Friday 30 November 2018

The Most Heavy Stroke: The Battle of Roundway Down 1643 (Century of the Soldier) by Chris Scott

The disastrous defeat for Parliament at Roundway Down near Devizes in Wiltshire which took place during the first Civil War is under the microscope in Dr Chris Scott's new work. What caused such a rout? Troop dispositions are examined to explain the catastrophe as well as tactics investigated to understand the defeat. Archaeological and topographical work is undertaken to learn the exact location of the battle with regards the local hills and ditches. Colour plates by Mark Allen show what the combatants looked like plus flags known. All in all a fascinating insight into this important battle and one that the Civil War community will welcome with open arms. 

Death of Charles XII 300th

Today is the 300th anniversary of the death of Charles XII. Killed while in the trenches his demise saw the end of Sweden's imperial period. Read an essay by Julian Cope on the subject.

Wednesday 28 November 2018

The Cretan War (1645-1671): The Venetian-Ottoman Struggle in the Mediterranean (Century of the Soldier) by Bruno Mugnai

First of all full marks to Helion for publishing this work as it's a topic that is pretty obscure and to do a volume that is substantial and well illustrated is a feather in their cap. Bruno Mugnai is both the author and artist for this work which is fine as he is one of the best in the field and his work will make him more well-known in the future. He has published similar books on other 17th century conflicts in the Mediterranean but these haven't been in English so this is a new departure. I found this to be a fascinating backwater of military history and a must have for those interested in 17th century military history.

Tuesday 27 November 2018

The Battle of Killiecrankie: The First Jacobite Campaign, 1689-1691 (Century of the Soldier) by Jonathan D. Oates

This is a great book and worth adding to your collection. It covers the whole campaign including the subsequent battles of Dunkeld and Cromdale. The armies are both analysed in depth and colour plates by Mark Allen illustrate what the combatants looked like. The disaster of Killiecrankie is investigated. Who was to blame? Myths about the battle are debunked.  The topography of the campaign is also covered and how it affected the combat making this a comprehensive guide to this famous battle.  

Friday 23 November 2018

1740s Redcoat officer

1741 Lieutenant Thomas George Southwell(1721-1780) Coldstream Guards by Charles Jervas. He joined the Coldstream Guards in 1738 and became a politician in Ireland.

Khurasan 15mm 1670s

Dutch artillery
Another sneak peak of a range I am pretty excited about.
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Khurasan Miniatures painted as the Bishop of Munsters forces

Thursday 22 November 2018

Blackbeard

This image is from a 2006 tv movie for the BBC. Anyone see it?

Wednesday 21 November 2018

Death of Blackbeard 1718

Tomorrow is the anniversary of this Bristol-born pirate's demise. Raise a glass of rum? Wiki
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackbeard

Tuesday 20 November 2018

The First City to Fall, Pilsen, November 21, 1618 by FritzVicari

Tomorrow is the 400th anniversary of the fall of Pilsen in the Thirty Years War. More by the artist here


Monday 19 November 2018

Chasseurs de Fischer


This is a colourful 18th century formation that deserves reenacting. Read about it here

Friday 16 November 2018

Garde Suisses



Another regiment that supplied troops for the descent at Carrickfergus was the Swiss Guard, Read about their SYW service at Kronoskaf

Battle of Lützen

The Battle of Lützen (16 November 1632) was one of the most important battles of the Thirty Years' War, which began with the Second Defenestration of Prague in 1618 and ended with the Peace of Westphalia in 1648.

Wednesday 14 November 2018

Carrickfergus 1760

Garde Francaise 1760
Did you know there was an descent ( A sudden visit or attack; an onslaught:) by French forces at Carrickfergus (Northern Ireland) in the Seven Years War?
A well-detailed description of the events and the forces involved are at Kronoskaf SYW project.
there were 300 men of the Garde Francaise and Garde Suisse
     
Francois Thurot Privateer



Thursday 8 November 2018

Eureka Miniatures forthcoming British civil war figures

'A sneak peek at our forthcoming 18mm ECW range.

So, why yet another English Civil War range? This perennial subject has been covered by just about every manufacturer since time began. Eureka itself already has a 28mm limited range covering Montrose’s Scots and Irish. Is there any room in the burgeoning marketplace for another?
The answer, we believe, is a resounding yes.
The thinking behind this project was to bring a high-quality ECW range to 18mm. This scale is far less populous ground than 28mm and when you have a sculptor the likes of the incredible Alan Marsh at your disposal, the opportunity to create an 18mm range to rival most 28’s becomes a challenge to be met full tilt.
Our goal was to create as complete a range as possible with all the pose, apparel, and weapon variants required to stage truly epic recreations of your favourite Civil War battles.
You’ll find all the scope you need to create impressive mass infantry formations (and at this scale your pike blocks can be more than just representational. Hedgehog, anyone?).
But it is the cavalry that we think is really going to impress. We are producing a truly BIG number of cavalry variants for you to sweep the table with.
We wanted to accurately capture the flavour of this particularly unique conflict and that meant lots of horse flesh on the kitchen tab – er, battlefield.
All troop types are being covered and there will even be some personalities to dress things up just right.
We’re very excited by the potential of this range and judging by what we’ve seen so far from Mr. Marsh’s bench, we (and you) are not going to be disappointed.'

Wargames Research Group


Getting a little excited by the forthcoming figures from Khurasan I started thinking about rules and dug these out. I used these a lot in the 80s as you can tell by the food stains and so forth on them. 

White Mountain 1620

Anniversary today of this two hour battle.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_White_Mountain

Wednesday 7 November 2018

Khurasan Miniatures 1670s range - first look

 15mm, They say
'First look at a paintup of our 1670s range. This is the Duke of Monmouth, commander of the English forces sent by Charles II to assist Louis XIV in his war against the Amsterdam Dutch and the Rotterdam Dutch and all the other damn Dutch.' 
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Monday 5 November 2018

Interesting book alert

This is due out December. from Helion. Looking forward to this.

Rossbach 1757

Today is the anniversary of this famous victory over the French. Wiki

Thursday 1 November 2018

A ‘Divellish’ Woman Discovered: The Witch of Newbury, 1643

Thanks to Paul Y you can now read about the below witch story. LINK