UPDATE.

I am back !!!!!!! After six weeks of bathroom and kitchen refurbishment and a week of painting and clearing up, the house is now back to some form of normal and life can resume including getting some modelling and blogging under way.

We are very pleased with the work that has been done, my wife is however starting to look at the rest of the house now with the comment that the new rooms put the others in the shade somewhat !!!!! maybe next year !!!!!! 

I hope readers are remaining safe with the virus upsurge, I think we are in for a tough winter but I hope a vaccine will become available in the new year and life generally can resume in the new normal what ever that may be.

Well as mentioned previously, I have done no modelling at all since August so nothing to report. Today is really my first day with time to resume my hobby. I have a couple of draft posts available and I will try to resume posting every other day as before. The first post will be a Battle Photo Shoot that I created around the time of the building work starting. I will polish the draft and post it over the weekend. I will also finalise the next chapter of IMAGI-NATIONS for posting early next week. 

As ever please let me have your comments, good or bad, they all help to inform what I write about in the future.

BOOK REVIEW: THE WAR OFFICE AT WAR.

This book was written by Sir Sam Fay, the General Manager of the Great Central railway prior to  1914. He was seconded to the War Office at the outbreak of war as a transport expert and finished in 1918 as Director of Movements responsible for the movement of all troops and supplies from Britain to all the various theaters of war.

The book gives an extraordinary insight into the day to day activities of the War Office and profiles of many of the senior  military and political figures of the time. Among other things the book illustrates clearly that the crisis in early 1918 during the German assault was largely caused by political interference in the conduct of the military campaigns. 

If you want to understand how the war was managed at Army Council or War Cabinet level and get an illustration of the activities of a senior official this is the book for you. Sir Sam Fay was a incisive and intelligent observer of human nature and is a well known figure to railway enthusiasts. A good read with lots of interesting information.

BOOK REVIEW : FROM PRIVATE TO FIELD MARSHALL.

This book, originally written in 1921, is the autobiography of Field Marshall Sir William Robertson, the only man to rise from the rank of private to Field Marshall in the history of the British Army. He joined up aged just 17 in 1877 becoming Chief of the Imperial General Staff during much of World War 1. Robertson's story is quite remarkable and illustrates wonderfully life in the British army during the Victorian and Edwardian era.

Although a product of the 19th century the book is very well written and does not suffer from the usual flowery language of people of that time. This no doubt reflects Robertson's limited education prior to joining up and the impact of many years of military training. Naturally much of the book deals with the War but there are lots of chapters covering his early service in England, India and South Africa which are fascinating.

He was a very clever man with a gift for foreign languages, speaking six Indian languages as well as French and German. His only weakness appears to have been in debating with politicians who tended to be more gifted in verbal argument. In these situations I get the impression they regarded him as wooden and unimaginative while he saw them as militarily ignorant and unreasonable. His removal as CIGS in early 1918 was the inevitable result of this clash which was a great loss to the nation. However the tendency of politicians to assume they are just as good at military strategy as the generals is an age old problem and no doubt is still with us today.

Overall an excellent book covering the life of an extraordinary man while giving  good insights into both life in the British army prior to 1914 and the activities of the senior commanders during the War.

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 !!!!!!!!!!!!

BOOK REVIEW: ABSARAKA

HOME OF THE CROWS.

This is the second of the first hand accounts of the Fetterman Massacre of 1866 as referred to in my review of  the book "The Fort Phil Kearney Massacre." This book was written in 1868 by the first wife of the Post commander, the above having been written by his second wife who at the time was married to one of the officers killed in the massacre.....confusing !!!!!!

Despite my previous comments about the hard to read language used by many 19th century authors, this book is in fact highly readable and gives a great account of both the establishment of the fort as well as the actual massacre.  This book provided a lot of the material used by Dee Brown in his book on the battle,  which I admit does give a better overall account of the circumstances around the establishment of the fort and a better analysis of the timelines involved.  If you only want one book on this battle I have to recommend Dee Brown's book. That said I find Absaraka, which means home of the Crows, the original inhabitants of the lands around Fort Phil Kearney,  to be very atmospheric and it really does transport you back to those testing days of 1866.

