Shipwrecked!

350 years ago today was a very bad day... if your name was Robinson Crusoe. The book of the same name was written by Daniel Defoe and was first published in 1719. The book is the fictional story of a Castaway who spends the next 28 years on a small island near Venezuela before rescue. The story, although a work of fiction, is often attributed as being influenced by the true story of the Scotsman Alexander Selkirk who was himself marooned on a pacific island for four years.

I love this book and would certainly place it on my list of most influential books along with Treasure Island and 20000 Leagues under the Sea. These three books combined to spark my imagination for adventure and most certainly laid the groundwork for my later adoption of D&D as a hobby.

The thing I liked about the story of Crusoe was the fact that this terrible disaster of being marooned on a desert island was actually the making of the man. His life which had until then been aimless and material was transformed. So maybe this wasn't such a terrible day after all.

Too many books

I can't believe I said that.... surely you can't have too many books? I often go to local Library stock sales and buy old reference books at ridiculously cheep prices. I tend to read them quickly and then they sit and gather dust for years. Its had reached a point where a hard nosed 'thinning of the ranks' was required if I was ever to buy another book.

So what did I decide to get rid of? I have a varied interest in military history but the fact is that my interests lay primarily with the American Civil War, WWI & WWII. So several interesting books on the Crimea, the Boar War and the wars against Napoleonic France were selected for removal as I'm unlikely to read them again. I also had a small selection of really old reference books on archaeology that were so out of date as to be useless. I also had a dozen or so books on family history that are past their usefulness as many relate to records as they were prior to the boom in Internet genealogy.

All told I managed to slim my collections down by nearly 5o books... which means there is now space on my shelves for 50 new books! Fear not however, all those books I removed are not destined for the bin (that would be sacrilege akin to book burning). All are destined for the local Charity shop, although it may take several trips to deposit them. I consider this a great way to recycle an old book, especially as I have bought several excellent books myself from Charity shops. I recently reviewed Das Reich by Max Hastings and this was a Charity shop purchase that cost the princely sum of £1. Bargain!

Time for Talisman

The Dagenham Dungeon Delvers met on Friday but we were unable to play our regular D&D campaign. So instead we got out an old copy of Talisman and played that instead.

It's been quite a while since I last played this but the game was just as much fun as I remembered. There were four players so there was a good degree of interaction, backstabbing and strategy going on throughout the game.

The Wizard eventually won but was given a run for his money by the Prophetess. We will definitely be dusting off some more old games in future, but next time our group meets we will resume our D&D campaign.

Project - Panzer IV's - Update

I'm at last getting some paint on my models. The Panzer IV's have been a headache to construct but this week saw me actually get some painting done. Progress is still slow but at least I'm heading in the right direction.

I'll post a full set of pictures when I finish the project.

Essex Warriors Open Day

Tomorrow is the Open Day of the Essex Warriors. The Warriors are based in Writtle near Chelmsford, Essex and meet twice a month at the Village Hall. Meetings are usually on Sundays and last from 9:30 am to 5pm so there is plenty of time for large games. “The historical periods being played at the club include using all scales and many different rules. We also have a large number of Sci-fi and fantasy players Playing games like Warhammer, Warhammer 40K, AT43, Secrets of the Third Reich, Uncharted Seas, Starship Troopers. We also play RPG's Such as D&D, CoC, Castle Falkenstien, Mutants and Masterminds and Red Dwarf. The club Provides a number of services to members such as Scenery, Cloths and an ever growing number of club armies and games.”
(Source: Warriors Website)

As well as their website the Warriors also have a Yahoo Page and a Facebook Group.

Crossing the Styx

The River Styx separates the world of the living from the world of the dead. It is said to wind around Hades (hell or the underworld) nine times. Its name comes from the Greek word stugein which means hate. Styx, the river of hate.

The Styx served as a crossroads where the world of the living met the world of the dead, and the world of the mortal met the world of the immortal. In Greek Mythology the river was sometimes crossed by great hero's and this symbolism was not wasted on my in my decision to use the Styx in my game. In my recent D&D campaign my players were given the chance to enter Hell and ultimately cross the river Styx. I took a lot of inspiration from the works of Dante and Gustave Dore. The picture above, the Last Judgement by Michelangelo shows the darkly gaunt and tortured souls as they leave Charon's ferry and spill upon the shores of hell.

