Breaking News ... fresh from the printing press...

... even if its from the 3D printing press. Shapeways marvelous WW1 Sopwith Camel and Nieuport 16 synchronised arrived and I could not resist to paint them. In "Guns of August", just the allies, the French and the British have 1 respective air unit. The Germans apart from one "Bloody April" and some weeks around the start of the Verdun offensive, didn‘t have much aerial weight to justify one unit in the game as well ... the air units will appear in 1918 to deliver combat boni...

Continuing against all odds ...

All OK - no distress signal from me - I was quite busy the lately ... also a birthday last week I had to take care of ... so this is just to showcase what I've been up to and what comes next out of the mental metal meneken manufacture ... the 10mm rest of my Franco-Prussian War project AND (almost) the rest of my 6mm WW1 Guns of August project ...

all of it ... not much!!  - I need to order navals and 6mm US army!!!

10mm FPW the Voltigeurs of the guard are coming together quite nicely 

- in the background just 3!! stripes left

The 6mm complete Serbian army (yes I forgot the Monenegrians ... will come ) 

The complete Turkish (European) contingent

The Romanian Army

The Italian Army (finished some in the foreground)

The complete Russian army (apart from the already finished artillery and engineers)

In the foreground fort markers and in the back entrenchment markers

A relative affair ...

My Ma told me the story that Grandpa was at the western front (most of the time), that he was lucky to made it, that he said he was buried three times, that the bayonet fights were worse than the shooting and that he fought at Verdun and later at the Somme. Also that the retreat (fights) in the last year were exceptionally merciless and they had to run and march a lot.

What I know is that he was born 1896 in East Prussia at the very eastern part the Memel area (today Lithuania), that he was in the normal infantry (so no engineer or artillery or fancy guards etc.). So he must have been 18 when the war started and was certainly not in the "Reserve" or the "Landwehr" because of that, i.e. he must found himself in the regular divisions.

The German Imperial Army had recruitment areas (see map one) which for the part where Grandpa came from is clearly the I corps. At the beginning of the war the I corps constituted itself of the 1st and 2nd divisions and the 37th division.

(Map one) recruitment areas of the Imperial Army 1914

As Angus was so nice to lend me his copy of the "Histories of the Two Hundred and Fifty-One Divisions of the German Army which participated in the War (1914-1918)", an volume as impressive as its title, I luckily just had to deal just with 3 of them.

What strikes me the most is that al of them were involved in the Eastern start up to the war, from Gumbinnen to Tannenberg to even the 1st Battle of the Masurian Lakes. Grandpa never seem to mention that, maybe not to my Ma. As she put it, some things weren't discussed with little girls, and my uncles are sadly not able to shed a light on this anymore either ...

All of the 3 (divisions) were at some point be relocated to the western front and even been broken up and been put in service in other divisions, but most of the brigades seem to have served a lot on the eastern front. Too long it seems, for not to be mentioned. On the second map one can see the location of the brigades. 2 Infantry of the 1st Div., 3 of the 2nd and 4 of the 37th ... 9 possible regiments ... 

The 37th division was 3 years and the east and was just at the end 1917 "re-located", same as the 2nd. The 1st though was sent to the west as early as February 1916, to Verdun near Vaux. Quote: "... at the end of July, 1916, leaving behind the 41st Infantry Regiment, which fought before Verdun in August, was once more taken to the eastern front ..."

The German General Headquarters had a habit of diluting its divisions from 2 regiments per each (2) Brigades per division to three for an entire division. Much men were needed elsewhere. So the 41st (Infantry-Regiment "von Boyen" (5th East Prussian) Nr 41) stayed behind apparently.

(Map two) Location of the Brigades at peacetime 1914

As for its history it might be involved at the area Gumbinnen-Stallupönen, most definitively at Tannenberg, after a short escapade to the east Karpathien mountains. On the fateful 5th of March it was sent over Metz to deploy eastwards to Verdun. On the 24th of April it experienced for the first time the horrors of gas warfare on the western front at the Hardoumont valley. Later at the fight over the Bois de Fumin they suffered French barrages which ... "flattened the first two lines, and numerous soldiers were buried alive..." Also mentioned is, a participation on the attack on the French line on the Eastern Maas (Thiaoumont and "Kalte Erde" (Ouvrage de Froideterre) and fights around the Argonner forrest. At the beginning of September they merged the regiment to the newly built 221st Infantry division and had some rest at Mouzon at the Maas. At the 20th of October though they were transported to the battlefield of the Somme (southern part) which they took part until 16th of March 1917 they retreated to Cambrai.

