Demolishing the Myth

by 

Valeriy Zamulin

translated by

Stuart Britton

 Kursk it brings to mind nebelwerfers and Stalin's organs screaming, but most of all the oily pall of burning tanks. That one sentence sent to Koba, "the tigers are burning", was supposed to have summed it up. The only question is, did it really happen? Was the Panzerwaffen destroyed on July 12th 1943 at Prokhorovka, or are the earlier histories all wrong, and the true history is very different. 'Demolishing the Myth' looks to answer that question.

 Kursk is probably the second most written about battle following Waterloo. The tank battle at Prokhorovka has been stated many times to be the largest tank battle in history. Unfortunately, due to Soviet propaganda and other untruths, it has been very hard for historians to peel back the layers and find the truth about Kursk. The actual battle of Prokhorovka has been wrapped even tighter in an impenetrable fog than the rest of the Kursk battle. Long known as the 'death ride' of the panzers, Prokhorovka was really much smaller in scale than was imagined. Only in some Soviet dreams was the ground littered with burned out panzers. That is not to say that the fighting was not bitter and to the death, as was all the fighting in the Kursk salient. I want to stress that point. Just because we now know that Dubno in 1941 saw the greatest amount of tanks in one battle, with approximately 5,000 Soviet and 1,000 German tanks, it does not mean that the battle of Prokhorovka was any less important or earth shattering in its consequences or the lives of its veterans.

 "Demolishing the Myth' is a book that was first released in Russian and written by Valeriy Zamulin. It was translated into English by Stuart Britton. Zamulin was a staff member of the Prokhorovka state museum, and has immersed himself deeply in the battle of July 12th. This is a book about that day, and the tremendous conflict that took place there. The book shows more light on the Soviet side, but is sweeping enough to keep you informed about what was happening on both sides of the war. There is some background given on the Soviet main force in the battle, the 5th Guards tank army, and its leader Pavel Rotmistrov. The reason for the battle of Kursk, the German plan, and the days from July 5th to the 11th are gone into, is to give the reader a good foundation of the facts leading to the clash on July 12th. The book itself is over six hundred pages long, and is well supplied with photos from the war. It also has a set of color photos taken to show how the battlefield looks today. The author has also liberally supplied the reader with tactical maps of the engagement. The book continues with an overview of the end of the battle of Kursk. One of the book's greatest assets is the numerous Soviet after battle assessments, and their conclusions on why the 5th Guards tank army was given a bloody nose by the SS panzer grenadier divisions. The hour by hour description of the battle is top notch. The book also comes with a complete Soviet and German order of battle and copious notes. The author brings up the fact, but does not belabor the point, that it is possible that an attack by the 5th Guards tank army should have happened at another site, and not straight into the SS panzer grenadiers. The possibility of using this large force in a flank attack would have brought the German attack to a stand still without the commiserate loss of vehicles and soldiers.

 The author also uses personal accounts to try and put the reader into the contestants' shoes. All in all, the book gives all the whys, and not just the facts of what happened. 

 There have been numerous books written about the battle of Kursk. There are some with a Soviet slant and others that have a German one. With the fall of the Soviet Union and the ability of authors to view the official and non-official reports of the battle, we are now much better informed as to what really did take place. Helion and Company is to be heartily thanked and congratulated on this book. The information alone is worth the price, let alone the top notch physical components of the book. There are so many books on the market about Kursk that one cannot at this time say "this is the one book you need to understand Kursk", however I can state categorically that 'Demolishing the Myth' deserves a spot on your shelf.


 Robert


Author: Valeriy Zamulin
Translator: Stuart Britton
Publisher: Helion and Company
Distributor: Casemate Publishing
Date of Review: 10/23/2016

                                

The White Sniper Simo Häyhä

by

Tapio A.M. Sarelinen

  " I did what I was told to do, as well as I could. There would be no Finland unless everyone else had done the same" Simo Häyhä.