I already had a model (the Reaper model Charon sculpted by Bob Olley) but needed the most important character in the encounter...the river itself. I wanted a setup that would leave the players in no doubt what sort of river they were crossing. I eventually found an excellent artwork which (with some digital manipulation) could be adapted into a suitable river surface. I was rather pleased with the finished river and the picture below is the result.

War on Zombies

I'm a regular visitor to The Miniatures Page and often find links to material that I find useful or informative. But sometimes the Message Boards throw up some outright weird and funny stuff. This YouTube video for example just had to be posted here, simply because it made me laugh so much.

Bush was such good material for satire I almost miss him.

Invisible Miniatures

Here's a great product that I saw mentioned on the Hogs of War Blog.

These invisible character markers by Litko look absolutely excellent. They also do a very cool range of 4E tokens and markers for games like Flames of War. Methinks I'll be taking a browse around their website with my credit card at the ready!

Painting Notebook

I've finally started to keep a Painting Notebook to record specific colour schemes and blends that I want to replicate. I've heard that lots of painters do this and frankly the only thing stopping me was my inability to find a notebook of sufficient quality. So on Monday I picked up a watercolour book with paper of 230 g/m² weight which is sufficient to paint on without the paper distorting or absorbing too much water.

The aim is to keep a detailed colour diary that makes replication of results easier. For instance I have settled on a recipe for camo paint on German Panzer's and want to record the various stages of my experimentation for future reference. Next time I paint a German vehicle all I then have to do is look up what colours I used and what ratios I used for the camo blends. This should ensure some consistency across my army as I build it, even if individual platoons were painted many months apart.

This is something I should have done years ago and I'm sure will help me improve my technique.

Procurement Exercise

I had yesterday off work. I've got a few spare holidays so the 'significant other' and myself decided to take a day out to go shopping. Now that both kids are at school full time we at last have a chance to browse unhindered - without having to have eyes in the back of our head -and generally just enjoy each others company. The weather was nice so we had a very enjoyable few hours 'mooching' round the shops, doing a bit of early Christmas shopping and picking up a few things we needed. For myself it was a very successful trip. I bought several glues, some black primer and some new epoxy putty to replace my nearly exhausted Miliput.

I also bought something I've seen advertised but never used before. The Tamiya Weathering Stick is a pen-type tool for achieving realistic finishing effects on scale models. I bought the 'Mud' coloured pen which is supposedly perfect for depicting mud on tank treads etc. I suspect that it produces a similar effect to dry brushing but decided to give this product a try none the less.

Tamiya also make a 'compact' type version with three colours in it and a separate applicator brush (both suspiciously similar to something you would find in a ladies makeup bag). If my trial with the pen works out OK I may try these other products but at the moment they represent a large investment.

Das Reich - Book Review

I've just finished reading Das Reich by Max Hastings. This 290 page paperback is part of the Pan Grand Strategy Series and was first published in 1981. The book is ostensibly about the march of the 2nd SS Panzer Division (the Das Reich) from their base in the south of France north towards Normandy in response to the D-Day Landings. The story that unfolds within its pages however is much more than this simple tag line suggests.

From the outset this book is more of a review of the role and nature of resistance in the liberation of France. The layman's view (the 'myth' even) of the Resistance is of a single unified Secret Army fighting the Germans at every step and helping to win the freedom of their country.

The Reality portrayed in this book is significantly different. Firstly the resistance groups themselves were fractured and untrained. For instance the AS (Armée Secrète) distrusted and hated the FTP (the Communist Maquis) and visa verse. Even within these groups resistance cells were disconnected and sometimes openly hostile to rival groups. More importantly the vast majority of Resistant's in both groups were I'll equipped and generally lacked basic training throughout the war.

There were individual cases of resistance causing severe loss of material or resources to the occupying Germans. But overall the impression the book gives is of an undervalued (by regular military leaders) asset that was more of an annoyance than a real threat to the Germans. This situation was not static however and the value of resistance grew from D-Day onwards with substantial damage being caused to the rail network for instance.

This book however focuses on the actions of the AS, FTP, external agents from London and even units of the SAS in restricting the movement of the Das Reich as it lumbered north to meet the Allied invasion. Without their action the 2nd SS Panzer division may have been able to deploy in the Normandy area within 72 hours of orders being received. In reality the Das Reich deployed over two weeks after the order to move was given. However the cost to the local populations was often summary and brutal - such as the Massacre of nearly 650 civilians in Oradour-sur-Glane.

This book is a gripping read from the first page to the last and is an incredible insight into the effectiveness of irregular warfare and the brutality of German reprisals.

