tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5246879882283028152024-03-13T21:11:03.487+01:00Waziristan on a FancyJuan Mancheñohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07761893327024556857noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524687988228302815.post-41173327768194188152014-07-07T20:25:00.002+02:002014-07-07T20:25:32.149+02:00Special Service<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WHdoQLk8VKA/U7rh9_LGgAI/AAAAAAAAERg/xnM409WDxL8/s1600/Gallipoli-Troops-007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WHdoQLk8VKA/U7rh9_LGgAI/AAAAAAAAERg/xnM409WDxL8/s1600/Gallipoli-Troops-007.jpg" height="240" width="400" /></a></div>
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I´m here again!</div>
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I have really busy with my real life work and other things, so I have been unable to work in this really interesting period. But, at last, I have been able to do something. I painted these figures from <i>Empress Miniatures</i> some time ago; they are wonderful miniatures sculpted by the GREAT Paul Hicks that are now part of my platoon of Gordon´s. Because I have not found any reference about the presence of Scottish units in the ORBATs of the Third Afghan War, I have decided , finally, to use them as member of one of the Special Service Battalions raised for the war.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p9qzVy82gh4/U7rjSo63RNI/AAAAAAAAERs/9C6pqGPYm3k/s1600/Highlanders+01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p9qzVy82gh4/U7rjSo63RNI/AAAAAAAAERs/9C6pqGPYm3k/s1600/Highlanders+01.JPG" height="327" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aYRdOjUICxc/U7rjUZs417I/AAAAAAAAER0/zhL0rXjwIi8/s1600/Highlanders+02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aYRdOjUICxc/U7rjUZs417I/AAAAAAAAER0/zhL0rXjwIi8/s1600/Highlanders+02.JPG" height="308" width="400" /></a></div>
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Despite the fact that the British Indian Army was in a not very good shape at the begining of the Third Afghan War, there was a really fortunate respect. A large number of personnel coming from Mesopotamia en route to England for demobilization were awaiting in India due to a shortage of ships, so they were called to meet the crisis.</div>
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The Infantry were formed inot Special Service Battalions and those numbered 1, 2, 3 and 4 were made into a Brigade at Rawalpindi for further deployment but, in June, they were finally split up to provide reinforcements for existing British units. The Special Service Battalions Nos. 6, 12, 15, 16 and 18 were employed, on the other hand, as internal security troops in India while No. 17 was used in the Baluchistan area. Artizan and mechanics were drafted to technical corps where they rendered an ivaluable service.</div>
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So these tired and home sicked soldiers were called for a last fight.</div>
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Well, my Gordon´s are going to be part of one of these internal security detachment posted in the Northwest Frontier. They are going to provide an escort for a certain Mr. Flashman in his very important mission...</div>
Juan Mancheñohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07761893327024556857noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524687988228302815.post-64157024884999065802014-04-06T12:40:00.002+02:002014-04-06T18:28:59.687+02:00The Drum is beating II<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VQrrZ4OF_dc/U0EoTE-U-lI/AAAAAAAAD8U/lWPd-0vKqME/s1600/DRUMTRADEAD2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VQrrZ4OF_dc/U0EoTE-U-lI/AAAAAAAAD8U/lWPd-0vKqME/s1600/DRUMTRADEAD2.jpg" height="252" width="400" /></a></div>
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I have read in a forum that <i>Empress Miniatures</i> is going to base their new "Jazz Age" range in this very nice movie, "The Drum". A great idea, because it is a classic and really good film full of interesting "frontier" characters and adventure.</div>
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I expect they have also plans for the Afghan regular army!</div>
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Well, here is my first pack of British troops:</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KU_Enyhdg9I/U0EpRfEHtPI/AAAAAAAAD8c/DQPgZMyCSYw/s1600/DSC_0001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KU_Enyhdg9I/U0EpRfEHtPI/AAAAAAAAD8c/DQPgZMyCSYw/s1600/DSC_0001.JPG" height="285" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e-SfZMqFLQU/U0EpSotu1dI/AAAAAAAAD8k/bJqUyO6obTM/s1600/DSC_0002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e-SfZMqFLQU/U0EpSotu1dI/AAAAAAAAD8k/bJqUyO6obTM/s1600/DSC_0002.JPG" height="281" width="400" /></a></div>
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They are the command group from <i>Empress´</i> Highlanders; very nice miniatures, another great sculpting work from Paul Hicks and a true pleasure to paint.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Mn5_3PfEImU/U0EqO5VTNII/AAAAAAAAD8w/CcT5jLnwOPU/s1600/TC+2013+48.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Mn5_3PfEImU/U0EqO5VTNII/AAAAAAAAD8w/CcT5jLnwOPU/s1600/TC+2013+48.jpg" height="270" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_auYCoyh_d8/U0EqPY683vI/AAAAAAAAD80/YA31IjmByeU/s1600/TC+2013+49.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_auYCoyh_d8/U0EqPY683vI/AAAAAAAAD80/YA31IjmByeU/s1600/TC+2013+49.jpg" height="268" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HXloJyIG34w/U0EqtCPaB2I/AAAAAAAAD9I/ORQj3PRqWeY/s1600/DSC_0004+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HXloJyIG34w/U0EqtCPaB2I/AAAAAAAAD9I/ORQj3PRqWeY/s1600/DSC_0004+(2).JPG" height="285" width="400" /></a></div>
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I have painted the khaki uniform with a <i>Coat d´arms</i> triad (designed by Steve Dean himself), "Khaki Triad" , very easy to apply. Of course, there are a lot of other brown colours in the minis and I have need a lot of time to paint them as Gordons! </div>
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Sadly, I have not found references to this regiment in the Third Afghan War, but my my idea is to use them as part of one of the Special Service units sent to the Frontier.</div>
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I have, at last, opponents for my Afghan tribesmen, and another ruleset to use with them, "Setting the East Ablaze" from Partizan Press.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rW71IaIv9Q8/U0EsBU9WEZI/AAAAAAAAD9U/LSsnbW72EI4/s1600/SEA+01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rW71IaIv9Q8/U0EsBU9WEZI/AAAAAAAAD9U/LSsnbW72EI4/s1600/SEA+01.jpg" height="400" width="282" /></a></div>
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After reading and using "TM&B" and other rulesets based in the Great War, and thinking in the limited gaming time I have, I have decided to look for an easy-to-learn and easy-to-use ruleset with enough flavour of the period in it. I think this one can be very good because this is a ruleset based in the warfare in the "back of beyond", in Central Asia, something perfect for me. This is also a "big-skirmish" game, with 10 to 20 figures to a unit and this is card-driven; another very good point.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AClUgClmVfo/U0Es7lWAKEI/AAAAAAAAD9c/2ED9I2Nm7_o/s1600/SEA+02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AClUgClmVfo/U0Es7lWAKEI/AAAAAAAAD9c/2ED9I2Nm7_o/s1600/SEA+02.jpg" height="400" width="328" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-loPvXMd3q7w/U0Es8vWECII/AAAAAAAAD9k/Y4vuqui_ad8/s1600/SEA+03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-loPvXMd3q7w/U0Es8vWECII/AAAAAAAAD9k/Y4vuqui_ad8/s1600/SEA+03.jpg" height="271" width="400" /></a></div>
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The playshet (one of its two faces) and a sample of the good quality of the printing. </div>
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Now, I need to test it and play a game, at last. Perhaps an small patrol of Highlanders looking for problems?</div>
Juan Mancheñohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07761893327024556857noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524687988228302815.post-83203616135294491872014-03-18T20:05:00.001+01:002014-03-18T21:34:50.057+01:00More Terrain!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5gYFtclHQw4/UyiUtehkTJI/AAAAAAAAD38/YiIJwt4wuuw/s1600/soldier-jump-river.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5gYFtclHQw4/UyiUtehkTJI/AAAAAAAAD38/YiIJwt4wuuw/s1600/soldier-jump-river.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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Something very common in any Afghan landscape is the irrigation ditch. How many US soldiers have finished their jump in the middle of the muddy water? I ask myself (because there are many pictures like this one).</div>
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So I wanted to have some irrigation ditches for my Afghan based games...</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_wzLsKkKPhI/UyiVVQMSOUI/AAAAAAAAD4E/WwFTn_-wu5c/s1600/IMG_8227.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_wzLsKkKPhI/UyiVVQMSOUI/AAAAAAAAD4E/WwFTn_-wu5c/s1600/IMG_8227.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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And here they are; another fantastic work from the <i>Wargames News and Terrain</i> terraforming service.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OW5q76mtFuU/UyiVnKvT8uI/AAAAAAAAD4M/HlQ4KHgsXPk/s1600/IMG_8218.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OW5q76mtFuU/UyiVnKvT8uI/AAAAAAAAD4M/HlQ4KHgsXPk/s1600/IMG_8218.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fBEeJzJnBGg/UyiVoWhL4ZI/AAAAAAAAD4U/ohWs79nrKz0/s1600/IMG_8221.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fBEeJzJnBGg/UyiVoWhL4ZI/AAAAAAAAD4U/ohWs79nrKz0/s1600/IMG_8221.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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I sent Timmy a pair of pictures and a very basic sketch about I wanted to have, and in least than a week, he sent me these pictures with his almost finishd work. A perfect irrigation system.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-maq0bUxgAYw/UyiWCo5JDvI/AAAAAAAAD4c/7wqU2YIu_2g/s1600/DSC_0001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-maq0bUxgAYw/UyiWCo5JDvI/AAAAAAAAD4c/7wqU2YIu_2g/s1600/DSC_0001.JPG" height="233" width="400" /></a></div>
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I wanted to have it modular, to be able of deploy different configurations of ditches over the table.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZiRzL6q_o4k/UyiWE7lyAkI/AAAAAAAAD4k/me_Vf8JkFsc/s1600/DSC_0002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZiRzL6q_o4k/UyiWE7lyAkI/AAAAAAAAD4k/me_Vf8JkFsc/s1600/DSC_0002.JPG" height="273" width="400" /></a></div>
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Of course, I´m going to use it in my Third Afghan War games (I´m now painting the British, at last!).<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lSL5JApANZY/UyiWFOCBVhI/AAAAAAAAD4o/EpNuRNyPp20/s1600/DSC_0003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lSL5JApANZY/UyiWFOCBVhI/AAAAAAAAD4o/EpNuRNyPp20/s1600/DSC_0003.JPG" height="311" width="400" /></a></div>
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And in the new Afghan War too. They can be perfect barriers and trenches...</div>
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So another very good work from <i>Wargames News and Terrain</i>, with a really fair price and fast, really, really fast delivery time.</div>
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I´m now finishing the painting of some Taliban fighters to play a test game with the future "Taliban ORBAT" for "Skirmish Sangin". Some SAS are going to wet their boots...</div>
Juan Mancheñohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07761893327024556857noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524687988228302815.post-84484009937990716092014-03-10T22:27:00.002+01:002014-03-17T18:40:22.788+01:00Operation Red Wings<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eyptJN9OCUc/Ux4kHjAiTWI/AAAAAAAAD1M/8tnxf2vyKww/s1600/Navy_SEALs_in_Afghanistan_prior_to_Red_Wing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eyptJN9OCUc/Ux4kHjAiTWI/AAAAAAAAD1M/8tnxf2vyKww/s1600/Navy_SEALs_in_Afghanistan_prior_to_Red_Wing.jpg" height="312" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-GB">Background and development.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-GB">Operation Red Wings</span></i><span lang="EN-GB"> was a combined operation realized by the Second
Battalion, 3<sup>rd</sup> Marine Regiment (2/3 Marines), with the use of some
Special Operations Forces (SOF) for the opening phase (the most famous, in
fact), in the Pech District of Afghanistan´s Kunar Province, on the slopes of a
mountain named Sawtalo Sar, from 27<sup>th</sup> June through mid-July 2005. It
was intended to disrupt local Anti-Coalition Militia activity in the region,
carried out most notably by a local “warlord” from Nangarhar Province, Ahmad
Shah. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">By the summer of
2005, many of Afghanistan´s provinces had stable security environments, but one
really restive was the Kunar Province, in eastern Afghanistan, on the border
with Pakistan. Insurgent activity during this time came from around 20 groups
which ranged in allegiance from those with tenuous ties to the Taliban and
al-Qaeda to the majority of them that were little more than local (and very
well armed) criminals. These groups were known as Anti-Coalition Militia (ACM)
and military operations in Kunar focused primarily in their disruption.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">In April 2005, 3/3
Marine had been deployed to Regional Command (East) RC (E) from late 2004, and
had conducted a number of stability and counterinsurgency operations in support
of <i>Operation Enduring Freedom</i> that
proved very successful in disrupting ACM activity. The culmination of these
efforts was the April 2005 surrender of a regional “high value target” (HVT),
the ACM commander Najmudeen, who had based his operations in the Korengal Valley.
With his surrender, ACM activity in the region dropped significantly, but he
had left a power vacuum in the area, so 3/3 Marine tracked a number of known
ACM groups which could possibly wanted to fill the power void. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">It was the next USMC
unit posted in the area, the 2/3 Marine who found and selected the target for
their first operation in the same line as those from 3/3. This time, it was the
small cell led by Ahmad Shah, responsible of eleven incidents against Coalition
forces, with aspiration to impede the upcoming elections and to aid a resurgent
Taliban in the region. According to the intelligence gathered, he had fifty to
a hundred fighters in his group.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">By June 2005, 2/3
Marine had developed a comprehensive operation called <i>Operation Red Wings</i> (“Red Wings” being the name of an US hockey
team).</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-neuPo_PnUP4/Ux4lehX9a4I/AAAAAAAAD1Y/lTvrWiCrzcY/s1600/AhmadShah-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-neuPo_PnUP4/Ux4lehX9a4I/AAAAAAAAD1Y/lTvrWiCrzcY/s1600/AhmadShah-1.jpg" height="222" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange;">Ahmad Shah</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b><span lang="EN-GB">Operation Red Wings.</span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Ahmad Shah based his
insurgent operations near some small structures outside of the village of
Chichal, on the slopes of Sawtalo Sar mountain, in the upper Korengal Valley
(the “Valley of Death” for the US forces) and twenty miles to the west of
Kunar´s provincial capital, Asadabad. The intelligence staff of the 2/3 Marine determined
Shah could be there in late June and they prepared an operation that would
require a helicopter insert of forces to cordon the area and search for Shah in
a direct assault after a positive identification by a Marine Corps Scout/Sniper
team which would walk into the area under cover of darkness some nights before
the assault.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">It was an USMC
operation in the AOR (area of operations) of the 2/3 Marine, who, as additional
assets, sought only to use the MH-47 of the 160<sup>th</sup> SOAR (A), the
Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne). However, CJSOFT-A, the
Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Afghanistan, refused this request,
stating that in order for <i>Red Wings</i>
to be supported with Special Operations aviation, the 2/3 Marine would have to
task the opening phases of the operation to Special Operations Ground Forces,
with the Marines of 2/3 acting in a supporting role until after the initial
phases of the operation. The battalion agreed to this condition despite this
agreement defied a fundamental “unity of command” rule for the success of any operation. This one was presented to a number of Special Operations units
working in the area for possible “buy in” and US Navy SEALs expressed interest, so they received the task to perform the first two phases of the operation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-GB">The operation.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">In Phase One of the
operation, an US Navy SEAL reconnaissance and surveillance team was tasked to
insert in the region, observe and identify Ahmad Shah and his men, and guide
the assault forces of Phase Two, in which </span>a SEAL direct action
team was to be inserted by MH-47, followed by Marines, to capture or kill Shah
and his men.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Then, the Marines and
Afghan National Army forces could conduct the next three phases of the
operation, those of outer cordon, security and stabilization (the most mundane
of them, of course).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/---rAWQo-SuE/Ux4mR97By6I/AAAAAAAAD1g/5Vqj5IlQr1c/s1600/SAWTALO-SUMMIT-NAI-FINALb850.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/---rAWQo-SuE/Ux4mR97By6I/AAAAAAAAD1g/5Vqj5IlQr1c/s1600/SAWTALO-SUMMIT-NAI-FINALb850.jpg" height="400" width="351" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
Late in the night of
June 27, 2005, two MH-47 of the 160<sup>th</sup> SOAR (A) approached Sawtalo
Sar. While one of them performed a number of “decoy drops” to confuse the
enemy, the other inserted via fastrope a four-man SEAL reconnaissance and
surveillance team (formed by two sniper teams) in a saddle between Sawtalo Sar
and Gatigal Sar, one and half miles from the nearest Named Area of Interest
(NAI) of the mission.</div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">After a hard night
march, the team reached a pre-determined, covered overwatch position (number one in the map), from
which the SEALs could observe the different NAIs, but it was not a very good
place, so they look for another OP near Chichal (number two). Sadly, in this one, the team
was quickly discovered by local goatherds, which were released according to the
rules of engagement. The team, surmising that they have been compromised,
retreated to a fallback position near the summit of the mountain, but, within
an hour, they were ambushed by Shah and his men. The SEALs were suddenly
attacked by RPK light machine guns, AK-47s, RPG-7 rocket propelled grenades and
an 82mm mortar with such intensity that this volume of fire, combined with the
type of ambush, from a higher position, forced the SEAL team mountain down into
the northeast gulch of Sawtalo Sar.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">The SEALs made a
number of attempts to contact their combat operation center, before and after
the ambush, but they could not establish consistent communication, being only
able to indicate that they were under attack. Three of the four team members
were killed by the Afghans and the only survivor, Marcus Luttrell, was left
unconscious and seriously wounded, but the Afghans lost his track. Finally, after
a long and hard march on foot, he was rescued by a local Pashtun from Salar Bar
village, who saved his life, hiding him from the Taliban.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9ylJ9DqTWOM/Ux4myltc9nI/AAAAAAAAD1o/O3y9dSTxsXE/s1600/redwing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9ylJ9DqTWOM/Ux4myltc9nI/AAAAAAAAD1o/O3y9dSTxsXE/s1600/redwing.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-GB">The Rescue mission, Red Wings II.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">After the
communication that the SEAL team was under attack, the focus of the operation
shifted from disrupting ACM activity to finding and extracting the SEALs. Some
hours after the desperate communication of the SEAL team (because its position
and situation were unknown due to the broken transmission), a quick reaction
force (QRF) was finally launched, consisting of two MH-47 of the 160<sup>th</sup>,
two UH-60 and two AH-64 Apache, with the two MH-47 on the lead. Upon reaching
Sawtalo Sar, the two MH-47 received small arms fire but they didn´t wait for
the Apaches and, in the attempt to insert the SEALs who were riding in one of
the MH-47, one of Ahmad Shah´s men fired an RPG-7 which, entering by the rear
door, struck the transmission below the rear rotor assembly, causing the
aircraft to immediately plummet to the ground, killing all eight 160<sup>th</sup>
aviators and crew and all eight US Navy SEALs who were passengers. Both
commanders of the rescue force, LCDR Erik S. Kristensen of SEAL Team 10 and
aviation element commander Major Stephen C. Reich of 160<sup>th</sup>, were
killed, so command and control of the rescue mission was lost, ending the first
attempt of rescue.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">The second attempt
was a massive and better organized search and rescue operation, and all the
bodies were recovered and Marcus Luttrell was also rescued, some days after the
ambush, in the village of Salar Ban, roughly one mile down the location of the
fight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NnpptW75_Dk/Ux4n8EG-DyI/AAAAAAAAD14/BYUp19nw8BM/s1600/Misi%C3%B3n+Rescate+Axe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NnpptW75_Dk/Ux4n8EG-DyI/AAAAAAAAD14/BYUp19nw8BM/s1600/Misi%C3%B3n+Rescate+Axe.jpg" height="253" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange;">The rescue team, looking for Axelson</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b><span lang="EN-GB">Code of Honour.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">The SEALs´ firefight
with Ahmad Shah´s forces began along a high-elevation ridgeline called Sawtalo
Sar and the north-eastern gulch in which the SEALs were trapped was in the
direction of the small village of Salar Ban. The wounded Luttrell descended the
gulch and was encountered by a Pasthun named Mohammad Gulab Khan from Salar
Ban, who took Luttrell into his home and, according with the cultural tradition
of <i>Pashtunwali</i>, offered him
protection from his enemies. Full protection.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Ahmad Shah, “king of
the mountain”, was able to ascertain where the wounded SEAL was, and demanded
that he be turned over, a demand that was not attended by the villagers. He
could not risk a fight at that moment, with a number of his men killed during
the battle with the SEALs and so many enemies coming to the valley so, in the
end, he was unable to capture Luttrell.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WgYIY28pO_A/Ux4nHpO9QNI/AAAAAAAAD1w/fLklqRQnFTA/s1600/ne-gulch-ambush-schematic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WgYIY28pO_A/Ux4nHpO9QNI/AAAAAAAAD1w/fLklqRQnFTA/s1600/ne-gulch-ambush-schematic.jpg" height="346" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange;">Red arrows indicate the Insurgent´s fire lanes</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB">Aftermath.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Ahmad Shah and his
group recovered a large amount of weapons, ammunition and other material,
including a laptop with an intact hard drive containing maps of embassies in
Kabul and other documents. Shah had with him two videographers during the
ambush, and released a video of the ambush and the items recovered from the
SEALs so his victory was soon on the media.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Thanks to the ambush
and the MH-47 shootdown, the size of his group increased as additional fighters
joined his ranks up to 100. In this way, he gained an amount of notoriety and became a valued target for the Coalition forces, but
he was finally killed in April 2008 during a shootout with Pakistani police.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-GB">Disputed Information.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">There is some conflict
over the exact number of Taliban forces involved in the engagement and about
the mission of the SEAL team.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-GB">Operation Red Wings</span></i><span lang="EN-GB"> was an USMC operation that integrated Special
Operations assets for the opening phases of the mission, but a four man SEAL team