This edition is a 2015 reprint of the original,  is of high quality and recommended to anyone interested in US army life in the post Civil War period as well as those interested in the Indian Wars and the Fetterman Massacre in particular.

IMAGI-NATIONS : PART 25

THE OPENING BATTLES WITH THE FRENCH IN THE WAR FOR THE FEDERATION.

On 9th June 1875 UNION troops marching north from Chicago met French soldiers moving south west and skirmishing began. At the same time UNION cavalry patrols to the north east reported that German troop trains were moving west towards Boston. Long range patrols to the east found that German troops were detraining at a railhead only 550 miles west of Boston. Meantime the UNION cavalry brigade deployed to Boston had arrived and quickly stopped the rioting in that town and imposed martial law. The UNION command realised that it had misunderstood the strategic deployment plans of the French and Germans. The UNION had expected the enemy to concentrate all their forces along their border with the Federation and move east across a broad front.  It seemed now that the Germans had sent all their troops east towards Boston while leaving it to the French to protect the southern flank. This arrangement  left the UNION with all its troops facing the French and none to oppose the German advance on Boston. However it was also realised that the Germans had taken a big risk by sending all their forces east leaving them exposed to being cut off from the south.

The UNION 1st and 6th armies were immediately ordered to move urgently to the east towards Boston. These armies were entrained at Chicago for Lincoln where they would move north as quickly as possible. It was clear however that they could not possibly reach Boston before the Germans. The UNION's only hope of avoiding the capture of Boston lay with the cavalry brigade of 1st army, then in Boston, delaying the German advance until the German supply lines could be cut by defeating the French and capturing the railway to the west.  To this end the cavalry brigades of 4th and 7th armies were ordered north to cut the railway. In the meantime the bulk of 4th and 7th armies moved to battle positions facing the French about 400 miles north west of the border north of Chicago, both sides being at the end of a long supply line.

Following the structural changes in the composition of the UNION armies after the war with China, each UNION army was now around 60,000 strong. The 120,000 soldiers of the 4th and 7th armies were about to go into battle with 100,000 French troops. Unlike the Chinese, the French were equipped with modern quick firing artillery. Although the UNION guns had a little more range and a slightly bigger shell, the two forces were fairly evenly matched except for the significantly larger number of guns in the UNION armies and their possession of heavy artillery, the only nation in TIAN so equipped.

On 11 June the French and UNION armies engaged in battle. UNION artillery opened a heavy bombardment on French positions and for the first time, UNION troops came under heavy enemy artillery fire. UNION heavy artillery commenced counter battery fire and the artillery exchanges continued throughout the day. By night fall UNION heavy artillery commanders felt they had located the French artillery and plans were made to launch infantry assaults in the morning after a short but heavy bombardment. At dawn on the 12th the UNION assault began. Under the UNION heavy artillery bombardment the French artillery was slowly silenced. At 1pm the UNION infantry attack began under an umbrella of plunging heavy machine gun fire. Fierce fighting took place and heavy casualties were suffered by both sides. The fighting continued till dark and then faded away as both sides dug in and consolidated. Next morning was a repetition of the previous day but with a strong French counter attack in the early afternoon. After this was beaten off  UNION commanders realised  the French had started to withdraw. UNION attacks were renewed and the French retreat became general. Due to the high casualties suffered by UNION troops it was decided not to maintain the pursuit as dusk settled over the battlefield.

Next morning UNION generals took stock. They had suffered some 4000 casualties and some 3000 French dead and wounded  were found on the battlefield together with many destroyed guns. UNION Medical and Pioneer battalions began their work. UNION patrols found the French had continued to withdraw during the night and were still retreating all the following day. On the 15th UNION forces started to follow the French. Early on 16th UNION advance guards came in contact with the French who were found to have once again dug in ready for battle. During the afternoon UNION artillery opened fire on the French. French counter fire was weak and demonstrated how effective UNION heavy artillery had been. Around 5pm UNION infantry advanced and almost immediately the French started to fall back. Clearly the French had lost the will to fight. Over the next two weeks UNION forces continued to advance against weak and ineffective French rearguards taking many prisoners along the way until on 3rd July they reached the French border. At this point a white flag appeared from the French side of the border. A meeting was arranged and the French asked for a cessation of hostilities. This was granted subject to formal peace talks at government level.

