Sunday, March 3, 2024

FEBRUARY GAME NIGHT: SHIPS, SPEARS, AND PIKERS

 

Mike, this year's club president, desperately flapping his arms to either achieve lift off or make the usual announcements kicking off a Club Game Night (I forget which), and being received with the customary attention due club officers.

Greetings, dear reader(s).  This is just a quick (and belated) post on our club's February Game Night.  These shots all come courtesy of  fellow club member AJ (of AJ's Wargaming Blog).--who, despite having run his own game managed to take some photos (unlike me...).  But I figure a quick post is better than no post, so I'll proceed. As usual, in this post you may clix pix for BIG PIX.  Per our club norm, there were three games (the third of which was mine). 

GENERAL QUARTERS III 

Charlie (in blue vest) ran a General Quarters III early World War Two naval game after the Fall of France pitting the British, who are trying to keep the French fleet from falling into Axis hands, against the French fleet anchored in Algeria: the battle of Mers El Kabir. The outcome of this game will influence our upcoming April Game Day--also run by Charlie--which will be a big game on the invasion of Malta incorporating air, ground, and naval forces. 

CLASH OF SPEARS


AJ ran a Clash of  Spears game, pitting Carthaginians vs Romans. This set of rules is becoming popular in our group, thanks to AJ who has now run several of them. It expands ancients gaming to the skirmish level, and fits in with the current interest in skirmish-adjacent systems like the "Rampant" series, which cover other eras. Judging by the noise and and rowdiness coming from this part of the room, this was a rousing game. 

BAROQUE BATTLES

The third game of the night was mine, The Battle of Lutzen (1632), using my Baroque Battles system (a Pike and Shot game). I was very involved with running this game, and wound up not getting any shots.   Although we did not complete the game by the end of game night, it was clear that Gustavus and the Protestants were not going to be able to break Wallenstein and the Imperials: decision to the Imperials (Byron and Robert); well played to the Protestants (Warren, Mike, and Dave).  I'll be be running this game at the upcoming Mayhem convention on Friday night (full description here). Although I've run this game at conventions before, it's been awhile, so I used this game to refresh my mojo at setting up and facilitating it. 

I'll add a few more pictures and words on the game, as long as I'm on the subject. 
Some of the "off table" bits that are involved. Leaders (left) and tactics cards (right). 
A closer look at the units deployed at the start of another game (left) and some of the different unit types (right) involved. My figures are mostly Irregular, with a smattering of Heroics and Ros. All 6mm, in case you hadn't noticed...
...and although game systems employing small scale figures on gridded game tables are very much in the mainstream right now, I have to say that I have been running this system since before phones were "smart." I'm not sure if this means that I'm ahead of my time or just out of touch. I guess if you do something long enough, it will eventually come into fashion, even if it ain't "fashionable." 

Excelsior!

Friday, February 23, 2024

SWORD LORE: 1811 "BLUCHER" PRUSSIAN CAVALRY SABER

 

Knotel print of a Prussian Dragoon in 1845 sporting the 1811 cavalry saber, the standard weapon for all Prussian non-cuirassier cavalry regiments since the 1820s. 

Based on the interest shown in the mention of my recent acquisition of an Austrian M1861 sword in the last post, I thought I'd meander into a hobby-adjacent interest of mine: antique swords.  As part of my ongoing efforts to organize things, I am putting together a portfolio with images, descriptions, points of inspection, provenance, and history of my swords. It's something I should have been doing, really, as I acquired each, but the same goes for lots of things (like exercising regularly). Of course, I'm not tackling this task chronologically, by nation, or in any other systematic way.  No, I'm doing this organizing in a typically unorganized manner, as the organizational butterfly flits and time allows.  As I complete the listing for each, I'll be sharing (inflicting?) this "sword lore" on you, dear reader, in this blog. So you've been warned. In this post, we'll be dealing with the first artifact, my 1811 Prussian Cavalry saber. And now, for those few who have the spare time and stomach to still be reading, you may, as usual, clix pix for BIG PIX in this blog post... 

1811 "Blucher" Prussian Cavalry Saber
Above is the subject sword from my collection, the famous (among sword followers) "Blucher" cavalry saber. It, like most of my swords, is an authentic  service (ie trooper's) weapon.  The blade is roughly 32" long and as you can see, it is very much a curved, cutting weapon. Although it can be used "at the point" to thrust, that is not the primary employment. During the Napoleonic wars, this distinction between cut and thrust, corresponding to light and heavy cavalry, respectively, was still very pronounced. As the century progressed, these two designs would merge into a universal pattern for all cavalry (but that is the subject of another post for another time). For now, we'll stick with the subject weapon. For starters, we do have to talk about the genesis of this sword during the Napoleonic wars. 