The rest of 1917 reads even less quiet: Battle of Arras, 3rd Ypern and of course the tank battle of Cambrai. 1918 participation in the beginning of the offensive and then between Mai and Juli some "Training" in Marchienne-Ville. The rest is a lot of marching and retreat fights over Somme and rise, Roye and Lassigny, Bauvreignes and Bois de Loges, Nesle and Noyon St Quentin until they finally came to halt at Antwerpen-Mass at 11th of November.

It lost 5395 on NCOs and soldiers, missed 1078 (excluding the officer casualties/missing).

On the Internet, I found an image with the description of "Ersatz battalion Nr 41, Memel" of apparently 1915

Photo from Atelier Max Ehrhardt, Libauerstraße 20, Memel (Klaipieda)

The only "document", I have is a postcard that Grandpa sent home at the beginning of the war. The vegetation and the composition of the sections/people in the pictures might be just accidental.

A postcard from my Granpa, himself the second to the left on the top row standing (lots of decoration for 15 men).

The similarities of the regimental history might be just coincidental and a lot might get lost with memory and might not have been understood correctly. But the 41st is the only regiment out of the initial Corps I, that had a longer western front experience than all the others. It was actually at Verdun and the Somme and had the suffered terribly under barrages, which overlaps with Grandpa‘s shocking experiences. And it fought a lot of retreat fights and had to march a lot in 1918. Also the garrison deployment at peacetime would fit.

An Enigma are the numbers on the shoulder clasp of the front guy with the dog, which are 358. which cannot be a divisional number on its own, maybe the 35th division and the 8th Pomeranian infantry regiment ... but they weren‘t at Verdun and the recruitment area would not match ... the 35th Regt. was even further away (from Brandenburg) ...  it might be as well that I‘m misinterpreting the 3 and 8 for swirls as the 41st was also the 5th East-Prussian regiment ... well history will stay as evasive as ever ...

For sure I will never know, but I have the slightest inkling that Grandpa might possibly had served in the 41st.

Thank you for interest.

Blacklobstertailpickelhaube

Well, I'm just recovering from a "jet lag" of an London festival weekend ... as it was my Birthday and me and my better half we just about heading off to the said event, as the doorbell rang and my beautiful neighbour delivered a very big package from an unknown source...

As it happen to be from my wonderful brother-in-law, who sent me a replica of an what appears to be an WW1 Curassier Officer‘s helmet - Yes, a Pickelhaube! The "Pickel" is removeable and the whole black metal was steeped in oil to prevent rust ... so I had to "polish" it off a bit... The black lobster back helmet seem to be also a favourite of the officer class in those days. I thought I‘d share some admittedly low lighted images for your considerate entertainment.

... and yes, my skull is too big to fit it entirely on, (or these officers had less head room, which is worrying but not entirely surprising).  :)

The Guns of August - the Hötzendorf test

As I‘m hoping to play "the Guns of August" as a Grand campaign miniature game this year (high hopes, I know), I need to do a lot of test games with folks! This time it was Bart, who likes pick up Gen. v. Hötzendorf's role (Bart gets the Austro-Hungarians) in the greater game, huzzah! Again it was the western front, as still a lot of minis are missing - predominantly the Russians and all of the smaller eastern European states. So I gave him the Germans and myself defended Belgium and Paris with the allied troops.

Bart then decided to change the Schlieffen plan and dig right through the middle. The Belgians decided to defend Antwerpen instead of Liege as it hold more points as an objective city. The German advance was rather slow and stopped prematurely at the Maas. But then the French had to follow their Plan 17 doctrine and "had" to attack in the 1st month - with the expectable high casualty rate and the loss of Nancy, ouch!

Then suddenly in October Bart concentrated the German siege guns and his best troops around Verdun and attacked in one go (no attrition attack, one straight hit!) and blasted the complete garrison away - Verdun was in the hands of the enemy! 