was not sent in a covert mission to kill or capture Ahmad Shah as it has been
shown in “Lone Survivor”. Shah was not one of Osama bin Laden´s lieutenants,
neither was he an HVT (High Value Target); he was just another chief of ACM or
Anti-Coalition Militia, and not a “big player”. His force was put by initial
INTEL at up to 20 ACM and it was very logical because the small villages on the
Korengal Valley/Sawtalo Sar and Shuryek Valley cannot sustain a number of
fighters larger than these for very long. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">The problem is that,
in Luttrell´s own official after-action report, he estimated the size of the
Taliban force to be around 20-35 but in his book he claimed that, during the
briefing, they were told around 80 to 200 fighters were expected to be in the
area. Further analysis, derived from signals intelligence gleaned during the
ambush and human intelligence derived in Pakistan after the ambush, stated the
number of Taliban fighters to be between 8 and 10 probably reinforced during
the fight. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">It is, in the end, an
exercise of “Afghan Math” (“just divide by about ten to get the real number”).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Of course, it is not
good for the “Stars and Stripes” culture. The narrative of a four-man team of
hard Navy SEALs fighting on a group of hundreds of “hostiles” under the
leadership of the right-hand man of THE enemy has all the elements for a great
military action thriller. But it didn´t happen in <i>Red Wings</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">The sober true is
that Ahmad Shah, with around half of his <i>retinue</i>,
surrounded the SEALs by up to 180º and fired at them from superior positions
(higher terrain, the recipe for the exit) with weapons of heavier calibre than
the SEALs´ 5.56mm. Shah had at least one RPG with a lot of rockets, a number of
men firing AK-47s, a pair of PK machine guns and possibly an 82mm mortar, this
one able to wipe out, alone, a team much larger than four men. It was something
very hard to accept by the Special Operators community, but the SEALs were
vastly outgunned and outpositioned by an enemy that had excellent cover from
the thick forest surrounding the Northeast Gulch of Sawtalo Sar, who knew the
terrain very well (so were able to surround quickly the SEALs) and who
coordinated a fierce combined-arms attack utilizing a variety of powerful
weapons fired at a steep, narrow, funnel-like terrain. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">This was nothing more than an excellent
ambush.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V47K8STrFhE/Ux4okXSnv_I/AAAAAAAAD2A/Mmj7wM5wahM/s1600/article-2252660-16A391E4000005DC-262_634x398.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V47K8STrFhE/Ux4okXSnv_I/AAAAAAAAD2A/Mmj7wM5wahM/s1600/article-2252660-16A391E4000005DC-262_634x398.jpg" height="250" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-GB">“Lone Survivor”.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">In early June 2007,
the book “Lone Survivor: The eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing (sic) and
the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10” was released. Marcus Luttrell was the author
and Patrick Robinson, the contributor. There were a number of big
contradictions with the real operation: the USMC involvement was omitted; the
name of the operation was wrong, the number of enemy fighters was exaggerated,
the US Intelligence believing in the close links between Ahmad Shah and Osama
bin Laden was an outright fabrication...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">In the end, it was
clear that “Lone Survivor” has been written entirely by Patrick Robinson (a
British writer specialized in military fiction titles), based on unrecorded
interviews of Marcus Luttrell. Probably, as Robinson never contacted any
Marines, he could not have known the full scope of the operation so it was, for
him, a Navy special operation targeting one of bin Laden´s top lieutenants.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">But there is a point in common related to the fiction and the real mission: "Civilians are not targets!", the most relevant line in the ROE (Rules of Engagement) cards issued to the US Military and the one which cost the lives of so many good men.</span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--rtjGngGHIE/Ux4pL3XUsQI/AAAAAAAAD2I/oAr9FjeVWsg/s1600/descarga.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--rtjGngGHIE/Ux4pL3XUsQI/AAAAAAAAD2I/oAr9FjeVWsg/s1600/descarga.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
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This movie put me on the search of more information about this small skirmish in the mountains. It is a very interesting and very well done movie, but too much based in Patrick Robinson´s book, IMHO, so it is not complete nor correct.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pNS9NQm0Auo/Ux4qUcfPwwI/AAAAAAAAD2U/baYtuo_xByM/s1600/c520cffcb82abde59eefae249a2851bd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pNS9NQm0Auo/Ux4qUcfPwwI/AAAAAAAAD2U/baYtuo_xByM/s1600/c520cffcb82abde59eefae249a2851bd.jpg" height="400" width="256" /></a></div>
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This is the book, based in Marcus Luttrell experience in Sawtalo Sar, and it is easy to find in its pages one of the reasons of this disaster: the contempt towards a (theoric) primitive opponent who, in the end, was able to prepare and launch a perfect attack against a team of super-soldiers. </div>
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I like the SEALs´ training chapters in the book more than those of the mission...</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kO2DgStjbvI/Ux4rkIIob8I/AAAAAAAAD2g/QdbDr_blFmQ/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kO2DgStjbvI/Ux4rkIIob8I/AAAAAAAAD2g/QdbDr_blFmQ/s1600/images.jpg" height="400" width="299" /></a></div>
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This is another book I have read; this time, about the rescue mission. It is incredible to read how difficult it was for the great super-power U.S.A. to rescue these men in that distant mountain, with the Insurgents attacking them right to the end! A lot of gaming ideas for different games!</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ynhCsLGoRF8/Ux4tLiKvpFI/AAAAAAAAD2s/ZSSqm5uGp2Y/s1600/USMC7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ynhCsLGoRF8/Ux4tLiKvpFI/AAAAAAAAD2s/ZSSqm5uGp2Y/s1600/USMC7.jpg" height="185" width="400" /></a></div>
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Of course, I have these figures ready to be painted (first, I need to finish some SASs, and I have also written an scenario for "Skirmish Sangin" based in this small battle, to test the future "Taliban ORBAT" from <i>Radio DishDash</i>.</div>
Juan Mancheñohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07761893327024556857noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524687988228302815.post-7449681769762235042014-02-28T13:32:00.000+01:002014-03-04T21:49:06.405+01:00Reinforcements<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oSyZt7aMKyw/UxB5-ArbjGI/AAAAAAAADxE/mz7_plVT53A/s1600/317h9vm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oSyZt7aMKyw/UxB5-ArbjGI/AAAAAAAADxE/mz7_plVT53A/s1600/317h9vm.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
I have painted some of the excellent 28mm models from <i>Empress Miniatures</i> I expect to use in my games of "Skirmish Sangin", models that I have presented to this year´s "The Challenge".</div>
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Despite I like a lot the models from <i>Eureka Miniatures</i>, I´m enjoiying the painting of these ones from <i>Empress</i> because they have also a lot of character and an incredible level of detail.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2iOGuDTp0M0/UxB6lKNk7iI/AAAAAAAADxQ/k6u04rQ2pWs/s1600/02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2iOGuDTp0M0/UxB6lKNk7iI/AAAAAAAADxQ/k6u04rQ2pWs/s1600/02.jpg" height="296" width="400" /></a></div>
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A Taliban or Anti-Coalition Militia (ACM) mortar team. Really fine figures, and with a little story in themselves. I think one of the Talibs is not sure about the skill level of the other one hauling mortar rounds...</div>
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In "Force on Force", the mortar is a very useful weapon but in "Skirmish Sangin" the 60mm is really lethal. This one has a range of 500" and a minimun range of 20" (so it is better used from out of the table); it has a kill zone of 5" diameter and a damage zone of 25" diameter and can cause 4 D10 damage points in the kill zone and 1 D10 in the damage zone. One lucky shot can finish a game so my idea is to use this one principally as a "victory objetive" and only in really big games as a Taliban asset for on table fire.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jymN0ruNjAk/UxB8-a3YAMI/AAAAAAAADxo/865zh2AYXqk/s1600/04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jymN0ruNjAk/UxB8-a3YAMI/AAAAAAAADxo/865zh2AYXqk/s1600/04.jpg" height="307" width="400" /></a></div>
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An al Qaeda fighter and my first US Army figure with ACU uniform. I have had these figures, the US soldiers, waiting in the box for a long time, unable to decide myself how to paint them. At last, in the <i>Steve Dean´s Forum</i> I found a very useful recipe, and a very easy to use one!!!</div>
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In the end, the question is not to paint the pixels, only to paint the general look of the uniform.</div>
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"Skirmish Sangin" has some special rules for al Qaeda fighters making them a bit more "hard" than the standard insurgent. Aditionaly, this one (that looks really well as a CIA operative) is going to have a light armored vest.</div>
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I have some more Taliban on my painting table in this moment and also this very nice figure:</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xVG8gPWAKF8/UxB_eB1n-AI/AAAAAAAADx0/N7kE_pLnP0E/s1600/KS07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xVG8gPWAKF8/UxB_eB1n-AI/AAAAAAAADx0/N7kE_pLnP0E/s1600/KS07.jpg" height="320" width="186" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eBo7Ah5S6FE/UxB_fvYXuII/AAAAAAAADx8/bnJrzGGVicc/s1600/3251768.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eBo7Ah5S6FE/UxB_fvYXuII/AAAAAAAADx8/bnJrzGGVicc/s1600/3251768.jpg" height="231" width="400" /></a></div>
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A NZ SAS which is very, very perfect for a modern conflict idea I´m boiling now, related to this other picture:</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Iy9l3DjAJS0/UxCAU0mVa7I/AAAAAAAADyE/vaZOnOyRth4/s1600/511130-download-1361546817-715-640x480.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Iy9l3DjAJS0/UxCAU0mVa7I/AAAAAAAADyE/vaZOnOyRth4/s1600/511130-download-1361546817-715-640x480.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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It´s time to learn how to paint MULTICAM...</div>
Juan Mancheñohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07761893327024556857noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524687988228302815.post-8381786411136507012014-02-19T17:15:00.001+01:002014-02-19T21:02:38.207+01:00The Drum is beating<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YbcXkRZbh7Y/UwTWPp2Mh9I/AAAAAAAADwA/mrWk4-46gqw/s1600/3091204_final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YbcXkRZbh7Y/UwTWPp2Mh9I/AAAAAAAADwA/mrWk4-46gqw/s1600/3091204_final.jpg" height="292" width="400" /></a></div>
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They are here, at last. The new models from the hands of Paul Hicks are arrived to the <i>Empress Miniatures</i> catalogue (just when I have ordered some of their modern figures!!!!!):</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0xc-ntnYnO0/UwTXT8punNI/AAAAAAAADwQ/rzb3h0WZn8g/s1600/JAZ1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0xc-ntnYnO0/UwTXT8punNI/AAAAAAAADwQ/rzb3h0WZn8g/s1600/JAZ1.JPG" height="153" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-geAp6GObvGc/UwTXT536JgI/AAAAAAAADwM/DIbGvR8b2nE/s1600/JAZ4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-geAp6GObvGc/UwTXT536JgI/AAAAAAAADwM/DIbGvR8b2nE/s1600/JAZ4.JPG" height="130" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZuNryoLmcSU/UwTXUkmjQ0I/AAAAAAAADwg/UMn8AreSkJk/s1600/RAF1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZuNryoLmcSU/UwTXUkmjQ0I/AAAAAAAADwg/UMn8AreSkJk/s1600/RAF1.JPG" height="172" width="320" /></a></div>
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These figures are perfect as opponents of the Afghan tribesmen, for the Third Afghan War. There is a "promise" to include more forces, British, Indian Army, Armored Cars, etc. I expect they include also Afghan regular troops.</div>
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I have found also a really nice (and old) movie, "The Drum". Very good, and perfect as inspirational source! Here is a link:<br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOxPyQ1krLE" target="_blank">Revuelta en la India (1938)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Se6m7TcfxA" target="_blank">The Drum (1938)</a></div>
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Now, this is time to collect and paint these figures, and play a first game, at last! But I need to think about or find a good kakhi colour to use with these uniforms; I´m thinking about something grey-light brown...<br />
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Here are some of my Afghan warriors, waiting for them:<br />
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Juan Mancheñohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07761893327024556857noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524687988228302815.post-81813139926307016342014-02-09T20:07:00.003+01:002014-03-04T21:49:31.615+01:00A Passing Fancy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Too much time with this project stoped and cold. And this is not good, because there are too many other projects and ideas buzzing around and distracting me. </div>
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In this moment, I am waiting for a WWI British Army squad from <i>Musketeer Miniatures</i> I ordered some days ago. My idea is to use them with pith helmeted heads from <i>Woodbine Design</i> to have an small British Infantry unit. In the meantime, I´m also reading "Setting the East Ablaze", and I must say that I like this ruleset! It can be the best option for my idea about gaming this period: fun, quick and not too complex.<br />
<span style="color: orange;"><i>Demasiado tiempo con este proyecto parado y frío. Algo que no es bueno, puesto que hay muchos otros proyectos e ideas dando vueltas a mi alrededor, distrayéndome.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: orange;"><i>En este momento estoy esperando unas figuras británicas de la Primera Guerra Mundial, de </i>Musketeer Miniatures<i>, que pedí hace unos días. Mi idea es usar esas figuras con cabezas de </i>Woodbine Design<i> equipadas con casco. Mientras llegan las figuras, estoy leyéndome "Setting the East Ablaze", que me parece un reglamento muy bueno. Puede ser la mejor opción para jugar escenarios ambientados en este periodo: divertido, rápido y no demasiado complejo.</i></span></div>
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Today´s entry is about my worry towards this Blog. I want to maintain it alive and focused in only one theme: Afghanistan. As I said in a previous entry, I have had the idea to include here games of "Skirmish Sangin", modern combat in Afghanistan, because this is the same place, the same opponents (the US and ANZACs are also sons of the Empire...) and the same terrain elements. So, here is my first game of this year based in the Fourth? Afghan War.<br />
<span style="color: orange;"><i>La entrada de hoy está dedicada a mi preocupación acerca de este blog. Quiero mantenerlo vivo y enfocado en un solo tema: Afganistán. Como ya he dicho en una entrada anterior, he tenido la idea de incluir aquí partidas de "Skirmish Sangin", combate moderno en Afganistán, puesto que se trata del mismo lugar, los mismos oponentes (bueno, los norteamericanos y australianos también son hijos del Imperio) y los mismos elementos del terreno. Por tanto, aquí está mi primer juego de este año dedicado a la ¿Cuarta? Guerra Afgana.</i></span></div>
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<b>Operation Moshtarak</b> (February-December, 2010) was a great ISAF offensive in the town of Marjah, Helmand Province. It involved around 15,000 allied troops with the aim to remove the Taliban from Marjah, eliminating the last Taliban stronghold in central Helmand.</div>
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Of course, it was not successful in the long term...<br />
<span style="color: orange;"><i>La Operación Moshtarak (Febrero a Diciembre de 2010) fue una gran ofensiva ISAF llevada a cabo en la ciudad de Marhaj, Provincia de Helmand. Participaron en ella en torno a 15.000 tropas aliadas con la intención de expulsar a los talibanes de Marhaj, eliminando así su último reducto en la región central de la provincia de Helmand.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: orange;"><i>Por supuesto, la operación no tuvo éxito a largo plazo...</i></span></div>
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I pretend to prepare some scenarios based in this long and intense campaing that has in it almost all the different forces fighting in Afghanistan, but, for the first game, this one has been my inspiration:<br />
<span style="color: orange;"><i>Quiero preparar algunos escenarios basados en esta larga e intensa campaña que cuenta con prácticamente todas las distintas fuerzas que han luchado en Afganistán, aunque para el primer escenario, ésta ha sido mi inspiración:</i></span></div>
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<i>Since January 2010, Coalition forces had launched small operations to prepare for the main assault on February, being one of those operations a series of "Find, Fix and Strike" raids by SAS and US Army Special Forces teams, resulting in the dead of around 50 Taliban leaders.</i><br />
<span style="color: orange;">Desde enero de 2010, las fuerzas de la Coalición habían lanzado algunas operaciones menores dedicadas a preparar el asalto principal a realizar en febrero. Una de estas operaciones fue una serie de incursiones de tipo "Encontrar, Fijar y Golpear" llevadas a cabo por equipos de fuerzas especiales norteamericanas y británicas, que resultaron en la muerte de unos 50 líderes talibanes.</span></div>
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I have an Special Forces Sniper Team from <i>Empress Miniatures</i>; in fact, they are the first models I bought for this range of figures and I have been always thinking how to use them in an "Skirmish Sangin" game. With a range of 250" (yes, 250"), the sniper rifle has not much utility on the table, and usually it is deployed in an off-table support role, in a prepared possition far away from the danger.<br />
<span style="color: orange;"><i>Tengo un equipo de francotiradores SAS de </i>Empress Miniatures<i> que es, de hecho, el primer blister que compré de este rango de figuras. Desde entonces he estado pensando en la manera de usar estas figuras en una partida de "Skirmish Sangin". Con un alcance de 250", el rifle de francotirador no tiene mucha utilidad dentro de la mesa de juego, por lo que estos equipos se despliegan, normalmente, fuera de la mesa, en un papel de apoyo y lejos del peligro.</i></span></div>
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But... What happens when some "hostile" suddenly show up too near the team? I think this scenario can be a good answer for this question and, also, a good introductory game in which the Coalition Forces side can be managed by a Game Master, leaving the Taliban in the hands of the Players.<br />
<span style="color: orange;"><i>Pero... ¿Que pasa cuando algunos "hostiles" aparecen súbitamente cerca de dicho equipo? Creo que este escenario puede dar la respuesta a esa pregunta y puede servir también como juego introductorio al sistema, dejando las fuerzas de la Coalición en manos de un Árbitro mientras los Jugadores se ocupan de los Insurgentes.</i></span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vVwrp-Txry0/Uve-zJ5oM8I/AAAAAAAADtc/PhncbDnmMDc/s1600/01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vVwrp-Txry0/Uve-zJ5oM8I/AAAAAAAADtc/PhncbDnmMDc/s1600/01.jpg" height="212" width="400" /></a></div>
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The game table, with many of the terrain elements I have gather for my Afghan Conflicts games. In this game, a SAS Sniper Team has been posted (hidden in a "real" game) in the left side of the table with the order to support the assault of other SAS teams. Apparently, this is an easy mission, but some Taliban warriors have decided to move in this area with the objetive to flank the British or run away from them. In any case, the Sniper Team has decided it is a very good opportunity to have a real fight!<br />
<span style="color: orange;"><i>La mesa de juego, con muchos de los elementos de escenografía que he reunido para jugar conflictos afganos. En este escenario, el Equipo SAS de Francotirador ha sido emplazado en el lado izquierdo de la mesa con la orden de apoyar el asalto de otros equipos SAS (más allá del borde de la mesa). Aparentemente, se trata de una misión fácil, pero algunos talibanes han decidido moverse por el área con la intención de flanquear a los británicos o de huir de ellos. En cualquier caso, el Equipo de Francotirador ha decidido que es una buena oportunidad de luchar de verdad.</i></span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JZy4eN1SCVk/UvfAVlEQBhI/AAAAAAAADto/KAQSw2Jsdo4/s1600/02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JZy4eN1SCVk/UvfAVlEQBhI/AAAAAAAADto/KAQSw2Jsdo4/s1600/02.jpg" height="271" width="400" /></a></div>
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The SAS Sniper Team. A very nice blister from <i>Empress Miniatures</i>. They are an sniper and his spotter, armed with a combination of assaul rifle and grenade launcher. Their mission is very easy: to stop the movement of Insurgents, killing them.<br />
<span style="color: orange;"><i>El equipo SAS. Un blister muy bonito de </i>Empress MIniatures<i>. Su misión es fácil: detener el movimiento de los talibanes matándolos.</i></span><br />
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The Insurgents, six Taliban fighters and two al Qaeda warriors, also from <i>Empress Miniatures</i>. I though it was enough with eight of them...<br />
Their mission is to move out of the table for the other side of it, not knowing that there are some British commandos near.<br />
<span style="color: orange;"><i>Los insurgentes, seis talibanes y dos combatientes de al Qaeda, también de Empress Miniatures. Pensé que sería suficiente con ocho de ellos...</i></span><br />
<span style="color: orange;"><i>Su misión es mover al otro lado de la mesa, para salir de la misma, sin saber que hay comandos británicos por la zona.</i></span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lqt-N2kSFxw/UvfBpal6uwI/AAAAAAAADt4/If_72gwb7aw/s1600/04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lqt-N2kSFxw/UvfBpal6uwI/AAAAAAAADt4/If_72gwb7aw/s1600/04.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a></div>
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The Taliban used the first phases of the First Turn to move into the table from the center of their side of it, taking possitions (because any gamer know that there are not empty tables). The SAS sniper began his work bumping off one of the Taliban with an accurate shot.<br />
<span style="color: orange;"><i>Los talibanes usaron las primeras fases del Turno 1 para entrar a la mesa por el centro de su lado de la misma, tomando posiciones (porque todo Jugador sabe que no hay mesas vacías). El francotirador SAS comenzó su trabajo eliminando a uno de los talibanes con un buen disparo.</i></span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VTNZVUWavPM/UvfDgtQkR-I/AAAAAAAADuE/3UsaUQh7RH4/s1600/05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VTNZVUWavPM/UvfDgtQkR-I/AAAAAAAADuE/3UsaUQh7RH4/s1600/05.jpg" height="273" width="400" /></a></div>
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There are no special rules for on table Sniper Teams in "Skirmish Sangin" so I decided that the spotter could localize (making the spotting tests) objetives for the sniper so this one need only to fire at them. If the spotter was doing any other thing, the sniper would make his own spotting tests. It worked really well and, thanks to the suppressor in the sniper´s gun, he was not discovered by the enemy (he didn´t lost the "hide target" bonus).<br />