Wargames Illustrated 264

I received my copy of Wargames Illustrated yesterday and was again pleased with the high quality of the issue.
The Theme for this issue is World War One but as usual there are several other periods covered. This issue includes an excellent article on Lieutenant Lanoe Hawkers daring raid on the Zeppelin shed at Gotrode (and article for Wings of War). I also enjoyed the Flames of War article on St. Oedenrode and the 101st Airborne regiment's attempt to take the bridge there in 1944.

Other articles include:

• The Western Front 1914-1915 - An overview of the early stages of WWI
• The Successors - Discusses the wars of the Alexandrian Succession in 323BC
• Historicon 09 - Show report
• The Big Push - The Battle of Loos in 1915
• Eyes and Ears - Reconnaissance in WWII

Talk like a Pirate Day

Avast me hearties! As you may have guessed from the title of this post, today is Talk like a Pirate Day. Here are some tips for talking like a Pirate.

Ahoy! - Hello!
Avast! - Stop and pay attention
Aye! - I agree
Aye aye! - Right away sir
Me Beauty – My Beautiful *Insert name/object here*
Grog – An alcoholic drink

Lubber – A lubber is someone who does not go to sea.

Ye Mutinious Dog - Addressed to anyone who doesn't agree with you.

Tinkering with Tech

I'm a bit of a tinkerer... if there is such a word. I like to play around with technology and in particular web based stuff like social bookmarking and of course blogging. In fact I recently realised just how much of my life is spent in 'cyberspace' and the answer was "a lot". In the coming post apocalyptic world where all technology is lost I'll be going crazy from boredom.

Anyway the point of this post is I'm testing out a google app that makes it easier for me to make short posts to my blog...hense this rambling missive.

So here goes...press the send button and.... ZZzzzpppz! Aaaarrrgggg.....

Little Willie

I've been reading recently about the early development of the tank as a weapon of war. I won't go into heavy detail here but will point you to the website First World War .com which has an excellent article on the first tanks. I was fortunate to see 'Little Willie' at Bovington earlier in the year as well as a load of other early tanks. Check out my pictures here.

This short video on YouTube is also worth watching.

Superglue leaves me so stuck-up

I spent a little time working on my modeling project (the Panzer IV's) last night but had to call it a night after sticking myself to myself for the umpteenth time. I use a variety of glues when prepping models for painting including different types of epoxy resin and contact glue. However for metal models where the join is good and the weight of the parts not significant I usually resort to Superglue for the job. I particularly like Superglue Gel because I find it easier to apply, its less messy and it has some (limited) gap filling properties.
The only problem with this option is that I seem to have a knack for gluing myself in the process. I've lost count how many time's I've stuck my fingers together or to the model I'm working on. Fortunately superglue can be removed. Most superglue bonds can be dissolved using Acetone or Acetone based nail varnish remover. Not all removers contain acetone because of the growing popularity of Acrylic Nails so check the label before use. There are also a wide range of Superglue solvents on the market although I've never used these myself.

When applying the acetone use a small quality at a time and do so in a well ventilated area. I have found the beast way to apply Acetone is with a Q-tip or cotton bud applied directly to the glue. This dissolves the bond without damaging the skin but you still have to be gentle when peeling the bond apart. Its also worth noting that Acetone de-fats the skin so make sure you wash with soap and water after use and apply a suitable hand lotion to the treated area of skin.

Fiddly Bitz

I have big fingers. Not surprising given my nickname is BigLee but still, it has to be mentioned. I don't think my hands are fat (it's all in a tire around my waist) but I'd never describe myself as 'dexterous'. So when it comes to the fiddly bits of model construction I guess I'm at a disadvantage, and boy have I met my nemesis recently.

I'm working on the Panzer IV platoon I mentioned last week and I still haven't reached the stage of priming the models. There's a significant amount of construction in these models so its taking a long time to prep them. Each Tank has a separate coaxial gun turret, driver/hatch cover, tracks, mud guards and (the bit I'm struggling with now) the Schürzen plates.

The Flames of War website has a whole article about attaching the plastic schurzen plates to the model. It's very detailed and quite useful... but doesn't mention anything about handling the tini-tiny parts with great big stubby fingers. I sat down last night intending on attaching the rails & plates to all five models but managed to get just one completed. Very frustrating.

Keep the Coffee coming

Mmmm... late night viewing of Tank Overhaul isn't a good idea when you have to get up for work the next day. I've watched the Sherman & Panther episodes and am halfway through watching the renovation of a Comet. This is quite a good programme, giving an insight into both the internal workings of these vehicles and the complexity of any renovation project involving vehicles that weigh 30-60 tonnes! Even the simplest of jobs seems to be fraught with difficulty.