  We have had a number of books and movies recently about the exploits of snipers. None of the others even come close to Simo Häyhä. His record of 542 confirmed kills is head and shoulders above the rest, mainly because he used his own M28-30 rifle with only iron sites. If given a fifty caliber sniper rifle and a state of the art scope, he might have been able to shoot out Stalin's left eye from the Finnish border. The other fact that makes his kill record unbelievable is the fact that he was only in action ninety-eight days during the Russo-Finnish or Winter war. His daily average of kills was an astonishing 5.53. All of these facts are simply amazing. As the book points out, an American study found that 7,000 rifle shots were needed in WWI to achieve a combat kill. During the Vietnam War, this had risen to 25,000. Compare this to a professionally trained sniper who needs just 1.3 shots for a kill.

 Finland is one of those European countries that we take for granted.  Oh sure, we know where it is on a map, but the country's history, and especially its military history, is a blank page to many. Finland, much like Switzerland, is a country that no one thinks of when military ardor is thought of. The truth is the Swiss were the greatest mercenaries for a few hundred years of European history. Finland's martial history, while not as far reaching as the Swiss, is just as decorated either fighting for or against Swedish kings or Russian czars. The Winter War was Stalin's attempt to emulate Hitler. Stalin wanted to take some land from Finland, and he made sure the Finns understood "it was an offer they couldn't refuse". Much to Stalin's delight the Finns did refuse. So now Uncle Joe could show the world what the Red Army could do. The Russian bear attacked Finland assuming that after some fighting and a little objection from the free world, the Finns would roll over and play dead. Well, Finland showed what the Red Army could do; it could bleed, and profusely at that. Finland's heroic fight against its titanic neighbor was the center of the worlds attention in the winter of 1939. The British government was actually considering attacking the Soviet Union over the aggression. Imagine how different WWII could have been if that happened. All eyes were glued on plucky little Finland. In the end Russia won, of course, but the Red Army's dismal performance was one of the reasons that Hitler turned his rapacious eyes to the east.

 So now that we have some background information  we turn back to second lieutenant Häyhä. He was born on December 17, 1905. Unfortunately, he did not make it to one hundred years, dying on April 1, 2002 (if you weren't aware the Finns are a long lived race). He was conscripted into the Finnish Army in late 1925 and served fifteen months in different bicycle battalions. He then served a few weeks in the summer of 1938 and underwent sniper training. He was in Finland's civil Guard when his marksmanship came to his superiors' attention. He won numerous awards and championships with both a rifle and a machine gun. He was a hunter and trapper from childhood in Finland's vast forests. This he put to good use in the war. The Russians tried to kill him several times and even put a price on his head. Häyhä's luck ran out on March 6, 1940. He was hit in the face and head with an exploding bullet. The Winter War would have been over in just a few more days. He had to undergo twenty-six operations through his life due to the wound; the left side of his jaw was missing. He did go onto live a long and productive life as a farmer and continued his hunting for many years. 

 The book's author is a career officer in the Finnish Army. His expertise is in sniping and he has taught the skill for two decades to the new breed of Finnish warriors. The first part of the book is devoted to the life of Simo Häyhä, before and after the war. The second half goes into the secrets of Häyhä's success, his rifle, and using his techniques. The appendices are four in number and include a list of the top snipers in the world from 1939 to 2005.

 The book is what we have come to expect from Casemate. It is well made and is liberally supplied with photos, maps, and some diagrams.

 A question to the readers, what is a Molotov cocktail?


 Robert

Book: The White Sniper Simo Häyhä
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
Review Date: 10/23/2016

  Expeditions Vikings Preview

      

 Logic Artists, who brought us Expeditions Conquistador (soon to be reviewed on the blog) in 2013, now heads north to Scandinavia. It is a turn based RPG driven by a story line. Your father has just died in a raid to the west. He went 'a viking' to find treasure and fame in new lands. This game has much more of an RPG element than I expected. Not that I am not used to turn based RPGs, it's just that I wasn't expecting it to go down to the level of an inventory where you would have to equip yourself with arms and armor. The games are trying to catch both RPG players and strategy players in their base.

