Now, I must admit I don’t wargame any of the complex and continuing conflicts in Afghanistan, believing firmly in the precept of Lord Roberts of Khandahar that we should ‘leave the place well alone’; but I know that many gamers do find this barren rocky battleground attractive. My new list from Frank Cass & Co, brings mention of a recent volume commissioned by the US Marine Corps, which may well prove extremely useful to the ‘guerrilla’s’ among you.
The Other Side of The Mountain: Mujahideen Tactics in the Soviet-Afghan War, written by Au Ahmad Jalali & Lester Grau . ISBN 0-7146-8249-7) Published Frank Cass & Co, London & Portland, Oregon. 2002 priced at £18.50! $26.50 US (no price in Euros stated) paperback, 450 pages.
The book is a companion to the earlier and well-known volume The Bear Went Over the Mountain which deals with Soviet tactics in the war and I dare say that one or two military minds are reading both books over their cocoa these days.
The new issue of “History Today” (Vol.53, no. 1 January 2003) contains an article by David Chandler-pages 28-30, which will interest most wargamers. This is because it deals with ‘Generalship’ and considers the careers of one or two contemporary warriors, Colin Powell (who saw remarkably little active service) and Michael Carver amongst others. Particularly interesting and useful on the tabletop, gentlemen, is Powell’s “13 points determining Good Generalship”. Ah, if only I’d applied his rule that ‘perpetual optimism is a force multiplier’ the last time I fought Shiloh!
A Book of 19th Century Wargames Scenarios
At last I’ve found it! Mind you those ‘Solo Wargamers’ who are also members of the VMS, CWS, CRS and all the other 19th century wargames mobs will probably have a copy already. Mine I have to say was picked up as a remainder in a branch of “The Works” for £3.99, a bargain indeed, but the full price is £16.99.
Ian Knight’s Marching to the Drums was originally published in 1999, by Greenhill Books (ISBN 1-85367-237-8) and is a comprehensive and readable 280 page guide to a fair number of 19th Century colonial conflicts involving the British army (and navy!). The Crimea, including the storming of the Redan, begins the book and a lengthy chapter offers a large number of Indian and Afghan scenarios for the wargamer, from the Kabul Massacre of 1841 to the defence of the Lucknow Residency during the Mutiny and the Disaster at Maiwand. There is enough detail in each account to transfer ideas to the tabletop. Ian Knight goes on to deal with the storming of the Taku Forts, the still little considered Abyssinian War of 1868, Rangoon and the Irrawaddy Campaign and the Maori wars (something I’m considering since I acquired a force of MY Miniatures 15mm Maori warriors).
Unfortunately he deals with Egypt and the Sudan too quickly for my taste, and the crushing of the Dervishes deserves a better account. I’m largely a skirmish and naval wargamer at heart and so the immense armies of the Mahdi don’t really appeal to me-the Nile Gunboats are nice though! The book ends with the long wars in South Africa, and perhaps I’ll get down my ancient Airfix converted Zulus (from Indians) and my Redcoats and Boers from can you remember, Airfix WWI German Infantry, and have a bash at Rorke’s Drift again. The final war reported is the second Boer War, aptly referred to as ‘chasing a phantom army” which is exactly what it was. It’s nearly 30 years since I acquired a small Boer Commando in 15mm from the old Peter Laing’ range, but for the lone warrior this war is particularly suitable I think. This is an interesting book, especially for the time line it provides the newer wargamer and I enjoyed it. There are some 30 illustrations and photos (though many will be familiar) and 7 good maps though the “Select Bibliography” (what a pity it had to be ‘select’) provides few surprises.
Magazines
The question of publications is always of interest to wargamers. As an “OstFront” modeller and wargamer, I couldn’t do without “The Journal of Slavic Military Studies” for example and as a naval wargamer for the last 35 years, I still find “Navy News” comes up with delightful material and useful information. “Navy News” is published monthly at £1 .20 and you can pick it off the shelves in W.H.Smith’s or if you live near a Royal Navy recruiting office, drop in and ask for one.
Take the November 2002 issue, it has a full colour A2 cut away poster of HMS Fearless, which has just paid off after 35 years of service; extremely useful for any Cold War gamer and modeller. The monthly has a similar colour poster about four times a year, HMS Cavalier - the WWII destroyer, WWI ‘E’ class subs and the new HMS Ocean have all received the poster treatment in recent issues. This particular issue has another lengthy article which many of us will find valuable, its an assessment of the highly controversial SA8O A2 rifle and it makes interesting reading. Don’t miss it. The “Navy News” web site is www.navynews.co.uk
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