Challenge accepted!

First, I must train the squirrels in my backyard how to identify which die is a d6, d10, and a d20!

I think I will have to see this...

Either this is going to be a kick butt movie or it is really, really, really going to suck.  Right now, I am stoked by the trailer with "Action" Jackson ranting about how man is the king and not some 150 foot ape!  I am looking forward to "Action" Jackson going mano-a-mano with King Kong.  My bet is on Jackson!  Plus I am super excited that the move is taking place in the 1970s.

Kong: Skull Island

Short Update

In the comments in my last entry, I was asked about my 15mm Congo Crisis project and I will do a future entry hopefully next week about what figures I am going to use and etc. after I see if the paint is going to stick to my m/42 APC from Shapeways.  I did the chemical baths and let them dry off and spray painted them today.  I am waiting for that to dry and am going to try to see if the paint is adhering to the FUD material.  If so, I am going to try to paint up one and include it with the post on the 15mm Congo project.

Besides that, I had votes to continue reading about the Russian Civil War, which was what I was leaning to anyways, but there are some many "Oh, shiny!" topics that I want to read.  Actually, I could have read about Roy Chapman Andrews as part of the RCW as he worked to support the US Military Intelligence Division of gathering information on Mongolia & China during the last years of the RCW, and also visited Siberia around 1919 as an officer of the US Navy Intelligence....hmmm, US Navy dinosaur hunter in Siberia with frozen woolly mammoths...just thinking out loud here.

Anyways, so I am continue my reading on the Russian Civil War about the 'Mad' Baron von Ungern-Sternberg.  Extremely interesting character to say the least.  I plan to read two period biographies about him and the author who served with him after my current book.  One by his Chief of Intelligence, Ferdynand Antoni Ossendowski (an extremely interesting character in his own right too!), called Men, Beasts, and Gods.  The second one will be by a Major that served in one of his units, Dmitri Alioshin, called Asian Odyssey.

I got to go, but I will end on a quote by Baron von Ungern-Sternberg about how interesting this subject is going to be to read.

Cheers,

Sapper

"My name is surrounded with such hate and fear that no one can judge what is true and what is false, what is history, and what is myth."

Shapeways goodies! And I need to pick a new book to read!

So, I got my Shapeways' 15mm m/42 armored personal carriers for the Swedish UN troops for the 1960s Congo Crisis project.  Very nice little models, even though they are very expensive little buggers.  I love the hand rails around the vehicle too!  But I can see them being broken with slightly rough handling.  I guess I am going to have to act like a nun with a wooden ruler if I see any gamers getting a rowdy around them.  

Below are some pictures of the model prior to painting.  The pictures were done before the bath to clean the wax residue off that the Frost Ultra Detail material comes in.  From what I read on different forums/websites for the cleaning, I am going to do a soapy water bath first, followed by a mixed water and Goo Gone (US), then a soapy water bath again, then a mixed water and Simple Green (US) bath, and followed again with a soapy water bath and a final clean water bath.  I just did them and I am waiting for them to dry out and see if the wax is gone.

Also in most of the pictures is a base of 15mm Peter Pig's modern African militia with bolt action rifles (the old out-of-print version) from their AK47 line.  The figures are mounted on a Litko's Flames of War (FoW) medium size base (2”/ 50mm wide by 1¼”/ 32mm deep) for size relations.  The figures were painted by Fernando Enterprises painting services as part of my original order to see how their services were before committing big time.  They were painted in the Showcase quality.  I didn't have them do basing or flocking as I was still debating on if I was going to mounted them individually or in groups.  I will be basing them in groups on FoW size bases, but not with the rounded edges as I will be putting a Minibit's die frame on one corner and identification tag along the back edge.

So the next thing is what books am I going to read next?  Right now I am at a crux in deciding what I what to read next as I just have too much choices and I want to read too stuff.  Whatever I decided to read next, the following book will be on the same topic as I tend to like reading two or three books on the same topic in a row.  So you can help by chiming in on a vote for which topic would be the best for me to start next.  I plan to finally pic something by next Saturday.  Below are the topics in no specific order:

1) Congo Crisis of 1960s (for obvious reasons)
2) Russian Civil War (going back to it and staying topical with the audio book that I am listening to)
3) US Banana Wars of the first half of the 1900's (my next 28mm project that I want to start on next year)
4) The Mexican Revolution and Pershing's Expedition (it ties into the 28mm Banana Wars project)
5) US Interwar Crime (I can't get enough of reading about the crime waves of the 1920s and 1930s)
6) Forgotten military actions from the US history (Specifically on the King Philip's War and the US Navy's Anti-Slavery Squadron off of Africa pre-American Civil War)
7) Explorers and Expeditions (Roy Chapman Andrews and Ann Axtell Morris most likely, possibly H.M. Stanley or various Polar expeditions) 

Cheers,

Joe

Second Game of the Year - AAR

OK, this was the second (!?!?) wargame that I got in this year.  The game was put on by Blake at his house (Thanks!).  The game was a 28mm Darkest Africa game using "The Sword & The Flame" rules.  The action takes place during WW1 with the Belgians ruthlessly attacking the jolly, happy Germans who just want their "little place under the sun." (Evil Belgians!)  Glenn W. played the Belgians and I ran the Germans.

