BOOK REVIEW: STUG 111 BRIGADE 191

THE BUFFALO BRIGADE.

In action in the Balkans, Greece and from Moscow to Kursk and Sevastopol.

 

This is a new purchase from The Works and relates the history of the "Buffalo Brigade" of Stug 111 assault guns from formation in 1940 until the end of the war. It is written,  like similar books, by an NCO of the Brigade with contributions from other veterans.

I have always been an admirer of the Stug 111 assault gun, I have liked the lines of the vehicle ever since building the Airfix kit many moons ago. The book gives an excellent battle history  and describes, as usual in such unit histories, the desperate fighting on the Eastern front. This unit never fought in the West.

However the best thing about this book are the huge number of never before published photos which really tell the story of  day to day life in the brigade and include terrific details of the unit's equipment and supporting vehicles. It is a treasure trove of information for those interested in German armour in WW2.

An interesting fact that I have found in similar books again comes across clearly which is that this unit never seemed to suffer from supply shortages until the very last few days of the war. Somehow or other the supply of fuel and ammunition and even replacement vehicles was maintained till the end. 

Highly recommended for fans of German armour and assault guns in particular.

ORGANISATION OF THE ARMY.

BASIC PRINCIPLES OF BATTALION ORGANISATION.

There are a number of basic principles that apply to the organisation of all types of battalion in my army as follows:

1. Battalions having all soldiers horsed such as Cavalry and Horse Artillery are called regiments rather than battalions but the basic structures are identical.

2. Each battalion is autonomous and capable of independent operations and has vehicles and equipment accordingly.

3. Each battalion consists of operational companies and a headquarters company which includes platoons of all the necessary supporting services.

4. Battalions are commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel supported by a Battalion Sergeant Major with a Major as adjutant and second in command. The Major also commands the headquarters company.

5. The Lieutenant Colonel, Sergeant Major and Major are all members of the arm of service applicable to the battalion. The only exception is for Medical battalions where  command is exercised by Staff officers.

6. Captains command companies/batteries with a Company Sergeant Major as assistant. Lieutenants command platoons. Sergeants are usually posted on the basis of one for every 12 or so privates. Corporals are posted on the basis of one for every six privates. The only exceptions are in specialist units like Medical, Workshop and Veterinary companies where the ratio of NCOs is usually higher.

7. Medical personnel are allocated on the basis of potential for casualties. Therefore non combat battalions have a smaller complement with a single doctor whereas Infantry battalions have two doctors and sufficient medics to staff both a battalion aid post and give each combat company a dedicated medic.

8. Quartermaster personnel are allocated on the basis of two privates for each wagon, limber or heavy trailer. Quartermaster personnel are responsible for vehicles, driving and welfare of horses, all classes of Battalion supplies with the NCOs doing the cooking on the field kitchen.

9. Staff troops are provided to give  expert resource for battalion administration and are allocated on the basis of the potential amount of administrative work in each particular battalion type. For example Quartermaster and Medical battalions have significantly more Staff troops than Infantry or Artillery battalions.

10. Signals personnel are provided on the basis of potential communications needs. Non combat support battalions therefore tend to have a higher complement than combat units.

11. All battalions have field kitchens and water trailers and, other than Medical battalions, a medical supply trailer. Combat battalions also have light signals trailers.  Non combat support battalions have signals wagons and/or heavy trailers reflecting the heavier communications demand.

12. All battalions have two standard bearers carrying a national flag and the unique battalion flag under the command of the battalion Sergeant Major who also commands the Staff platoon in  combat battalions.

BOOK REVIEW: OF LIVING VALOUR.

 The Story Of The Soldiers Of Waterloo.

This is a book from my library. Basically the book relates the battle of Waterloo with extracts from soldiers letters, diaries and journals used to illustrate each element of the fighting from the soldiers perspective.

Those  familiar with Mercer's Journal will see a number of passages from his book among others. However the bulk of the references are made from unpublished letters or diaries. As the writer explains, by the time of Waterloo there were a significantly larger number of literate common soldiers than only 20 years earlier. As a result there are vast numbers of soldiers letters from this period as yet unpublished but often quoted from here for the first time.

The resulting book gives a fresh view of the battle and certainly conveys what it was like to actually participate. Some of the descriptions are certainly not for the faint hearted but of course "tell it like it was".

A good read and recommended if you want a "down in the mud" description of this historic battle.

UPDATE.

 A belated Happy New Year to all. 

The past couple of weeks seem to have been busy with domestic things so I have not enjoyed a great deal of modelling time. However the first battalion of infantry for my new fourth army has been completed.

