Prussian Baltic Flotilla 1864

Here's the first half of the Rugen / Jasmund mini-project ready for painting. The back row consists of the screw corvettes Nymphe and Arcona (with spars made from cut down staples), the steam paddleboat Lorelei and the first class gunboat Comet, all pinched from the closest models I could find in the Tumbling Dice range. I've had to do some fiddling around but I think they look the part.

Lorelei and Nymphe

To the fore are the five second class screw gunboats, the Hay, Hyane,Wespe, Scorpion and Pfeil, using the very nice Tumbling Dice generic screw gunboat model. These really are lovely. I've also started to paint up the 1/600th coastal forces E boats but these may well have to wait while I crack on with the 1/2400th scale Danish and Prussian ships over the next few days.

The Battle of Jasmund (Iron and Fire)

I've been looking again at the naval side of the Second Schleswig War with a mini-project in mind for the Battle of Jasmund (or Rugen depending on which side you were on). This was a minor skirmish in the naval war but quite significant nonetheless, as the Prussians failed to break the Danish blockade of the Baltic ports due to the local superiority of the Danish fleet.

There's a brief description here, which together with the background notes in Iron and Fire (p18-19) and my other sources, provides pretty much everything needed for a scenario write up:

Battle at Rügen

On March 17, 1864, Prussian naval forces attempted to break the Danish naval blockade. The corvettes ARCONA and NYMPHE departed Swinemünde on an easterly course to investigate whether any Danish ships were around. As no Danish presence was realized at first, the Prussian ships changed to a westerly course and was reinforced by the paddelwheeler LORELEY and 6 steam gunboats. Then the combined Prussian squadron headed north in line abreast. As it was level with Jasmund the Danish force, sighted the Prussian squadron.

The Danish force consisted of the propeller frigate SJAELLAND the ship of the line SKJOLD, as well as the 2 corvettes THOR and HEJMDAL and was commanded by Rear Admiral C. E. van Dockum. This force was shortly afterwards reinforced by the propeller frigate TORDENSKJOLD. When sighting the enemy, the Danish force immediately weighed anchor and headed south directly against the Prussian squadron. 

Shortly afterwards there was a fierce exchange of fire between the two sides without any serious damage on either side. After less than one and a half hour the Prussian squadron withdrew south. The Danish force did not succeed in cutting off their retreat. Never the less the Prussians did not manage to break the blockade, but the incident meant that the Danish Navy still had to maintain a large presence for continued blockade.

 http://www.navalhistory.dk/English/History/1848_1864/TheNavy1864.htm 

As you can see, not a lot happened but there's quite a few 'what ifs?' that would make this a viable and interesting game. So, having rummaged through my 1/2400 scale Tumbling Dice ironclads box, I've managed to assemble the forces for both sides, give or take a little fudging to make things fit and some extras to go beyond the Jasmund / Rugen engagement:

The Danish Squadron

Rear Admiral Van Dockum

Skjold (ASV3 2nd Rate 90 guns HMS Hero)

Sjaelland (ASV5 Frigate HMS Phoebe)

Tordenskjold (ASV8 Small Frigate HMS Arrogant)

Heimdal (ASV11 Screw Sloop)

Thor (ASV 11 Screw Sloop)

Dannebrog (ASV45 Armide)

The Prussian Squadron

Kapitan zur See Von Jachmann

Arcona (ASV8 Small Frigate HMS Arrogant)

Nymphe (ASV15 Screw Corvette)

Lorelei (ASV16 Paddle Corvette)

Screw Gunboat Flotilla

Comet (1st Class)

Hay (2nd Class)

Hyane (2nd Class)

Pfeil (2nd Class)

Scorpion (2nd Class)

Wespe (2nd Class)

(all ASV13 Screw Gunboats)

There are a few compromises here but the pictures I've found of the various ships and gunboats match up fairly well with the models in terms of size and appearance. I still need to find a suitable Aviso for the armed yacht Grille, which played a role in later skirmishes, but that's a minor omission. A merchant steamer would also be useful to act as the Danish armed merchant Freya, which was the focus of a later skirmish.

I think this could be a lot of fun and shouldn't take too long to put together, especially as the models are easy to paint, have their own bases already provided and are designed for handling, unlike the Hallmark ships which are more finely sculpted and a therefore a bit fragile. I'll put this on the 'to do' list for sometime in the not too distant future.

Narrow Seas [32]

I've finished the mid-war E boat flotilla now with two more Skytrex S38 class and four early war Skytrex S9 class boats assembled and undercoated. I've run out of Humbrol Matt Sea Grey so the whole lot has been oversprayed in bog standard Humbrol matt white, which is fine as they'll be painted up in off-white anyway. I may even get round to painting them up this weekend?

