"What is Darryl thinking now?" you might ask yourself. "The Second Schleswig Holstein War?!?!" Well, yes, why not? Okay, admittedly, this is NOT the most known of wars, but those of you who have thought about doing Franco-Prussian might consider this conflict as an alternative.

This war pitted the mighty forces of Prussia and Austria against the poor Kingdom of Denmark. Often overlooked by gamers and overshadowed by the larger European wars (Franco-Austrian, Austro-Prussian, and Franco-Prussian), this small war was fought in 1864 over territorial rights, and provides some interesting, albeit small, actions. What I have listed below is simply a listing of sources for figures, books, etc., that one could use to start researching this war. I have made comments on the products I have some knowledge of.

Web Sites

I have found two web sites dealing (in part at least) with this war that are actually very good.

Helion & Company Website: This site deals with European wars of the 19th Century. They sell books, artwork, and 25mm figures.

Military History of Denmark: A history of the war and modern-day pictures of battle sites are just part of what you'll find here.

Figures

In 15mm, I have found two companies producing Danish figures for this war. For the Prussians and Austrians, there are several manufacturers of 15mm figures.

19th Century Miniatures, Battle Honors U.S.A., Dept. Ws, 346 River St., Coopersville, MI 49404. (616) 837-7045, FAX (616) 837-8568, or web site: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~tpope/miniatures/battle-honors/index.html.

19th Century, under the Rank and File line, make the following figures for the Danes:
Infantry - 100 Figure Bag - $20.00
IDA100 Inf Defending In Tunic & Kepi
IDA101 Inf Advancing In Greatcoat & Kepi
Infantry - 24 Figure Bag - $6.00
IDA24-0 Foot Guards
Cavalry - 24 Figure Bag - $14.00
IDA24-1 Dragoons
IDA12-0 Hussars
Cavalry - 12 Figure Bag - $8.00
IDA12-1 Life Guards
Artillery Battalion - 3 Guns & 12 Crew - $6.00
IAB3-49 4lb Guns
IAB3-50 12lb Guns

Feudal Castings, web site: http://members.xoom.com/feudal_castings/

A new player on the scene, they are making 15mm figures for the Danes. What they have so far is below. Try contacting Roger Dospil at Division After Division and see if he can order these for you, as he sells other Feudal Castings lines. (Division After Division, 16710 Bradbe Road, Fisherville, KY 40023. E-mail: rdosboe@aol.com).

D. 1 Line infantry command. (2 officers, 2 drummers, 2 standard bearers)
D. 2 Line infantry, kepi, full kit, advancing.
D. 3 Lifeguard, bearskin, advancing, full kit.
D. 4 Lifeguard command, bearskin. (2 officers, 2 drummers, 2 standard bearers)
D. 5 Danish Dragoon trooper.
D. 6 Danish Dragoon command. (1 officer, 1 trumpeter, 1 standard bearer)

Books and Reference Material

On Military Matters, 31 West Broad St., Hopewell, NJ 08525. (609) 466-2329, FAX: (609) 466-4174, or e-mail: militarymatters@worldnet.att.net. Web site: http://www.onmilitarymatters.com/index.html

On Military Matters sell related titles, listed below. I have the Brown and Smith books, and the Smith book in particular is HIGHLY recommended! It contains the information needed to paint your figures as well as a detailed order of battle.

1315 Brown, Jack W. UNIT ORGANIZATIONS & O/B's OF EUROPEAN ARMIES O/b's for the Crimean War, Franco-Austrian War, the Unification of Italy, 2nd Schleswig-Holstein War, Austro-Prussian War and the Franco-Prussian War, b/w maps, biblio. 1 vol, 80 pgs 1994 MINNEAPOLIS, ABSINTHE PRS NEW-softcover, O/P .....$15.00

1316 Delmas, Major E. translated by Stuart Penhall WAR BETWEEN DENMARK AND GERMANY, THE:1848-1850 8.5x11, classic account, b/w maps/illust o/b's. 1 vol, 72 pgs 1996 AUSTRALIA, IMPERIAL PUBS NEW-softcover .....$16.00

1317 Smith, Nigel 2ND SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN WAR, THE 8.5x11, guide to the campaigns, uniforms & o/b's. 1 vol, 62 pgs 1995 UK, PICKELHAUBE PRESS NEW-softcover .....$18.00

The Nafziger Collection, Department E, PO Box 1522, West Chester, OH 45069-1522. E-mail: Nafziger@infinet.com. Web site: http://www.infinet.com/~nafziger/index.html

I don't have any of his Orders of Battle for this conflict, but I do have other OB's from George, and they are always of the highest quality. He has for this war the following:

864XAA: Prussian Army of Schleiswig-Holstein, Facing Denmark, Beginning of War, 1864 - 2 pgs
864DAA: Prussian Assault Forces, Duppel, 18 April 1864 -1 pg
864DAB: Danish Defenders, Duppel, 18 April 1864 -1 pg
864DAC: Danish Fortress Artillery, Duppel, 18 April 1864 -1 pg
864EAA: Danish Order of Battle, May 1864 - 2 pgs
864EAB: Danish Forces, Distribution, May 1864 - 2 pgs
864FAA: Danish Forces, Distribution, 26 June 1864 - 2 pgs

Boardgames

Pacific Rim Publishing, PO Box 23651, Oakland, CA 94623. E-mail: orders@justplain.com. Web site: http://www.justplain.com/

For you boardgamers out there, here is a game that covers all the European wars of the mid-19th Century:

BLOOD & IRON: BISMARCK'S WARS FOR EMPIRE. Design by Michael Bennighof. Not just a battle or 2, but 5 entire wars: 1859 Risorgimento, 1864 German-Danish War, 1866 Austro-Prussian War, 1866 Austro-Italian War, 1870 Franco-Prussian War. Corps-Division-Brigade Scale. Game system shows the effects of leadership on combat. Scenarios have several What-If? possibilities. 600 counters, 2 maps that spread to 33 x 34 inches, 24 pages of rules, 8 organizational charts. $40.00