UPDATE.

 A month or so after my last update and, I am pleased to say, not having been reduced to  radioactive dust, well not yet anyway,  I thought it about time I gave an update on my activities in the world of the Woodscrew Miniature Army.

Since starting construction of my fourth army I have now completed the soldiers of two infantry battalions, two field artillery battalions and a quartermaster battalion. A third infantry battalion is almost complete and shown below. All that is required is the final coat of varnish to enable these troops to join the colours.

On the vehicle and equipment side of things, I have built and painted 30 light signals trailers, 30 caissons and 36 GS wagons . I have almost completed a further batch of 30 GS wagons as shown below. These only require painting of the wheels before issuing to units.

I have also just started construction on a batch of 30 limbers. As seen below so far all I have done is cut the bodies and glued on the shafts. The next steps will be adding wheels etc.

Those readers who have followed my Imagi-Nations stories will be aware that it has been many months since I  have published any articles on this subject. You will also be aware that Archduke Piccolo wargamed a fantastic campaign based on my posts and I had decided to hold off posting any more till he had completed his excellent series of battle reports. Well of course it has been some time since that happened and I been struggling to write anything. This is because the outcome of Ion's campaign did not reflect my preconceived expectations and I have struggled to find a way of continuing the narrative in a way agreeable to me, (its my Imagi -Nation after all !!!!), and yet still incorporate Ion's superb campaign with its unexpected outcomes.

Well at last I think I have managed to draft something that does justice to Ion's excellent battles yet enables my narrative to continue along the path my imagination demands. I will review the draft over the coming days before publishing at the end of the week unless of course in the meantime Putin decides to take us all with him on the road to oblivion. 

 On which matter I see yet another Russian general has bitten the dust making seven lost so far while trying to rally the troops. Such losses must be unprecedented and makes me wonder if they should become a factor in any post 1945 European theater wargame ????

CONSTRUCTING CAVALRY.

HOW I BUILD MY CAVALRYMEN.

 I thought it may be of interest to explain the background to how I first designed mounted troops for my armies before detailing the actual construction methods.

On the matter of cavalry, the original Miniature Warfare magazine article on which my armies are based, proposed the use of a larger size of screw for cavalry. I never liked that idea at all. I already had a horse pulling vehicles so could not reconcile myself to not using that horse in some way for cavalry too. The issue was how ???

 To marry up a screw and a flat plastic card horse into a realistic cavalryman eluded me for many years. The obvious answer was to deepen the slot in the screw so it could sit on the horse but then the horse would fall over, so how to provide the stability needed ??? Than one day while doing some tiling I looked a little more closely at the tile spacers.....was this a pair of legs ???

After some experimentation I found that by cutting the spacer up I could indeed create a pair of legs, drilling a hole through a horse and fitting the legs provided a stable platform for a screw with a deepened slot to ride the horse.....hey presto a cavalryman !!!

I realize that a horse with only two legs sounds weird but  of course it is no stranger than either using a screw as a soldier  or indeed having a flat horse. The fact is it looks good and like virtually everything else in my army, it's a representation of the real thing rather than an accurate scale model. Anyway at this point in time my cavalry and horse artillery regiments have over 2100 mounted soldiers with an additional 700 on the way as I build my fourth army. 

I will now detail the actual construction method itself which I must warn is hard and time consuming. 

The starting point is a 2mm tile spacer. This is cut up to give a pair of legs.

Above is the before and after photo. Please note the flat cut at the top of the leg joint. The next step is to take  a standard horse and  drill a 2mm hole in the horse in line with the neck and about halfway down. Into this I force the legs. This is where the square cut comes in useful as it provides for accurate centring of the legs. I find that the square profile legs are a tight fit and usually require some force to get through the round hole. Be careful to cut off any flash on the legs before assembly otherwise you will not be able to force the legs through the hole.

The above photo gives two views of the assembled cavalry horse. The joint is covered with plastic modelling glue. The only time I use this smelly stuff I am pleased to say. I use  Revell glue simply because the long spout makes it easy to drip the glue into position accurately. I do find however that the glue can melt the plastic into holes sometimes so I usually drip some more glue onto the joints next day to be sure of a solid bond and good painting surface. 

The next step is the preparation of the screw soldier. Yet again this is a tedious job so I tend to cut 15 or so then do something else for a hour or two then go back and do some more until the required number are done. Basically the work involves cutting with a hacksaw into the slot on the screw head to make it deeper so it will sit on the horse. Interestingly the hacksaw cuts are the same thickness as the plastic card used for the horse. 

I long ago found that holding the screw in a vice damages the thread so now I screw the screw into a block of oak which is fixed in the vice. Using oak means I can cut at least ten screws using the same hole. You will soon know when a new hole is needed. My cavalry regiments have 109 mounted soldiers so the ten  or so holes needed use only a small area of the oak block. Every now and again I just saw the used bit off the block to enable a fresh start.

The above photo shows the cut screw. The depth of cut needs to be just less than the head and shank in total. The next job is to file both sides of the cut to remove any swarf, again tedious but essential. The penultimate task is to sit the screw on the horse. When the screw is sitting comfortably I use pliers to squeeze the cut end of the screw together as hard as possible, you will know you have got it right if the screw does not move.

The final task is to make sure the assembled cavalryman sits straight and level. Given the variations implicit in the manufacturing process it is almost inevitable that some adjustments will be necessary. It is trial and error to trim carefully either the length of one or both legs or trim a very small sliver off the bottom of the horse to achieve a good result. Don't rush this bit of work, it makes a lot of difference to the appearance and stability of the finished model. Don't get carried away either or you will end up with a Shetland Pony instead of a horse !!!

Finally, and after a great deal of work, you have a cavalryman ready for painting.....and he looks great !!!