The UNION army had prevailed but at a heavy cost. By the end of the fighting some 5800 UNION soldiers had been killed or wounded. Almost 1500 French soldiers, many wounded, had been captured, and repatriated,  and UNION Pioneers had buried 4000 French dead. On 7th July UNION forces started the advance towards Seattle and the border with Germany  now reinforced by the 2nd army from Richmond.  In the meantime on the eastern side of the Federation other battles had taken place with the Germans.

BOOK REVIEW : THE FORT PHIL KEARNEY MASSACRE

Also known as The Fetterman Massacre, this book, originally written in 1910, largely deals with the infamous battle in 1866 in which 81 US soldiers were killed by Indians in what was the worst defeat of the Army by Indians until the Custer Massacre of 1876.

This book, one of only two by first hand witnesses to the battle, is written by the wife of one of the three officers killed in the battle. Several years after the battle she marred the former commanding officer of the Fort following the death of his first wife, who wrote the other eye witness book. I am reading that book currently and will review it soon. The most well known book about this battle is that by  Dee Brown, one of the foremost historians of the Old West. He also wrote Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee, the classic account of the Indians of the Old West.

As to the book under review , this is an excellent book which gives a wonderful insight into army life in 1866 in general and life in a frontier fort in particular. Written, as is so often the case with people educated in the 19th century, with wordy and flowery descriptions, it nevertheless gives a vivid picture of the events leading to the battle, the anxieties experienced by those in the Fort as they listened to the sounds of battle only a few miles away and of course the desperate aftermath.

The whole story of this battle, so little known today compared with the Custer Massacre, is fascinating in many respects. Dee Brown's book gives perhaps the best overview and highlights the logistical issues inherent in moving a force of soldiers hundreds of miles into Indian territory and building a fort while being actively engaged in combat on an almost daily basis. This book and the other eye witness account give the human side of the story but also include a great deal of interesting information on the US Army of the era. Overall, a highly recommended read for those interested in the battle or the Old West in general or the US Army after the Civil War.

IMAGI-NATIONS. PART 24.

CONFRONTATION WITH GERMANY AND FRANCE.

After further official but secret talks between the UNION and the government of the Federation, on 

2 December 1874 the Federation government announced that they had decided to hold a referendum  on 4 May 1875.  This would give the people of the Federation the choice between seeking full independence from France and Germany or opening negotiations with the UNION to become a part of that nation. It was also announced that the UNION would fully respect the result of the referendum what ever the outcome and provide what ever assistance was needed to ensure a free and fair vote. Both the UNION and the Federation governments also trusted that France, Germany and Canada would support the right of the people of the Federation to choose their own future.

As might be expected Canada and Britain both quickly announced their support for the right of the Federation's people to have a free vote on their future and that they would respect the result. However Germany and France  rejected the whole idea and in particular denounced the involvement of the UNION in what they considered an internal matter. Both nations declared that they would take whatever steps were necessary to protect their interests in the Federation. Events now seemed to be spiralling  towards a showdown. 

Germany demanded that Canada allow the transport of German troops via Vancouver to Boston while at the same time ramping up construction of their railway from Seattle to Boston. Although only 900 miles of this railway had been built to date it was thought it could be completed by the end of 1875.

The Canadians quickly refused passage to German troops and called for support from Britain and the UNION. The UNION immediately offered military assistance to repel any attempt by the Germans to force a landing. However this had little appeal to Canada which wanted foreign troops on its soil even less than it wanted to become a battlefield. At this point the British announced they would send a naval squadron to Vancouver to secure Canadian territorial waters. The French and Germans , incensed by the British action ,  started to mobilise to invade the western area of the Federation while at the same time increasing still further the resources needed to speed up construction of the railway to Boston.

