Fourth of July Party

     I will be hosting my usual Fourth of July party again this year, Activities will start at about 1600Hrs with the ceremonial lighting of the fires with the cooking beginning as soon as the coals are ready, fireworks to follow as soon as we judge it dark enough, As always I will provide beer, brats, hot dogs and hamburger. It pains me to say this but, due to me being on a retirement budget, I am asking everyone to bring at least one (there is no upward limit) multi-tube fireworks launcher to add to the pile.

More last minute stuff

     I now that this is becoming a problem but I promise to get a handle on it soon. It was The Housemartin's birthday the other day (fifty-five, I fondly remember those days....) In honor of that event we will be wargaming on Friday the 27th, yes tomorrow starting at 530pm. Be there!

Fort Christmas walkaround

     I recently had the opportunity to visit central Florida, of course I had to find some form of history nearby. Happily I found Fort Christmas (no, it is not where Santa Claus spends his summers). Built, starting on Christmas Day, in 1837 by a force of 2000 Army soldiers and Alabama Volunteers it served as a fortified supply depot during the Second Seminole War. The fort was abandoned in 1838 as operations had moved on and supplies were able to be moved by water.

     The replica fort was reconstructed in 1977 by Orange County as  part of their parks system and has a collection of original building that have been relocated to the park that demonstrate farming and civic life following the war. The fort contains a museum in the (very well air-conditioned) blockhouses.

 

the fort as Google Earth sees it

Fort DeSoto walkthrough

 

       Built between 1898 and 1906 Fort DeSoto was part of the fortification program following the Spanish-American War that attempted to protect the lengthy coastlines of the United Sates. These forts were very different from the ones that had proceeded them. Recognizing the vast developments in steam locomotion and ordinance firepower they moved away from the traditional enclosed fortification and used batteries of cannon and mortars to cover approaches to vital coastal cities and harbors.
       A major feature of such batteries was the efforts to render them as invisible as possible to an approaching enemy fleet. In the case of Fort DeSoto the narrow approach to the inner harbor of Tampa meant that enemy warships would have to travel a very predictable pathway when making their approach. This knowledge made it possible to employ giant mortars to deliver fire into that narrow channel in a way such that it would land on the thinly armored decks of the enemy ships.

 

this shows the position of the batteries in relation to the narrow entryway to Tampa Bay 

please note that in all of these pictures North is on the right 

image credits Google Earth

Honors of War AAR

     I have to confess that I bought these rules when they were released and put them on the shelf telling myself that I would read them one day soon.........I guess it depends on what you consider "soon". On a galactic or geological sense this is soon; for people with a time-sense more constricted than a Time Lord I would be considered a laggard. Be that as it may, I finally took these down and gave them a good read. To my delight they were not another impression of "Something..something Rampant" (don't get me wrong I rather like the whole series that have spun out from that original concept). Skirmish games are all well and good but once in a while a man wants to sink his teeth into a battle.  These rules will allow you to do just that.

Chibi Brandenburger Tor

      My friends at Michigan Toy Soldier asked if I could make another panel to allow them to expand the Chibi What A Tanker game that they have been presenting at conventions. Having built a ruined town my thoughts turned to the fall of another ruined town; Berlin! My first thought was to model the Reichstag but the domed roof defied my ability to build a sturdy model (taking games to conventions has taught me just how damaging that experience can be). Staring at my third failed attempt at a dome I scratched my head and asked myself "What other structure just screams BERLIN!!?" The famous Brandenburg Gate of course! A few minutes digging in The Vault provided a set of wedding cake columns and few more minutes with my best buddy Proxxie provided the blue board body of the gate.

 

despite drastic reductions in size it is still a massive model

Fort Clinch, walkaround

Fort Clinch, please note that North is in the upper right corner
courtesy GoogleEarth

     I have only had the pleasure of visiting Fort Clinch once in my lifetime. This massive masonry fort guards the mouth of the Saint Mary's River, Florida. Begun in 1847 as part of the Third System of forts intended to deter foreign attacks (memories of the White House being burnt no doubt drove the decision-making process) and constructed of over five million bricks it still hadn't been finished when the Civil war broke out. 

Centrafrique, The Game Played.....