<span style="color: orange;"><i>No hay reglas especiales para los equipos de francotiradores sobre la mesa en "Skirmish Sangin", por lo que decidí que el observador podía localizar objetivos para el tirador (haciendo los Test de Observación), para que éste sólo tuviera que preocuparse por disparar. Por otro lado, si el observador estaba haciendo cualquier otra cosa, el tirador debería hacer sus propios Test de Observación. Esta pequeña regla funcionó bastante bien y además, gracias al supresor en el cañón de su arma, el francotirador no perdió su bonificación de "objetivo oculto" al disparar.</i></span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IcEqUEDeRkA/UvfD0iugvaI/AAAAAAAADuQ/vyXXPrbXFEk/s1600/06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IcEqUEDeRkA/UvfD0iugvaI/AAAAAAAADuQ/vyXXPrbXFEk/s1600/06.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a></div>
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A poor farmer looking cautiously from his <i>qalat</i>. This is my "red fort" from <i>Wargames News and Terrain</i>.<br />
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In the middle of the first turn, I made a mistake as the Coalition player, firing with the spotter against this Taliban. It was a nice shot, causing a Serious Wound that left the Insurgent out of the combat for the rest of the game (there was not First Aid for him!) but it left the sniper without the help of the spotter and destroyed the "hide target" status (the spotter´s weapon had not a supressor). Not a good idea...<br />
<span style="color: orange;"><i>En mitad del primer turno, me equivoqué como Jugador de la Coalición, disparando con el observador contra este pobre talibán. Fue un buen disparo, que le causó una Herida Seria y lo dejó fuera de combate por el resto del escenario (no hubo posibilidad de Primeros Auxilios para él), pero dejó al francotirador sin la ayuda del observador y, peor aun, eliminó la bonificación de "objetivo oculto".</i></span><br />
<span style="color: orange;"><i>No fue una buena idea...</i></span><br />
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The white dot is used to mark an spotted figure and there are also some "Morale" markers.<br />
<span style="color: orange;"><i>El marcador blanco indica que esa figura ha sido observada.</i></span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gb0-Wdui4SE/UvfFzlUcGpI/AAAAAAAADuk/OuJB8F-vQjQ/s1600/08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gb0-Wdui4SE/UvfFzlUcGpI/AAAAAAAADuk/OuJB8F-vQjQ/s1600/08.jpg" height="247" width="400" /></a></div>
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Fortunately for the Sniper Team, the "Snap Shot" rule worked very well with a Taliban sniper which was looking for a good position on the roof of the <i>qalat</i>. Another Serious Wounded Insurgent!<br />
<span style="color: orange;"><i>Afortunadamente para el Equipo de Francotirador, la regla "Snap Shot" funcionó muy bien con el francotirador talibán que estaba buscando una buena posición de tiro en el techo del </i>qalat<i>. ¡Otra Herida Seria!</i></span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-20sJ79yOe6A/UvfGkI6kd5I/AAAAAAAADus/EGy1P3b_5Ys/s1600/10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-20sJ79yOe6A/UvfGkI6kd5I/AAAAAAAADus/EGy1P3b_5Ys/s1600/10.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a></div>
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Meanwhile, on the backside of the <i>qalat</i>, the Taliban leader and his most trusted man were running with the intention to flank the Snipers´ position. Really far away from them, there was another al Qaeda warrior. I was putting new Taliban forces on the table because they were falling really fast.<br />
<span style="color: orange;"><i>Mientras, en la parte de atrás del </i>qalat<i>, el líder talibán y su mejor hombre avanzaban a la carrera con intención de flanquear a los británicos. Muy lejos de ellos, allí atrás, había otro luchador de al Qaeda que había entrado a la mesa como refuerzo. Los talibanes estaban cayendo realmente rápido, así que añadí algunos refuerzos más.</i></span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CnUq0uxxK3w/UvfHNygddeI/AAAAAAAADu0/j5KWpOMz5nM/s1600/11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CnUq0uxxK3w/UvfHNygddeI/AAAAAAAADu0/j5KWpOMz5nM/s1600/11.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a></div>
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Another victim of the SAS sniper. This Taliban LMG was really dangerous for the British, able to put on them a pair of "Morale" markers with its first fire but the sniper killed him quickly.<br />
<span style="color: orange;"><i>Otra víctima del francotirador SAS. Este ametrallador talibán estaba siendo realmente peligroso para los británicos, y fue capaz de poner en ellos un par de marcadores de "Moral" con su primer disparo, pero el francotirador lo eliminó realmente rápido.</i></span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qPi3iWw2DzM/UvfHunAWEHI/AAAAAAAADu8/0ews4MDQ3xY/s1600/12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qPi3iWw2DzM/UvfHunAWEHI/AAAAAAAADu8/0ews4MDQ3xY/s1600/12.jpg" height="315" width="400" /></a></div>
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And the result of another "Snap Shot" from the spotter. The Leader´s cousin was caught in the begining of a run towards another cover.<br />
<span style="color: orange;"><i>Y el resultado de otro "Snap Shot" del observador. El primo del líder talibán fue cogido al comienzo de su carrera en busca de una nueva cobertura.</i></span><br />
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In this moment, with FOUR Taliban dead and two Seriously Wounded, I decided to end the game. The combination of Elite Special Forces with Sniper Team was too much for the poor Taliban, and the game, too one sided.<br />
<span style="color: orange;"><i>En este momento, con cuatro talibanes muertos y dos seriamente heridos, decidí terminar el juego. La combinación de Fuerzas Especiales de élite con un equipo de francotirador fue demasiado para los pobres talibanes y el juego, demasiado descompensado.</i></span><br />
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I like a lot this rulebook because it represents really well the modern combat and I have now discovered how effective the Special Forces operators are!<br />
<span style="color: orange;"><i>Me gusta mucho este reglamento, pues representa realmente bien el combate moderno, y hoy he descubierto lo realmente efectivos que son los "operadores" de Fuerzas Especiales.</i></span></div>
Juan Mancheñohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07761893327024556857noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524687988228302815.post-77586803179833844792014-01-13T08:37:00.002+01:002014-01-13T14:52:59.605+01:00Paul Hicks is moving in the Right Direction!!!!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ISi65tQ7-ts/UtOQeM_DF0I/AAAAAAAADmU/rk6eTg6-Wi0/s1600/HMS-Berwick-off-Norway.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="301" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ISi65tQ7-ts/UtOQeM_DF0I/AAAAAAAADmU/rk6eTg6-Wi0/s400/HMS-Berwick-off-Norway.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange;">HMS Berwick off Norway...</span></td></tr>
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I have been following with great interest the last work of Paul Hicks as a creator of wonderful 28mm figures because I´m a true fanatic of his models and I have been waiting for more model useful for the Third Afghan War, British Indian Army this time. I have left this blog forgoten for a long time because I was unabe to find figures of quality to represent the British forces. In fact, I was thinking about to buy some of the <i>Musketeer Miniatures</i> models and put them heads with pith helmets from <i>Woodline Designs</i>, or use the new German revolutionary sailors from <i>Tsuba Miniatures</i> as a band of mercenaries in the north frontier of Afghanistan...</div>
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Fortunately, Paul Hicks has come to my rescue:</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WI6iPCgtnfk/UtOSk-p1uiI/AAAAAAAADmg/1oIMkGZ6FdM/s1600/Hicks+01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WI6iPCgtnfk/UtOSk-p1uiI/AAAAAAAADmg/1oIMkGZ6FdM/s400/Hicks+01.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-imTvHKtZaFQ/UtOSlDVQ0RI/AAAAAAAADmk/1lXIP7-BZk4/s1600/Hicks+02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-imTvHKtZaFQ/UtOSlDVQ0RI/AAAAAAAADmk/1lXIP7-BZk4/s400/Hicks+02.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I have found these pictures in "The Lead Adventure Forum". The British Army, at last, from <i>Mutton Chop Miniatures</i>. I have read in Paul´s entry that they are for the BEF, so quite useful for me, because they have light kit and soft caps. Fortunately, <i>Brigade Games/Company B</i> has spare Lewis guns for them.</div>
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<a href="http://www.lead-adventure.de/index.php?topic=62079.0">Link to the Forum</a></div>
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I expect to begin the painting of the 1/25th London Regiment soon!<br />
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To finish this entry, something I have received today for my basing system. This product from <i>Tajima1 Miniatures</i> can be very useful with my bases of Afghanistan:<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3QxhTG5T3gg/UtPvjscwaNI/AAAAAAAADm4/tOFcLBoz-Bw/s1600/20140113_142030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3QxhTG5T3gg/UtPvjscwaNI/AAAAAAAADm4/tOFcLBoz-Bw/s400/20140113_142030.jpg" width="292" /></a></div>
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Juan Mancheñohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07761893327024556857noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524687988228302815.post-1173561622450910752013-11-25T18:56:00.000+01:002014-03-04T21:49:55.654+01:00Today<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IkQu4Lno8IE/UpOKimJt6dI/AAAAAAAADWI/gtR8ojTms2M/s1600/untitled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IkQu4Lno8IE/UpOKimJt6dI/AAAAAAAADWI/gtR8ojTms2M/s400/untitled.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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Yes, I know this picture is not based in the Third Afghan War, but it is also Afghanistan in another conflict that interest me a lot. </div>
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It has been a lot of time now since I played my last game of "Skirmish Sangin", and I´m thinking about to re-take this project, puting it here, in this blog, while I wait for the British figures from <em>Empress Miniatures</em> for my Third Afghan War (I have heard they are coming...).</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a7NFeitsq1w/UpOLKxyPaAI/AAAAAAAADWQ/wKYHApU-64M/s1600/portada.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a7NFeitsq1w/UpOLKxyPaAI/AAAAAAAADWQ/wKYHApU-64M/s400/portada.jpg" height="400" width="283" /></a></div>
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"Skirmish Sangin" is a game for a very small skirmish; you can play a really interesting game with no more than five figures per side. On the other hand, all the rulebook is based in the Afghan conflict.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CF6CADlJEr8/UpOL0-KLp4I/AAAAAAAADWY/5GoWpevZpfg/s1600/pueblo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CF6CADlJEr8/UpOL0-KLp4I/AAAAAAAADWY/5GoWpevZpfg/s400/pueblo.jpg" height="243" width="400" /></a></div>
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This is the game table of the <em>Radio Dishdash</em> staff, the authors of the ruleset; very nice, and you don´t need more terrain for a good game.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oJh2ScKO_Ik/UpOMU6IxESI/AAAAAAAADWg/Y1P3bj1qnFc/s1600/20130329pc01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oJh2ScKO_Ik/UpOMU6IxESI/AAAAAAAADWg/Y1P3bj1qnFc/s400/20130329pc01.jpg" height="256" width="400" /></a></div>
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These are my USMC troops from <em>Eureka Miniatures</em>. Both of them were ALL my troops in a game (and they won!).</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r4CnBNBFMjs/UpOMlcJgMBI/AAAAAAAADWo/xzBXZsaVaME/s1600/20130329+PC+02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r4CnBNBFMjs/UpOMlcJgMBI/AAAAAAAADWo/xzBXZsaVaME/s400/20130329+PC+02.jpg" height="317" width="400" /></a></div>
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An some their opponents in that game; Insurgent fighters also from <em>Eureka Miniatures</em>.</div>
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I have put a link to the Skirmish Sangin blog in the left side of this blog; it is a really interesting game with very good rules.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0fkY9HnP0HM/UpOOl0soZpI/AAAAAAAADW0/A1XFHevrigA/s1600/turkmen-basmaci-fighters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0fkY9HnP0HM/UpOOl0soZpI/AAAAAAAADW0/A1XFHevrigA/s400/turkmen-basmaci-fighters.jpg" height="346" width="400" /></a></div>
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And about my original project? I´m reading another rulebook for the Third Afghan War, "Setting the East Ablaze", which sounds very interesting and not too complex for the games I expect to play (someday!). I´m also following with great interest a new white metal figures company, <em>Studio Siberia</em>. Its owner is a very nice chap, and there are really interesting figures in his catalogue:</div>
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<a href="http://siberia-miniatures.ru/">http://siberia-miniatures.ru/</a></div>
Juan Mancheñohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07761893327024556857noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524687988228302815.post-20123859720112636692013-11-11T18:34:00.000+01:002013-11-11T18:34:25.934+01:00Remembrance Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3vohyAeetwc/UoEPzygFxrI/AAAAAAAADSU/KLuTlAXkIcE/s1600/remembrance-day.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3vohyAeetwc/UoEPzygFxrI/AAAAAAAADSU/KLuTlAXkIcE/s400/remembrance-day.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Today is Remembrance Day in the Commonwealth countries, a day in which they remember and honour the members of their armed forces died in action since the Great War. This day is observed on 11 November because on that date, in 1918, ended the First World War, at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.</div>
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The red poppy is the emblem of Remembrance Day due to the poem "In Flanders Fields" and its brilliant red colour is a very appropiate symbol of the blood spilled in that war.</div>
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I was present at the small Remembrance Day ceremony that took part, on November 2009, in Kabul International Airport, and it was for me a really touching experience. In my own country, the dead in action are respected in an almost private way, by their families or by their military units, because it is <em>cool</em> for our "cultured" castes to see all our wars as dirty affairs, so there is not a Remembrance Day for them.</div>
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All my respect to you and to them.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6KpREeo8vEU/UoEUhTQqutI/AAAAAAAADSk/G4R4UDqMakA/s1600/large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="311" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6KpREeo8vEU/UoEUhTQqutI/AAAAAAAADSk/G4R4UDqMakA/s400/large.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Juan Mancheñohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07761893327024556857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524687988228302815.post-7754936817929757792013-10-20T21:54:00.001+02:002013-10-20T21:55:54.926+02:00Terrain for Gumatti<div style="text-align: justify;">
I have received in this week the last commission of terrain elements I have made to Timmy from <em>Wargame News and Terrain</em>. They have been some pieces I wanted to have for my game table:</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-liiia9vmQ_U/UmQyB6yaoEI/AAAAAAAADF4/JKnu5cpjj6M/s1600/CoC+1+43.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-liiia9vmQ_U/UmQyB6yaoEI/AAAAAAAADF4/JKnu5cpjj6M/s400/CoC+1+43.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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My idea is to use these elements in my games based in Afghanistan, from the Second or Third War to the present, and also, with some more vegetation, in the jungles of the Pacific or Indochina.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wRQ6VmzAukI/UmQylwWz4tI/AAAAAAAADGA/k0eRVetK1Xg/s1600/CoC+1+03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wRQ6VmzAukI/UmQylwWz4tI/AAAAAAAADGA/k0eRVetK1Xg/s400/CoC+1+03.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Very nice elements, and a great service from Timmy. It is a pleasure to order something from him.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0H0UByGqkxU/UmQzESxYWTI/AAAAAAAADGI/jWxIKI1Y11w/s1600/CoC+1+04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0H0UByGqkxU/UmQzESxYWTI/AAAAAAAADGI/jWxIKI1Y11w/s400/CoC+1+04.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oLQXRV_zh94/UmQzYOE64HI/AAAAAAAADGY/jvPBr1LH_Ao/s1600/CoC+1+05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oLQXRV_zh94/UmQzYOE64HI/AAAAAAAADGY/jvPBr1LH_Ao/s400/CoC+1+05.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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And here they are, integrated in the table I have used today to play a game of "Chain of Command":</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-38zo_h4-J0g/UmQz7k_nrSI/AAAAAAAADGg/160bNMuBiAE/s1600/CoC+1+02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-38zo_h4-J0g/UmQz7k_nrSI/AAAAAAAADGg/160bNMuBiAE/s400/CoC+1+02.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I want to prepare a game for the next "Hispania Wargames", based in the Third Afghan War, of course.</div>
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Have a nice week!</div>
Juan Mancheñohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07761893327024556857noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524687988228302815.post-6237276258976653412013-10-13T18:15:00.003+02:002013-10-13T18:18:39.682+02:00The British Indian Army, 1919<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JNRpIPRZLdc/UlrGPR8uUCI/AAAAAAAADEA/MBwwMUzyIfs/s1600/2013-10-13+10.01.33.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JNRpIPRZLdc/UlrGPR8uUCI/AAAAAAAADEA/MBwwMUzyIfs/s400/2013-10-13+10.01.33.png" width="288" /></a></div>
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Finally, it is time to write about the British Empire forces for this war. It is going to be a short entry, because it is a really complex topic. My idea is to write here an introduction to the British Indian forces and then, in other entries, write about single topics such as the machine guns, the armoured cars, etc.</div>
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In meeting the threat of the Third Afghan War, the British could call a really large force. In May 1919, the British Indian Army comprised eight divisions, not including frontier militia, and five independent brigades of infantry and three of cavalry. The North-West Frontier province had three infantry divisions and two cavalry brigades and there were also three frontier brigades and a number of frontier militia and irregular corps.</div>
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An Infantry division consisted of three infantry brigades (each with one British and three Indian battalions), one squadron of Indian cavalry, one RFA field artillery brigade (two batteries of 18-pdrs. and one battery of 4.5-inch howitzers) and an Indian mountain brigade with two batteries of 2.75-inch mountain guns. Finally, there were two companies of machine guns with 16 guns each and the usual service units.</div>
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A Cavalry brigade was composed of one RHA battery with 13-pdrs. and one British and two Indian cavalry regiments, one squadron of machine guns (12 guns) and service units.</div>
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To these units forming the powerful Field Army for service in the North-West Frontier were added armoured cars and RAF detachments that increased the British firepower and reach.</div>
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The main problem for the British was manpower, but it was not really apparent in a first glance. Although many of the pre-war units of the Indian Army were still overseas, being repatriated, or on long delayed leave, there was still the equivalent of the pre-war army available in India. But here laid the problem; the quality of these troops, especially the infantry, was very low. The Indian Army had been heavily commited to the Great War, and had suffered a large number of casualties. With the depots empty, many of the new battalions had been raised in 1917 or 1918 with recruits of a lower standard.</div>
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Only two cavalry regiments and eight infantry battalions of British troops remained in India from a pre-war establishment of 61 units. They were, of course, true "Old Contemptibles", long service regulars that had maintained a high standard of training and efficiency. There were also units of the Territorial Army, part-time soldiers who had volunteered for overseas service and had been sent in order to release regular units for the fighting in Europe. After four years of mundane and boring garrison duty, away from their homes, most of them were only interested in demobilization and returning to Britain. In fact, many of the British personnel were in the transit camps, awaiting repatriation and demobilization. They were not prepared to fight a hard campaing on the Frontier.</div>
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</div>
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In adition to all these disadvantages, both British and Indian units were short of experienced junior officers and NCOs because the pre-war cadres were greatly diluited due to the high loses and the many new units raised.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-01tTYqRi80Y/Ulqr4-c4NaI/AAAAAAAADDI/WEQx2nNgir0/s1600/5th+Sikhs+in+Mardan+1895.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="330" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-01tTYqRi80Y/Ulqr4-c4NaI/AAAAAAAADDI/WEQx2nNgir0/s400/5th+Sikhs+in+Mardan+1895.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange;">Fifth Sikhs in Mardan, 1895</span></td></tr>
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In accordance with the principles laid down by Lord Curzon in 1899, the trans-border tracts of the North-West Frontier were held by irregulars, with the exception of the garrisons of Chitral, the Malakand and Dardoni in the Tochi.</div>
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The duty of policing independent tribal territories fell on Militia and Levies, giving employment to the turbulent trans-frontier men. In case of actual hostilities, they would act as outposts behind which the Field Army could concentrate ready to strike.</div>
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The Militia was organized in battalions like the regular army, and were commanded by selected officers of the Indian Army. Their uniform was the same as that of the Indian Army, with white metal buttons and shoulder numerals. They were armed with low velocity .303 rifles and bayonets.</div>
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Along the line of the Administrative Border there were a number of small posts manned by the Frontier Constabulary, a force of armed civil police who had been raised in 1913. The Constabulary had a quasi-military organization, being formed into battalions under selected civil police officers. They were armed also with .303 rifles.</div>
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There were also other minor forces, local levies beyond the border, armed with Martini-Henry, employed by political officers to garrison mud towers and to provide escorts. They had little military value.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uYzprro33_k/Ulq4lf38o2I/AAAAAAAADDw/IooNXkDTq2M/s1600/6628320519_15837a5ba0_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uYzprro33_k/Ulq4lf38o2I/AAAAAAAADDw/IooNXkDTq2M/s400/6628320519_15837a5ba0_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Whislt the organization of the fighting forces was carefully arranged, the means of maintaining the army in the field were not adequate to meet the situation. As a result of the drain of resources of India since 1914, stocks of any type had been reduced to the lowest ebb and many of them could not be replaced. Animal transport had been exploited to the uttermost and the reserve of animals left in the country was very low. There was not supply of mules and there was also a shortage of camels due to heavy shipments overseas and to the ravages of<em> surra</em> (disease of vertebrate animals).</div>
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</div>