BOOK REVIEW: FOR QUEEN AND COUNTRY.

 

Another book from my library which I picked up second hand some years ago. Originally published in 1981 it describes the British Army of the Victorian/Edwardian era. 

I can do no better than quote from the introduction in outlining the contents; "a profile of the army as it existed prior to the Great War, its attitudes, customs, pleasures, way of life, its character and its mannerisms, its opinions and prejudices."

This book is not a history or a campaign narrative but focuses on the day to day existence of the army as a "social institution prepared for every emergency except that of war." Apart from a fascinating content also included is a complete list of every regiment giving its original number and later post-Cardwell title in order of precedence, a very useful reference.

Unlike other such works on the British Army, this one really does illustrate life as it was for both officers and men. Subjects addressed include the regimental system, origins of officers and men, discipline, education and training, reforms, dependants and the rewards of soldering. Other interesting chapters cover the unique relationship between men and officers and the origins of the many strange customs and characteristics of some regiments.

Overall a very interesting and illuminating book that vividly illustrates the "small, odd, rather absurd British Army" and as such is highly recommended.

RANK AND ARM OF SERVICE INSIGNIA.

RANK INSIGNIA.

Readers may have noticed on previous photos that there are coloured stripes on the shank (between the thread and head) of some screws. These colours indicate the rank of the individual. Privates have no insignia. The rank colour combinations are based on four colours, silver, red, white and gold.

Ranks are denoted as follows:

One thin silver stripe equals corporal. 

A thick silver stripe equals sergeant. 

Two thin silver stripes equals sergeant major. 

A thick stripe of half silver and half red equals lieutenant. 

A thick red stripe equals captain. 

A thick stripe of half red and half white equals major. 

A thick white stripe equals  lieutenant colonel. 

A thick stripe of half white and half gold equals full colonel. 

A thick gold stripe equals one star brigadier general. 

Two thin gold stripes equals two star major general. 

Two thin gold stripes with a silver centre stripe equals three star lieutenant  general. 

Two thin gold stripes with a red central stripe equals four star general. 

Lastly two thin gold stripes with a white central stripe equals five star general of the army, the commander in chief.

This photo shows, from left to right, captain, lieutenant, sergeant major and sergeant. These soldiers all have a brown top which indicates they are quartermaster troops.

This photo shows from left to right, three star lieutenant general, two star major general, full colonel and major.  These soldiers have red tops which denotes they are staff troops.

ARM OF SERVICE INSIGNIA.

All soldiers, regardless of rank,  have a coloured top which denotes the arm of service as shown in the photos above. The  colours are as follows:

brown for quartermaster,

red for staff,

blue for infantry, 

black for field artillery, 

sand yellow for pioneers, 

sky blue for heavy weapons, 

purple for cavalry, 

white for medical, 

silver for signals, 

dark green for field police, 

orange for heavy artillery, 

pale green for horse artillery, 

gray for workshop engineers and finally,

gold for veterinary and farriers.

BOOK REVIEW: GUN FODDER.

 THE DIARY OF FOUR YEARS OF WAR.

This book from my library recalls the First World War experiences of an Oxford educated man who joined up as a private in 1914 before becoming an officer in the Royal Artillery early in 1915. The battery he was assigned to was stationed in Ireland before being shipped to Salonika where they stayed until 1917 when they went to France. By the end of the War the author was a highly regarded battery commander.

Being an educated and intelligent man with experience of the ranks he was able to relate to the needs of his men in such a way that he was clearly a well respected officer. However his early enthusiasm soon evaporated during the long posting to Salonika where he witnessed serious administrative incompetence during an obviously pointless campaign. This was then further reinforced by the bloody battles he endured in France. 

By the end of the War he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown and was thoroughly disheartened by man's inhumanity to his fellow man. Much of the final pages of the book are filled with obviously heartfelt but nonetheless idealistic discussion about the failures of politicians, generals, profit making industrialists and the overall weakness and failure of civilisation. He was clearly a very bitter man.

All that said the book does contain some very good details of life as a private, officer training, the Salonika campaign and life in a gun battery. It also demonstrates what war can do to a man's mind and in that matter alone it is well worth reading.

UPDATE.

 This year seems to be marching along almost as fast as the Russian invasion of Ukraine...well maybe a little faster !!!! Already it is March although judging from the endless rain and dull skies you would not think Spring is around the corner.

Over the past few weeks I have made steady progress with building my fourth army. So far I have painted up the soldiers for two infantry battalions and one field artillery battalion. I also have almost completed the soldiers of a quartermaster battalion. On the equipment side I have built and painted 30 ammunition caissons, 30 light signals trailers and 36 GS wagons. Another batch of 30 GS wagons are in the final stage of construction.

The above shows the light signals trailers built and primed. These equipments are issued to all combat battalions.

Seen here are the same trailers all finished and awaiting issue. 

This photo shows the ammunition caissons built and awaiting priming of the wheels and towing hooks. I am sorry I forgot to take a photo of the completed units before issue to battalions.

I expect many wargamers of the modern period are watching the TV news of Ukraine with great interest. Apart from the unpleasant possibility of nuclear war and the dreadful suffering of the Ukrainian people, the TV films of Russian military vehicles are fascinating. That the Russians are having serious difficulties in supplying their forces is beyond doubt. Given they had plenty of time to prepare, clearly logistics was badly overlooked. I have also seen a number of images of broken down Russian vehicles too. Although Russian equipment and weapons are formidable, all those issues together with the apparently poor quality of their conscript troops makes me wonder if the Russian "steamroller" may not be as powerful as we had assumed. Certainly the film of 30 plus miles of vehicles stationary on a road must seem a "dream"  target to NATO airmen. 

Remaining positive and assuming we have not become radioactive dust by then, I will provide another update in a few weeks time.