First, a break down of forces.  The Belgians had four Askari units, two on each flank, and in the center was a unit of cannibals and an Askari artillery piece.  The Germans had two Seebataillon  (marines) units, plus one artillery piece manned by marines, two Askari units, and a group of trade bearers (non-combatants).  My set-up was one marine unit on the left flank with the center having one Askari unit and the artillery protecting the non-combatants, and finally having the second Askari unit on the right flank.  The remaining marine unit was held in reserve towards the center/right flank.  (see picture.)

Initial deployment.  The prone figure is to represent that the whole unit is prone.

After the first turn of movement and firing, I saw that the Belgians were trying to do a double envelopment.  I shifted my center to the right and wheeled my right flanks to create a Vee defensive position with my artillery on the anchor to keep firing on the Belgian artillery until it was silenced.  By shifting my center, it meant that my left flank was unsupported, but as they were German marines, I felt that they could hold by themselves for a few rounds.

Right flank

Left flank.  They are now standing as I needed to wheel them to face the flanking movement to their left.  Initially, I was moving the bearers to protect my flank by creating a "speed bump" for the Belgians to push through, but then decided that was 'gamey' and marched them back towards the main defensive position.

In short time, I was able to silence the Belgian artillery and turn my cannon on to the Belgian cannibals in the center.

The view of the Belgian artillery for most of the game - yeah, the German artillery gunners are that good!

Glenn's assault on my left flank was proceeding good order with his cannibals crawling closer and closer to my marine unit.  With the events on the my right flank, I decided that is was safe to advance one of my Askari units towards the cannibals to force the issue.  Either they would have to stand up, preventing them from moving closer, or remain prone and giving my Askaris a big advantage in close combat.

The left flank is facing superior numbers but still holding on.  The guy on the mule with the Belgian cannibals is their overall commander.  The fact that I am mention this should be a sign of foreshadowing...hint, hint!

I felt safe enough to send the one unit of Askaris to force the cannibals to react as Glenn's attack on my right flank was falling apart.  One unit was able to close in, but the other really didn't want to get close to the Germans (poor dice rolls for movement for them!)  I was able to roll decent enough to hit the lead unit.

The right flank with the reserve marine unit moving up into the line with the intent of wheeling to create a inverted Vee position to create a deadly kill zone where the Belgian Askaris are located now.

Luckily I had decided to advance my Askaris against the cannibals in the center, as Glenn had rolled extremely well this round and put a big hurt on German marines on the left flank causing them to rout.  But the Askaris did enough damage to the cannibals in the center that they routed too!  As a bonus, the overall Belgian commander was attached to the cannibals when they were routed.

After the running away by both the German marines and the Belgian cannibals

On the right flank, more good news for the Germans with the one Belgian Askari unit also routed!

OH!  How the brave Belgians ran away! Hey! Hey!

I was able to rally my German marines, but Glenn failed to rally his cannibals and off they fled the board dragging the Belgian overall commander with them.  So the game was an automatic victory for the Germans, who promptly walked around the battlefield picking up the surplus of Belgian chocolate bars to enjoy at their victory dinner!

The total losses for the Germans: seven marines from the same unit and five Askaris between the two units, mostly from the one unit from the far right flank, killed (12 total).

The total losses for the Belgians: one Belgian officer, five Askari infantrymen, three Askari artillerymen, and seven cannibals killed and one Belgian officer and three cannibals routed off the board (16 killed / 4 routed)

Can you hear the Congo drums?

NUTS!!!  I am going to be spending some money this weekend...

I just saw this on Shapeways.  It is a 15mm Swedish KP-bil m/42 armored personnel carrier and I have been wanting a model of one for many, many years.  They were used by the UN forces during the 1960's Congo crisis.  I have always had a fascination with this conflict, probably because I watched "The Dark of the Sun" one too many times a kid.  So it looks like I need to start up my 15mm Congo War project again!   I think I am going to have to listen to "Mad" Mike Hoare self-narrate his audio-books again too!

be seeing you

Sapper

Whimsical Wednesday...er, Friday

How could I have missed this article until now?

So God co-piloted a plane for Robert Scott, but Noah doesn't even get him to be a harbor pilot? 