After this period of intense activity a strange quiet descended on the nations involved as each watched the other and waited for some new development. The British navy was soon patrolling the waters off Vancouver and the Germans gave up the idea of a forced landing.  However the French and German invasion force was ready in the east but was not deployed as they had decided to concentrate on the railway construction and await the actual referendum results. They had realised that a vote for independence could be an acceptable outcome as it would eliminate UNION involvement yet leave the door open for them to maintain their indirect control over the Federation. For it's part the UNION had mobilised the 4th army at Chicago and moved 7th army from Lincoln to a camp outside Chicago. They had also started construction of a railway from Chicago to the border with the Federation to provide a supply railhead. In addition a start was made on a railway from Lincoln towards Boston, just in case. Within the Federation campaigning for the referendum  became intense as the voting  date came closer.

With all sides keyed to fever pitch the referendum took place on 4 May 1875. The results were announced on 6 May with 73% voting to join the UNION and only 27% voting for independence. 

Almost immediately fighting broke out in Boston between independence voters and pro UNION supporters  The Federation government asked for UNION assistance to break up the riots. A cavalry brigade was immediately dispatched by rail from Manhattan on the long trek north. In the east German troops quickly crossed the border by rail via Seattle towards Boston on the new railway while French troops moved east by road to secure the central and southern border area. The 4th and 7th UNION armies crossed the border into the Federation on 10th May in a north easterly direction. The 1st army  in Manhattan and 6th army in Dallas were now  mobilised  and ordered north to Chicago. The scene was set for the UNION army to meet in combat with substantial European forces for the first time.

BATTLE PHOTO SHOOT; QUARTERMASTER BATTALION.

Although it takes a lot of time to set up these photo shoots I do find them very interesting. It is fun for me to see units set up for combat rather than just laid out on shelves. I decided to try a non combat unit next hence the Quartermaster battalion. I hope readers will like this set of photos as much as I do, its probably my favorite so far.  My name is Tony and I am a logistics geek !!!!!!!!

The unit photographed is the 43rd Quartermaster battalion.  My armies have 18 of these battalions.

The first photo shows the battalion parked up ready to resume the advance into enemy territory.

On the left is the HQ company with battalion supply wagons and equipment. The parallel long lines on the centre left are the two Transport companies. Next on the centre right is the Veterinary/Farrier company and on the far right is the Workshop company.

Below is the HQ element showing the tandem office wagons and signals trailer with the command group and flags.

Here are the supply elements of the HQ company with medical, water and field kitchen trailers.

The two transport companies with a total of 32 vehicles are shown below. These units are tasked with bring supplies from railhead to the "refilling point".

This is the Veterinary/Farrier company.

A close up of one of the forge wagons used by the Farriers.

Here is the remount section. Note the tactical markings on the Veterinary wagon, a bronze cross on a white square.

This picture shows the workshop company with its house bodied workshop wagons and supply trailers which is tasked with field repairs and maintenance of all vehicles and weapons.

Another view of the battalion from the rear.

Lastly a side view of the battalion.

I hope these pictures do full justice to the battalion. The base board was only just big enough to squeeze it all on but I think the setting was good. My armies have 18 QM battalions. Each one has 63 vehicles and trailers and 233 soldiers giving a total of 1134 vehicles and trailers and 4194 soldiers which I hope gives a feel for the sheer size of my armies.

UPDATE

It has been a  reasonable week for modelling with some progress. The batch of light GS trailers has been completed and now await issue to units. I have just started a batch of 24 limbers, the bodies and shafts are made. Next steps will be wheels, towing hooks and horse attachment blocks. I have given the new infantry battalion their full coat of uniform green. Next will be the addition of arm of service and rank markings. I have also made a start on the final cavalry upgrade. The 66 soldiers have had the slot cut to fit on to the horses and the horses have been cut out. I now need to add legs to the horses and install the soldiers.

The Quartermaster battalion battle photo shoot is drafted. Probably my favorite so far. I will publish this later in the week. While I think about it, I assume readers know that if they click on any of the photos in my blog they will expand to fill the screen so the full details can be seen. Apologies if you know this already, but its not that long since I learned of this trick !!!!!!!! Yes I am that digital dinosaur !!!!!!!!!!

As we now have a date in early September for our kitchen and bathroom refurbishment I have to restart the preparation work this coming week. As this means lots of tile removal and painting, I do not foresee a great deal of modelling time for the next few weeks but will endeavor to keep up with the blog posts at the very least, I have several already drafted.

