee and that with a little cleaning up, an off-white they would be.

2. French mitre hats? I remember seeing a Miniature Figurine 25mm French grenadier in a mitre bar once. We never knew what to do with it. I still do not, but the Musee de le Armee had some. Unfortunately there was no card explaining what I was looking at. So, I cannot identify the unit nor the exact year same might have been worn. It was beautifully embroidered and was not a fatigue hat. It was in a case with all sorts of drawings and a few replicas of those oddly shaped helmets that engineering types wore, so perhaps they belonged to them, but this is pure guesswork.

3. The exhibit area had lots of maps and portraits and had one thank goodness of my favorite SYW officer, Marshall Broglie. (I have been commanding French forces in my SYW wargaming for 15+ years).

4. Items of clothing and weapons were present including tricorne hats, metal skull caps worn by cavalry under their tricornes, breastplates, accoutrements, boots, saddleblankets, etc.

5. There were a few Dragoon guidons and a standard of one of the cavalry regiments of the King's Household present plus In another area was a full standard of the Swiss Infantry Regiment Courten.

The National Army Museum (Chelsea England - a London suburb) +++

This is a fine museum devoted to the British Army during the musket and colonial eras; from the ECW to prior to W.W.I. The 18th century exhibit area is small but has interesting collections of uniforms and weapons. The battle of Minden is featured in one location and is nice though the historians there do not realize that they have an inaccurate portrait of a French General they say is Broglie who commanded the right wing.

National Maritime Museum (Greenwich, England - a London suburb) +++

This is a wonderful place filled with the best military nautical exhibits I have ever seen in Britain or the USA. One of my great interests is the age of still from the SYW to the end of the Napoleonic Wars and this place is packed with artifacts, models, uniforms, portraits. battlemaps and terrific audio-visual displays. As I exited the building, I noticed a small open area off to one side with two clerks and beyond were racks filled with dozens of blue three ring binders. I asked what these were and to my amazement was told that contained therein in every portrait, ship painting, battle - print, port drawing; you name it! If it had to do with the Royal Navy, reproductions of them all were there. I also discovered that all are available for purchase. One selects the items wanted, specifies the size and whether color or black and white is desired and voila, some six weeks later a USA customer will receive his order. Unfortunately there is no catalogue. So if ever in London, spend a morning in the exhibit area and the afternoon in the photograph area. Prices are reasonable. I recall ordering some nine black and white 5°° x 7°° photographs of battle prints of the SYW for around $20.00.

Culloden, 16 April 1746 (Laverness, Scotland) +++

We arrived just as dusk was descending and if not for the tiny size of this battlefield we would not have been able to walk all around it before most of the light was gone. It is a flat expanse of land and had been wooded until sometime ago when those in charge of this national monument decided to clear away same to make the field appear as it did during the Jacobite Rebellion. With guidebook in hand and my wife trailing along with me as I expostulated that here stood so and so and there were placed two of Cumberland's six tiny cannons which did such frightful execution and with a few tourists casting a curious ear in our direction from time to time we walked the whole thing in under an hour. To this day, I cannot comprehend why Bonnie Prince Charlie made his Highlanders stand nearly six ranks deep with the British cannons not 500 yards away blazing away for an hour. From my perspective, the guns could hardly have missed, so small was this place, like shooting fish in a barrel.

There is a very good visitors center with exhibits, bookshop and no audio-visual display which equals the nicest parks we have here in the USA for many of our AWI and ACW battlefields. The park closed for the season the day after the daylight savings time change.

I am certain that our readership would be interested to learn of the experiences of others upon their travels to battlefields and museums germane to our period. Indeed, perhaps some have been to some of the west German sites such as Bergen, Minden, Hastenbeck etc.

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