After the disaster at Jena in 1806, Prussia would suffer occupation until well after 1812, when it would it rise up in the Befreiungskriege  and join the Sixth Coalition against France. In order to mobilize for war, Prussia had to greatly expand and equip her army. Although manpower was available, materiel and the means of production were limited, to say the least, and portions of the country still had to liberated. As the above image illustrates, many units of the newly expanded Prussian army (and even some still in the 1815 campaign) donned interim gray uniforms until regular uniform production could get going.  Other support came from allies, most notably Britain. Perhaps the most visible and well known form of British support came in the form of the pictured Portuguese pattern uniforms and shakos that many of the newly raised Prussian regiments donned. Anyone who has ever put together an 1813 Prussian army knows of these. 

Probably less well known, however, is that the British equipped the Prussian cavalry (except for the cuirassiers) with the British 1796 Light Cavalry Saber. Above, my British 1796 Light Cavalry Saber next to my Prussian 1811 "Blucher" Cavalry saber: notice anything? 
Depictions of Prussian Napoleonic cavalry above--one contemporary (Funcken) and one period--with the British 1796 Light Cavalry saber. The British 1796 Light Cavalry saber is a classic (and will be the subject of another post).  Suffice it to say that the Prussians recognized the virtues of this weapon, and when it came time to produce their own, they modelled it on the British 1796.  The resulting saber, the Prussian 1811 Blucher, is a sturdier, more robust version of its more slight British cousin (sort of like German cuisine).  It is unknown, exactly, when the sword acquired its unofficial "Blucher" nickname, but it is assumed to be in connection with its genesis in the Napoleonic wars. Given the state of affairs in Prussia, however, few 1811 Bluchers were actually produced before the fall of Napoleon. Any that were would have been issued on a  "low density" basis (ie to Prussian staff, couriers, etc).  
As for the Prussian cavalry, they would continue to carry the British 1796 Light Cavalry saber that they were already equipped with through the 1815 campaign and beyond. Although you may see these swords (misleadingly or unknowingly) advertised as "Napoleonic" they were not produced in numbers until the 1820s, and the Prussian cavalry probably were not fully equipped with them until the major reorganization of the 1830s.  Having covered its background, it's now time to take a look at the sword.

Markings 
Although all swords tell a story, the marking system on Prussian swords of this era provide a particularly rich and engaging one.  Both the swords and the scabbards have their own stories.  

Ordnance Marks
The small letter and crown stamped on the backstrap and lower guard on the hilt of this sword are government proof marks: the equivalent of a "US" stamped on US Army hardware. 

Unit History
Like any other piece of equipment, swords were recycled, rebuilt, and reissued, as were scabbards, and had many lives. Although this is often a hidden history, Prussian swords and scabbards recorded theirs. 
When the 1811 was superceded for use by the cavalry, it was cascaded to the artillery, then to support units, and then to reserve and other units. Upon receipt, the armorer would put the unit stamps on the langet (above left) and on the scabbard (above right). The previous unit stamps would be struck through. When collecting swords, it is not unusual to have a scabbard that does not match the hilt, as is the case here (the paired items were separated somewhere along the line, and in the case of this item, this scabbard and hilt may have been later married in depot but left in stores and never reissued, hence not re-stamped). Here are the unit histories of this sword (hilt) and this scabbard:

Hilt:  R.P.C 4. 42 
Reserve Proviant Colonne 4, Weapon 42
Reserve Provision Column 4, Weapon 42

Scabbard:  R.P.C. 7. 44   
Reserve Proviant Colonne 7, Weapon 44
Reserve Provision column 7, Weapon 44
Previous Unit:
R.L.12. 5
Reserve Lazarret 12, Weapon 5
Reserve Field Hospital 12, Weapon 5

Depot Marks
As with the unit history, the marks on the hilt cross guard and the scabbard ring tell a story of their own. These are depot marks and indicate that the item was repaired or rebuilt, and where. The convention is for there to be a number, followed by a letter, and possibly followed by another number.  The first number is the weapon or inventory number; the letter indicates the depot. And if there is a number after the letter, it indicates the series (some sources suggest that this is "thousands").   Here is the depot/rebuild history of the scabbard and hilt.

Scabbard Ring: 345  S  3
Item #345, Spandau Depot, Series 3
(alternately, Item #3,345, Spandau Depot)

Hilt (Cross Guard): M 33
Item #33, Munster Depot, Series 1
(alternately, Item #33, Munster Depot)
This is a non standard mark, but an expert reached on a forum deciphered the absence of numbers in front of the depot letter to indicate a first series item (ie, a very early inventory item)

Blade
In the interest of brevity, I won't go into the evolution and conventions of Prussian blade markings.  Suffice it to say that with time, particularly after 1831, they became more standardized and informative, including various forms of date, manufacturer, and a royal cipher or crown. Early blades, pre-1830, tend to have no markings or only a depot number. Given that the numbers on the spine of this blade do not conform to any of the post-1830 conventions, it is unlikely that they indicate a date (1833), and given that these are the only marks, it is likely that it is an early, pre-1830, blade.  Even more telling is that the numbers on the blade match the depot numbers on the hilt (M 33), reinforcing the idea that these are depot marks, which in turn reinforces the idea that this is an early blade.  As such, it is likely that this hilt and blade were put together--making "sword" #33, series 1--at the Munster Depot as a rebuild. 