  It starts out with your typical character creation screen. You can play with your character's beard for a few hours until it is just right, or go the path of pre-selected character, as I did. There are skill trees for you to flesh out your character. You can choose to have a human tank of warrior muscle or a rogue like archer who has good leadership qualities, or a combination of both.

        

                               

 The first part of the game is to clear up any other challengers to you taking your father's place as head of the clan. You start at his arval, your father's funeral feast. You have your mother, brother, and certain other clan leaders to talk to, or warriors vying with you for the clan. The story line and actual dialogue is right out of a Viking novel. Your position and the trials you have to undergo are all very believable for the time and setting. 

  The first trial you have to face is a holmgang, literally " to go to a small island". This is a stylized duel between two persons over a slight or as in this case over leadership. You can start right away to be sneaky and use snares, etc. or to choose to do a stand up fight. Contrary to popular belief the Norse loved trickery and sneakiness. A leader who was not versed in their arts would not have gone far. One Viking chieftain, believing he had found Rome and wanted to capture it, was actually at a city on Italy's coast decided on this gambit. He had his followers tell the people in the town that their leader had died, but that he had turned Christian before passing and wanted to have a mass for the dead and a burial in holy ground. The city people agreed and let all of the Vikings in with the casket of their 'dead' leader. They were quite surprised to see the coffin open and be presented with an armed mass of raiders in their midst. Viking tales are full of such trickery. Vikings also loved puns. It is probably from them where we get the idea to nickname large men 'tiny' etc. 

 Battle takes place on the map with a superimposed hexes. You have the typical mechanic of each member of your force having points to use for either movement or attacking, or a combination of both. The battle is won when one side or the other is completely destroyed. 

 This is a very fun game. the battles are nail biters, and they also have some additions that you do not normally find. Some terrain is block-able to arrows, while other hexes have the chance to ensnare or trip up your warrior during movement. The game really does have a Viking vibe to it. You do believe you are leading your character in the 8th century Scandinavia. It does not have a cookie cutter feel, where you could just as well have a tank or AA battery in one of the hexes instead of one of your followers. Fans of strategy and RPGs should be looking forward to its release in the future.


 Robert


Game: Expeditions Vikings
Publisher: Logic Artists
Preview: 10/23/2016
 

Children of a Dead Earth

By

Q Switched productions

  Time to put your thinking caps on, children; this game will have those neurons and synapses popping. This game puts the 'sim' back into simulation. It is hardcore and you will fail missions, but just like any good 'bad habit' it will have you coming back for more and more. To explain a little, the game does not make space a flat two dimensional map. You are not able to click on a dot in space and right click and move your spaceship there. You have to match trajectories and speed of other ships in orbit, etc. You also have to do this with three dimensional thinking. This is a hard game, and it is a blast. It will take time to learn and more time to master. That is not to say that the tutorials are bad, they are actually very good. It is the amount of information and the breadth of it that is a bit daunting. 

  The different start up options are: Campaign, Sandbox, Options, Ship Design, Info Links.

  The Info Links are like the rest of the game. As you proceed through the campaign, more and more of the the different parts of the game are able to be used by the player. Most of the Info Links are locked, as are some ship types and even some options in Sandbox.

   This is an early shot of the campaign game. I was having a bit of a problem in the beginning wrapping my head around the different ways to move your spaceship. For those of you like me, press on and give this sim more of your time. It will definitely be worth it in the end.

   Sandbox mode has a ton of different options for your space battles and ships, etc. 

  The different things that you can use in sandbox are: Level Presets, Celestial Bodies, Enemy Behavior Balanced to Ranged with ten possibilities in all, Allied Craft, Enemy Craft, Weapons in use, Payloads in use.