No vehicles or equipment yet, these will follow over time, just 407 soldiers. I also managed to complete a small batch of GS wagons and light GS trailers for existing Heavy Artillery battalions as an upgrade and these have been issued. I am now working on a larger batch of 36 GS wagons for general issue to the new army.

These can be seen on the workstation above. The bodies have been made and the next step will be fitting the shafts which can be seen on the right next to the tube of glue. After that, wheels, towing hooks and horse mounting blocks will be fitted. Also to be seen are my production lists. The pink sheets list vehicles and equipment to be made and the white sheets detail the "soldier" needs for each type of battalion.

The above photo is the first I have taken with my new smartphone which is supposed to have a superior camera to my wife's phone which I have used till now. My old phone was "clockwork" being at least 15 years old and camera-less !!!! I finally decided to upgrade. However my stubby old fingers are finding it harder to accurately tap the keyboard screen rather than the buttons on the old phone. The new phone seems to do everything imaginable including the washing up but I expect it will take me years to fully understand the thing....progress ????

Regular readers will be aware that Archduke Piccolo is coming close to the final battle of his wargame campaign based on my Imagi-Nations. If you have not read his blog posts you are missing out seriously. I  commend his blog to everyone. 

BOOK REVIEW. THE LINE OF COMMUNICATION.

 This book is from my library and is a reproduction of a volume originally published in 1883 by George Armand Furse, an officer of the Black Watch who was a prolific author of books on logistics.

Furse was, for his time, unusual in that he believed officers should be studying the science of war. This view was enhanced by the , at the time, recent Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71. The "new" Prussian army had totally outclassed the French and many "thinking" officers looked to learn the lessons of why the Prussians had been so successful. The organisation of the Prussian supply services was seen at the time as a great leap forward and worthy of application to other armies.

Furse well understood that Britain's wars at the time were overseas, generally against primitive locals and conducted on a much smaller scale than European wars. However he clearly believed there were still lessons to be learned. The book discusses the Prussian model of logistics but set in a British scenario whereby the "base" would be provided by the Royal Navy. The composition of the base, lines of communications and the supply services are covered in great detail and even the question of procurement of local foodstuffs and horses is discussed in depth.

Overall an excellent book if you are interested in the state of the art thinking about logistics in the British army of 1883.

ORGANISATION OF THE ARMY.

The basic tactical unit of my armies is the battalion. Each battalion is a self supporting unit capable of independent operations and includes such functions as medical, administrative, quartermaster, and signals troops and equipment. There are a number of different battalion types including, Infantry, Field Artillery, Heavy Artillery, Pioneer, Quartermaster, Medical, Field Police, Heavy Weapons, Quartermaster Transport and Command together with Cavalry and Horse Artillery regiments.

The basic structure of a battalion comprises a number of operational companies under the control of a headquarters company. Each company is composed of a number of platoons. As examples, an Infantry battalion has 6 combat companies each with three platoons, a Heavy Weapons company of two platoons and a headquarters company which includes medical, signals , quartermaster and staff platoons. A Quartermaster battalion has two transport companies, each with two platoons, a veterinary company and a workshop company, each with  three platoons and a command company again comprising medical, signals, staff and battalion quartermaster platoons. Battalions vary in size from 131 soldiers for a Horse Artillery regiment to 407 soldiers for an Infantry battalion.

These battalions are organised into what I call brigades but which are the equal of divisions in other armies. I currently have three brigade types, Infantry, Cavalry and Army Command.

An Infantry brigade comprises a Command battalion, 6 Infantry battalions, 3 Field Artillery battalions, one battalion each of Pioneers, Medical and Quartermaster. A Cavalry brigade comprises 6 Cavalry regiments, two Horse Artillery regiments,  Quartermaster and Command battalions . An Army Command brigade, under the direct control of the Army Command battalion, consists of a Field Police battalion, a Heavy Weapons battalion, four Heavy Artillery battalions, a Quartermaster battalion and a Quartermaster Transport battalion. These battalions are used to support the army generally or operations by specific brigades as needed. The exact composition of any brigade can be varied to suit particular mission requirements just by plugging in or out battalions.

Brigades are grouped into armies. Each army has an Army Command battalion, Army Command brigade, four Infantry brigades and a Cavalry brigade with a total of 72 battalions.

I have four display units and each houses one army. Three armies are complete and the fourth is now in course of construction. The strength of each army is a little over 20,000 which with the addition of  Army Group troops gives a total Army Group target strength of just over 82,000.

My references for the organisation of my armies  include the US army of both the Civil war and Vietnam eras both of which were generally battalion based and grouped into brigades. I have also been influenced to some degree by the organisation of the original BEF of 1914.