Noah's Ark crashes into a Coast Guard boat!!!! 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/06/13/its-an-awful-dream-noahs-ark-crashes-into-norwegian-coast-guard-patrol-boat/

Wisdom tooth and New England Outline

OK, first with the really bad news, I have an wisdom tooth infection right now and I am in a lot of pain!  I spoke to my dentist at his emergency phone number and got a prescription of antibiotics, but they are not lasting their full length of time and I just took another waiting for the pain to subside some so I can get some sleep (couldn't sleep at all yesterday.)  I will not be able to see him until Tuesday and I might have to miss work today if I can't sleep again.  I am definitely having both of my wisdom teeth pulled as soon as possible after this!  

Anyways, I was typing up my New England trip outline for myself to get the pictures in order, but since I can't sleep because of my tooth right now, I might as well post it here with a few pics for now.  Below is a listing of the locations I visited during my New England trip.  For an idea on how much ground that I really covered, I had a rental car that I picked up in New York City and in sixteen days drove over 4000 miles (6400 km), including walking an average of five miles (8 km) every day.  

My companion for sixteen days with the adeptly name, Jeep Patriot

Now for the other bad news shoe to drop...I discovered that I lost one of my camera’s memory cards, so I lost about 1/3 of my pictures from my trip…sigh.  

I have some general notes also behind some of the locations for significance or general information.

NY: 
NYC Spent most of my day with a college friend of mine who lives in Manhattan, so the locations for NYC was visited with him
NYC Stanton Island Ferry and took photos of Ellis Island & Statue of Liberty
NYC Wall Street - The Bull Statue, Federal Hall National Memorial, and dined at Fraunce’s Tavern

 NYC Village – Visited the Slaughter Lamb Tavern but took no pictures
Sleepy Hollow - Missing most of my pictures, but visited the Headless Horseman Bridge, Old Dutch Church, and Washington Irving’s grave
Stony Point AWI Battlefield - Missing most of my pictures
Fort William Henry F&I Battlefield - Missing all of my pictures
Saratoga AWI Battlefield - Missing all of my pictures
Fort Ticonderoga F&IW & AWI Battlefield

CT:
Groton US Submarine Museum & the USS Nautilus

Hartford State Capitol
Hartford Old State House
Hartford State History Museum
Hartford Soldiers Memorial

RI:
Providence H.P. Lovecraft’s tour of College Hill (many of the buildings that mentioned in his stories) and his gravesite

 Newport Old Stone Mill & Touro Park

VT:
Bennington AWI Memorial - Missing all of my pictures
Townshend Post Office - From HP Lovecraft’s story, “Whisperer in the Darkness”
Townshend Cover Bridge - Missing all of my pictures
Brattleboro Railroad Station - From HP Lovecraft’s story, “Whisperer in the Darkness”
Brattleboro Cover Bridge - Missing all of my pictures
Brattleboro Dark Mountain – From HP Lovecraft’s story, “Whisperer in the Darkness”
St Albans – Site of Confederate raid during the US Civil War

 Sheldon – No pictures due to not being able to safely get to the road side markers, but site of a Confederate raid during the US Civil War

MA:
Whately Schoolhouse, Post Office, & Town Hall – Possible location of HP Lovecraft’s Dunwich, from the story “The Dunwich Horror”
Stockbridge/Great Barrington: Arlo Guthrie’s Alice’s Restaurant Tour and a speculated location of the scene of the crime!
Fall River Battleship Cove - Missing all of my pictures
Fall River Historical Society Museum – No pictures allowed, but site of many Lizzie Borden artifacts
Fall River Lizzie Borden’s Bed & Breakfast
Provincetown Pilgrim Monument / Museum & Pilgrim’s First Landing spot - Missing almost all of my pictures
Cape Cod – Missing all of my pictures
Salem Shipyards
Salem House of the Seven Gables & Nathaniel Hawthorne’s house
Salem National Guard Armory
Salem The Witch House
Salem Charter Street Old Burial Ground & the Pickman’s House and the white house which was inspired in HP Lovecraft’s story, “The Unnamable” and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s story “Dr Grimshawe”
Salem Bewitched Monument
Salem Witch Trial’s Monument
Salem Clue House – the house used in the US version of Clue
Salem Yellow House – From HP Lovecraft’s story, “The Thing at the Door”,
Salem Night Tour

 Salem St Paul’s
Salem Town Hall – Used in the movie, “Hocus Pocus”
Salem Witch Museum
Danvers Witch Trials Monument
Danvers Rebecca Nurse Home – No pictures allowed
Rowley Town Hall – From HP Lovecraft’s story, “The Shadow Over Innmouth”
Ispwich Town Hall – From HP Lovecraft’s story, “The Shadow Over Innmouth”
Lexington & Concord Minute Man Park and Lexington Battle Green

 Boston Bunker Hill Monument
Boston USS Constitution
Glouscester American Legion Hall – From HP Lovecraft’s story, “The Shadow Over Innmouth”
Haverhill Bedford University – From HP Lovecraft’s vision for what Miskatonic University would look like

ME:
Fort McClary

NH:
North Salem American Stonehenge – The circle of stones that HP Lovecraft vision in his story, “The Dunwich Horror”

Canada:
Eccles Hill – Location of the 1870 Fenian Raid
Battle of the Windmill Battlefield
Fort Wellington
Ridgeway Conference & Tour of the battlefield – A literary society conference for the 150th anniversary for the Battle of Ridgeway, including many noted speakers

Derrick Warfield & the Young Wolfe Tones Concert – Part of the Ridgeway conference
Ridgeway 150th Ceremonies 

Be seeing you
Sapper

New England, War Plan Crimson, and Spray Paint, oh my!