IMAGI-NATIONS.: PART 23.

THE FEDERATION'S STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENDENCE.

In the autumn of 1873 the UNION sent a number of agents posing as traders into the Federation to seek a better understanding of the situation surrounding possible independence from France and Germany. Although the UNION had two large cities , both with  huge military bases,  reasonably close to the border, namely Chicago and Lincoln, the huge area between those cities and the southern and central parts of the Federation was largely undeveloped and uninhabited land. There was little interaction with the Federation or its people. However the UNION was keenly interested in the status of the Federation given the hostile nature of France and Germany to the UNION since UNION independence.

The Federation had been originally populated by a limited number of settlers from France and Germany in the rich lands bordering on Germany and to the north west around the town of Seattle, which was connected by rail to Germany. The Germans had also started construction of a railway east towards Boston but progress had been slow because from that area east for about 2000 miles and south towards the border with the UNION the land was mostly unpopulated tracts of  forests and rolling grassland supporting vast amounts of wild animals only. The rich farmland to the far east around the town of Boston and on to the border with Canada was populated by French and German  settlers who had  traveled by sea to Vancouver in Canada and then, together with large numbers of Canadians,  trekked overland to the west. Contact with France and Germany was far less than with Canada which supplied the majority of trade with the eastern part of the Federation. In fact in the late 1860's the Canadians provided the loans to pay for and the expertise to construct a railway from Vancouver to Boston, much to the annoyance of the French and Germans. Despite the high costs of loan repayments,  the people in the east, the vast majority of the Federations population, viewed Canada much more sympathetically than France or Germany and resented those countries influence over them.

However the Federation remained  substantially undeveloped both socially and economically and was only barely sustained  by the sale of farm produce to Canada in the east and to a lesser extent to Germany in the west. The theoretically independent government did not have the funds to invest in developing the country and Germany and France refused to provide any investment despite exercising a heavy influence on the government.  The seeds of unrest had been sown and were growing ever larger. 

UNION agents, posing as travelling traders, reported back that there were a large number of citizens who thought that the Federation should secure full independence from Germany and France and then seek to join with Canada or better still, the UNION. That view was apparently supported by many in government. However there remained a fear of French and German reaction to such a move. The UNION government decided to test how strong these ideas actually were by making formal but secret contact with a number of leading figures in the Federation while seeking an understanding of the Canadian position via the British.

By the middle of 1874 the State department, who led the investigations, reported to the UNION government that they had completed their enquiries. They reported that the Canadians were not at all interested in acquiring any portion of the Federation and in fact would welcome UNION involvement in that country just so long as they secured full repayment of the railway construction loans. Apparently the Canadians were coming under strong pressure from France and particularly Germany to allow the transportation of troops from those nations to the Federation via Vancouver and the rail link to Boston and UNION support to stop this would be very welcome.  This  news and the long term threat posed by a German railway from Seattle to Boston caused grave concern in the UNION government who had no wish to see substantial numbers of German or French troops in the Federation. In addition the enquiries among Federation politicians and other leading figures showed a very strong enthusiasm, in the east in particular,  to join the UNION perhaps by means of a referendum. However they all expressed a belief that the French and Germans would not accept such an idea and would invade if such a plan was implemented.

The UNION government concluded that to ensure the long term security of their northern border they should support a referendum in the Federation and to facilitate it should offer military support to the Federation to deter any French and German invasion. The UNION government also had an eye on the possible benefits of a relationship with a grateful Canada and the potential of a substantial increase in the size of the UNION. Implementation of this new UNION strategy would no doubt set the scene for an explosive confrontation with France and Germany.

BOOK REVIEW : STUKA PILOT.

This is a book I have had for forty years but decided to read again. It tells the story of Germany's most decorated pilot and probably the most experienced combat pilot of the war.

Rudel joined the Luftwaffe in 1936 at its inception. He became a Stuka pilot and later moved to cannon armed Stuka's used for tank busting. He served through out the war on the Eastern front and was credited with over 500 destroyed tanks apart from many dive bombing successes.