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The Field Army attempted to meet the new situation encountered on the Frontier by the advent of the modern, small-bore, magazine rifle to the hands of the tribesmen. One way, the most obvious, was the deployment of the modern technology developed on the Western Front, as was the Lewis LMG and the hand grenade. The heavy machine gun was a powerful weapon but the climate and topographical conditions on the Frontier made difficult its use and supply, so it brought into a great prominence the use of the Lewis gun. The grenade, in the form of the hand thrown and the dischraged by rifle, had become the infantry most useful weapon (in fact, the tribesmen used it too after having captured a significant stock in the early stages of the war). But the hand grenade had a downside since excessive reliance on it tended to diminish reliance on the rifle, a serious error on the Frontier.</div>
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There was a surprising omission in the use of the trench mortar that would seem yo have been well suited to tactical requeriments.</div>
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The most important development in military technology, and a major factor in frontier warfare by 1919, was the motor transport in the form of the ubiquitous Ford, the armoured car and the aeroplane.</div>
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Motorised transport greatly increased the mobility of troops and weapons but its main importance laid in the speeding up and easing of the supply. Armoured cars proved useful in patrolling the lines of communication and in escorting convoys. About the aeroplane, I have written already an entry, but it was another very useful new "toy" for the British.</div>
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Summing up, the British Indian Army was not ready for another war in such a short space of time, but it was perfectly able to fight and defeat the Afghan forces... if the tribes didn´t take part in the fight. In the end, they were lucky.</div>
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To finish this entry, here is my last painted figure for this project, Orde Wingate from <em>Warlord Games</em>. I have painted him as a British Officer, perhaps an Intelligence or Political one, because I like a lot the figure (it has been sculpted by Paul Hicks).</div>
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Juan Mancheñohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07761893327024556857noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524687988228302815.post-6403977550332499652013-10-05T21:24:00.004+02:002013-10-05T21:24:44.388+02:00The Niedermayer-Hentig Expedition to Afghanistan<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_VVLwvBHVz8/Uk_jK3y97UI/AAAAAAAAC_A/BFeMyWU7qfc/s1600/wrat8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="282" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_VVLwvBHVz8/Uk_jK3y97UI/AAAAAAAAC_A/BFeMyWU7qfc/s400/wrat8.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange;">"The Postman", Mesopotamia 1919</span></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Some entries ago I
talked about the Central Power mission in Afghanistan in 1915-1916. I have
found more information about it, and it has resulted to be an incredible
adventure. What a fascinating place was Afghanistan in those years!</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The Niedermayer-Hentig
Expedition was a diplomatic mission to Afghanistan sent by the Central Powers
in 1915 with the purpose to encourage Afghanistan to declare full independence
from the British Empire, enter the Great War on the side of the Central Powers
and attack India; none less.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This was a joint
operation of Germany and Turkey nominally headed by the exiled Indian prince
Raja Mahendra Pratap but lead, really, by the German Army officers Oskar
Niedermayer and Werner Otto von Hentig.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">To Great Britain, it
was a serious threat, and unsuccessfully attempted to intercept the expedition
in Persia during the summer of 1915. Britain also waged a covert intelligence
and diplomatic offensive in Kabul, including personal interventions by the
Viceroy Lord Hardinge and King George V, in order to maintain Afghan
neutrality. Fortunately for them, the mission failed in its main task of
rallying Afghanistan, then under Amir Habibullah Khan, to the Central Powers
war effort, but it was able to influence other major events in the country. The
expedition triggered reforms and drove political turmoil that culminated in the
assassination of the Amir in 1919 and the Third Afghan War. It also influenced
the Kalmyk Project (it will have another entry) of the Bolshevik Russia to
propagate socialist revolution in Asia.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SHA7ehq6UFU/Uk_1rglLJoI/AAAAAAAADAg/lYNOcnXkeyw/s1600/afghanmission3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SHA7ehq6UFU/Uk_1rglLJoI/AAAAAAAADAg/lYNOcnXkeyw/s400/afghanmission3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange;">The Niedermayer-Hentig Expedition in Kabul, 1916. From left to right: Kazim Bey, Werner Otto von Hentig, Walter Röhr, Mahendra Pratap, Kurt Wagner, Oskar Niedermayer, Günter Voigt and Maulavi Barkatullah</span></td></tr>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Background.</span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> response to the
war with Russia and Great Britain, and motivated by its alliance with Turkey,
Germany accelerated a plan to weaken its enemies by targeting their colonial
empires, including Russia in Turkestan and Britain in India, using as its
weapon political agitation.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Germany began this
plan by nurturing its prewar links with India nationalists, who had used Germany
as their base for anti-colonial work against Great Britain. This effort was led
by a prominent archaeologist and historian, Max von Oppenheim, who headed the
Intelligence Bureau for the East and formed the Berlin Committee, later
re-named as the Indian Independence Committee. The Berlin Committee began offering
money, arms and military advisors to Indian revolutionaries, hoping to trigger
a nationalist rebellion using clandestine shipments of men and arms sent to
India. From the late XIX Century, von Oppenhein had mapped Turkey and Persia
while working as a secret agent, when Germany began to contemplate efforts to
threaten India through Turkey, Persia and Afghanistan.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Once at war, Turkey
joined Germany in the aim to opposing Entente Powers and their empires in the
Muslim world. Enver Pasha had the Sultan proclaim the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">jihad</i>, with the hope to provoke and aid a vast Muslim revolution,
particularly,in India. However, while widely heard, the proclamation did not
have the intended effect of mobilizing global Muslim opinion on behalf of
Turkey or the Central Powers.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Early in the war, the
Amir of Afghanistan had declared neutrality of his country, and he feared that
the Sultan´s call to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">jihad</i> would have
a destabilizing influence on his subjects. The moment was very delicate for
him, because Britain controlled Afghanistan´s foreign policy and the Amir
himself received a monetary subsidy from Britain. On the other hand, the
British perceived Afghanistan to be the only state capable of invading India. In fact, a </span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">German General
Staff memoranda in the last weeks of August 1914 confirmed the previously
perceived feasibility of a plan to use the pan-Islamic movement to destabilize
the British Empire and begin the Indian revolution, predicting that an invasion
by Afghanistan could cause a revolution in India, where revolutionary unrest
had increased with the outbreak of war.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></o:p></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>The First Expedition.</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When t<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">he pan-Islamic
movement in India made plans for an insurrection in the North-West Frontier
Province, with support from Afghanistan and the Central Powers, proposing that
the Afghan Amir declared war against Britain, </span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Enver Pasha conceived
quickly an expedition to Afghanistan in 1914 as a pan-Islamic venture directed by
Turkey, with some German participation. An escort of nearly a thousand Turkish
troops and German advisers would to accompany the delegation through Persia
into Afghanistan, where they hoped to raise local tribes to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">jihad</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">All of this was a
curious fiasco. The German participants attempted to reach Turkey by travelling
through Austria-Hungary in the guise of a travelling circus, but their
equipment, arms and mobile radios were confiscated in the neutral Rumania when
there were discovered the wireless aerials sticking out through the packaging
of the tent poles… Then, d</span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">ifferences between
Turkish and German officers, including the reluctance of the Germans to accept
Turkish control and wear Turkish Army uniforms, further compromised the effort
and, eventually, the expedition was aborted.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>The Second Expedition.</strong></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In 1915, a second
expedition was organized, mainly through the German Foreign Office and the
Berlin Committee, and the exiled Indian prince Raja Mahendra Pratap was named
its leader. He was head of the Indian princely states of Mursan and Hathras and in
1912 had contributed substantial funds to Gandhi´s South African movement.
Pratap left India at the beginning of the war and was convinced by the Berlin
Committee to lend his support to the Indian nationalist cause. In a private
audience with the Kaiser, Pratap agreed to nominally head the expedition,
chosing six Hindu Afridi and Pathan volunteers from the prisioners of war camp
at Zossen as his personal <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">retinue</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Prominent among the
German members of the delegation were Niedermayer and von Hentig. Von Hentig
was a Prussian military officer fluent in Persian, former secretary of the
German legation to Tehran in 1913, that was serving on the Eastern Front as a
lieutenant with the Prussian 3<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">rd</span></sup> Cuirassiers. Niedermayer had served
in Constantinople before the war and also spoke fluent Persian and other
regional languages. He was a Bavarian artillery officer that had returned to
Persia to await further orders after the first expedition was aborted.
He was tasked with the military aspects of this new expedition as it travelled
through the dangerous Persian desert between British and Russian areas of
influence.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">So, the titular head
of the expedition was Mahendra Pratap, while von Hentig was the Kaiser´s
representative, responsible for the German diplomatic effort to the Emir. To
fund the mission, 100,000 pounds sterling in gold was deposited in the Deutsche
Bank in Constantinople and the expedition was also provided with gold and other
gifts for the Emir, including jeweled watches, gold fountain pens, ornamental
rifles, binoculars, cameras, cinema projectors and an alarm clock.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Reaching
Constantinople on 17 April 1915, Pratap and von Hentig met with Enver Pasha and
enjoyed an audience with the Sultan, adding a Turkish officer, Kasim Bey, as
the Turkish representative.</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dpT4YQu_NbY/Uk_loo2UiEI/AAAAAAAAC_Y/cT4vfEMqN3Q/s1600/Constantinople.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dpT4YQu_NbY/Uk_loo2UiEI/AAAAAAAAC_Y/cT4vfEMqN3Q/s400/Constantinople.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The group, numbering
around twenty people, left Constantinople in early May 1915 and crossed the Bosphorus,
travelling over the Taurus Mountains on horseback and using the same route taken
by Alexander the Great. The group crossed the Euphrates at high flood and
reached, finally, Baghdad towards the end of May.</span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-It2JktYAGns/Uk_nZ6P_kLI/AAAAAAAAC_k/1Nhj6T3ZH-Q/s1600/9382859089_2913979c30_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="275" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-It2JktYAGns/Uk_nZ6P_kLI/AAAAAAAAC_k/1Nhj6T3ZH-Q/s400/9382859089_2913979c30_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span> </div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">On 1 June the party
left Baghdad to make their way towards the Persian border. Persia at the time
was divided into British and Russian spheres of influence, with a neutral zone
in between in which Germany exercised influence through their consulate in
Isfahan. The local populace and clergy, opposed to Russian and British colonial
designs on Persia, offered support to the mission but details of its progress were being keenly sought by British intelligence, and British
and Russian columns close to the border with Afghanistan, including the Seistan
Force, were looking for the expedition, so it would have to outwit and outrun
its pursuers over thousands of miles in the Persian desert, while evading
brigands and ambushes.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Qv0g6Z62KrM/Uk_zJYYGoUI/AAAAAAAADAU/PKmceq2Vb5E/s1600/afghan%2520mission%2520incognito.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="182" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Qv0g6Z62KrM/Uk_zJYYGoUI/AAAAAAAADAU/PKmceq2Vb5E/s400/afghan%2520mission%2520incognito.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange;">Mahendra Pratap and Kazim Bey, disguised, in Mesopotamia, 1915</span></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">With camels and water bags purchased, the different parties of the expedition left Isfahan separately on 3 July 1915 for the travel through the desert, expecting to rendezvous at Tebber, halfway to the Afghan border. The group of von Hentig crossed the Persian desert in forty nights (really appropiate!) and reached Tebbes on 23 July, soon followed by Niedermayer´s party which now included the explorer Wilhelm Paschen and six Austrian-Hungarian soldiers who had escaped from a Russian POW´s camp in Turkestan.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Still 200 miles from the Afghan border, the expedition now had to treat with the British patrols of the East Persia Cordon (Seistan Force) and also with Russian patrols. Niedermayer sent two patrols to dr</span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">aw away the Russian and British troops and a third one, of thirty armed Persians led by a German officer, to scout the route. Menavhile, the main body headed through Chehar Deh for the region of Birjand, close to the Afghan frontier.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1tcD6LHHNVo/Uk_q30ip8pI/AAAAAAAAC_w/wdKOny73_Ks/s1600/Dyer's_column_at_Gusht.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="252" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1tcD6LHHNVo/Uk_q30ip8pI/AAAAAAAAC_w/wdKOny73_Ks/s400/Dyer's_column_at_Gusht.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange;">Seistan Force´s patrol near Gusht in 1916</span></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The first patrol was destroyed by the Russian, but Nierdermayer was able to proceed towards Birjand, in forced marches, fighting all the way with the opium adiction of the Persian camel drivers. With a Russian consulate in Birjand, Niedermayer decided to bypass the town by the harsh northern route. By the second week of August, the expedition was close to the Birjand-Meshed road, eighty miles from Afghanistan, at last.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wfOWTd9jjmA/Uk_sUhRfsEI/AAAAAAAAC_8/MRhXabCC8PQ/s1600/Map_of_the_Persian-Afghan_border_campaign_of_Reginald_Dyer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="248" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wfOWTd9jjmA/Uk_sUhRfsEI/AAAAAAAAC_8/MRhXabCC8PQ/s400/Map_of_the_Persian-Afghan_border_campaign_of_Reginald_Dyer.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange;">Map of the Sistan border with Afghanistan, by Colonel Reginald Dyer, commander of the Force</span></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Finally, on 19 August 1915, the expedition reached the Afghan frontier with approximately fifty men, less than half the original number who had set out from Isfahan seven weeks earlier. Only 70 of the 170 horses and pack animals survived and many of the bulkier and heavier gifts of the Kaiser to the Emir had been buried in the desert for later retrieval.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-etk2dgn24PE/Uk_vM-pybXI/AAAAAAAADAI/KsRnPuaESyc/s1600/Herat+castle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-etk2dgn24PE/Uk_vM-pybXI/AAAAAAAADAI/KsRnPuaESyc/s400/Herat+castle.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange;">Herat Citadel</span></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">In Afghanistan, the group found fresh water in an irrigation channel (teeming with leeches) that saved them from dying of thirst. Two days later, they reached the vicinity of Herat, where they made contact with Afghan authorities. Von Hentig sent Barkatullah, an Islamis scholar, to advise the governor that they had arrived with a Kaiser´s message and gifts for the Amir. The governor sent a grand welcome with noblemen, servants and an escort, inviting the expedition into the city as guests of the Afghan government, on 24 August. In an official meeting with the governor, von Hentig showed him the Turkish Sultan´s proclamation of <em>jihad</em> and the Kaiser´s promise to recognise Afghan sovereignty and German assistance. The Kaiser also promised to grant territory to Afghanistan as far north as Samarkand, in Russian Turkestan, and as far into India as Bombay.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The governor promised to arrange for the 400 miles trip east to Kabul, in two weeks, time that the expedition used to make themselves presentable for the meeting with the Amir. On 7 September, the group left Herat for Kabul via the harsher northern route through Hazarajat. Finally, on 2 October 1915, the expedition reached Kabul and was received with a <em>salaam</em> from the local Turkish community and a guard of honour from Afghan troops "in Turkish uniform".</span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8GZ8s76y7cs/Uk_32UkH6RI/AAAAAAAADA0/jCcIchpSTmg/s1600/kabul_ii_fig03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8GZ8s76y7cs/Uk_32UkH6RI/AAAAAAAADA0/jCcIchpSTmg/s400/kabul_ii_fig03.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">At Kabul, the group was accommodated as state guests at the Amir´s palace at Bagh-e Babur, where it was soon clear for all of them that they were all but confined, with armed guards around the palace and armed guides on their journeys. For three weeks, Amir Habibullah responded with only polite replies to request for an audience. He was an astute politician, and was not in a hurry to receive his guests. Only after a threaten of a hunger strike for the part of von Hentig and Niedermayer, began the meetings.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Habibullah was an eccentric lord of Afghanistan, owned of the only newspaper, the only drug store and all the automobiles in the country (all <em>Rolls Royces</em>, of course). His brother, Prime Minister Nasrullah Khan, was, on the other hand, a man of religious convictions. Unlike the Amir, he fluently spoke Pashto (the local language), dressed in traditional Afghan robes and interacted closely with the border tribes. While the Amir favoured British India, Nasrullah Khan was more pro-German, and his views were shared by his nephew, Amanullah Khan, the youngest and most charismatic of the Amir´s sons. The mission, therefore, expected more sympathy and consideration from Nasrullah and Amanullah than from the Amir...</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LlLpcN25_dc/Uk_6JKHydNI/AAAAAAAADBA/2uHsGudN4PA/s1600/Habibullah.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LlLpcN25_dc/Uk_6JKHydNI/AAAAAAAADBA/2uHsGudN4PA/s400/Habibullah.jpg" width="262" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange;">Habibullah Khan</span></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">On 26 October 1915, the Amir finally granted an audience at his palace at Paghman. The meeting lasted the entire day and began with Habibullah expressing surprise that a task as important as the expedition was entrusted to such young men, regarded by him as mechants. Von Hentig had to convince him that the mission did not considered themselves merchants, but emissaries from the Kaiser, the Ottoman Sultan and India whising to recognise Afghanistan´s complete independence and sovereignty. Passing along the Kaiser´s invitation to join the war on the side of the Central Powers, von Hentig described a favourable war situation and invited the Amir to declare independence. Then, Kasim Bey explained the Ottoman Sultan´s declaration of<em> jihad</em> and Barkatullah invited Habibullah to declare war against the British Empire and to come to the aid of India´s Muslims, proposing than the Amir should allow Turco-German forces to cross Afghanistan for a campaing towards the Indian frontier. He and Mahendra Pratap, both eloquent speakers, pointed out the rich territorial gains the Amir stood to adquire by joining the Central Powers.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The Amir´s reply was really shrewd but frank. He noted Afghanistan´s vulnerable position between Russian and Britain, and the difficulties of any Turco-German assistance, given the presence of the Anglo-Russian East Persian Cordon. He was also financially vulnerable, dependent on British subsides and institutions for his fortune and the welfare of his kingdom and army (very important, this point). Merely tasked to entreat the Amir to join a holy war, the mission did not have the authority to promise anything, so they could not answer his questions about strategic assistance, arms and funds.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">This conference was followed by an eight-hour meeting in October 1915 at Paghman, and other audiences at Kabul, but all of them had the same message. These meetings tipically began with Habibullah describing his daily routine, followed by words from von Hentig on politic and history. Next came discussions about Afghanistan´s position on the propositions of allowing Central Powers troops the right of passage, the breaking with Britain and the declaration of independence. The Amir sought concrete proofs that the Turco-German assurances of military and financial assistance were feasible in such a way that Walter Röhr later wrote to the Prince Henry of Reuss in Tehran that a thousand Turkish troops headed by himself (of course) should be able to draw Afghanistan into the war.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Meanwhile, the mission found a more sympathetic and ready audience in the Amir´s brother, Nasrullah Khan and the Amir´s younger son, Amanullah Khan. In secret meetings, this party encouraged the mission, giving them reasons to feel confident. Rumour of these meetings reached Habibullah, passed on by the British and Russian intelligence. These rumours suggested that, to draw Afghanistan into the war, von Hentig was prepared to organize "internal revulsions" if necessary. Habibullah found these reports concerning, and discouraged expedition members from meeting with his sons except in his presence. In fact, all of Afghanistan´s immediate preceding rulers save Habibullah´s father had died of "unnatural" causes, so he was justifiable fearing for his safety and his kingdom.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MjS1BMtxuck/UlABU4-c2LI/AAAAAAAADBQ/1fwpLbVjFEA/s1600/Nasrullah_Khan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MjS1BMtxuck/UlABU4-c2LI/AAAAAAAADBQ/1fwpLbVjFEA/s400/Nasrullah_Khan.jpg" width="285" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange;">Nasrullah Khan</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">During the months that the expedition remained in Kabul, Habibullah fended off pressure to commit to the Central Powers war effort, waiting for the outcome of the war to be predictable, announcing to the mission his sympathy for the Central Powers and asserting his willingness to lead an army into India... with Turco-German troops in it. Meanvhile, the members of the expedition were allowed to freely venture into Kabul, a liberty that they used to put on a successful "hearts and minds" campaing spending freely on local goods and paying cash. Two dozen of Austrian prisoners of war who had escaped from Russian camps were recruited by Niedermayer to construct an hospital and Kasim Bey met with the local Turkish community, spreading Enver Pasha´s message of unity and Pan-Turanian <em>jihad</em>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Habidullah also tolerated the increased ant-British and pro-Central tone taken by his newspaper, <em>Siraj al Akhbar</em>, whose editor was his father-in-law, Mahmud Tarzi. Tarzi published a number of very incendiary articles by Mahendra Pratap that, in May 1916, were considered serious enough for the Raj to intercept the copies intended for India.