Basement Games

Well for the last month of so I was ill and even unable to use my laptop. Yes that is crazy hard for even me to get my head around, so I worked on future posts using my moleskin journals.


So before I do my first post for June I want to offer one last clue on my secret project. The winner will receive either a $10 TOOFATLardies gift certificate or $10 from Gaming Models. Your choice. Last clue is this picture. We already determined is was a new period or front for me, part of the official TOOFATLardies canon and lastly was one of the smallest platoon for this or any army for Chain of Command. Guesses for the prize will end on June 22nd.




Now to my new post.

OK we all know Jon has a thing for the FT-17. I have several, including two on my painting bench from Gaming Models. It is not fast or even powerful, but was the basis for all tank designs going forward to the present time. Unfortunately there is not a great deal written about this important engineered vehicle. I have an old Osprey and a Profile piece but they are dated and do have errors.  Most of the current materials are best found on museum sites often in French, funny how that happens.

So why do I keep this around, well it is like an old friend that I want to keep, in this case in my gaming library. Do others out there have similar books we keep for reference or other reasons, even though they are well past their sell by date?

This book covers the early development and use of the Renault FT in World War I and how it was the basis for tank designs and used directly by most of the worlds armed forces, US, France, Poland Japan and the Soviet Union all used it. Soviets copied it, the US sold it to Canada in early World War II as a training vehicle. Even the US used it on the battlefield at Gettysburg and against its own citizens in Washington DC.

It was active with the Poles in the Russo Polish War and in Case White against the Germans. Add in South America, North Africa, German airfield defense and anti-partizan operations and this slim volume covers a lot.

Thirty years latter this slim volume does hold up well, warts and all. Some of the paint schemes are suspect but I still love it. I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars. 

I will often buy a book for a project, the project gets side tracked and the book ends up on the shelf or in one of my banker storage boxes in the down stairs closet waiting for it to be pulled off and put to use. This one of those books. Bought when I was working on a Sea Lion Project 2015 it was put on the shelf with other 1940's Sea Lion books and at the end of last year I was determined to get some Chain of Command gaming using newly purchased but not painted figures. Well this month I finished off painting the Mick Yarrow figures, very healthy for 15mm and a platoon plus of Peter Pig figures. I do have to remind myself not to stray to far from Peter Pig. So I was ready for some reading.

But about this book, it says on the tin that it covers the last years of peace and that is not completely correct. It looks at the defenses of the South Coast going back to Napoleon and The Great War. While the detail on this is light, he has offered sources that will easily add a dozen books to my library on The Great War and Sea Lion that I do not own as of today.

The author goes into detail about war preparation dealing with gas attacks, air raids and food. He also shows how overwhelmed local government were when they were tasked with setting up shelters, food distribution and firefighting services. It is easy today in 2017 to forget that a village or town may not had any fire fighting equipment in 1938.

The plans that he looks at were often designed in 1917 and barely dusted off. There was always the expectation that the next war would not occur without a decades amount of warning. Instead of 10 years the British had only from Oct 1938 to Sep 1939 to complete the preparations, which were often not even started yet.

Lastly he goes into a great deal of detail of how the British primary plans were always to just "muddle through".  It is uncertain if government agencies just thought war was never going to happen, or if if they thought is was someone else's job to start and finish the projects. That changed with Munich. It was for the best, that plans were given some time to complete before September 1939 and even into the winter of the Phony War. Without that time there would not have been either Chain Home Radar Stations or the Hurricane and Spitfire. Just think of the Battle of Britain with the Hawker Hart and the Gloucester Gladiator.

As for a recommendation, I give this book five stars if you are interested in Sea Lion or inter-war military history. As it covers no battles and ends with the start of the war, it has very little action other than buearacratic and great great what-ifs. Enjoy.

This is a famous and well known story of breaking the Atlantic Wall. While not in a great deal of depth, he is trying to cover the entire invasion, Max Hastings shown the little stories not often discussed. It took me too long to read it with school going on.

While my interest were on the Commonwealth side of the lines, I was given a refresher on the American landings, one I did need. What I found most interesting is that this book has become the sources of further books and articles I wish to read. Studies that will show upon the gaming table and articles over the next year.

If you have not read this, take the time it is worthwhile. It covers the political and military side of the start of the invasion.