His descriptions of battle against the Russians are exceptional and demonstrate a fanatical desperation to defeat the Bolsheviks and save Germany. Although he does not discuss politics in any depth he was clearly a committed soldier and was happy to serve the Nazi regime as is clearly shown by his admiration of Hitler who he met several times usually for the presentation of more decorations.

This book gives a very good appreciation of the desperate fighting on the Russian front and the refusal of many German soldiers to admit that defeat was inevitable even in the final months of the war. A good book and well worth reading if you are interested in the Eastern campaign generally or the use of Stuka's in particular.

BATTLE PHOTO SHOOT : INFANTRY

At last I have found the time to create this battle photo shoot of an Infantry battalion. This is the 49th Infantry battalion. I have 72 such battalions in my armies. Once again I apologise for the background. The simple fact is that I have been unable to source a suitable back scene hence the use of a 2 by 2 foot board on the table saw in my workshop.

This first shot shows the whole battalion. The six infantry companies can be clearly seen with the heavy weapons company drawn up in the centre foreground ready to commence a high angle bombardment of the enemy positions prior to the infantry assault. At the rear can be seen the battalion wagon lines.

This picture shows one of the infantry companies drawn up in platoon lines with platoon officers and NCO's in front and the company command group leading.

Another shot of the company. Apart from the Captain commanding the company and the Company Sergeant Major each command group has an attached Medic and Signaler. These soldiers are provided by the relevant HQ company platoons prior to combat commencing.

The picture below shows the two heavy machine guns and caissons of the Heavy Weapons company. Also visible behind is the battalion command group.

Shown here are the wagon lines of the Heavy Weapons company with limbers and ammunition wagon.

 Another shot of the battalion command group with the signals trailer and signals platoon behind receiving orders for the battalions deployment.

This photo shows the battalion medical aid post with trailer and medical team.

Part of the battalions wagon lines showing the water trailer and field kitchen ready to serve the troops before operations commence.

Another view of the whole battalion from the rear.

And a final shot of the battalion from the flank showing the full extent of the wagon lines.

 I hope these photos are of interest and give a good idea of the size of my armies. All together I have 214 battalions of various types and if each can occupy 4 square feet in combat formation it is easy to calculate the space that would be needed to display the whole army. I will create more battle photo shoots of other battalion types over time, maybe a non combat unit next time.

UPDATE.

Those who read my blog regularly may notice that the headings of my posts have changed a bit. That is because I have only just discovered there is a "title" box in the header section of the "new post" page !!!!!!! Yes it has taken me over two years to notice this facility !!!!!!!! I always wondered why my posts came up as untitled, now I know !!!!!!!!  I will over time edit all my previous posts to give effect to this new found digital skill !!!!!!!!

In the meantime this has been a busy week on the social front so not a great deal of modelling has taken place. The upgrade of extra foot soldiers for cavalry regiments has been completed as have the batch of limbers. The batch of light GS trailers are also finished and now await painting as seen below.

I have also counted out the screws needed for the last brand new Infantry battalion. There are still several upgrades of existing infantry battalions to be done but this is the final one to be built from scratch.

Finally I have at last drafted the Infantry battalion Battle Photo Shoot and will published this tomorrow. In addition I have made a Battle Photo Shoot of a Quartermaster battalion which I am very pleased with indeed. I will draft this with a view to publication in a week or so.

IMAGI-NATIONS. PART 22

A RELATIONSHIP WITH BRITAIN.

The potential for a meaningful relationship with Britain was of great importance to the UNION and it was decided to impress the British delegation to the greatest extent possible. However the UNION had always sought to ensure that the strength, equipment and organisation of the army remained secret from the rest of TIAN. In addition the UNION was keen to ensure that UNION technology and industrial capabilities also remained unknown.The export of UNION products had long been banned even to Mexico. The British delegation's access to the infrastructure of the UNION would need to be carefully restricted. With this in mind it was decided to increase the strength of the UNION Marshal service. Until now the diplomatic department had only two functions, to provide security to UNION government ministers and the embassy in Mexico city. All Marshal service staff were drawn from either retired  or transferred army personnel. Substantial numbers of new officers were recruited to enable the British to be fully managed. A special train was assembled to transport the British from Mexico city to Rio Deigo, the UNION capital.