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MYuBbt3XVfY/UlBT9U_V0pI/AAAAAAAADBg/LaCPQds5gK0/s1600/afghanmission9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="296" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MYuBbt3XVfY/UlBT9U_V0pI/AAAAAAAADBg/LaCPQds5gK0/s400/afghanmission9.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange;">Four of the Pathan volunteers with Walter Röhr in Landespolizei uniform near Kabul, 1915</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Political events, including the foundation of the Provisional Government of India, and their own progress allowed the mission, during December 1915, to celebrate at Kabul on Christmas Day with wine and cognac left behind by the Durand mission forty years previously.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mahendra Pratap was procalimed president and Barkatullah Prime Minister of this Provisional Government and support was obtained from Galib Pasha for proclaiming <em>jihad</em> against Britain. After the February Revolution in Russia in 1917, Pratap´s government began to correspondent with the nascent Bolshevik government in an attempt to gain their support.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the same month of December, the Amir told von Hentig that he was ready to discuss a treatry of Afghan-German friendship. On 25 December 1915, a final draft of ten articles was presented, including clauses recognising Afghan independence, a declaration of friendship with Germany and the establisment of diplomatic relations. The treatry would also guarantee German assistance against Russia and Britain if Afghanistan joined the war on the Central side. The Amir´s army was to be modernised with 100,000 modern rifles, 300 artillery pieces and other warfare equipment provided by Germany. The German must maintain advisors and engineers, and an overland supply route through Persia for arms and ammunition. Finally, the Amir would be paid 1,000,000 sterling pounds.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Von Hentig and Niedermayer signed this document, considered by them as an initial basis to prepare for an Afghan invasion of India. Niedermayer was so confident that asked for 20,000 German troops to protect the Russian-Afghan frontier and informed the general staff to expect the campaing to begin in April.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was great news for the Central Powers, but, in the end, Habibullah returned quickly to his vacillating (and cunning) inactivity. He know the mission had found support whiting his council and had excited his volatile subjects so, four days after the signing of the draft treatry, Habibullah called for a <em>durbar</em>. Instead of calling a <em>jihad</em>, he reaffirmed his neutrality arguing that the war´s outcome was still umpredictable. Throughout the spring of 1916, he continuosly deflected the mission´s overtures and increased the stakes, demanding that India rise in revolution prior of his own campaing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Habibullah had received, in the meantime, British intelligence reports that said he was in danger of being assassinated but, at the same monet, his tribesmen were unhappy at Habibullah´s perceived subservience to the British and his council and relatives openly suspected his inactivity.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In that delicate moment, the war took a turn for the worse for the Central Powers that save Habibullah´s position. The Arab revolt ended the hope to send a Turkish division to Afghanistan and the German influence in Persia declined rapidly, ending the hopes that Goltz Pasha could lead a Persian volunteer division into Afghanistan. Finally, the mission came to realise that the Amir deeply mistrusted them. A last offer was made by Nasrullah in May 1916 to remove Habibullah from power and lead the frontier tribes against the British, but von Hentig knew it would come to nothing, and the German decided to left Kabul on 21 May 1916.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They knew that once they were out of the Amir´s lands, the Anglo-Russian forces and the marauding tribes of Persia would chase them mercilessly so the party split in several groups to make their way back to Germany.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Having served previously in Pekin, von Hentig escaped over the Hindu Kush and made his way on foot and horseback through Chinese Turkestan over the Gobi Desert and through China and Shangai. Via the USA, he finally reached Berlin on 9 June 1917.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Niedermayer escaped towards Persia through Russian Turkestan. Robbed and left for dead, he finally reached friendly lines, arriving in Tehran on 20 July 1916.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mahendra Pratap attempted to seek an alliance with Tzar Nicolas II from February 1916 without result, but was able to correspond more closely with Lenin´s Bolshevilk government. In 1918, he suggested to Trosky a joint German-Russian invasion of the Indian frontiers, recommending a similar and only Bolshevik plan to Lenin in 1919.</span><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Epilogue.</span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This curious and adventurer expedition really disturbed Russian and British influence in Central Asia, but it was, probably, some years premature in its political objectives, taking in account Habibullah mind. On the other hand, the expedition planted the seeds of sovereignty and reforms in Afghanistan. Habibullah´s neutrality alienated a substantial proportion of his family members and council advisors, and fed discontent among his subjects. He was finally assassinated while on a hunting trip in 1919, two weeks after his demands of complete sovereignty and independence were rebuffed by the Viceroy. The Afghan crow passed first to Nasrullah Khan and then to Amanullah Khan, the most intelligent of his sons. Both of them had been staunch supported of the expedition.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Third Afghan War was precipitated by all these events and, after a number of brief skirmishes, it was signed the Anglo-Afghan Treatry of 1919, in which Britain, finally, recognised Afghan independence. Amanullah proclaimed himself King and Germany was one of the first countries to recognise the independence of his government.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Throughout the next decade, Amanullah Khan instituted a number of social and constitutional reforms which had first been advocated by that extraordinary group of adventurers, the Niedermayer-Hentig Expedition.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8x0x27YMe3k/UlBd2kOKnwI/AAAAAAAADBw/lJqztW1ZipY/s1600/afghanmission7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8x0x27YMe3k/UlBd2kOKnwI/AAAAAAAADBw/lJqztW1ZipY/s400/afghanmission7.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Juan Mancheñohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07761893327024556857noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524687988228302815.post-17022041105732173602013-09-29T21:12:00.004+02:002014-02-09T13:06:31.280+01:00Yes, "Chain of Command" in Waziristan<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dtS1sGMoEDY/UkhxJguyUQI/AAAAAAAAC6o/SEeErqYYRBE/s1600/Bengal_Sapper_and_Miners_Bastion%252C_in_Sherpur_cantonment%252C_Kabul%252C_Second_Afghan_War%252C_c__1879.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dtS1sGMoEDY/UkhxJguyUQI/AAAAAAAAC6o/SEeErqYYRBE/s400/Bengal_Sapper_and_Miners_Bastion%252C_in_Sherpur_cantonment%252C_Kabul%252C_Second_Afghan_War%252C_c__1879.jpg" height="291" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange;">Bengal Sapper and Miners bastion in Sherpur cantonment, Kabul, Second Afghan War</span></td></tr>
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Yes, the picture is about the Second Afghan War, but I like it a lot.</div>
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About this entry, I have, finally, written a pair of Army Lists for the Third Afghan War to use with my new rulebook, "Chain of Command". I have read some very interesting AAR´s in different blogs that are not based in the WWII, and I have seen that the rules works very well. So I have prepared a List for the British Indian Army and another for the Afghan Forces.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-03iX6e2-lRg/Ukhz7JEE3KI/AAAAAAAAC60/_68cQaGksgE/s1600/DSC_0002+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-03iX6e2-lRg/Ukhz7JEE3KI/AAAAAAAAC60/_68cQaGksgE/s400/DSC_0002+%25282%2529.JPG" height="288" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange;"><em>Empress Miniatures</em> Afghan Tribesmen</span></td></tr>
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First one, the Afghan Forces. I have written a list to use with the Afghan regular troops and also the tribesmen. I have used the information I have and, also, a pair of Army Lists for the Spanish Civil War there are in the <em>Too Fat Lardies</em> Yahoo Group. They are very useful for anyone interested in the first months of that conflict. </div>
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<a href="http://es.scribd.com/doc/171899416/Afghan-Army-List-1919" target="_blank">Afghan Army List 1919</a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6NMvg8N760A/Ukh3DhzJ0tI/AAAAAAAAC68/eQ8kXN4xPIg/s1600/DSC_0003+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6NMvg8N760A/Ukh3DhzJ0tI/AAAAAAAAC68/eQ8kXN4xPIg/s400/DSC_0003+(2).JPG" height="283" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange;"><em>Woodbine Design</em> Miniatures Indian Troops</span></td></tr>
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Second one, the British Indian Army List. I have also used some ideas from those Spanish Civil War lists. I think this list is very useful to represent small patrols or garrisons.</div>
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<a href="http://es.scribd.com/doc/171899445/British-Indian-Army-List-1919" target="_blank">British-Indian Army List 1919</a></div>
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Both lists are, in this moment, "work in progress", but I expect to use them as soon as I have some more Indian models. I don´t like these from <em>Woodbine</em>, and I´m awaiting the new models from <em>Empress</em>, but, probably, I will buy another section from <em>Woodbine</em>, to have a solid patrol, at least.</div>
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On the other hand, I am reading a new book about this war:</div>
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A very nice book, really, really useful for me.Highly recomendable, IMHO.</div>
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Juan Mancheñohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07761893327024556857noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524687988228302815.post-52843610974865771892013-09-22T20:12:00.001+02:002014-02-09T13:06:47.504+01:00Chain of Command in Waziristan?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-beP5uSR_Y9k/Uj8si3meOmI/AAAAAAAAC5A/TIyrbYIWE_E/s1600/Amanullah+announcing+the+war.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-beP5uSR_Y9k/Uj8si3meOmI/AAAAAAAAC5A/TIyrbYIWE_E/s400/Amanullah+announcing+the+war.jpg" height="253" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange;">Amanullah Khan announcing the war</span></td></tr>
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This days I have been very busy reading the new rulebook from <em>Too Fat Lardies</em>, "Chain of Comand" and, also, painting the lot of figures I have for the Pacific Campaing so I have had not much time for this, my "only" project for this year... </div>
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I like a lot the WWII gaming at the platoon level, and "Chain of Command" is, in my opinion, a perfect rulebook for it. After my test game with "Mud and Blood" also from <em>Too Fat Lardies</em>, I was looking for another ruleset not so complex and fixed in the Western Front, and I think this new one can be the solution.</div>
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I have written an entry about "Chain of Command" in my other, general gaming, blog that can be read <a href="http://juan-manche.blogspot.com.es/" target="_blank">HERE</a> so I´m not going to talk (or write) more about it until I have played a game (but there are necessary a lot of figures to have a platoon of USMC or Japanese!!!).</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And this team needs three more figures!</td></tr>
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Of course, after the painting of my last figures from <em>Empress Miniatures</em>, I had a <em>great</em> and <em>brilliant</em> idea: Why not use "Chain of Command" to play games based in my project? In this way, I can maintain myself fixed to this fantastic ruleset and, also, loyal to my "only" project.</div>
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About "Chain of Command", I think that the Patrol Phase is perfect to represent the "small war" of the British patrols looking for ambushes and hidden enemies and all the command and control mechanisms can be used without problem in this conflict of small units. The rest of the rules are really common to any XX Century conflict; of course, without so many authomatic weapons and AT teams...</div>
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To this end, I have written already a British Army List to use with "Chain of Command" and I´m working with the Afghan Army List in this moment. This one is the link to the British Indian Army List: <a href="http://es.scribd.com/doc/170055058/British-Indian-Army-List-1919" target="_blank">British-Indian-Army-List-1919</a></div>
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I would like to know the opinion of anyone of you interested in it. Thank you in advance.</div>
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About those figures I have painted, they are, of course, the Afghan tribesmen command group; an interesting bunch of wolves:</div>
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As all of them, fantastic models. I´m awaiting more news for this range of models; perhaps, Khyber Rifles or Indian Infantry? I need Mr Hicks returning to the workbench!</div>
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On the other hand, I have also painted some walls I bough in Ebay from <em>Tiny Worlds Wargaming</em>. They are very nice pieces, very easy to paint, and I expect to buy another pack of them, this one with eight smaller broken and un-broken walls:</div>
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Perfect for many periods.</div>
Juan Mancheñohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07761893327024556857noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524687988228302815.post-19816999921659169292013-09-14T23:24:00.002+02:002014-03-14T19:10:33.074+01:00The British Renault FT17? (Revised and Corrected)This picture has interested me a lot since the first time I saw it in an old book:<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GWiHSiV9YNc/UjIOVdANC9I/AAAAAAAAC18/2OULF8M1qoc/s1600/1111afghan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GWiHSiV9YNc/UjIOVdANC9I/AAAAAAAAC18/2OULF8M1qoc/s400/1111afghan.jpg" height="252" width="400" /></a></div>
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Literally: "The first tank ever knocked out by Afghans - in 1919! This Renault FT17 was used by the British Tank Corps in the Third Anglo-Afghan War and was outside the fortress of Spin Baldak, held by Kabul regime forces until 1988".</div>
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Interesting, really interesting...</div>
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There are a lot of remnants of many countries that lay, ruined, in the Afghan landscape, on the side of the roads or "decorating" various junkyards, as this picture from the KMTC in Kabul shows (and it is only a very, very, very small portion of that junkyard):<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9Dk1sQLZMgo/UjIP1zi7MpI/AAAAAAAAC2E/QeoLism69KY/s1600/20030130a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9Dk1sQLZMgo/UjIP1zi7MpI/AAAAAAAAC2E/QeoLism69KY/s400/20030130a.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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And this one:<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k7llnQ9bNJw/UjMb-fZ_gTI/AAAAAAAAC2o/j9CVLz-sLf4/s1600/lanziaIZM1917.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k7llnQ9bNJw/UjMb-fZ_gTI/AAAAAAAAC2o/j9CVLz-sLf4/s400/lanziaIZM1917.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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Very dangerous, but also a treasure of military history.</div>
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Well, about the history of this tank:<br />
During operations in Afghanistan in 2003, Major Robert Redding, an US Special Forces serviceman, found the rusted remnants of two WWI era Renault FT17, tattered and disassembled, while visiting an Afghan scrap yard in Kabul. Redding sent digital images of the tanks to the <em>Patton Museum of Cavalry and Armor</em> in Fort Knox, Ky, asking if the Museum would be interested in acquiring them. That was Friday, and by Monday he had seven enthusiastic responses.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hSy9U9iTPAw/UjIQvpQxb2I/AAAAAAAAC2M/PyAWYf1yQo0/s1600/imagesCAAPZ80U.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hSy9U9iTPAw/UjIQvpQxb2I/AAAAAAAAC2M/PyAWYf1yQo0/s400/imagesCAAPZ80U.jpg" height="232" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rXojfavtErg/UjMe-NH7dTI/AAAAAAAAC3E/p7EmIFKNS1A/s1600/FT~17~de~flanc~Kaboul.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rXojfavtErg/UjMe-NH7dTI/AAAAAAAAC3E/p7EmIFKNS1A/s400/FT~17~de~flanc~Kaboul.jpg" height="261" width="400" /></a></div>
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The Museum was very interested in bring the tanks back to the States because, in that moment, their previously owned FT17 tank had been sent back to France at the request of the French Government because it was a very rare tank and France was really interested in getting and keeping intact equipment (in fact, France was more interested in finding an engine, because they had already a body of a FT17).</div>
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This model of tank has also a great interest for the United States Army because it was the model used by the US forces in the Great War. In fact, George Patton, then a captain serving under General John Pershing, was one of the first to learn how to operate this tank.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ntznae1czzA/UjIRzFWcMJI/AAAAAAAAC2Y/SXZjjcyoHtI/s1600/imagesCAQ939RE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ntznae1czzA/UjIRzFWcMJI/AAAAAAAAC2Y/SXZjjcyoHtI/s400/imagesCAQ939RE.jpg" height="317" width="400" /></a></div>
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There were made about 5,000 FT17, the first one to have a full traverse, 360º rotating turret. It was a light vehicle with a weight of 6,700 kgs, but not fast. It had a two men crew, a driver in the front center of the vehicle and a commander in the small turret. Today, there are probably no more than six or seven of them in existence, like this one owned by Spain, a veteran of the Marruecos Campaings and the Spanish Civil War:<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vX7pvcvYQV0/UjMc53HZivI/AAAAAAAAC2w/2AEYh_bgnw0/s1600/alhucemas-el-primer-desembarco-moderno-histor-L-F5dZIM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vX7pvcvYQV0/UjMc53HZivI/AAAAAAAAC2w/2AEYh_bgnw0/s400/alhucemas-el-primer-desembarco-moderno-histor-L-F5dZIM.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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Fort Knox personnel arrived in Kabul in May 2003 to examine the tanks, which were in a relative good shape because of the Afghan dry climate, but they were dirty and missing armament and other components. On the other hand, both tanks still had their original engines, complete tracks and most of their parts. With the tanks found, they had to be sent to the States and the first step was getting permission from Afghanistan, the owner of the vehicles, so Redding went to Afghanistan´s Deputy Minister of Defence, General Abdul Rashid Dostum, also commander of Northern Afghanistan. Fortunately, he was more than willing to concede permission, as a gift for what the United States had done for his country. He allowed one of the tanks to be taken out of Afghanistan, to the <em>Patton Museum</em>.<br />
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With the help of French Major Thierry Delbarre (at right in this picture), the project manager and historians from the 326th Military History Detachment, a reserve unit from Columbus, Ohio, such as Major Charles Boyd (at left in the picture), the best tank was chosen.<br />
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A curious history, but were there British tanks?<br />
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The idea that it was captured to the British during the Third Afghan War is a pure fantasy; the British Army didn´t have FT17 in its inventory and, certainly, not in India! The curator at Fort Knox that restored the vehicle believed that the Afghan Renaults (there were at least four of them prior 2003) were examples bought by Poland and captured by the Soviet Union during the Polish-Soviet War of 1919. They were then presented to Afghanistan when this country became the first state to officially recognise the Soviet Union under the Afghan-Soviet Treaty of 1921.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-abPhhor8BuM/UjMiRlGQKlI/AAAAAAAAC3Q/fkCyMisnJN0/s1600/ft17kabul_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-abPhhor8BuM/UjMiRlGQKlI/AAAAAAAAC3Q/fkCyMisnJN0/s400/ft17kabul_1.jpg" height="232" width="400" /></a></div>
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Another FT17 tank, this one displayed in Kabul. This could be another one of the Polish tanks captured by the Soviets and re-equipped with a Hotchkiss 37mm naval gun or, perhaps, one of the White Russian Renaults built between 1920-1921 (and also captured by the Reds).<br />
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And another one:<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5DQMl_T6IEk/UjMl4TH42XI/AAAAAAAAC3c/GVtuP_LdMjg/s1600/prezydent_odzyskal_bezcenna_pamiatke_640x0_rozmiar-niestandardowy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5DQMl_T6IEk/UjMl4TH42XI/AAAAAAAAC3c/GVtuP_LdMjg/s400/prezydent_odzyskal_bezcenna_pamiatke_640x0_rozmiar-niestandardowy.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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This was found in the backyard of the Afghan Ministery of Defence and the Polish diplomatics were so interested in it thatit was finally gave to them as a gift and sent to Poland to be restored and put on exposition.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-x0I6e1DaA9g/UjMm9WomWYI/AAAAAAAAC3o/k4VRKM71Umw/s1600/a0dda27b57078507d8217bff1704ce24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-x0I6e1DaA9g/UjMm9WomWYI/AAAAAAAAC3o/k4VRKM71Umw/s400/a0dda27b57078507d8217bff1704ce24.jpg" height="273" width="400" /></a></div>
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Finally, I have been able to learn that there were four Renault FT17 given as a gift by the Soviet Union to Afghanistan in 1923. They had been captured in the Battle of Równe, on 5 July 1920... because they had been abandoned by the Polish forces. One of them is now restored in the United Stated, a second one is, also restored, in Poland and a third one is restored and exposed in front of the Ministery of Defense in Kabul.<br />
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For me as a Military History enthusiast, it is a great news but for my Third Afghan War project it is not good. I was thinking about to deploy an "Afghan Tank Korps" using a FT17 model in 1/56 scale I have from <em>FAA Models</em>:<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C3YHY5KC7iE/UjTT1X9YaeI/AAAAAAAAC34/xDbKaXcVL-o/s1600/20130914_215039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C3YHY5KC7iE/UjTT1X9YaeI/AAAAAAAAC34/xDbKaXcVL-o/s320/20130914_215039.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Perhaps for a Fourth Afghan War...</div>
Juan Mancheñohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07761893327024556857noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524687988228302815.post-24793694817891970022013-09-08T19:58:00.000+02:002013-09-08T19:58:04.970+02:00The RAF in the North-West Frontier, 1919<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d1aHJhegYGc/Uiyzwl1_6_I/AAAAAAAAC1U/v1kZjbIywg4/s1600/Esta+RAF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d1aHJhegYGc/Uiyzwl1_6_I/AAAAAAAAC1U/v1kZjbIywg4/s400/Esta+RAF.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Although limited in number and quality, airpower played a key role during the Third Afghan War. </div>
