UPDATE.

This is my first post for quite some time. As mentioned before we are in the middle of a major house upgrade including new kitchen and three new bathrooms. Work is progressing well but it is rather chaotic.The kitchen is almost done, just the floor to go and likewise the cloakroom. However the main bathroom and en suite are a shambles. The novelty of eating out every day has now passed and we look forward to getting back to normal. Even the cat has had enough !!!!! It will be nice when its all done but we have at least another two weeks still to go.

Also this is my first post since Blogger switched to a new format. I am finding it hard to navigate. I guess its just a matter of getting used to it but its irritating to struggle even to find the Label settings !!!!

I have had no time for modelling for a couple of weeks now so nothing to report on that front. As for blogging again little time to write anything. I have a couple of book reviews drafted and will publish them over the next week or so but the next IMAGI-NATIONS chapter will have to wait a bit. Before our work started I did manage to set up another battle photo shoot with an infantry battalion and a command battalion together with elements of a QM battalion and a medical battalion. Its a large setting on a 4 by 2 board with several hundred soldiers. It took hours to set up and put away but I think it was well worth while. I will try to draft the article up and publish over the next couple of weeks.

BOOK REVIEW: HORSES OF THE GERMAN ARMY IN WORLD WAR TWO.

This book is a revised and updated version of a US army sponsored study by ex Wehrmacht officers of their experiences in the war. The book is one of a number of studies sponsored by Allied governments to capture the German army's lessons learned for possible future use as the Cold War intensified. It is believed to be the most exhaustive study on the use of horses during the War.

The early parts of the book deal with issues such as types of horses, training, remounts, veterinary and the employment of horses. The rest of the book covers actual operations and includes a fantastic set of photographs of horses on the battlefield.

If you are interested in the German army's use of horses and horse drawn vehicles this is a great place to start and is highly recommended.

IMAGI-NATIONS: PART 26.

THE EARLY BATTLES WITH THE GERMANS IN THE WAR FOR THE FEDERATION.

In June 1875 in the central part of the Federation UNION cavalry brigades of 4th and 7th armies moved as fast as possible north in an effort to reach and cut the German railway from Seattle to Boston. The regiments soon outran their supporting battalions. Although wild game and abundant grass furnished adequate supplies for men and horses it soon became clear that combat operations would be curtailed by the limited amounts of ammunition available in regimental wagons. Early in July after marching 1500 miles, the regiments finally cut the railway. Immediately operations to destroy track were started and ambushes set up to intercept trains. Two days later on 9th July two German supply trains were attacked and destroyed over a ten mile stretch of track. The cavalry then moved west to intercept more trains. On 11th July the cavalry were in position to attack trains again. It was apparent that German trains were moving in tandem every two days. However as the expected trains appeared and started taking fire a fusillade of return fire hit the UNION cavalry. These trains were heavily guarded. After a short but intense battle the German train guards were destroyed along with the trains. However, UNION ammunition was now almost exhausted. The UNION cavalry began the long trek back to try to rendezvous with their supply columns.

Further to the east in Boston the commander of the 1st army cavalry brigade was instructed on 9th June to leave Boston and march east to intercept the German forces detraining at their railhead and disrupt and delay their advance on Boston. On 21 June the cavalry located the German railheads. They found that the Germans had not started the advance to Boston and seemed to be concentrating on stock piling supplies and advancing the railhead which was moving east at two miles a day. Large numbers of soldiers were assisting with the construction effort. The UNION cavalry commander immediately ordered a heavy bombardment of the railhead by his horse artillery. After only 30 minutes the UNION cavalry withdrew leaving the Germans in chaos. Fires were burning in piles of supplies and  railway wagons and wounded soldiers and construction workers were strewn everywhere. The attack was a total surprise. Over the next days the UNION cavalry launched further hit and run attacks . UNION casualties were small, only 7 wounded. However UNION ammunition supplies were now virtually exhausted so there was little left to do but for the cavalry to fall back and monitor German activities. On 27th June news arrived that the cavalry supply columns had finally arrived in Boston. The UNION cavalry commander now sent his regiments back in pairs to resupply.

