You Write to Us "Here once again is my subscription for another year. I don't know how long I have been taking the Newsletter, but I would honestly not be without it. I reckon quite definitely that it is the best wargaming publication published, and I've seen most of them! Keep its name intact, Don, and keep the same 'mixture', it's a winner. By the way, I think you are right on rules too. Some fellows take 20 minutes per move, and I still reckon the Old Guard could beat them, given an umpire." Peter Woolacott of Middlesex. "It is fantastic the way the hobby has changed in three years from a sort of "cottage industry" into a highly commercial and international pastime. In those day's, 30mm was the "in" rule with Airfix the only real manufacturer of 20mm with Scruby I suppose the only exception in any quantity, but of course being based in the States really priced out the market in this country. If I recall correctly Hinton Hunt figures in 25mm were just making an appearance, what a variety of makers have developed now. Enough waffle for now. I hope this letter finds you in better spirits than some of your editorials have seemed to reflect in recent months. One last thing, change the name of the "Wargamer's Newsletter"? NEVER! That's heresy." John Cook of Ersom Downs. "I think I am one of your original subscribers, and I certainly compliment you on keeping the newsletter going. ."hen I think of all the similar publications which have risen and fallen during the same time, yours is a remarkable achievement. Furthermore, it is just as good as, or better, than ever." Charles A. Sweet of Connecticut, USA "Wargaming is thriving here. I get some 20 people at the twice-monthly sessions in my basement, which is just about the limit. The Seattle wargamers were up here January 8th- 9th and they won both games, Napoleonic and Colonial. They were admittedly more experienced at the Napoleonic, but in the Colonial contest the loss of three melees during the closing moves of the game wrapped it up for the visitors. In this game both sides were quite evenly matched. I umpired this one so know exactly what happened. We are set to visit Seattle in a return engagement at the end of May. It will be tough to beat them there using their rules. At that time the combination will be Napoleonic and Ancients. The London Research Ancient Rules will probably be used. Both Seattle and Vancouver has sent away for these regulations. The visit of the Americans provided quite an interesting weekend. On the Saturday afternoon had quite a far-ranging discussion on Napoleonic period in which they have had a lot of experience. We are just starting to get into it here. In addition to the two official games on the Sunday afternoon, two pickup games were also played! Microarmour put on by the North Vancouver Group, and a A.C.W. contest by the South Burnaby group. All told 50 people were present including several "first time" spectators." Jack Hutchings of Burnaby, B.C. "Enclosed is a cheque for one year's subscription to 'dargamer's Newsletter, December '71 to November '72. The Newsletter is fantastic in the amount of material to suit all wargamers' interests. When studies don't allow time for modelling and painting or a battle I thoroughly enjoy an hour or half-hour reading past copies. Napoleonics are my "sphere", and of course I use Airfix figures. It is pitiful that no metal-soldier manufacturers have interests in Australia. I follow some of Mike Lockyer's conversion tips but have a lot of trouble hardening plasticine additions - nail polish not seeming to work. Thank you for your never-failing contributions to the hobby." Mary Coupland of Sydney, Australia "I have been reading recently an absorbing series on the War in Russia 1941-45 as seen through German eyes. They are in German and being written by staff officers who served in various headquarters are highly factual with relatively little of the so-called human interest angle, Consequently they will never be translated into English. Fortunately they are written in a fairly simple style and should not provide too many difficulties for anyone having O-level German and a really first class dictionary. Some of the books are pictorial records and the captions are fairly easily sorted out." John Risdon "Here is a book which may be of interest - "L'Armee et Ses Problemes XVIIIe Siecle" by Leonard published by Librairie Plor. This is a general discussion of the 18th century Frencb army from Louis XIV to the early 1790's. Not a "technical" book but it is interesting for general aspects and the amount of quotations from original works. There are numbers of interesting little bits and pieces, for instance that the army of the 1780's, with less than 150,000 men included 35,000 officers of which less than 10,000 actually served. Also a part on the emigre army which is interesting. There were two Emigre armies, one under Conde at Worms and the other under the Princes at Coblenze. The latter being a much less military sort of affair, most of its time being spent on parade detail apparently. Some uniform details are Given e.g. 'The Guards of the Comte d'Artois "Etaient Revetus d'un Charmant Uniforme Vert aux Parements et au Collet Cramoisi, Galonnes d1argent, avec les epaulettes de Capitaine". The "army" was further hampered by such men as the Marquis de Polignac, a colonel at 73. The 'Quartier general" for what must have been a small army numbered about 4 or 500 officers. Conde's army was very small, only about 4 or 6,000 men of all arms and composed mainly of nobles or titled men of some sort, even the rank and file. His 11 guns were highly praised for their efficiency. Finally, it is interesting to see that at Jemmappes the Fifth line, formerly Navarre, went into action shouting "Navarre sans peur." Similarly the seventeenth, formerly Auvergne, charged to the shout of "Toujours, Auvergna sans tache!" This from a Revulutionary army." John Turnbull. "Rather than trying to get full scale wargames going here in Exeter, I am aiming to try some limited 54mm games with the Bristol Western Gunfight Rules. Lack of space and time dictates this. The games will be an extension of my general interest in the mid-eighteenth century - Spanish Colonial fighting in Arizona/Texas/Florida -- it's something different, and should provide good amusement. Chris Beaumont of Exeter. "I must take exception to D.S. Clark's comments on "Anglophilia in the "Counsels of War" column in Number 118. The British fighting man has historically proved himself to be superior - without benefit of a Wellington to hide him from enemy fire. Mr. Clark uses the example of Waterloo, where the British "where Wellington had to be bailed out by Blucher and his levies", pointing out that the "despised Belgians and Hanoverians .... could stand in line." I suggest that the former circumstance was due to relative numbers and the second due to the stiffening effect of the British regulars. The historical record of the Crimean War, for instance, underlines the falacy of Mr. Clark's assertions. Regardless of command ability, the morale of English-British troops should be higher, on the average, than their opponents. (Yes, I admit to being somewhat of an Anglophile). Gary Gygax of Indiana, USA Back to Table of Contents -- Wargamer's Newsletter # 121 To Wargamer's Newsletter List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1972 by Donald Featherstone. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com