This is what is going on with me lately.

New England

I am just back from my first vacation in many years.  I flew into New York City to visit a college friend that I had not seen in 12 or more years then got in a rental car and begin a two-week road trip through Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Ontario, with a minor stop in Quebec.  I have now been to 49 of the 50 states of our Union! (Alaska, you’re the last one.) This trip was mainly a historical tour, but I did do some culture things as well.  When I get so time to sort through my pictures, I will post some of them up.

War Plan Crimson

Tiny Battles Publishing has just released a board game about War Plan Crimson (the US planned invasion of Canada in 1920s-30s), with the same title.  I thought this is rather cool since this covers the same gaming project that I am working on. The links to the buy a PDF version is here, or a hard copy here. 

Spray Paint

Just before I left for vacation, I got to spray paint a prime coat on my 28mm vehicles for War Plan Crimson too! (This was actually before I found out about the new board game).  In the picture, is the bulk of my Interwar US vehicles, plus a couple extra vehicles for other things.  Starting at the top of the picture (and to the left) is five Mack AC Bulldog trucks.  This was the main truck for the US Army after WW1 and up to the mid-1930s.  These truck were used to carry the M1917 light tanks up to the jump off point for combat since the tanks were so slow and had a very short operational range for fuel. 

Directly across from the trucks are five M1917 light tanks which are based off of the FT-17 tanks.  A US light tank platoon at this time had three tanks armed with machine guns and two tanks armed with 37mm guns.  That is the ratio that I have, plus I have one extra M1917 tank (not in this picture) that I am hoping to convert to radio tank. 

Next to the bottom M1917 tank is a US T16 light tank or also known as the Marmon-Herrington CTLS-4TAY tank.  This is not for my War Plan Crimson project, but just for display.  These tanks were designed for the Dutch East Indies armed forces prior to WW2, but as the Japanese attacked before they were delivered, they were transferred to the Missouri Army National Guard’s 138^th Infantry Regiment and were used during their deployment in Alaska.  Since I served in a unit with lineage to the 138^th, I had to get one. 

The large tank next to it is a Mark VIII Liberty heavy tank with the US Army used during the 1920’s and early 1930s.  I doubt that this tank would have been involved in War Plan Crimson due to the mechanical failures of this tank.  If anything they would have been placed on reserve to counter possible invasion beach heads on the coast.  But I went ahead and bought one for completeness sake, even if it is expensive as all get out.

The other large looking tank in the corner of the box is the US pre-WW1 Best Tracklayer Model 75 tank, A.K.A., the Bison.  Again, this is not for War Plan Crimson but more for display.  However, I am planning to start up the US Banana Wars project next year.  While I am planning to concentrate on Nicaragua and Haiti in the 1920s, the lure of pre-WW1 Mexico is there and maybe the California National Guard decided to deploy a Bison to the border with Mexico in response to the Zimmermann Telegram.

Just in front of the Bison is the Ford 3-ton M1918 tank. The US Army made a contract for 15,000 of these with Ford Motor Company during WW1, but over time the US Army felt that the tank could not live up to requirements in Europe and with the end of the war, the contract was voided with only 15 tanks built.  In my War Plan Crimson some of these may still be around.  I only got one, but might pick up four more to outfit a full platoon.

Finally, in the very bottom corner largely cut out of the picture is the Venezuelan Tortuga armored car.  While this is a Venezuelan vehicle built in 1934 (seven in total), it is much in the vain for a Banana War’s “tank” for the insurrectionists.  This will make the US Marines a bit more humbled in a game.

Final Notes

I actually got some reading/listening done for several books since my last entry.  I am updating my 2016 updates with them, but I am going to list them here as well:

WW1 & Interwar

Setting the East Ablaze: Lenin’s Dream of an Empire in Asia, by Peter Hopkirk

The Zimmermann Telegram, by Barbara Tuchman

The Fate of Admiral Kolchak, by Peter Flemming

Fiction

Kolchak: The Nightstalker: The Black and Evil Truth, by CJ Henderson

The Assistant Murder, by Dashiell Hammett

Red Wind, by Raymond Chandler

Until later, be seeing you

Sapper