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The RAF had arrived to the Frontier in 1916, for the Mohmand campaing and also against the Mahsuds in 1917. In 1919, the only aircraft available on the Frontier was 31 Squadron at Risalpur, east of Peshawar, that was equipped with BE2C of limited performance, and a flight of 114 Squadron at Quetta, also equipped with BE2C.</div>
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These machines were obsolete and worn out airplanes with so a low climbing power that they could be shot from the hill tops as they passed along the valleys. On the other hand, their moral effect was great and the bombing of Dakka, Jalalabad and especially Kabul, were factors that "help" the Amir Amanullah to decide about to sue for peace.</div>
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There were a total of five RAF squadrons deployed in the war, equipped with BE2C, Bristol F2B, De Haviland DH9A and De Haviland DH bombers. They allowed the British to extend their reach well beyond the border, bombing Kabul itself but also harassing the retreating and defeated Afghan regulars and breaking up tribesmen forming larger groups prior the launching of an attack.</div>
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They proved the value of the modern air-power in long range reconnaisance missions, in the bombing concentrations of tribesmen, supply depots and transport columns, but they were not really useful in the short range, tactical, reconnaisance, in which the enemy could hide in hearing their aproach, so bodies of the enemy were difficult to locate and negative information about them must be regarded with suspicion.</div>
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It can be said that the most important element was their moral effect over the Afghan hearts and minds. For example, the single-plane raid on the Amir´s palace that took place on 24 May 1919 caused little real damage but greatly impacted the morale of the Afghan people and of Amanullah himself, helping him to go to the negotiating table.</div>
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During the course of the war, British aircraft losses were of one plane crashed and two shot down. A not small price against a primitive foe.</div>
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I have an 1/48 BE2C that I bought a lot of years ago for my "Back of Beyond" games; it can be a good moment to prepare it for another war...</div>
Juan Mancheñohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07761893327024556857noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524687988228302815.post-88230116787242434562013-08-31T14:06:00.001+02:002013-09-03T21:38:40.605+02:00The Afghan Regular Army, 1919<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cGoiE653iXE/UiHMLX5CvnI/AAAAAAAAC0A/YQAtIuzUzns/s1600/Kabul+Nov+09+2+(330).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="288" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cGoiE653iXE/UiHMLX5CvnI/AAAAAAAAC0A/YQAtIuzUzns/s400/Kabul+Nov+09+2+(330).JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange;">Kabul 2009; a friendly Afghan regular and his camel</span></td></tr>
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I have received recently mi pre-order of "Chain of Command", so I have had not enought time for my "only" project, but I think it is an old problem of all of us...</div>
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Well. This time, I am going to write something about the Afghan Regular Army of 1919, a true "back of beyond" organization.</div>
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The real military strength of Afghanistan depended on the armed population rather than on the regular forces because, on the whole, the Afghan troops were ill-trained and lacked manoeuvrability. They could not be considered, by any standard, first class troops, although they had a great level of courage and endurance. There was not weapons training nor tactical exercises, so these troops were more liable to await than to initiate an attack.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dttwQMcG_nc/UiHO0n73aoI/AAAAAAAAC0M/xItiIPzmoAI/s1600/imagesCA2PP2ZN.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dttwQMcG_nc/UiHO0n73aoI/AAAAAAAAC0M/xItiIPzmoAI/s400/imagesCA2PP2ZN.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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At the begining of hostilities, the Afghan Regular Army comprised 21 regiments of Cavalry, 78 battalions of infantry and around 280 breech-loading guns and an equal number of muzzle-loaders chiefly posted on the Russian and Persian frontiers. The effectives totalled about 38,000 rifles, 8,000 sabres and 4,000 artillerymen and just half of these forces were stationed on the frontier with India.</div>
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There was no staff, nor attempt at a brigade organization except in Kabul, whose garrison of 17 battalions of infantry, 7 regiments of cavalry and 108 guns was in fact the strategy reserve of the Army. There were four mixed brigades in Kabul, every one with one regiment of cavalry, one battery of field and another of pack artillery, three battalions of infantry and three machine guns.</div>
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The Infantry varied considerably in armament and equipment; less than half the battalions were armed with small-bore rifles whilst the remaining units had Martini-Henrys or Sniders. The infantry wore also a bayonted, sometimes with an sword also, but there was no instruction in its use. The Officers and NCO´s were ignorant and deficient in everything.</div>
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When war broke out, no battalion had more than 75 percent of effectives, and many of them made up their numbers by drafting in armed tribesmen... adding a new problem to the discipline issue.</div>
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Only the Kabul units had a service dress consisted of a suit of khaki, puttes and ankle boots. The equipment was a leather belt with leather braces and three big pouches. The headdress was a round, black lambskin cap with, sometimes, a metal badge representing a mosque on a crescent. Men of other units frequently wore their local and everyday costume: a sheepskin coat, wide trousers and native shoes.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d2YYN6V8QBU/UiHSzfhaPCI/AAAAAAAAC0Y/E-Mm5U2Xhy8/s1600/Infanter%C3%ADa+Afgana.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d2YYN6V8QBU/UiHSzfhaPCI/AAAAAAAAC0Y/E-Mm5U2Xhy8/s400/Infanter%C3%ADa+Afgana.jpg" width="245" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange;">Afghan infantryman</span></td></tr>
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The Cavalry were mounted in small but sturdy ponies, unsuited to shock action; they were armed with rifle and sword, but were little better than mounted infantry. The regiments in Kabul had lances, but they were seldom carried.</div>
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The Artillery in 1919 consisted on 10cm Krupp howitzers, 75mm Krupp pack guns and older 7-pounder mountain guns. There were also really old Gardner machine guns with multiple barrels, obsolete for more than twenty years in the British Army.</div>
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The field artillery was under-horsed and badly trained. Drills were infrequent, range practices were seldom carried out and field practices and calibration were unknown.</div>
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There was only an arsenal in Afghanistan, in Kabul, able to produce guns, rifles, shells, small-arms ammunition, clothes and general equipment. In Bawali, near Jalalabad, existed a factory for making black powder for the Sniders and Martini-Henrys. There was not a vehicular transport service, but there were plenty of camels available for military use in the country.</div>
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To facilitate the movement of troops, state granaries existed in the fortified post which marked the stages every 12 miles along the main roads.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wq4J9ZZeqvA/UiHWxc2-FGI/AAAAAAAAC0k/Y3k-yorLLs4/s1600/Caballer%C3%ADa+Afgana+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="237" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wq4J9ZZeqvA/UiHWxc2-FGI/AAAAAAAAC0k/Y3k-yorLLs4/s400/Caballer%C3%ADa+Afgana+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange;">Afghan Regular Cavalry</span></td></tr>
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The Afghan Regular Army looked a rag-tag bunch, a true "Pancho Villa´s Army", but they could be expected to fight stoulty, and the rugged country and debilitated state of the Indian Army favoured them, in the sort term at least.</div>
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Finally, in adition to the regular troops, there were around 10,000 <em>Khassadar</em> (tribal militia) who wore not uniform, carried Snider rifles and were used on road protection, police work and general custom duties.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Bmlglkntw6g/UiHYE884_SI/AAAAAAAAC0w/cZYFD0NukR8/s1600/Waziri+Khassadar+at+Miranshah+1919.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="247" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Bmlglkntw6g/UiHYE884_SI/AAAAAAAAC0w/cZYFD0NukR8/s400/Waziri+Khassadar+at+Miranshah+1919.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange;">Waziri Khassadar at Miranshah</span></td></tr>
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So this is the Afghan Regular Army, the enemy of the Imperial forces. I would like to have painted already some figures to represent them but... the time, the never abundant time.</div>
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I have though about to use Turkish or Arab in Turk service as Afghan regulars, but my hope is that Mr Hicks sculpt some of them soon.</div>
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In this moment I´m awaiting some terrain elements I have bought in E-Bay, and others I have ordered from <em>Wargames News and Terrain</em>. I´m also thinking about to adapt the new rulebook from <em>Too Fat Lardies</em>, "Chain of Command" and test it in a game; after playing a game of "Mud and Blood" I think it can be unnecessary complex for this period...</div>
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Juan Mancheñohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07761893327024556857noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524687988228302815.post-497454781566616682013-08-23T00:20:00.002+02:002013-08-23T15:24:17.397+02:00Terraforming the North-West Frontier<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lMzPNQaXCts/UhXfHtlC40I/AAAAAAAACxQ/eGnI45sEw34/s1600/Bala+Hissar+de+Peshawar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="248" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lMzPNQaXCts/UhXfHtlC40I/AAAAAAAACxQ/eGnI45sEw34/s400/Bala+Hissar+de+Peshawar.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange;">Bala Hissar of Peshawar</span></td></tr>
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While I am painting the figures I need, I need also to look for suitable terrain elements. Fortunately, from my games of Darkest Africa and Modern Afghanistan I have been able to collect, in my home, some basic elements I can use without problem.</div>
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This is the game surface I have from <em>En Cobertura</em> (with some other terrain elements on it):</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mbUr0N3RJvc/UhXgalBT0GI/AAAAAAAACxc/VP-D4Qsy1_I/s1600/20+04+2013+01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="293" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mbUr0N3RJvc/UhXgalBT0GI/AAAAAAAACxc/VP-D4Qsy1_I/s400/20+04+2013+01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.encobertura.com/">http://www.encobertura.com/</a></td></tr>
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It is the game table I pepared, some months ago, to play a game of "Skirmish Sangin". Probably, it has a good size for an small skirmish, but I would like to have more modules. Sadly, in this moment, <em>En Cobertura</em> only sell them unpainted, and I have had a very bad experience painting their flexible surfaces:</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oPqrN6YejHY/UhXhnrZy7EI/AAAAAAAACxo/lTeRBPiZVNQ/s1600/Superficie+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="291" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oPqrN6YejHY/UhXhnrZy7EI/AAAAAAAACxo/lTeRBPiZVNQ/s400/Superficie+4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Horrible experience. I´m not an artist of the terraformation...</div>
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It has been my main problem for a time; I need a game surface of a suitable size for different games, from an small clash between patrols to a siege, from the arid country of Afghanistan to the jungles of Vietnam, and I want that this surface has a reasonable quality. Finally, I bought this game mat from <em>E-Minis Málaga</em>:</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nzOpDoLXcK0/UhXkDGFZolI/AAAAAAAACx0/5APXPjmI-6g/s1600/DSC_0001+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nzOpDoLXcK0/UhXkDGFZolI/AAAAAAAACx0/5APXPjmI-6g/s400/DSC_0001+(2).jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://woodlandscenics.woodlandscenics.com/">http://woodlandscenics.woodlandscenics.com/</a></td></tr>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HV2JPIyaBbw/UhXkHHDMm8I/AAAAAAAACx8/kE1i5BFR3JI/s1600/DSC_0002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="306" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HV2JPIyaBbw/UhXkHHDMm8I/AAAAAAAACx8/kE1i5BFR3JI/s400/DSC_0002.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This game mat is from <em>Woodland Scenics</em>, and I liked a lot its colour, perfect to represent a great number of different terrains and not only the desert (well, perhaps it can be a desert in Spring). Besides, it is not so expensive as the modular terrain, it need less space of storage and it is very easy to represent the contours of the terrain. I expect to use it in this same week with a Darkest Africa game to test another ruleset I have, "The Sword and the Flame".</div>
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Well, I have the game surface, but I need also other terrain elements. I would like to represent a landscape like this one:</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qMYVerEprqQ/UhXl-WAzOWI/AAAAAAAACyI/t5AXkIXPloA/s1600/Road+repairs,+NW+Frontier+1919.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="322" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qMYVerEprqQ/UhXl-WAzOWI/AAAAAAAACyI/t5AXkIXPloA/s400/Road+repairs,+NW+Frontier+1919.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange;">Road repairs, North-West Frontier, 1919</span></td></tr>
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Flat valleys, dry riverbeds, some scattered trees, patches of hard bush and the hills, the imposing hills.</div>
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I have some of these terrain elements already:</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ls7yLKFprwI/UhXnlSPN1rI/AAAAAAAACyU/AroSoGmr1rM/s1600/Superficie+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ls7yLKFprwI/UhXnlSPN1rI/AAAAAAAACyU/AroSoGmr1rM/s400/Superficie+6.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://wargameterrain.blogspot.be/">http://wargameterrain.blogspot.be/</a></td></tr>
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This is my "red fort" handmade by the great artist that is behind <em>Wargames News and Terrain</em>. I bought this one for my "Skirmish Sangin" games, but it is perfect for the Third Afghan War and, in fact, it is the main piece in my first scenario. </div>
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I have also some buildings, trees and other elements, form different sources:</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MiP-wEHuHIQ/UhXpBF4QTpI/AAAAAAAACyg/KS1qI2QUyBY/s1600/20+04+2013+08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MiP-wEHuHIQ/UhXpBF4QTpI/AAAAAAAACyg/KS1qI2QUyBY/s320/20+04+2013+08.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is a model from <em>Mutineer Miniatures; a </em>great quality building.</div>
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But I need a lot of other elements, and I have found some interesting sites in the web that are the main reason of this entry: to share that information:</div>
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An interesting seller in Ebay; very nice items, and cheap too! I pretend to buy some of them, specially hills and brush dots.</div>
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<a href="http://stores.ebay.com/Battlefield-Architect?_trksid=p2047675.l2563">http://stores.ebay.com/Battlefield-Architect?_trksid=p2047675.l2563</a></div>
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A modelling service with great elements. I like a lot the olive trees.</div>
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<a href="http://www.realisticmodelling.com/default.asp">http://www.realisticmodelling.com/default.asp</a></div>
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Another one, with wonderful buildings. They have a fort perfect for some games.</div>
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<a href="http://crescent-root.com/index.html">http://crescent-root.com/index.html</a></div>
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This one has the palms I need. I have, actually, also some of their walls.</div>
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<a href="http://www.jrmini.com/shop/jrmini.php">http://www.jrmini.com/shop/jrmini.php</a></div>
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And, of course, for my roads and rivers, this one: </div>
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<a href="http://www.terrafirmastudios.co.uk/#/flexible-dirt-roads/4564861504">http://www.terrafirmastudios.co.uk/#/flexible-dirt-roads/4564861504</a></div>
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A great company with excellent products. I´m very interested in their animal enclosure and oasis:</div>
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<a href="http://www.architectsofwar.com/">http://www.architectsofwar.com/</a></div>
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As with other entries, I pretend to update this one or to write other "chapters" of this one when I have new information about terrain elements I´m interested in.</div>
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And now, to paint more Afghan tribesmen!</div>
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Juan Mancheñohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07761893327024556857noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524687988228302815.post-62588788748531080682013-08-18T19:29:00.001+02:002013-08-19T19:19:01.836+02:00Frontier Tribesmen<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PICcHX2ogaw/UhD2RUwybLI/AAAAAAAACwY/n38D6KrdmL4/s1600/Group_of_Afridi_fighters_in_1878.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PICcHX2ogaw/UhD2RUwybLI/AAAAAAAACwY/n38D6KrdmL4/s400/Group_of_Afridi_fighters_in_1878.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange;">Group of Afridi fighters, 1878</span></td></tr>
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Now, it is the time to write something about the Afghan tribesmen.<br />
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At the begining of the war, the Amir´s call to a Holy War had not been received with general enthusiasm by the tribes of the Frontier. The Afghan Pathans between Jalalabad and Dakka were eager for war whilst the Afridi and Mohmands of the British side of the Durand Line were not so actively hostile; and this was a problem for Amanullah Khan because the true strong of Afghanistan lies in the armed tribesmen rather than in the regular army raised by a form of conscription which took a man in eight for life service. Of course, they were not the pick of the country...</div>
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The most warlike of the inhabitants of Afghanistan were the Pathan tribes of Eastern Afghanistan, precisely those situated in front of the British forces. All these Pathans were serious Mohammedans, susceptible to be called to a religious war by the Amir or by the many <em>mullahs</em> that hated the British and also overwhelmingly hard hillmen in contrast with the Afghan, that were mainly plains dwellers. They were first-class fighters, and the best armed and more warlike of them lived in the area between the Durand Line and the Administrative Border. <br />
There was, in fact, an order among the tribes in terms of their fighting quality. The Mahsuds were the most formidable adversaries followed nearly by the Afridis and Mobmands but all of them shared the same broad characteristics: hardy, implacable in their vengeances, tactically sophisticated, fiercely Muslim and independent and hostile to ALL authority. They lived under a common and rigid code of behaviour, <em>Pakhtunwali</em>, based in <em>badal</em> (blood vengeance), <em>malmastia</em> (hospitality) and <em>nanawati</em> (asylum). Living in a hill country of low fertility, the tribesmen had for centuries been accustomed to raiding down into the plains of India or levying tolls on travellers through their lands<br />
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There were, probably, half a million Pathan fighting men, many of them armed with more or less modern rifles and all of them very expert in mountain guerrilla war. Although British subjects and receivers of annual allowances of money from the British Government, all of them enjoyed an almost complete independence in their tribal areas and didn´t think they were subjects of the Crown.</div>
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The Pathans were expert in guerrilla warfare; were full of Muslim fanatism and, also, love of plunder. They were quick to rally under the Amir´s standard if it suited their interest or it was not too dangerous, but they rarely fougth at any great distance from their homes. Each man carried his rifle, ammunition, a knife and a supply of flour in a bag of undressed sheepskin. Because this flour was easily spoiled by the action of rain or perspiration, or when it was consumed, the men went of at any moment to their homes for more.</div>
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The brave tribesmen made an effective use of the rugged terrain and could be very aggresive if the prospects of exit were good but they could not compete with the weaponry and discipline of the British forces in set-piece actions, so sniping at columns on the march was more effective (and safe) for them; also, the attack against picquets or rearguard units.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QzPSIr5n0rE/UhD8DWRGbcI/AAAAAAAACwo/lG4TWN7rKXI/s1600/Tribes+of+the+Frontier.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QzPSIr5n0rE/UhD8DWRGbcI/AAAAAAAACwo/lG4TWN7rKXI/s400/Tribes+of+the+Frontier.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
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By this time, the tribesmen had replaced their old <em>jezzails</em> with breech-loading rifles such as the Martini-Henry or the Lee-Metford. In adition, the tribesmen carried <em>tulwars</em> (curved swords) and <em>chora</em> (heavy knives) for the close combat. Tribes that were not sustained by the British (or Afghan) subsidies made do with older weapons, but those tribes who could afford them, bought European rifles. From 1908, most tribesmen carried Martini-Henry and the luckier - or more skilled thieves of them - carried Lee-Metford or Lee-Enfield. The tribal craftmen were also really skillful at reproducing European weapons so these tribesmen were now the most dangerous adversary of the British forces.</div>
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The Pathan were tall and lean men dressed in a coarse home-spun <em>angarka</em> (shirt), loose white trousers, sandals ans a cummerbund holding a knife. The common headdress was a pointed cap (<em>kullah</em>) rounded with a strip of material (<em>lungi</em>) to form a medium-size turban.</div>
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The headmen (<em>maliks)</em> had a more ornate costume, with, by example, crimson waistcoats covered with gold lace.</div>
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The turban could be of a bright red, white, blue, etc. and the <em>lungi</em> (sash) could have solid colours or narrow stripes of black, yellow, red or blue.</div>
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Although white was the most common colour used for the <em>angarka</em>, red, blue and grey were also worn. To counter the bitter Afghan winter, tribesmen wore a <em>poshteen</em>, a shepskin coat with hair on the inside. Its ammount of embroidery depended of wealth and status.</div>
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The clothing worn by the Pathans varied from tribe to tribe but the basic garment was that indicated here. The Waziris, by example, tended to favour a dark-red or indigo turban and a dark-red or pink waist sash; the Kurram Valley tribes wore an <em>angarka</em> of dark blue and the Khyber Pass Afridis usually wore a grey or blue <em>angarka</em> with off-white trousers.</div>