                                    

   Ship design is where you can play to your heart's content. The different weapon systems etc. are a micro-managers dream. Ships look like what real spaceships will probably look like. Do not look for tie fighters or star destroyers here. They all look somewhat alike and are very utilitarian looking.

  You get the help of the 'tactical officer' once your ship enters combat, if you need it that is.

 The game is about the earth going dead from man and other reasons. Humans have then turned to populating the universe to continue the species. In the campaign game you are playing on the side of the 'Republic of Free People', and the enemy is the 'United Sol Trade Alliance'.

   By hovering the mouse over your ship, you can see all of the interior of your new creations. You have to turn broadsides sometimes to get shots at your enemies, much like in naval battles. You can also target different systems on your opponent's ship. You can kill his propulsion and leave him floating, or target his weapons for your safety and leave him at your mercy or not.

  The game itself is well worth the effort someone like me will have to put into it. This game will test your mettle and IQ, but when you finally get it right and see your enemy destroyed it is all worth it. This is the ultimate playground for hard core simmers who are in need of a spaceship fix. 

 My apologies to the developers and to you, the readers. I meant to add a screen shot of how you move your spaceship and then forgot. You steer it using the three colored dots, moving them back and forth with your mouse after clicking on them. Radial movement is the green dot, tangential movement is the red dot, and out of plane is the blue dot.


 Robert 


Game: Children of a Dead Earth 
Developer: Q Switched Productions, LLC
Steam Release Date: 9/23/2016
Review Date: 10/22/2016

Thomas Gunn Newsletter

  Dear All

 Welcome to October's release of our superb 1/30 scale WW2 wooden aircraft, all of which take over 60 hours to complete. This month we have news of 3 aircraft which are available now and 2 aircraft which are coming soon, all our aircraft are produced in limited quantities and can be paid for upfront or over several months on a payment plan if this is your preferred option. 

 WOW 093 The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang  was a single seat fighter/fighter bomber utilised by the USAAF and RAF during WW2.  Initially the Mustang was designed as a response for a requirement by the RAF for additional fighter aircraft and first flew on 26th October 1940, 102 days after the contract was first signed by the British purchasing commission. The Mustang was initially powered by the Allinson V-1710 engine but this
lacked the necessary high altitude  performance required by the RAF and the engine was substituted for the Rolls Royce Merlin. This modification transformed the Mustang into a first class aircraft capable of taking on any of the Luftwaffe's fighters. From 1943 the USAAF used Mustangs to escort the 8th Air Force in their bombing raids over Germany whilst the 9th Air Force used Mustangs as Fighter Bombers, in a combination that helped achieve air superiority in the European campaign by 1944. Mustangs were also used with great effect in North Africa, Italy the Mediterranean and the Pacific to help turn the tide of war in the Allies favour. Our version of the Mustang is one flown by  Captain Charles Weaver an American ace with several awards to his name including the Distinguished Flying Cross, The Air Medal and the French Croix de Guerre. Limited to 12 pieces worldwide, the US army sentry figure pictured in the attachments comes free with this model.

 The FW190 is known as one of the iconic aircraft of WW2, designed by Kurt Wolff in the 1930's it along with the Messerschmitt Bf 109 became the backbone of the Luftwaffe's fighter force during WW2.  Powered by a BMW 801twin row radial engine the FW 190 was capable of lifting heavier loads than the BF 109 allowing it to be utilised in several different roles including, fighter, fighter bomber and ground attack aircraft. The FW 190 made its first appearance over France in 1941 and proved superior to the RAF's MK V Spitfire in all aspects except turn radius. The FW 190 maintained this superiority until the introduction of the Spitfire MK 1X in November 1942. By 1944 Long Nosed variants of the F version of the FW 190 were entering service and this aircraft finally gave the Luftwaffe the parity it needed to address Allied superiority, unfortunately for the Luftwaffe it arrived too late in the war to have any real effect. WOW 099 'Black 3' was built in 1942 at the AGO factory in Ocherlesben and allocated to the fighter bomber wing of JG 5 Eismeer. Based at Herdla outside Bergen before being moved to Petsamo in Finland. It was then flown by Sgt Hans Gunther Kleemann on several missions. However in October '43 Kleemann bailed out of Black 3, after running out of fuel in a snowstorm west of Kongsfjord. Kleemann survived his landing and eventually made his way back to his base 2 days later, Black 3 was left for over 40 years where it had crashed In 1986 the wreck was recovered by the Norwegians and restored over a lengthy period in Norway and the USA, being the subject of 2 rebuilds! She now stands in the Norwegian Armed Forces Museum in Norway and is one of only 2 surviving FW 190 A 3's in the world.
                   