Character Builder

As usual I'm behind the curve but I have finally started to use Wizards of the Coast's Character Builder for my current character, Uthek Van'tar (a Dragonborn Warlord). Until now I only had Character Builder in the Beta Version (up to level 3) so the fully functional Character Builder is something of a revelation to me.

I particularly like the Shop feature which makes adding and equipping items very easy.

Indeed this programme addresses many of the problems I have with the game in general and the proliferation of sourcebooks and rules specifically. Character builder brings them all together and makes it easy to compare and choose (for instance) the feats you want to use. It makes a change for me to give an unreserved thumbs up to a WoTC product, but in this case I'll make an exception.

Missing Colours

No, I'm not talking about a gap in my paint collection. Today and tommorow the Newbury and Reading Wargames Society is holding their annual show, Colours , at Newbury Racecourse. Unfortunately I'm not going so this is one show this year that I'll have to enjoy from the sidelines (reading blogs and reviews). I'm busy this weekend and I'm also trying to save a bit of money for SELWG at Crystal Palace in October.

The show is from 10:30 til 17:oo today and tommorow and entry is £6 with family concessions. Colours normally attracts between 60-70 traders, display tables and a Bring & Buy stall.

Scooby Doo

The Dagenham Dungeon Delvers met last night for our semi-regular D&D evening. Unfortunately the Rail Network had other ideas and our GM was stuck halfway from his home to our venue...so the game got cancelled at the eleventh hour. However as most of the group were already on their way we decided to pull out a board game and play something different for a change. Unfortunately the game we pulled was the Scooby Doo Board Game, ages 6+

I won't go into the details of the so called game mechanics (oh the horror!) but I will say we thoroughly trashed the game by the end. As a group of play testers we can 'break' any set of rules, no matter how simple they are.

Having said that we had a good time (fueled by alcohol of course) and laughter was the order of the evening.

When we finished we also found time for a quick game of Star Wars Trivial Pursuit which rounded the evening off nicely and gave us a chance to flex our Geek muscles a bit.

Next time we have to find a game to fill in an evening I think we'll be a little more prepared.

German Superheavy Tanks

WWII saw some amazing developments in military technology on both sides. The Germans in particular expended a lot of energy developing its 'Vengeance Weapons' and other outlandish or impractical weapons of war. One such design was the proposed Panzerkampfwagen VIII "Maus".

The Maus was a a prototype Super heavy Tank proposed and developed by Porshe to Adolf Hitler as early as 1942. It had reached the prototype development stage by the end of the war and only two had been completed by the time the Soviets overran the eastern half of Germany. At 10.1 meters long, 3.67 metres wide, 3.66 metres tall and weighing in at about 180 tonnes this would have dwarfed any other tank every produced. The Maus would have carried a main armament of a 128 mm cannon with a coaxial 75 mm gun and steel armour ranging from 60-240 mm thick. But its top speed would have been no more than 20km/h and few if any bridges would have been able to take this behemoth.
German madness did not stop with this vehicle though. In development (at least at the planning stages) was the P1000 "Ratte"which would have been a staggering 1000 tonnes and had crew of between 20-40.

I found this video on YouTube which collects together various pictures and design drawings for both these vehicles.

Fictional Reality E-Zine

The latest issue of Fictional Reality (Sep 09) is available for download from the http://www.fictionalreality.org/ site. I'm sure many of my readers already know about this great FREE publication but for those of you that don't I heartily recommend it.

To quote the site "Fictional Reality is a quarterly gaming magazine that covers miniature wargames, board games, terrain building, sculpting and even the occasional role-playing game."

This months issue contains:

• Battle Reports: Warhammer Fantasy Battles and Warlord
• Game Reviews: Twilight, Hammer's Slammers and more
• Miniature Reviews: Reaper, Infinity, Hasslefree and more
• Painting Workshop: US APEs for Incursion and SOTR.
• Army Building: A new Rezolution Dravani army

Underwater Adventures

Last weekend I went to the Royal Engineers Museum and posted a short review here on this blog. One of the more interesting exhibits inside the museum focused on the birth of the Engineers Corps Diving section.