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For this entry I would like to have had the command group of the <em>Empress Miniatures</em> Afghan tribesmen painted, but it has been not possible; some painting commissions and this horrible hot have prevented it.</div>
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In their place, I have this figure from <em>Scarab Miniatures</em>, a downed pilot in the middle of a very delicate moment that I´m thinking about to use in a "Rescue the Pilot" game, perhaps in the middle of the Kabul valley...</div>
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I like a lot the figures from <em>Scarab Miniatures</em>; they are not anatomically perfect, and are, in fact, a bit "chunkies" but they have a lot of character in them and I like to paint them!</div>
Juan Mancheñohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07761893327024556857noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524687988228302815.post-24339172438892614322013-08-11T21:49:00.003+02:002013-08-11T21:49:58.948+02:0020th Duke of Cambridge´s Own Infantry (Brownlow´s Punjabis)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GnImudh-RL0/UgVfEv-m6NI/AAAAAAAACuE/8mlOppXoZe8/s1600/340px-20th_(Punjab)_Bengal_Infantry_(6_Punjab),_Egypt_1882_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="236" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GnImudh-RL0/UgVfEv-m6NI/AAAAAAAACuE/8mlOppXoZe8/s400/340px-20th_(Punjab)_Bengal_Infantry_(6_Punjab),_Egypt_1882_2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange;">20th Duke of Cambridge´s Own Infantry in Egypt, 1882</span></td></tr>
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I have chosen this British Indian Army regiment as the first one of my own collection of units for my project... but it didn´t participate in the Third Afghan War!</div>
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No problem; all of them are very similar.</div>
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This regiment was raised in 1857 as the 8th Regiment of Punjab Infantry and was designated as the 20th Duke of Cambridge´s Own Infantry in 1904. Today, it is the 6th Battalion, The Punjab Regiment in the modern Pakistan Army.</div>
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The regiment was raised on August 1857 by Lieutenant Charles Henry Brownlow from drafts of the 4th and 5th Punjab Infantry as a part of the army raised to suppress the Great Indian Mutiny. After this bitter war, the Regiment took part in the Second Opium War against China, taking part in the assault to the Taku Forts in 1860. In 1861, the regiment become part of the line as the 24th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry but was renumbered as the 20th Regiment later in the year.</div>
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In 1863, it took part in the Umbeyla Campaing in the North-West Frontier, in the first of its many engagement against the Pathan tribes. In 1864, the regiment was designed as the 20th (Punjab) Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry and took part in the Black Mountain Expedition.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange;">Painting by Walter Fane, 1868</span></td></tr>
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The regiment took part in the Second Afghan War, advancing into the Khyber Pass to clear Afghan forces at Ali Masjid fortress. In 1882, the regiment was dispatched to Egypt as part of the expeditionary force to suppress the revolt of Arabi Pasha, taking part in the battle of Tel-el-Kebir. In honour of its service in Egypt, the Duke of Cambridge was appointed as its honorary colonel in 1883 and the regiment was retitled (again) as the 20th (Duke of Cambridge´s Own) (Punjab) Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry.</div>
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In 1891 and 1897, the regiment took part in new expeditions in the North-West Frontier and in 1900 was sent to China to suppress the Boxer Rebellion.</div>
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After the reforms brought about in the Indian Army by Lord Kitchener, the regiment received a new designation, 20th Duke of Cambridge´s Own Punjabis in 1903 and then 20th Duke of Cambridge´s Own Infantry (Brownlow´s Punjabis) in 1904.</div>
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During the Great War, the regiment saw active service in Mesopotamia and Palestine, taking part in the capture of Kut-al-Amara in September 1915. In May 1918 it returned finally to India.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NKbl2vMQ6Ro/UgVlVeAJffI/AAAAAAAACuk/e9DRlnyITEY/s1600/30+Punjabis+and+20+Duke+of+Cambridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NKbl2vMQ6Ro/UgVlVeAJffI/AAAAAAAACuk/e9DRlnyITEY/s400/30+Punjabis+and+20+Duke+of+Cambridge.jpg" width="290" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange;">30rd Punjabis and 2oth Duke of Cambridge</span></td></tr>
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In 1921-22 there was a major reorganization in the British Indian Army, grouping four to six battalions in a same regiment. In this way, the 14th Punjab Regiment was formed by grouping the 20th Punjabis with the 19th, 21th, 22th and 24th Punjabis and the 40th Pathans. The new designation of the battalion was 2nd Battalion (Duke of Cambridge´s Own) 14th Punjab Regiment. During the Second World War, the battalion was part of the British garrison of Hong Kong but, after a siege of 18 days, the battalion surrendered and spent the rest of the war in Japanese captivity.</div>
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In 1947 the battalion was allocated to Pakistan Army and fought, in 1948, in the war with India in Kashmir and in the Indo-Pakistan War of 1965.</div>
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And this is the history of this interesting Regiment. </div>
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I like a lot the green touch in the <em>kullahs</em>, and perhaps it is the main reason to choose this unit for painting my first Indian Army figures. I have painted some more figures for this unit:</div>
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They are, again, from <em>Woodbine Design</em> and this time I have painted the LMG team and one of the British officers.</div>
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I have also painted another of my old <em>Foundr</em>y figures from the North-West Frontier range:</div>
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It is an Afghan regular soldier for the Second Afghan War. Perhaps I will use him as a <em>Khassadar</em> militiaman, or an "old timer"...</div>
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Juan Mancheñohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07761893327024556857noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524687988228302815.post-62767459287133587512013-08-04T13:32:00.001+02:002014-02-09T13:07:01.257+01:00The Road to War (UPDATED)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_a5_uEF_CLI/Uf4cmaQVS_I/AAAAAAAACsc/__kGU0F7F9I/s1600/Amanullah+Khan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_a5_uEF_CLI/Uf4cmaQVS_I/AAAAAAAACsc/__kGU0F7F9I/s400/Amanullah+Khan.jpg" height="400" width="220" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange;">Amanullah Khan</span></td></tr>
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<em>It´s time to begin with the history of the war. I pretend to write some entries dedicated to the first steps to the war and the war itself. I am reliing principally in Brian Robson´s book "Crisis on the Frontier", but I have found (or am waiting) some other sources. My idea is to update these entries with the new information, in blue letters.</em></div>
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As we have seen, the Amanullah´s attack against India could be perfectly a dangerous gamble, but it had some elements in his favour.</div>
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In that moment, there was in India an intense Muslim feeling aroused by the defeat of Turkey in the Great War, a dangerous one, because the 40% of the Indian Army had a Muslim component. There was also a difficult internal situation because of the shortages of food and other goods caused by the war-time mobilization and the enlistment of so many men in the Indian Army, something that had led to a massive increases in prices. These wartime sacrifices had increased also the pressures for an Indian self-government.<br />
At the begining of 1919, these factors combined finally to produce a wave of riotings and destruction, particularly extreme in the Punjab, that led to the tragedy of Amristar. Amanullah was very well informed on all this, but some of his information was a bit exaggerated, as the likelihood of an uprising in India, where "there were thousands of Hindus and Muslims ready to give their lives for the Amir".<br />
<em><span style="color: #b45f06;">Como ya hemos visto, el ataque de Amanullah contra la India podía ser perfectamente una apuesta peligrosa, pero tenía algunos elementos a su favor.</span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: #b45f06;">En ese momento, había en la India un intenso sentimiento pro-musulmán debido a la derrota de Turquía en la Gran Guerra, y que podía ser peligroso al tener el Ejército Indio un componente musulmán del 40%. Había también una situación interna muy difícil debida a las privaciones de comida y otros bienes causadas por la movilización para la guerra y el alistamiento de tantos hombres en el Ejército Indio, algo que había llevado a un incremento masivo de los precios. Los sacrificios debidos a la guerra habían incrementado también los deseos de la India de tener su propio gobierno.</span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: #b45f06;">A principios de 1919 estos factores se combinaron finalmente para producir una oleada de manifestaciones violentas y de destrucción, particularmente extremas en el Punjab, que llevaron a la tragedia de Amristar. Amanullah estaba muy bien informado de todos esos hechos, aunque parte de dicha información era un tanto exagerada, como la de la posibilidad de un levantamiento en la India donde " había miles de hindúes y musulmanes listos para dar sus vidas por el Emir".</span></em><br />
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With his own forces totally inadequated for the task of defeating the Indian Army, the most important element for Amanullah Khan to attack India was the attitude of the cis-border tribes. They were really annoyed by the defeat of Turkey in the war against the <em>angrezi</em>, and were also better armed than before, so they were really a powder keg and very dangerous if properly coordinated. But the tribes were notorious for their independence and unreliability. It was impossible to organize and coordinate an uprising of all the tribes in the Frontier, so Amanullah could only hope that a declaration of war followed by some initial success would ignite a general tribal uprising.<br />
<em><span style="color: #b45f06;">Con sus propias fuerzas totalmente inadecuadas para la tarea de derrotar al Ejército Indio, el elemento más importante en el plan de ataque de Amanullah era la actitud de las tribus situadas a ambos lados de la frontera. Éstas estaban realmente molestas por la derrota de Turquía a manos de los ingleses, y estaban también mejor armadas que nunca antes, por lo que eran en realidad un inestable barril de pólvora, muy peligrosas si se conseguía coordinarlas. Pero las tribus eran famosas por su independencia y poca fiablidad. Era imposible organizar y coordinar un levantamiento de todas las tribus de la Frontera, por lo que Amanullah sólo podía confiar en que una declaración de guerra y algunos éxitos iniciales precipitaría un levantamiento general espontáneo.</span></em><br />
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In the early part of 1919, Amanullah issued a firman to the tribes of both sides of the border, calling on them to be ready to support an uprising in India; in spite of his many presents of weapons and ammunition, the result would prove disappointing due to the opportunistic nature of the tribes, except in Waziristan.<br />
<em><span style="color: orange;">En la primera parte de 1919, Amanullah convocó a todas las tribus de ambos lados de la frontera para que estuvieran listas para apoyar un levantamiento en la India; a pesar de muchos regalos de armas y municiones, el resultado iba a ser decepcionante debido a la oportunista naturaleza de las tribus, excepto en Waziristán.</span></em><br />
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Amanullah and his advisers never formulated a clear-cut set of objetives, and too much depended upon success in raising the tribes and upon the development of the situation in India (an armed rising). It had neccessarily to be a war of limited objetives. Three of them had been inherited by Amanullah from his father and grandfather and were witihin the bounds of practicality:<br />
The first one was the rectification of the Durand Line, traced by Sir Henry Mortimer Durand in 1893, in Afghanistan´s favour this time.<br />
<em><span style="color: #b45f06;">Amanullah y sus asesores nunca llegaron a formular una clara lista de objetivos para la guerra, y demasiado se dejó en manos de un posible levantamiento de las tribus y del desarrollo de la situación en la India. Tenía que ser por necesidad una guerra de objetivos limitados y tres de ellos habían sido heredados por Amanullah de su padre y su abuelo, estando además dentro de los límites de lo práctico.</span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: #b45f06;">El primero era la rectificación de la Línea Durand, trazada por Sir Henry Mortimer Durand en 1893, en favor de Afganistán esta vez.</span></em><br />
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The second was the recovery of territory and influence over areas in which Afghanistan had exercised sway before the Second Afghan War of 1878. But the main objetive, the one that had the heart of Amanullah, was regaining control of Afghan external affairs, to make the country fully independent from the British influence. Besides, nothing could be better calculated to unite all sections of Afghan society. For the national regeneration, both social and economic of Afghanistan, Amanullah would need the help from other countries, and he need to be able to negiotiate with completely free hands.<br />
<em><span style="color: #b45f06;">El segundo era la recuperación de territorio e influencia en áreas en las que Afganistán había ejercido su voluntad antes de la Segunda Guerra Afgana de 1878. Pero el objetivo principal, el que tenía todo el apoyo de Amunallah, era la recuperación del control de los asuntos externos del pais para hacer que Afganistán fuera totalmente independiente de la influencia británica. Además, nada podía estar mejor calculado para unir a todos los sectores de la sociedad afgana. Para la regeneración social y económica de Afganistán Amanullah iba a necesitar la ayuda de otros paises, y necesitaba ser capaz de negociar con ellos con sus manos totalmente libres.</span></em><br />
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Amanullah had also some hope of Bolshevik support, but it was not in place before the begining (and the end) of the conflict, because the war came, finally, with a remarkable speed and caught not only the Bolsheviks, but also the Indian authorities napping. Lord Chelmsford (Jr), Viceroy of India, did not expect troubles with Afghanistan and the Army was not taking precautions for it (in fact, it was demobilizing units from the war establishment).<br />
At the begining of May, Amanullah issued a public firman saying that he believed that the peoples of India had been badly rewarded for their loyalty during the Great War and were justified in rising against the British. On the other hand, because he was afraid that those disturbances might spread into Afghanistan, he sent his Commander in Chief, Saleh Muhammad, with troops to the eastern frontier. On 2 May, Chelmsford reported that Saleh Muhammad,<span style="color: blue;"> "on a frontier tour"</span>, had arrived at Dakka (Afghan territory) with two companies of Infantry and two guns, and was quickly followed by another 2,000 regular troops; 1,500 men were despatched to Kandahar and 2,000 to Khost to join there Nadir Shah, <span style="color: blue;">the old Commander in Chief under Habibullah</span>, probably the best Afghan General.<br />
<em><span style="color: #b45f06;">Amanullah también tenía cierta esperanza de ayuda por parte de los Bolcheviques, pero esto no pudo cuajarse antes del comienzo (y el final) del conflicto, debido a que la guerra llegó, finalmente, con notoria rapidez y cogió por sorpresa no sólo a los bolcheviques, sino también a las autoridades de la India. Lord Chelmsford (hijo del famoso), Virrey de la India, no esperaba problemas con Afganistán y el Ejército no estaba tomando precauciones (de hecho, estaba desmovilizando a sus fuerzas del nivel de guerra).</span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: #b45f06;">A comienzos de mayo, Amanullah declaró publicamente que creía que los pueblos de la India habían sido malamente recompensados por su lealtad durante la Gran Guerra y que estaban justificados en alzarse contra los británicos. Pero, como le preocupaba que tales disturbios se extendieran dentro de Afganistán, envió a su Comandante en Jefe, Saleh Muhammad, con tropas a la frontera oriental.</span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: #b45f06;">El 2 de mayo, Chelmsford informó que Saleh Muhammad había llegado a Dakka, en territorio afgano, con dos compañías de Infantería y dos cañones, y que fue rapidamente seguido por otros 2000 hombres; 1500 fueron enviados a Kandahar y 2000 a Khost para reunirse con Nadir Shah, anterior Comandante en Jefe bajo Habibullah, probablemente el mejor General afgano.</span></em><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RqtWXoZNsdw/Uf4woGHuf-I/AAAAAAAACtM/zQiB_KmR0TY/s1600/Dakka+1919.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RqtWXoZNsdw/Uf4woGHuf-I/AAAAAAAACtM/zQiB_KmR0TY/s400/Dakka+1919.jpg" height="331" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange;">Dakka, 1919</span></td></tr>
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From Dakka, Saleh Muhammad moved on to Bagh, in what the Indian Government considered as Indian territory (it was a point that the Durand Line had never formally demarcated), <span style="color: blue;">to made a personal inspection of the springs... that</span> provided the water supply for the British post at Landi Kotal. <span style="color: blue;">On 4th May, his Afghan troops took up their positions in the area.</span><br />
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<em><span style="color: #b45f06;">Desde Dakka, Saleh Muhammad avanzó hacia Bagh, en lo que el Gobierno de la India consideraba territorio propio (éste era un punto en el que la Línea Durand no había sido formalmente demarcada), para realizar una inspección personal de los pozos... que proporcionaban agua al puesto militar británico en Landi Kotal.</span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: #b45f06;"></span></em><br />
<span style="color: blue;">On 3rd May, a party of Khyber Rifles detailed to escort a caravan through the Khyber Pass, was met and turned back by picquets of armed tribesmen under the command of a notorious raider, Zar Shah. Then, 150 Afghan regulars occupied Kafir Kot ridge and Bagh village, on the British side of the frontier. On the 4th May, further reinforcements of Khassadars and Shinwaris reached Bagh and cut the water supply of Landi Kotal. On the 5th May, further reinforcements of Afghan regulars arrived at Bagh whilst a column of two Indian infantry companies, a section of mountain artillery and one section of sappers and miners reached Landi Kotal as reinforcements.</span><br />
<em><span style="color: #b45f06;">El 3 de mayo, un grupo de los Khyber Rifles enviado a escoltar una caravana por el Paso de Khyber fue detenido y rechazado por piquetes de guererros tribales bajo el mando de un notorio bandido, Zar Shah. 150 regulares afganos ocuparon entonces Kafir Kot y la aldea de Bagh, ambos en el lado británico de la frontera. El 4 de mayo, nuevos refuerzos de Khassadar y Shinwaris llegaron a Bagh y cortaron el suministro de agua a Landi Kotal. El día 5 llegaron aun más refuerzos a Bagh mientras una pequeña columna formada por dos compañías de infantería India, una sección de artillería de montaña y una sección de zapadores llegarona Landi Kotal también como refuerzo de la guarnición.</span></em><br />
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<span style="color: blue;">In the Kurram, Jafis and Afghan regulars had commenced to build fortifications on the Peiwar Kotal, so British regular troops were asked to protect the Turi inhabitants, and a column left Thal on the 5th of May.</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;">The next day, general mobilization was ordered and war was declared on Afghanistan.</span><br />
<em><span style="color: #b45f06;">En el Kurram, Jafis y tropas regulares afganas habían comenzado a construir fortificaciones en el Peiwar Kotal, por lo que se solicitó la presencia de tropas británicas para proteger a los Turi locales, y una columna dejó Thal el día 5 de mayo.</span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: #b45f06;">El siguiente día, se ordenó una movilización general, y se declaró la guerra a Afganistán.</span></em><br />
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<span style="color: black;">About the figures, in spite of this terrible summer, I have painted some more of them:</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange;">Indian Army figures from <em>Woodbine Design</em></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange;">Afghan Tribesmen from <em>Empress Miniatures</em></span></td></tr>
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I need to paint other 30 Indian troops for the scenario, the mountain gun and the mules and the command group for the Afghan side; then, some civilians, more tribesmen for the possible reinforcements and some terrain elements... It never ends!!!</div>
Juan Mancheñohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07761893327024556857noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524687988228302815.post-85159454341777591892013-07-28T15:41:00.000+02:002013-07-28T15:41:29.937+02:00More books!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ifqwPl3KL6s/UdxTEipdwcI/AAAAAAAACkc/bfnTsYR2X-w/s1600/260px-20th_(Punjab)_Regiment_of_Bengal_Native_Infantry__Painting_by_Walter_Fane_(1828-85),_1868.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ifqwPl3KL6s/UdxTEipdwcI/AAAAAAAACkc/bfnTsYR2X-w/s400/260px-20th_(Punjab)_Regiment_of_Bengal_Native_Infantry__Painting_by_Walter_Fane_(1828-85),_1868.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange;">20th Punjab Regiment of BNI, painted by Walter Fane (1868)</span></td></tr>
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I think it is a good idea to put here, in new entries, the books I´m finding (and buying in some cases). In spite that the Third Afghan War is a really dark period, it is, on the other hand, possible to find useful information about the background of the combatants, the country, the weapons and tactics used, etc. in these books.<br />
Part of this information has come to me thanks to Moonshadow and other commentators of my blog so, in their comments, there is also more information.<br />
<em><span style="color: #b45f06;">Creo que puede ser una buena idea poner aquí, en nuevas entradas, los libros que voy encontrando (y comprando en ocasiones). A pesar de que la Tercera Guerra de Afganistán es un periodo realmente oscuro - y en España aun más - , es, por otro lado, posible encontrar información útil acerca del trasfondo de los combatientes, el pais, las armas y las tácticas usadas, etc. en estos libros.</span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: #b45f06;">Parte de esta información me ha llegado gracias a Moonshadow y otros comentaristas de mi blog, por lo que, en sus comentarios, puede encontrarse información adicional.</span></em></div>
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"The Armies of India". A wonderful book from Major A.C. Lovett. It is possible to find a lot of his illustrations in the web, and they are true classics of the period. The book is full of interesting information about the Indian units of this army from the begining of its history to 1911 (date of the illustrations). It is, in fact, a short history about the Indian Army during the British Empire.</div>
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I expect to use it to paint that very difficult element, the Indian soldier (<em>sepoy</em> or <em>sowar</em>), and can say that its drawings are wonderful, wonderful.<br />
<em><span style="color: #b45f06;">"Los Ejércitos de la India". Un libro maravilloso del Mayor A. C. Lovett. Se pueden encontrar facilmente en la web un montón de sus ilustraciones, que son, sin excepción, verdaderamente clásicas acerca de este periodo. El libro está lleno de interesante información acerca de las unidades nativas del ejército, desde el comienzo de su historia hasta 1911 (fecha de las ilustraciones). Es, de hecho, una breve historia acerca del Ejército de la India durante el periodo de esplendor del Imperio Británico.</span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: #b45f06;">Espero usarlo como referencia para pintar ese elemento tan complicado, el soldado indio (a pie o a caballo), y puedo decir que sus ilustraciones son maravillosas, maravillosas.</span></em></div>