     R.U.P. finally had a chance to show off his new man-cave/gaming room by hosting  a game over the Memorial Day weekend. He ran a game using the newly revised Spectre Rules. The table was his usual lavish layout and the scenario featured a French force on a peace enforcement mission (none of that pansy-ass U.N. "observer" nonsense; if you cut up in front of these guys they will deal with you in a forthright and forceful manner) searching for the crew of a downed helicopter. The rebels had captured one of the crew but were now wondering what to do with him. The French were assisted by an African Union force that possessed the same muscular tactics (if not the same quality of equipment and skill).

 

the southern end of the table, the crashed chopper is just off the top of the picture, 

villagers wander about doing "villager stuff" while trying to avoid being shaken down by the rebels 

if you look carefully at the top of the picture you can see French troops that have just finished searching the helicopter

Thoughts on Memorial Day

         One hundred and fifty eight years ago we let our political discussion degenerate into a Civil War that claimed the lives of 660,000 Americans and ruined the bodies and minds of  another million survivors. The nation still bears the scars of that conflict and doubtless will for a considerable time to come. So, amidst the barbecues and merriment stop for a moment and consider the sacrifice of our veterans and those that didn't come back. Pray that we never again let our disagreements get to the point where we are killing each other.

Centrafrique

Central African Republic
Why Spend Hundreds On A Name-Brand African Country?

Don't let the generic name fool you- the Central African Republic provides the same quality of poverty, disease, and corruption as it name-brand African neighbors.

-the ONION: Our Dumb World, Atlas of the Planet Earth, 73rd Edition

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During the 2013 French military intervention (titled: Operation Sangaris) in the Central African Republic, part of it's mission was the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of the warring parties.  As opposed to many other ineffective intervention missions, the French forces in CAR were readily given the mandate that this was a "peace enforcement" mission, rather than just peacekeeping.  Combine this with ever-changing groups of rebels, an African Union led peacekeeping force, the changeover to a proper UN led force, and ever-present corruption within the CAR government itself, one is provided with an endless variety of wargaming opportunities.

We will pick up the action set in early April 2014:   A French helicopter has crashed while on operations south of the town of Boguila.  Nothing has been received since the pilot reported their rough location, but the area is known to be a hostile area within Seleka controlled territory.

Come sort out an equatorial African crisis!

Saturday (5-25-2019) at my house.

TIME: 630pm

Rules will be Spectre Operations (skirmish level game)

(If you have a drink of choice, please bring it as I have not bothered to stock any of your wines/whiskeys/ect ect)

Fort Meigs walkaround

     One of the big benefits of attending Drums on the Rapids is that admittance to the fort is included in the entrance fee. The fort is well worth far more than the fee charged.
      With the fall of Detroit to the British this area became the far Northwestern corner of the US position in the War of 1812. Built in the first few months of 1813 under horrific weather conditions by a mixed force of Regulars and militia it was completed just in time to thwart the advancing British and their Native American allies. The replica fort was built, and is maintained by, the Ohio History Connection in conjuction with the Fort Meigs Association.
       Surrounded by a circuit of almost 2500 yards this is a truly major fortification for the location and period, I found myself marveling at the industry and sense of purpose that the original builders must have brought to their task. The fort was built to overlook the rapids of the Maumee river, in a period when rivers functioned as highways this was a vital choke-point and the fort could control the passage of troops and supplies upriver.
       Below is a picture of the fort as it is today, courtesy Google Earth. The walk-through follows the path in a clockwise route from the western entrance.

Castillo de San Marcos, walkaround

 
     I have been going to visit the Castillo de San Marcos on an almost yearly basis for over thirty years. The fact that it located in the delightful seaside town of Saint Augustine Florida doesn't detract from its allure. As the oldest continuously occupied European site in North America I greatly enjoy the sense of history. The Spanish started building forts here shortly after claiming Florida as their own. Repeated piratical visits by all and sundry (combined with the regular burning of the town) finally led the Spanish authorities to take the plunge and build a proper stone fortress to replace the often-destroyed wooded ones. The result was the magnificent stone structure that still stands today.

 

an aerial view of the Castillo courtesy of Google Earth

WARNING! THIS IS A VERY LARGE POST AND IS VERY PICTURE INTENSIVE