The British delegation of six was picked up in the special train and the long journey to Rio Diego started. Only Marshal service personnel were on board together with low level state department staff. Discussions would only start on arrival in Rio Deigo. The train stopped only for refueling while the British watched the seemingly endless countryside fly by from their luxurious train. After six days the train finally arrived in Rio Deigo where the delegation was met by the UNION President and his ministers. A hotel had been arranged for the exclusive use of the British who were told they could only venture out of the hotel accompanied by  Marshall service personnel. Negotiations started next day.

The British agenda included not only  port facilities for maintenance and provisioning purposes but also R and R facilities for ships crews during the long voyages to and from Australia. The British also indicated they would be interested in making substantial timber purchases as well as establishing an embassy in Rio Deigo.  The British also hoped to gain a better understanding of this dynamic new nation that had seemingly crushed so easily a power as formidable as China. The UNION was interested in the provision of port facilities but less so in either a British embassy or timber purchases. However the discussions went well and it was eventually agreed that Britain would provide the finance and expertise for the construction of port facilities while the UNION begrudgingly agreed to a British embassy in Rio Diego but under strict conditions.

The new British embassy would have a staff of only ten with other personnel needs being met by citizens of the UNION, all carefully vetted of course. British construction specialists would be allowed to land in Miami and the UNION would provide all materials and basic labour to construct facilities sufficient for several large ships to use at any one time. The UNION would also create R and R facilities adjacent to the port. The whole area would be carefully policed and secured to ensure no unauthorised access to the rest of the UNION. This would also apply to embassy staff who would only be allowed limited travel and always under supervision.

Construction duly started on the port in April 1874 with the British embassy opening in a UNION purchased building at the same time. In the very first formal meeting between the new British ambassador and the UNION Secretary of State the British shared some interesting news about the Federation and its relationship with France and Germany. It appeared that many in the Federation were looking across the border to the UNION and its great manufacturing and economic growth and wondering why their country was being kept in a undeveloped and backward state by their German and French masters. Apparently many were asking if they might have a better future as part of the UNION rather than a backwater colony and that full independence would be a good first step towards this ambition.

BOOK REVIEW. TIGER BATTALION 507

This is a new book purchased from The Works recently. As I have stated before I find this shop has some interesting books available at very reasonable prices. This book was originally published in German in 2016 and this is the English edition published this year.

The book is essentially an unit history by veterans of the battalion from its formation in late 1943 until the end of the war. Both official records and personal experiences are blended into a fascinating story. The photographs used are mainly from those veterans and most have never been published previously. This is a wonderful record of life and combat with the Tiger tank on the eastern front. The level of detail is amazing and there are many fascinating details including lots of information on the maintenance and repair facilities in the battalion. This is a side of tank fighting that is not normally seen or appreciated.

One thing that is highlighted clearly is that despite the dissolution of Germany in 1945 this battalion still had access to new vehicles, fuel and spare parts right up to the end of March in that year. They were even able to secure train transportation in the last days of March to move west. It was only in the middle of April that things finally fell apart and the unit ceased to exist as a fighting force.

Overall a splendid book that will appeal to anyone interested in the Tiger tank or Panzer forces generally.

UPDATE

This weeks update is late as we have been out and about the past several days doing normal social things or at least as normal as we can these days. On the modelling front the mixed upgrade of mostly horse artillery soldiers is now complete and awaits issue to regiments. In addition a batch of extra foot soldiers for cavalry regiments is close to completion. The batch of limbers are almost finished and I have now started construction of yet another batch of light GS trailers to go with those limbers.

Most of these additional soldiers are required as a result of a number of organisational reviews I have carried out over the past few months. Other than the remaining infantry upgrades the extra foot soldiers for cavalry regiments is the last of these upgrades. A moment of reckoning is fast approaching as I have less than 1500 soldiers to paint before my armies are finished. At that time I either build another display unit or my hobby comes to a grinding halt. The problem is lack of wall space to install another display unit, a problem I am struggling to resolve.

I have not had time to draft the infantry battalion battle photo shoot yet and will try to do this during the coming week.