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I bought my PDF copy from <em>Your Old Books and</em> <em>Maps</em>. Their link is:<br />
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<a href="http://youroldbooksandmaps.co.uk/">http://youroldbooksandmaps.co.uk</a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cdysCOJ1FFU/UdxXzgg8YWI/AAAAAAAAClE/brhOMYDSyx8/s1600/407px-Types_of_Punjabi_Regiments_1910_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="271" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cdysCOJ1FFU/UdxXzgg8YWI/AAAAAAAAClE/brhOMYDSyx8/s400/407px-Types_of_Punjabi_Regiments_1910_.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange;">A sample: Types of Punjabi Regiments</span><br />
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An <em>Osprey</em> classic. It has some very interesting pieces of information about the Infantry units, including a complete list of all the Infantry regiments. The plates are also very nice, and there are some of them dedicated to the 1900´s period.<br />
<span style="color: #b45f06;"><em>Un clásico de </em>Osprey<em>. Tiene algunos datos interesantes acerca de las unidades de Infantería, incluyendo una lista completa de todos los Regimientos. Las láminas también son muy bonitas, y hay algunas correspondientes al periodo de 1900.</em></span></div>
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A complementary book from the other one, but without much information for me. I have this one only because I like a lot the Bengal Lancers...<br />
<em><span style="color: #b45f06;">Un libro complementario del anterior, pero sin mucha información para mí. Realmente, lo tengo porque me gustan un montón los Lanceros de Bengala...</span></em></div>
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My last acquisition from <em>Osprey</em>, looking for the British Army figures I expect to paint soon. Very good general information about the "others" theaters of the Great War and useful information about the uniforms of the British troops. The plates, very good, as is usual from Mike Chappell.<br />
<span style="color: #b45f06;"><em>Mi última adquisición de </em>Osprey<em>, pensando en las figuras de tropas británicas que quiero pintar pronto. Muy buena información general acerca de esos "otros" teatros de operaciones durante la Gran Guerra, e información muy útil acerca de los uniformes de las tropas británicas. Las láminas, muy buenas, como es normal en Mike Chappell.</em></span><br />
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The Rolls-Royce A/C is one of my favourite vehicles of all the times. It has perfect lines! During its long "tour of duty", this vehicle was in all the war theaters of the British Empire, and there were some of them fighting in the North-West Province, so I expect to buy and paint <u>some</u> of them, probably from <em>Brigade Games/Company B</em>. <br />
Very nice <em>Osprey</em> book, highly recomendable IMHO.<br />
<span style="color: #b45f06;"><em>El auto blindado Rolls-Royce es uno de mis vehículos favoritos de todos los tiempos. ¡Tiene unas líneas perfectas! Durante su extenso periodo de servicio, este vehículo estuvo en todos los teatros de guerra del Imperio Británico, y hubo unos cuantos de ellos luchando en la Frontera del Noroeste, por lo que espero comprar y pintar algunos, probablemente de </em>Brigade Games/Company B<em>.</em></span><br />
<span style="color: #b45f06;"><em>Un libro muy bueno de </em>Osprey<em>, altamente recomendable, en mi opinión.</em></span><br />
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I am now painting the figures I need for the first (and introductory) scenario. I have almost finished the Afghan models but I´m going to need more time for the Indian platoon.<br />
On the other hand, I have some <em>Musketeer Miniatures</em> British cavalry that I,m thinking about to use in my games as <em>Yeomanry</em> (because they are very nice figures!). I only need an small cause...<br />
<em><span style="color: #b45f06;">Ahora mismo estoy pintando las figuras que necesito para el primer (e introductorio) escenario. Prácticamente he terminado ya los afganos, pero voy a necesitar más tiempo para pintar el pelotón indio.</span></em><br />
<span style="color: #b45f06;"><em>Por otro lado, tengo en un rincón algunas figuras de Caballería británica de</em> Musketeer Miniatures <em>que estoy pensando usar como </em>Yeomanry<em> (¡porque son figuras muy bonitas!). Sólo necesito un pequeño motivo...</em></span><br />
<em><span style="color: #b45f06;"></span></em><br />
<span style="color: black;">To finish this entry, a pair of shot of the <em>Great War Miniatures</em> figures I´m painting now, to use them in a more "classic" Great War game, one placed in the Western Front:</span><br />
<span style="color: #b45f06;"><em>Para terminar esta entrada, un par de fotos de las figuras de</em> Great War Miniatures <em>que estoy pintando ahora con intención de jugar un escenario de la Gran Guerra más "clásico", uno ambientado en el Frente Occidental:</em></span><br />
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Juan Mancheñohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07761893327024556857noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524687988228302815.post-75445409122608541552013-07-24T12:19:00.000+02:002014-02-09T13:07:22.293+01:00The First Scenario<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<strong>SCENARIO 1: GUMATTI´S AFFAIR.</strong></div>
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This was, originally, a punitive expedition against a notorious bandit that took place in 1903, near Bannu District in the North-West Frontier and I have written about it a past entry. Because my main area of interest is the Third Afghan War, I have adapted this small action and put it in 1917, also in an smaller scale (in the part of the British forces). This one can be a very good scenario to test the rules, no complex and without too many figures (that I need to paint, all of them...).<br />
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I have reproduced here a first hand account of the original action wrote by Michael O´Dwyer, a typical British traveller that accompanied the expedition to chase Sailgi. It is, in my humble opinion, a very interesting narration.</div>
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<strong><span style="color: blue;">Extract from "India as I knew it: 1885-1925", by Michael O´Dwyer.</span></strong></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">A very pleasant feature of Frontier life was the close and constant contact with the soldier and his work. In November 1902, I had the pleasure of taking part - unofficially - in a typical Frontier "scrap". I was dinning at the Station Mess in Bannu and I sat between Colonel Tonnochy, VC, the officer commanding the 53th Sikhs, and Captain White, the Adjuntant (both were killed next day). I discovered that Tonnochy was taking up a column next morning to attack and blow up the trans-border fort of Gumatti, for many years the headquarters of a desperate band of outlaws who, led by the notorious Sailgi, had committed many murders and dacoities within our border. Donald (now Sir John), the Deputy Commissioner, was going with them as Political Officer, and I decided to accompany him.</span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">The column consisted of five hundred men of the 53th Sikhs, eighty sabres of the 21th (Punjab) Cavalry and two mountain guns, not howitzers unfortunately. We started about 2 a.m. and advanced cautiously through the Gumatti Pass under cover of pickets thrown out on the hills on both sides. Fortunately we met with no resistance in this Thermophylae where a dozen men could have held up a Brigade. We got into the open ground surrounding the bandit´s fort about nine o´clock, and the cavalry scoured the plain to round up possible enemies. Some "friendlies" told us that Sailgi was in the fort with some half-dozen comrades, but would never surrended. We wished, if possible, to effect our object without bloodshed.</span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">Donald, under a flag of truce, went to parley with the outlaws, pointing out the futility of resistance, and promising them a fair trial by a British officer (they asked that it should be Donald himself) if they gave themselves up. The negotiations broke down because they insisted <em>inter alia</em> that their stronghold should be spared and that they should not be submitted to the indignity of being handcuffed! We were not prepared to take any risk, as there was every likelihood of our being followed up and attacked on our way back by hostile bands who, from the hills around, were watching our movements. After due warning, the two guns began to play on the fort at 11.30 from one thousand yards. I well remember the old Subadar-Major of the 53th Sikhs, when he heard them begin, shouting to his men in Punjabi: "<em>Hoorah, boys, here´s a chance of a medal!</em>". Unfortunately, the Viceroy decided that the operation must be only a blockade so we had not true artillery. The little mountain guns made little impression on the massive mud walls of the fort, and the outlaws now and again appeared on the parapet shouting menaces or derision.</span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">The guns were brought up to one hunderd yards into a well protected position, and there was another parley with Sailgi, who was, however, still obdurate. The troops then closed in on all sides, taking such cover as they could find, and directed a steady fire on the loopholes to check the outlaw´s fire while awaiting a breach in the walls by the guns. At this stage, the outlaws located the guns. A Sikh gunner was killed and another wounded while serving them. Donald had a narrow escape. I was with Tonnochy, and we moved forward to see if a breach just then made in the bastion was feasible. Bullets came whistling around us. Tonnochy was shot through the abdomen and fell mortally wounded. I hastily threw myself under the shelter of a <em>bhusa</em> (chopped straw) stack and fell upon the protecting circle of thorns. The Sikhs, under cover in the ravine just below, roared with laughters at my predicament. Then, recovering from my fright, I helped Donald and a party of Sikhs to bring the striken Commandant to a place of safety. A Major of the 53th Sikhs took command. The situation was an anxious one. The guns had failed us. The storm of the fort before a feasible breach had been made would involve very heavy losses. A withdrawal to Bannu, wich some suggested, would be a confession of defeat, and we should certainly have severe casualties in returning through the pass in the approaching darkness. We held a Council of War. I supported Donald and others in pressing for the attack, and this was decided on.</span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">Lieutenant Brown, RE, with a party of Sappers, made a dash for the fort under cover of a strong fire from our side, threw himself into the ditch, laid two time-fuses to explode the gun-cotton and by a miracle, all got back unharmed. It was a gallant act and won him the D.S.O., for he had to run the risk twice, as the first fuses failed to work. The second attempt was successful; there was a tremendous explosion and a great hole was blown in the side of the bastion. The storming party, under White, made a rush for this and though the Sikh Subadar was shot down, they got into the bastion. The outlaws driven out of the bastion took cover under a traverse in the enclosure, and kept up a brisk fire on our men. White, the Adjuntant, a cheery and gallant fellow, had made a bet that he would avenge his Colonel and get Sailgi that day. He raised his head just over the parapet to take aim and his skull was shattered by a bullet. Meantime, other breaches had been effected; troops poured in on all sides and soon fnished off the few remainig outlaws. When we entered, all were lying dead; some very buried deep beneath the debris of the explosions, and among these was Sailgi, with his teeth clenched and his hands gripping his <em>Martini-Metford</em> so tightly that it took two men to unloose it.</span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">His wife, one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen, and his mother were in the fort and fortunately, unharmed. They were made over to some "friendlies" who were relations of Sailgi, and told an interesting history. When the parley with Donald had broken down early in the day, owing to Sailgi´s refusal to be handcuffed in the presence of his women-folk, and Donald had turned his back on the fort, Sailgi raised his rifle and took aim at Donald saying: "I have got to die today, I may as well have another <em>Faringhi</em> (he probably said <em>Kafir</em>, unbeliever) to my credit". His mother struck down the rifle saying: "No, Sailgi. The <em>Sahib</em> has given you no cause. He has spoken you fair". And Sailgi obeyed. He was a brave man and not without his own sense of honour.</span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">Our success at Gumatti was fortunately completed just before darkness set in. Otherwise, our position would have been very precarious, as we should have been sniped all night by Sailgi´s sympathizers outside, and he and his band would probably have slipped through our cordon in the darkness.</span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">We encamped in and around the fort during the night and even then were sniped. Davis of the 53th Sikhs was wounded.</span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">Next morning at five o´clock I started off for Bannu with the convoy bringing in the dead and wounded. Later that day, a terrible explosion sent Gumatti fort "sky high" and announced all along the border that the hand of the <em>Sirkar</em> was as strong as it was long.</span></div>
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<strong>The Scenario.</strong></div>
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Bannu District, North-West Frontier. March 1917.</div>
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A notorious bandit from the other side of the border has been marauding Bannu area for the last few months, taking advantage of the chaos produced in the British garrisons by the Great War. Finally, the British District Officer has sent against the bandit, Sailgi Akhbar Khan, an small force with orders to kill or capture him in his redoubt, an old fort sited in Gumatti, eight miles from Bannu.</div>
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<em>This scenario has been written to use with the "Through the Mud and the Blood" rulebook, adding some necessary adaptations to represent this particular area of operations. I have taken as a base of this scenario one written by Max Maxwell as part of his very interesting article "Insurrection in Mesopotamia".</em><br />
<em>The link to the scenario is in the side of this entry, in "Interesting PDF´s".</em></div>
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I have painted some more figures to use in this scenario and in my project:</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YiQtgTiBfVQ/Ue-oaMuxtDI/AAAAAAAACoY/zP6eusvEWME/s1600/DSC_0002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YiQtgTiBfVQ/Ue-oaMuxtDI/AAAAAAAACoY/zP6eusvEWME/s400/DSC_0002.JPG" height="317" width="400" /></a></div>
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Afghan tribesmen. These are the first four figures from <em>Empress Miniatures</em> I have painted. I like a lot these models from the prolific Paul Hicks; they are wonderful and full of character. Paint them has been a pleasure!</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bOBDPxMYsiI/Ue-o14UdZqI/AAAAAAAACoo/Mav9ZvIck8s/s1600/DSC_0010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bOBDPxMYsiI/Ue-o14UdZqI/AAAAAAAACoo/Mav9ZvIck8s/s400/DSC_0010.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Xua4AL8MYkU/Ue-o24P4WYI/AAAAAAAACow/W0p2bbQifgc/s1600/DSC_0011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Xua4AL8MYkU/Ue-o24P4WYI/AAAAAAAACow/W0p2bbQifgc/s400/DSC_0011.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a></div>
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Indian Infantry. These are figures from <em>Woodbine Design</em> I have painted as member of the 20th Duke of Cambridge (Punjab) Infantry. They are not of the same quality as the <em>Empress</em> models but are not bad figures, easier to paint!</div>
Juan Mancheñohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07761893327024556857noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524687988228302815.post-46590096634149280612013-07-14T12:12:00.000+02:002013-07-27T12:45:04.922+02:00The Ruleset<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SYpCN_eyYyc/UeFS_O_QasI/AAAAAAAACnE/bNlwySfnIsI/s1600/image492.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="271" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SYpCN_eyYyc/UeFS_O_QasI/AAAAAAAACnE/bNlwySfnIsI/s400/image492.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Finally, I have selected the ruleset to play this project. This one is "Through the Mud and the Blood" from <em>Too Fat Lardies</em>. Chris Stoesen talked me about this rulebook and I think, after reading it, that can be a good choice; I need only to do some modifications to reflect this small colonial campaing in the XX Century.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bw-4UC9M_X8/Ud2XOhiF0dI/AAAAAAAACmE/H4GoZoF4y-Y/s1600/Mud+and+Blood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bw-4UC9M_X8/Ud2XOhiF0dI/AAAAAAAACmE/H4GoZoF4y-Y/s320/Mud+and+Blood.jpg" width="221" /></a></div>
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"Through the Mud and the Blood" is a 60 pages ruleset aimed at the large skirmish game level based in the Great War, with thirty to a hundred figures a side. It has been written by Richard Clarke of <em>Too Fat Lardies</em> fame and its main area of operations is the Western Front, but it is very easy to adapt it to other theaters of the war and, also, other conflicts of that age.</div>
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The ruleset uses a 1:1 figure to man ratio, so the innovative "small unit" tactics of this conflict can be used in the game. The ground terrain scale is 12" = 40 yards, something that is both aesthetically pleasant and practical for the use of ranged weapons. Each turn can represent less than a minute of real time, so the best game can be, in my opinion, an small clash between patrols, a trench raid, etc.</div>
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The dice used are the most common of them: D6, D8, D10, Average die and Deviation die.</div>
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There are two sort of men in "TtMatB": Big Men and Men. The first ones are the heroes and leaders and the latter are the member of the Groups, units of section or squad size that shape the forces and need the Big Men to operate efficiently. Something very nice, in my opinion, is that, in this ruleset, the Player can form his men into Groups of his choosing, combining them to tailor make, as in the reality, the forces he need to win the battle.</div>
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As in many other <em>Too Fat Lardies</em> sets, the turn sequence in "TtMatB" is determined by a Game Deck of cards that contains cards for each Big Man and, also, other aditional cards used to reflect the forces involved in the fight. All the cards for both sides are put in the same deck and then are dealt out one at a time. In this way, having one of your cards dealt means that it is your turn, but there is a random movement mechanism that means that only the Big Man or Support Unit named on the card can take his/its turn (the Big Men can influence units to act as a part of their own activation).</div>
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These cards represent Big Men, different units, the end of turn and also national characteristics, as the "Hesitant Troops" or "Dynamic Commander" cards.</div>
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A Big Man uses his Initiative valor, from one to four points, to undertake actions such as taking his turn, activate a Group of men, remove points of Shock from a Group, etc. When a Big Man uses one point of Initiative to activate a Group, this one may use its full allocation of Action Dice to Spot, Move, Fire, etc. All Groups have two Actions Dice per turn.</div>
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About the troops, they are defined by two areas: Experience and Morale, and there are also some troops types: the Rifleman, the Bomber, etc.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wyYupAYzHrs/UeBrHWV_p9I/AAAAAAAACms/27qTgKsn9X8/s1600/DSC_0002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="277" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wyYupAYzHrs/UeBrHWV_p9I/AAAAAAAACms/27qTgKsn9X8/s400/DSC_0002.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0UPcsBKG2D4/UeBrJK_2jXI/AAAAAAAACm0/ZO7HPETSTCs/s1600/DSC_0003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="291" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0UPcsBKG2D4/UeBrJK_2jXI/AAAAAAAACm0/ZO7HPETSTCs/s400/DSC_0003.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These are some of my <em>Woodbine Design</em> figures, ANZAC´s</td></tr>
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In "TtMatB" there are two types of movement: on Blinds, when a force is not spotted by the enemy, and on tabletop once the force has been spotted and the figures are on the table. This system of Blinds allows some "fog of war" in the game because the Blinds are 6" x 2" cards which may represent a force up to two Groups in size. The Player can also have some dummy Blinds to confuse the enemy or to represent scouting parties. With the use of these Blinds, spotting is an important element of the ruleset, but it only need a page to be clearly explained (something very common in this rulebook).</div>
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Each Group and Big Man (not Officer) may use their Actions Dice to fire and some figures from a Group can fire whilst other move. The number of dice a Group uses to fire depends on its weapons and any Shock marker it has. There are also some modifiers to the number of dice used. Finally, the dice are rolled and they are compared with the score needed to hit the objetive, Lastly, it is necessary to determine the effect of the hits, from "Near Hit" to "Killed".</div>
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In a game dedicated to the Great War in the Western Front, the rules for the off-table support are very good and complete, with the Artillery Barrage taking a pre-eminent place.</div>
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About the Moral, a unit can be in three states of it: Good, Reasonable and Poor. The accumulation of Shock points affect to the Morale of a Group, which will become shaky and incline to "refuse to fight".</div>
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There are also chapters of the rules dedicated to the Wire (of course!) and Engineering tasks; the Armored vehicles (with a good selection of them) and Aircraft. These rules are short but very well designed.</div>
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On the other hand, the ruleset has a very large supplement about the Artillery in the Great War and its representation in the game. Finally, there is also a second supplement with national guidelines for Germany, Great Britain, France and USA, very useful to create a force.</div>
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<em>Too Fat Lardies</em> has published, in their Specials, many interesting rule supplements, scenarios and other articles for this game system, and one of them, "Insurrection in Mesopotamia" by Max Maxwell, has become the base of my gaming project.</div>
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Summing up, "Throught the Mud and the Blood" is a very well though and designed game system for the skirmish game based in the Great War. The rules are not complex, the text is not excesive, but there is a very good level of detail all around.</div>
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In this blog, from my very good friend Benito, there are a lot of information, game aids and AARs about this ruleset:</div>
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<a href="http://mylardiesgames.blogspot.com.es/">http://mylardiesgames.blogspot.com.es/</a></div>
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I´m now writing the first scenario, based in the Gumatti affair, to use as a sort of introductory game and to test the rules.<br />
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<em><span style="color: #b45f06;">Nota: He incluido una traducción al castellano de esta entrada en mi otro blog, "Jugando con Muñequitos".</span></em></div>
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Juan Mancheñohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07761893327024556857noreply@blogger.com8