"Mary Gammage of Rose Miniatures, says her firm charges extra postage for overseas to cover the cost of filing customs forms for VAT inspectors - fair enough, not having dealt with Rose Miniatures I cannot comment. However, I have never received an order with the VAT deducted, so who is keeping the cash saved on VAT? I suspect it is purely a case of laziness, because there are re1atively few of us in the Forces Overseas, we lumped with the normal overseas customer.
I am also finding it difficult to find an Airfix dealer who can meet my rather substantial orders for Napoleonics, fully or in a reasonable time, i.e. usually two months. So any stockist who thinks he can deal with the problem let me know. Our Club is a dozen strong and looks like growing, thanks to a fellow subscriber to your magazine, John Watt and his fine collection."
"These latest issues of the Newsletter are magnificent. I hope I have induced another Englishman to subscribe - his name is Sydney Daniels and he works for our London firm. I am going to subscribe to a fascinating magazine published by Interavia in Switzerland called International Defense Review. It contains the latest in tactics and arms of Nato, U.S. and U.S.S.R. armies.
Soon I hope to send you an account of the Battle of Pharsalus as a wargame."
"I enclose a few thoughts on a couple of books that I have read recently that may be of interest to your subscribers.
The Peninsula War : R.Parkinson. Part of a series entitled the "British at War", the general editor is Ludovic Kennedy. This volume has the limited aim of providing a general view of the Peninsular War and does so very successfully. For detailed information the longer and more specialised books will be required but anyone who seeks a general-introduction to the War will find this book useful. It gives a concise but detailed chronological account, especially in its many references to contemporary letters and journals. It presents many of the forgotten aspects of the War, its 'horror, excitement and drudgery and rightly cites it as the first guerilla war. The text is supplemented by many drawings, paintings and maps which complement the beautifully lucid text.
In perspective, this book is recommended to the novice whose knowledge is limited to his school history lessons. He should read it and then venture onto the more learned books. "The Peninsula War" is an admirable book because it presents, simply and lucidly, the battles, the conditions and above all the personalities that are so interesting and essential to the wargamer.
Napoleon's Peninsula Marshals : R.Humble. On a subject that has been sadly neglected as the topic for a single book, this must be a very welcome addition both to the military historian's and the wargamer's libraries. Before its advent, information had to be hunted out in various longer works on the War as a whole.
This-book considers each of the Marshals who fought in Spain, after a general introduction that considers the Napoleonic Wars and the making of the Marshals themselves. With this as a background, it is very easy to understand them as individuals and-to see the reasons for their failure to subdue Spain and Portugal, although the Marshals were one of the reasons why Napoleon had such a strangle.hold on Europe for so many years.
The book takes the War and sub-divides it into various parts e.g. Torres Vedras, Ciudad Rodrigo from Badajoz to Salamanca. The Marshals emerge as individuals falling roughly into two categories, the incompetent such as Jourdan, and the geniuses - Soult, Ney and Massena. In the valuable final chapter Mr. Humble makes a judgement on each of them; obviously Napoleon himself did not understand 'the Spanish Ulcer', complicated by the well-meaning but embarassing presence of his brother Joseph. The further reading list is good, giving some very useful hints about other books that are available on the subject."
"Having just finished reading the December issue of Wargamer's Newsletter I thought I would take this opportunity of saying that it was for me a very good issue. I particularly liked the article by Pete and Dave Perkins on the Russian Artillery System of 1805, an article I found both interesting and useful. The Skirmish Line, though not my own particular period is nevertheless drawing me more towards it. The Johnsons Crossing certainly sparked off something. Although unable to take part in any way at the recent Nottingham Wargames Association I was very grateful for the results that were published. Belonging to the Manchester Area Wargames Society I noticed we had 2 Runners Up, in Ancients Chris Tolfalos and in ACW Pete Stansfield. Well done boys and indeed congratulations to all those mentioned. Convention reports are a boon for those of us less fortunate and not able to attend. Many thanks for yet another good issue."
"I find your magazine resembles a table tennis game! It is full of arguments, statements and counter-statements and protests. I agree with 14 year old A. Brammal of New Malden when he feels the same as I do about it."
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© Copyright 1975 by Donald Featherstone.
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