Later History
The 1811 Blucher Saber would be carried into combat by the cavalry for the last time in 1848 (during the First Schleswig Holstein War), after which it was decided that more hand protection was needed, leading to the design and adoption of the 1852 light cavalry saber (pictured above: of which I have an officer's version--to be reported on in another post).  As has been mentioned, however, this was far from the end of the 1811 Blucher's service life. It was then given to the artillery and horse artillery. Eventually, a lighter version of the Blucher was designed for the artillery. Then the original 1811 Blucher sabers continued to serve, being passed to train and supply units, and then to reserve units, and then to administrative units and personnel, continuing in use through World War One. 
A German Landstrum administrative and security detachment in World War One equipped with the venerable 1811 Blucher Cavalry saber. 
 
Excelsior!

Monday, February 5, 2024

JANUARY GAME NIGHT

 

The usual suspects gathering for our January Game Night.

Although I've been working away at several projects (none of which I've reached a point to blog about), there has been some hobby activity that I can report on. Specifically, our January Game night.  As usual, there were three games on tap. As usual, you can clix on pix for BIG PIX. 

Phil (thumbs up) ran a French and Indian Wars Brother Against Brother game, The "Battle on Snowshoes."  
I can't say much about the game or scenario, but I do know that this is an old favorite among our BaB players, and Phil runs a good game. This was a warm up and playtest for him. He'll be running this game on Saturday Night at the upcoming Mayhem Convention in April. 

Mark D brought his  "Ambush at Black Rock Cross" Pikeman's Lament game. Like Phil, Mark was using this as a playtest and warm up for the upcoming Mayhem Convention where he will be running this game on Saturday night. 
It turned out to be an introduction to the PL system for the players, who were curious about the rules--and a successful one it turned out to be. All said that they would be getting a copy of the rules: well done, Mark! This is one of the good things about our club; although we don't chase trends and do run "old school" games, it is often the case that game nights provide the opportunity for us to experience new rules sets as well.

Ralph (at right) ran the third game, The Battle of Plevisek, a speculative encounter the Mongols raiding a town in Hungary using the Lion Rampant II rules. Before coming to game night, Ralph had play tested this game in his basement, as previously reported in the Mangled Mongols post in this blog. AJ, at the end of the table, would play one of the Mongol Khans in this game, opposite Earl. 
As usual, Ralph cuts no corners when it comes to laying a table, even though it means packing it up, schlepping it across town, setting it up and then tearing it down in an evening. 
Earl (red shirt in the left picture), and Dave (blue shirt, black baseball cap) would play the part of the defenders. Bob (light colored baseball cap in the right picture) would be teamed with AJ as the other Mongol Khan. As in the playtest, General Dice was not with the Mongols--as if that weren't enough, Dave's dice were nothing short of amazing!   Thus, the Mongols were, once again, mangled!
You may be wondering where I, your humble correspondent, was on this fine evening. That's me in black, arms crossed, at the end of the table. Seeing as all  games had their quota of players, and since I had already played in two of the three, I decided to help facilitate Ralph's game--and most welcome I was too!

With several people out with sickness and family emergencies, this was, by our standards, another light turn out.  There were, nevertheless, 15 gamers in the room, including  the game hosts, and three fully prepared convention-quality games, each of which was supported with enough players. Still an enviable situation, I think, and one that is easy to take for granted.  And, of course, it's always a fine thing to gather with friends on a dark January evening at the end of the week. 

In other news, in my "adjacent" hobby of collecting swords, I scored a major acquisition this week: an Austrian M1861 cavalry sabre. I have been watching for one of these for at least seven years: they just don't come on the market. Even better, this one was flying under the radar given the way it was listed, so I was the only bidder and got it at rock bottom price. This is the pattern carried by the Austrian cuirassiers and dragoons in the Austro Prussian War of 1866 (a slightly shortened version was carried by the hussars and uhlans). This is an actual service sword, marked "13 DR" (13th Dragoon Regiment) on the Riscasso. It is a beast: the blade is 36" long. It needs a bit of cleaning up (some damn fool painted the hilt and scabbard silver), but other than that, it is sound and tight, and the blade is clean and still sharp. 

So, another sword and a another good game night; a good few weeks since last I checked in, I think.  

Excelsior!

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