One of those "forgotten" wars of the 19th Century, the Russo-Turkish War 1877-78. This was no mere colonial skirmish. Both sides fielded large armies as Russia mounted aggressive operations in both the Balkans and the Caucasus. Sweeping maneuvers, raids, and a series of bloody sieges characterized this war, which is also noted for the incompetence of its commanders. Russia mobilized almost 350,000 men on two fronts, expecting an easy victory against ramshackle Turkish forces of little more than 200,000. After forcing a crossing of the Danube and some initial successes, the Balkan campaign degenerated into a series of bloody sieges - centering on the heavily fortified town of Plevna. Turkish resistance was surprisingly stubborn and ferocious, but their commanders were as inept as the Russians - with all their attempts to relieve Plevna failing. Despite this, Plevna managed to hold out for five months and the Russians lost the chance of victory before the winter set in. In the Caucasus the Russians faired better, managing to defeat the Turks at Aladja Dagh and pushed them back into their mountain fortresses, where, despite the cold, the Russians made steady progress. Finally, after the fall of Plevna, the Russians launched a winter campaign, successfully outmaneuvered the Turks and capturing 36,000 men. A further 50,000 Turks were cut off from their Turkish bases, but their commander refused to accept defeat and managed to evacuate them by sea, back to Constantinople. An armistice soon followed. In many ways the Russo-Turkish War was a pre-cursor to the Russo-Japanese conflict and, ultimately, the slaughter of the First World War - with the emphasis on set piece assaults against fortified positions, defended by troops armed with modern rifles and repeating carbines. Casualties were enormous - the Russians losing 30,000 men alone in the early attempts to storm Plevna. Designed by Mike Broadbent, Eureka's new 28mm releases can also double for other periods. The first releases in the Russo-Turkish War range allow one to recreate the basic infantry units of both sides, with the Turks accurately depicted in a variety of headgear. According to Eureka: "The intention is to add further figures to this range, but some guidance was sought from customers as to what we'd like to see produced." See http://www.eurekamin.com.au/ to view the range. (Extract from Eureka http://www.eurekamin.com.au/ March, 2004 ) Back to After Action Review April 2004 Table of Contents Back to After Action Review List of Issues Back to Master Magazine List © Copyright 2004 by Pete Panzeri. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com