This 'specialist' section was introduced in 1838 by Colonel (later General Sir) Charles Pasley. In the early days both Royal Engineers and Royal Sappers and Miners trained as deep water divers. In 1839 Sappers carried out the underwater explosive clearance of the wrecks of the William and Royal George at Portsmouth. They used a combination of Diving Bells and Hard Helmet diving suits to complete their task. I was interested to learn that during this clearance the divers came across another wreck which may have been the Mary Rose. Hard Helmet suits remained in use (with various improvments and upgrades) right into the 20th century. The picture above was taken in 1962 and the man in the suit is my Dad.

The Pirates are back

Earlier in the year I spent quite a bit of time and effort painting up a Pirate Captain model. Well the Pirates are back... just not how I imagined.
(Caption: Sarah "Why are we doing this dad?", Me "Because we just Arrrrhhhh!")

Tigers are awsome

We took the kids to a Zoo at the weekend and I managed to snap some excellent shots of the Bangal Tiger. I love these creatures and must use them more in my games.

I did use a weretiger in my last campaign and some of my PC's were bitten. I have yet to reveal if any of the players have been infected (see my article on Lycanthropy for my definition of Infection). Methinks I can have more fun with this primal creature.

Dagenham Dungeon Delvers, I hereby give you notice: Watch out for the White Tiger...he's coming our way!

Code Breakers at Bletchley Park

The BBC reported this morning on the Annual Enigma Reunion that took place at Bletchley Park yesterday. I can't embed the Video but here's the link to it on the BBC website.

New Project - Panzer IV Ausf H Platoon

It's time for me to get started on my next painting project. It's another Flames of War project and a big one at that, consisting of five Panzer IV Auft H. These panzers will form the core of my Panzer Regiment. As usual I'll take pictures throughout and post them when I finish.

Want to buy a Bunker?

The BBC news site has revealed that a WWII bunker is up for sale. The Capel Battery site is on the cliffs at Capel-le-Ferne, Kent, overlooking the English Channel. The auction is due to take place in September and the guide price is £90,000-£100,000. (Source: Subterranean Exploration)

The site used to have several buildings on the surface but now all that remains is the battery and the tunnels below.

(Source: Battle Of Britain Memorial Org)

I found this YouTube video which presents a series of pictures of the sites construction in 1942.

Zombies just won't stay dead

I have to say Zombies are scary. I can watch most horror films and enjoy them like the next man... but Zombies give me 'the willies'. I watched most of 28 Days Later from behind the sofa. It was like being a kid again.

So what is it that makes Zombies so compelling? There seem to be shed loads of games out there (such as the game I saw at Salute 09) in this horror sub genre and hundreds of films (I mentioned my mates film in a recent article When Zombies Attack). I guess for me it was watching Bruce Campbell tackling the undead hoards in the Evil Dead trilogy.Last year my gaming group took an evening off from D&D to play the board game Zombies!. We had a great time and now I'm looking for something in a a similar vein (no pun intended) for our group to play when the normal campaign can't be run. In my own D&D campaign I set up an encounter between my players and a large number of zombies. For me this was one of the most enjoyable encounters I ran, but maybe that was beciase I managed to kill a PC for a change...Since then I've been looking at the game All Flesh Must be Eaten which looks ideal for short duration games. It's an RPG with Zombies in it. Little more needs to be said rearly. Any game that gives everyone an excuse to moan "braaainns!" must be fun.

Royal Engineers Museum

Yesterday I took a trip to the Royal Engineers Museum in Chatham. Unfortunately no photography is allowed in the exhibit halls so the pictures here are from outside in the grounds.

The Museum tells the story of the Corp of Engineers from its roots right up to the modern day. Some of the highlights (for me) include Wellingtons Map of the field of Waterloo - complete with bloodstains from Sir William DeLancy who received a mortal wound in the battle. Another highlight is the revolver and sword used by Lieutenant John Chard who commanded at Rorke's Drift in the Zulu Wars.

The exhibits are chronological in order and take the visitor through the period of the Kings Engineers (1066 to 1790), the French Wars (1793-1815), the Victorian Wars (South Africa, the Crimea, China), the First World War (1914-18) and the Second World War (1939-45). The latter exhibit also includes a fascinating section on the Mulberry Harbours and Bomb Disposal. The last exhibit looks at the Royal Engineers role in the Post War years. There is also a side exhibition of medals although I was rather disappointed to find that the promised 25 Victoria Crosses on display were actually replicas.

Outside in the ground there are several interesting vehicles that can be viewed close up. These include a rather impressive Churchill 6.5 AVRE (Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers). This was one of "Hobarts Funnies" which saw extensive use on the beaches of Normandy. This vehicle was designed to fire a demolition charge for destroying buildings and fortifications.

