invisible officer

The british AWI battalion sized “regiment” had 10 companies, including a light and a grenadier one.

so 10 % should be light, from 30 that’s 3.

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My own AWI are 4 cm and I play in a 1 to 1 rato. With the small number of effectives no problem, a company often fielden just 30 – 2 OR.

For me it was interesting reading.

Not my view on the world but interesting to see that others have problems that are none for me.

The only one ever harmed by my wargames had been me, steel pikes can be……….

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The Prussian army since 1847, the  German Heer in 1914-18   and 1939-45  had GOTT MIT UNS (God with us) on the bel…[Read more]

That carronades shot more accurate was caused by the barrel that was closer to the ball size, less windage. The ball being driven with less “jumping” around. And the powder was used better, less energy being lost by passing the ball before leaving the muzzle.

Trained Gunner knew how to deal with the vivo, the difference between the bore and the…[Read more]

One of the topics that make real world and game crash.    The LMG loader carried the spare part and the tool bag, including the spare barrel. Bren magazines are distributed among all men carried in the amo pouches at webbing.

PIAT projectiles are carried in a case. The PIAT loader surely had no Bren parts so could not do the LMG job fully. The mo…[Read more]

The sources are vague, not ever stating the type. We know that some units used plug and socket ones at same time. From 1692 we have no more invoices stating plug ones. So……

The pike advocats died slowly, the Swiss French units using both types of bayonet and pike together until 1703.

Many went again for swine feathers, so Russia in 1704.…[Read more]

Well, 1703 is a bit late for French introduction.

Vauban had advocated a plug bayonet as early as 1669 and the first French line infantry regiments got it 1689. The Fusiliers du Roi had no pikes since creation 1672, being armed with flintlocks as artillery guards. No burning matches for a unit that guarded the artillery  Boooom…….

But the…[Read more]

The morion helmet was typical all over Western Europe, from Malta to Scotland. And the pants had been international fashion too. Like later French styles the Spanish one was “de rigeur”.

Regular troops needed a sash or similar field sign to distinguish them.

The modern arms and armor in the English and Spanish stores looked the same. Only…[Read more]

Many regular skirmishers had been trained to form hedgehogs of 4 or more men if attacked by horse. They had been flexible enough to do them fast. A compact line was not so mobile. The 2 – 3 men at the flank being in general able to turn 90° fast too. But under attack from  side and back ……A deadly attack was the back slash from the rider t…[Read more]

You can use the Wars of Religion Infantry Regiment  for English infantry.   The Italian war horse is good for the cavalry.

Unfortunately not. The armor around 1525 was very different from the Rose war one, esp. the helmets.

But there is a warlord series that fits, the wars of religion gensdarmes. And the mtd. Arquebusuiers too.

Well, a good sipplement with a lot of work but hardly making BA into a true flavour WW I game.  Creeping barrage and bombing infantry tactics dominated the war 1917/18 so much that the BA based rules will not have the feeling.

It was not just a war of other dress, less tanks  and with gas.

The MP 18 is iconic, it should have pistol range a…[Read more]

You do a common mistake. There was not just one Rifle grenade type. Wehrmacht even had a propaganda amo to send printed propaganda stuff to Allied trenches.

The German AT Rifle Grenade was not the same as the HE anti infantry Rifle Grenade.   It was a shaped charge amo. The Raketen Panzer Büchse /  Panzerschreck amo was not just an enl…[Read more]

Another example of the “strange scales” politics of Warlord.   Like with the ships old gamers (like me)  have allready “some” armies. In ACW I have large 1/300 forces and also some regiments in 28mm.  My need for 13,5 mm is ………..

The one man killed rule is OK for most of these weapons.

Panzerfaust 150 had in 45 an optional “Splitterring” that produced a rain of splinters but most had nothing like that. But the shaped charge effect produced splinters from stones and concrete so it was not nice to be in the area……….

To say that battalion squares are not used at all in 1700 would be wrong. For example the Bavarian regulations of 1680 has squares of different sizes, from brigade down to battalion. Funny thing, it was oval, not square.

Solid squares are often found in 18th century and some hollow ones are trained too. The movement by tactical  “divisions”…[Read more]

With 36 men I think you refer to the LCV . A look in the contemporary ONI 226 handbook shows  it had no armor at all. The fuel tank was under the pilots position. Those with Diesel engines may be safe, those with gasoline – boom or burning.

Real world Riflemen are deadly, for example the typical German K98 user in Normandie had SMK rounds  to f…[Read more]

There is the usual gap between history and simple game rules.

Can aircraft attack a ship prorected by a smokescreen?   Surely not if the ship is not moving like Tirpitz in Norway. Smoke dischargers at the coast and on pontoons produced a Screen that made the RN and RAF attackers blind.

A moving ship will not be in such a thick screen. S…[Read more]

The Rifle Grenade is fired by a small arm but can hardly be classed as a typical  small arm amo.   Explosive load in HE was normally much less than in a Hand grenade but enough to produce a lot of splinters.

And there also existed hollow charge rounds. Intended against armored vehicles.

So historically a rifle grenade could hurt armored ve…[Read more]

With DAK Motorbicycle units are a must.  And naturally no German horse there, not like in Europe. There more cavalry served than Kradschützen.

In fact the heavy German BMW and Zündap are great, even 2020 – On streets. Pure fun to drive, or in sidecar.  But even in European countryside not nice to move away from street. In Africa’s dunes it was…[Read more]

It’s a classic tabletop  problem. You see everything so recce is not really necessary.

The Kradschützen had been recce units, most serving with the Panzer units.  Moving as fast but also able to dismount infantry for supporting the tanks.  The problem was the bad ratio of sidecar bikes between driver and infantry dismounting, 1 to 2. So most uni…[Read more]