A Radical Reshuffle

I spent some time over the holiday thinking about the general direction I'm going in and so, when I got back yesterday, I decided to re-organise and clear out a whole load of stuff that's been hanging around on the garage shelving for far too long.

All of my boxes of plastic figures and most of the 28mm metal figures that I've stockpiled have now been packed up and relegated to the loft. I've kept some of the 28mm stuff but the shelves are now clear for smaller scale projects that actually stand a chance of getting underway.

I'm not abandoning 28mm completely and will be finishing the Chain of  Command Japanese in the run up to Xmas, for example, but I have decided to switch my focus to smaller scales, with a particular emphasis on both naval and aerial gaming. This will be funded by selling off some of the more unlikely 28mm projects including the plastic Napoleonics and Ancients box sets.

As a result, the rest of the year will be spent finishing the Japanese and the coastal warfare project, clearing the decks for some more naval projects in 2015. In fact, this will now be the theme for the next twelve months or so, with an occasional dip into 15mm skirmishy type things like WotR using Lion Rampant.

I'm feeling pretty good about this re-focus and have now got a lot more shelf space to boot!

Back Again

We've just got back from Denmark after a very enjoyable trip. If we could have stayed a bit longer I think we would have done but duty calls, so it's time to get back to work. I'll be sifting through the photos for a bit of a retrospective tomorrow but, in the meantime, here's one to get you scratching your head. I'm sure it made sense to someone at some point but I'm not sure it would actually be a top idea?

Denmark A+++

The Danish Arsenal Museum turned out to be a fantastic visit this afternoon, in a very understated Danish way. I really like the Danes, with their civilised approach to life and their total absence of inefficiency and inadequacy, at least as far as I can detect from a very brief second visit. 

Without being too politically incorrect, there are no obese people, the streets are totally spotless (we played spot the dog @$& today, with nil points all round), there's an absolutely superb public transport system, fantastic food and a very friendly attitude from everyone you meet. Not to mention everyone speaking faultless English!

I've also located no less than three games shops within walking distance of the city centre and an equal number of fantastic bookshops, all of which have shelves stacked with titles in English. Anyway, before I apply for Danish citizenship, I better get back to the subject in hand, with a useful link for enthusiasts of obscure mid nineteenth century wars.

I bought a copy of this introductory guide to the war of 1864 today, only to find that it's available as a download from the authors website:

http://www.graenseforeningen.dk/markering-af-1864.html

It's a quick read but explains everything in a very straightforward way, with some excellent period illustrations and an interesting historical perspective. I may look into this as a potential naval wargaming project, as I already have the ships for Rugen / Jasmund, but there's also some scope in 10mm for some land based games.

Copenhagen's Fortifications

We're only here for another day and a bit, so we're off to the Danish National Museum and Arsenal Museum tomorrow, having visited Malmo in Sweden today via the spectacular bridge. If we had any more time I'd love to take a closer look at the fortifications of Copenhagen, having picked up a really informative leaflet about the extensive system of redoubts, forts and defensive ramparts at the tourist office today. This really is a great place to visit if you are interested in military history:

http://www.befaestningen.com/

Bismarck's First War

We're in Copenhagen for a few days and it's a really good place to visit. In keeping with the location, I've set out to research the rather obscure but very interesting war of 1864 between Denmark and Prussia, fought over the Schleswig Holstein question. This is a topical subject here at the moment, believe it or not?

I've got a vague memory of this from my A level History course at school but do know that it involved some exciting naval skirmishes and some pretty big battles on land, leading to the crushing defeat of the Danes. A former gaming friend of Danish ancestry was also very enthusiastic about the whole thing, so there's got to be something in it!

Lost World Tribal Temple [4]

The base has now been drybrushed in three stages of Foundry Canvas, washed in GW Agthrax Earthshade, then flocked with static grass. I've also adding some aquarium plant bits to create a bit of jungle vegetation. It's not quite finished but there's only a touch of detailing to be done for it to be ready for the game. I'm off for a few days now, so I'll wrap it up when I get back.

Lost World Tribal Temple [3]

I finished the basing late last night and gave the whole lot a spray undercoat in Halfords matt brown camouflage, so that I could start on the painting this morning. It's about half way there now, with a three stage drybrush of Foundry Buff Leather, followed by a touch of white and then a weathering wash in 50:50 GW Agrax Earthshade and Thraka Green ink. I think it needs some more weathering and a drybrush here and there to lift it a bit but, otherwise, it's not looking too bad.