I'd definitely recommend a visit to this museum as there is lots to interest the gamer. Plus this weekend (5-6th Sept) the Medway Modelling Club is having a Model Show amongst the exhibits.

WWII Allied Spotter Plane

During the WWII reenactment that took place at Military Odyssey over the weekend they had an L-4 Piper Grasshopper spotter plane buzzing the battlefield. I managed to get a few seconds of video and thought it worth sharing.

The Piper Grasshopper was a well established civil airplane at the outbreak of the war and was ideal for service as a reconnaissance plane. It had a wingspan of 35 feet and weighed a measly 553kg. It could take off from a very small runway and cruised at a maximum speed of 85mp and maximum ceiling of 9300 ft (with a crew of two). The Grasshopper saw extensive service in Normandy but they were also used in North Africa and the Pacific.

70 years ago today...

Today is the 70th Anniversary of the start of WWII. Britain’s then Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain, declared war against Germany because of the refusal by Hitler's Government to give assurances that it would withdraw from Poland. What followed was six long, hard years of warfare which resulted in between 50 to 70 Million deaths. What I always find staggering is the fact that Military deaths only account for about 21-25 Million (a huge number in itself) but that civilian casualties - including Holocaust victims - number between 40-52 million.

I listened to an article about Neville Chamberlain on Radio 4 last week in which is was asked, was war really inevitable? Was the policy of Appeasement really the only option open to Chamberlain and the other European leaders? Seventy years on this is still an important question because if History teaches us anything it is that History repeats itself.

Update: There's an interesting article on the BBC website today discussing the legacy of Chamberlain and the reputation he gained (fairly or not depending on your point of view) as a result of the Munich Accord and its subsequent failure.

Military Odyssey 2009

On Bank Holiday Monday I went to the Military Odyssey Living History event at the Kent County Showground. I've been to this event several times and this was the events 9th year. It features re-enactors and traders covering a wide range of periods.

As well as larger battle reenactments there are also much smaller displays such as this one by the Hopolite Association.

Of course the more popular - and therefore larger - periods are represented very well at an event like this. This American Civil War display was demonstrating battlefield drill.

Although much smaller in number I thought the WWI re-enactors put on one of the best demo's of the day. The British were represented by groups like The Birmingham Pals & the 10th Essex. The massive German army was represented by about 8 re-enactors from Infantry Regiment 28.

The thing I like about this event is that there is always something to surprise. And the quality of the recreations is always very high. This year the event seems a little slow and didn't get busy until after lunch. I spoke to several traders and they said that business had been brisk over the weekend. Maybe the weather (which started off a bit gray) put people off.

There was a distinct lack of Armour at this years show. The only WWII tank (on either side) was a Pz.Kpfw. IV (medium tank). We saw this vehicle a couple of weeks ago at the Damyns Hall Display. The Panzer IV was the mainstay of the German Panzer Divisions during WWII, in production - with various upgrades in weapons & Armour - for the whole of the conflict.

I'll try to post some more video from the event in coming days but in the meantime here's a link to my Picasa Web Album for this event.

The day after Odyssey

I went to Military Odyssey yesterday and of course shot a load of pictures and some Video. As usual I'm still working my way through them, editing out the rubbish and cropping, enhancing & labeling the best pictures. Once completed I'll post them here. In the meantime here's a bit of video I shot of the event.

This was the march past at the end of the WW1 Battle recreation. Unfortunately I was standing directly below the public address system... Try and enjoy the video and ignore the announcement about some woman who's lost her husband.

He's not lost dear... he gave you the slip.

Order of War

I don't play many computer games these days, I just don't have the time to devote to them in between all my other hobbies. But now and again I am tempted play some digital warfare. One game that looks cool is Order of War.

"In the summer of 1944, the Second World War entered its end-game when the Allies launched two major operations that would drive back German forces on both the Western and Eastern Fronts at once. In the ultimate test of military strategy, ORDER OF WAR will challenge you not only to lead America’s finest to victory in the West, but also place you in command of German forces charged with repelling the Red Army’s seemingly unstoppable offensive in the East.Even the keenest military minds will find that it’s one thing to make history, but quite another to change it. Do you have what it takes to command?"
(Source: gamershell.com)

The screenshots look stunning although I was struck by the very cinematic feel of the images.
I saw this short video for the game and thought it worth posting. The vid is embeded so just click the play button and it should work... hopefully.

Order of War is due for release on September 18th.