Mon dieu! As this is unthinkable, I immediately started a counter offensive, but due to lack of guns, which I lost previously in the plan 17 attacks, I failed disastrously and ripped a gigantic hole right in the middle of the French front. Even the later arriving Tommies and their counter attack south of Antwerpen couldn‘t fix the issue.

We stopped here, as Bart surely wouldn't get the much needed second objective city until December, but in fairness, in a grand campaign, Bart would have secured a fortified western front including Verdun AND the possibility for an early breakthrough! So, if not a tactical, at least a (bigger) strategical victory that would have left the Allies struggle for the next coming year a least! Well done, Bart!

Also a thing to remember, never ever attack a fortress on a hill without artillery support!!! Ever.

The situation at the start

The Germans are invading. Liege offers no resistance at all, the Belgian army defends Antwerpen.

Heavy fighting sees Verdun fall as early as in October!

Front line at the end November 1914

The Gap in the French line

There must be something wrong with the Schlieffen Plan!

I couldn‘t resist and got the 6mm Guns Of August out and enlisted Campbell as the French General Joffre, while Mike played the Brits B.E.F. and the Belgians and I was rather uninspiring the German Moltke the Younger.

Firstly I started quite nicely getting Liege under my thumb, rather because only the tiny Belgian Cavalry was defending it than my valour. And attacked the French down in Lorraine and the Vosges inflicting heavy losses on the gauls.

But I hadn't counted on Campbells spirit of defense, he didn‘t needed the Plan 17 counter attack rule – he counter attacked anyway! And did so more successfully with lots of 6‘s which lead to a lot of "Defender exchange", i.e. he suffered a lot, but got eliminated as well. Which led to an rather unhistoric open warfare in the Alssac as the troops to close the gaps were missing!

Then I advanced on Antwerpen and got attacked by the rest of the Belgian Army, which failed and got anihilated. I advanced into the fortress and Belgium kapitulated!

Then the B.E.F. came as alway too late and stopped my advance across Lille, by rather foolishly charge with the cavalry between my lines -  in the end they invaded Netherland and fleed to Hamburg!! By that time it was December and I hadn't occupied Lille, so it was a draw!

The rules are worked quite nicely -  I still have a lot to paint, but I guess I'm half way through!!!
And the German High Sea Fleet had its 1st outing, but of course no Royal Navy in sight – still on its way with the Royal Mail!

The French defending Belfort

Verdun still far away

The French regionals defending the Lille–Reims line

The initial set-up

The complete Hochseeflotte at August 1914

The big right wing before Belgium

Liege just defended by a Belgian 1-1-4 Cavalry coprs

Gaps appear after the 1st month!

Attack and counter-attacks rip the front line apart!

After October the line starts to "entrech" itself (brown tokens)

at the end of the game ...

1914 Music for the masses and the arms race begins ...

The 6mm masses take shape -  I got probably enough to start test games for the 1914 scenario (of Guns of August). Today also the "possible" complete 1/6000 German Imperial fleet arrived, courtesy of Figurehead. I am not sure, I might base them on the same 10x50mm bases from Warbases, as a lot of the participants are old men with best intentions but lesser dexterity...

Two days ago I ordered the complete (possible) Austrian-Hungarian and Russian armies from Irregular Miniatures ...

I'm also re-thinking if I should do the uniform update for the western forces to the post 1916 for the British, French and German. Maybe just for the infantry, leaving out the artillery and Cavalry ...

Hm ... we'll see...

German Army of the West with the reserve in the foreground

The French Army with the reserve in the foreground

French guns and Cavalry (as Chasseurs a Chevaux)

The complete BEF and the possible reinforcements for 1914-15

More German regulars and the complete German Cavalry (as Uhlans)

The Germans guns, the reserve and the infamous siege artillery of Krupp and a A7V for later

The complete possible Belgian Army

Birds view of the masses 

The complete possible German Navy arrived today  

The complete German army of 1914 (line below) and the maximun possible reinforcements (top) 

The A3 turn map for a month will probably copy 200 of them ...

the cover design of my personal GOA rules (with amendments)