In Germany and among her generals a grave sense of alarm had developed in late  June and early July. Hard on the news of UNION cavalry attacking the railway in the wilderness of the Federation had come news of the repeated defeat , retreat and surrender of the French. Now came news of UNION attacks on the railhead west of Boston. Added to this bad news was the certain knowledge that UNION forces must be moving north towards Boston as well as moving north towards Seattle and the German border. It was clear that German strategy had failed. The immediate priority now was to safeguard the German border with the Federation and protect the German communities  in and around Seattle. Huge efforts were now made to repair the damage to the railway to Boston and instructions were issued for the German forces before Boston to withdraw urgently to protect Seattle. In the meantime an army of 100,000 men were instructed to leave Germany to take up positions along the border with the Federation and move south east to meet and defeat any UNION advance from the south.

UNION commanders received the news that German forces were withdrawing from the Boston area with great relief. The 1st and 6th armies had still not reached Boston at that time. Construction of the railway to that town continued but the difficulties of campaigning in such a vast country without railways had become very obvious. The same problems were also being experienced by 4th, 7th and 2nd armies moving north towards Seattle and the German border. It was decided that those armies would limit their advance to only 150 miles beyond railhead, it being deemed unwise to meet German forces well supplied from the railway between Germany and Seattle with UNION troops at the end of an excessively  long wagon based supply line.

By early September the situation was that German forces some 65,000 strong in the centre of the Federation had been withdrawn to Seattle having destroyed the railway as they retreated. They were now in defensive positions to the south of the city. Other German forces numbering 100,000 had taken up defensive positions facing south west about 150 miles inside the Federation roughly parallel with the border. In addition another German force of 100,000 had been mobilised and stood in reserve just inside the German border in an area known as the Rhineland near the city of Cologne. The UNION 1st and 6th armies were now in Boston, although still without a railway link to Lincoln. A few of their cavalry formations had followed the retreating Germans west. In the south west of the Federation, the UNION 4th, 7th and 2nd armies had moved north west and were now only 100 miles from the German positions which were under UNION cavalry observation. The scene was set for a confrontation.

UPDATE.

As mentioned in my last update I have been very busy with domestic chores the past few weeks. I have completed the decorating and other preparations for our new kitchen and bathrooms, the installation of which starts next Monday and will last 3-4 weeks. During that time I will try to post articles but the frequency may be sporadic.

In the time since my last update I have only enjoyed a few odd hours of modelling time so the work on the infantry battalion and the batch of limbers continues while no progress at all has been made with the cavalry upgrade.

Readers will be aware that I am almost at the end of construction of the last of my three armies. I have commented a number of times on how and where I may be able to build another display unit to enable me to continue with a fourth army and therefore maintain my hobby. Although that conversation continues with my wife it occurred to me that having only 3000 screws left in stock I should first determine if I can actually get any more screws. Its a bit of a chicken and egg situation actually, no need for another display unit if I can not get anymore screws.

The screws I use are old fashioned slotted countersunk and have been out of production in the UK for many years. The last purchase I made some 4 years ago was of a box of old rusty screws found for me by a contact in the trade. He has now retired so I thought I would make some enquiries. Over the past month I have been sending out e mails to literally dozens of potential suppliers seeking these screws or even someone who could make some. Regretfully I have had no luck whatsoever. Either the quantity I require, 20,000, is not enough to warrant production or there is just no more stock left.

I had almost given up as even my enquiries to China, where they still make them. did not yield any progress. I did however find a company who specialise in supplying small quantities of old screws for restoration projects. The prices were very high however in desperation I sent an e mail. To my surprise I was asked to call them and having done so found they had a very large stock of my screws and were happy to give me a reasonable price for the quantities I needed. The upshot is that I have purchased almost all of their stock and yesterday I received three parcels containing some 36,000 screws !!!!!!! Two thirds are zinc plated and will need treatment to remove the zinc ( see my post on screws under LABELS ) but the other third are self coloured and in perfect condition. I am quite sure this was the last bulk supply of these screws in the UK hence why I decided to buy them all.

So now, thanks to Tony at The Vintage Screw Company, I have enough screws to build two more armies which should keep me going for up to 8-10 years !!!!!! I am so pleased that my hobby can  continue, all I have to do now is persuade my wife to let me build two new display units although quite where they will go is still unclear. !!!!!!

This is what 180 boxes of half inch number 6 screws looks like, better than Christmas to me even if I almost had a hernia carrying them upstairs to the modelling room !!!!!!!!!!!!