 Our second FW 190 WOW 100 is a Desert version 'Yellow 3' and was flown by Oblt. Erich Rudorffer whilst stationed with 6.JG 2. Rudorffer was the 7th most successful Luftwaffe ace of the war with 222 victories claimed in over 1000 missions, he was a gifted pilot who served on all combat fronts, he was lucky to survive the war despite being shot down 16 times and having to take to his parachute 9 times! He is credited with 10 heavy Allied bombers, 58
Sturmovik's and 60 Allied fighters on the Western Front during a career which netted him the Knights Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords plus a German Cross in Gold. After the war Rudorffer flew DC-3's in Australia before going to work for Pan Am and the German Civil Aviation Service, he died this year in April aged 98 years old. Both FW 190's come with LUFT 008 Footballer ground crew figure Fritz Walter as a freebie.
 

 All the above aircraft are priced at $650 which includes free shipping worldwide and are limited to 12 pieces each, they can be purchased via our website www.tomgunn.co.uk or by dropping me an email. For those of you wishing to purchase more than one aircraft a discount on shipping will apply.

 I have pleasure in attaching pictures of our all new B 17 'My Devotion' and a Horsa glider from D-Day which will be making an appearance soon. If you are interested in reserving either of these pieces please send me an email as we only have 5 of each on offer at this moment in time. The guide price for the B17 will be $1500 and the Horsa (which is also an extremely large model) will be $1200 approx plus postage and packing as of yet to be determined.

 

Antigonus The One-Eyed

By

Jeff Champion 

 Mr. Champion adds to his obscure historical works with this biography of Antigonus the greatest of the Diadochi or successors. His other works include 'The Tyrants of Syracuse' volumes I and II, and a biography of Pyrrhus. These two works have shed a large and new light on the history of the people and eras that they represent. It is far time that we have a biography of one of the greatest men of Hellenistic society.

Demetrius poliocretes son of Antigonus

 Antigonus was not one of the new men that grew to power underneath Alexander; indeed at his death he was already sixty years old. Antigonus was like Antipater, a general from Alexander's father, Phillip the second's time. When he was born, Macedon was a backwater and considered to be at the fringe of the Greek world, if the Greeks believed it belonged in their world at all. Between the various barbarian tribes surrounding Macedon, and the constant death and murder of her kings, Macedon was like a leaf in a whirlpool. No one would have believed in 380 B.C. that within sixty years this small country would have conquered almost the entire eastern portion of the known world and brought the mighty Persian empire to its knees. Antigonus himself was an imposing man for this era. A  large man over six feet tall and built solidly, he was able to overawe people by his presence. He was cruel at times, but also had a sense of humor. He had lost the sight in one eye and sometimes referred to himself as a cyclops. Once when getting a dispatch from a subordinate that was printed in large letters, he declared "that even a blind man could read this". Like many great generals, he had the common touch with his soldiers. He was one of the few ancient generals who were able to win battles after they were seemingly lost. Unfortunately, we have no statues or anything to show us what he looked like, so I added pictures of  his son and two of his inveterate enemies.

Lyssimachus

 Like many of the elder generation of Macedonians, we really know nothing about Antigonus' family or their place in his society. Some stories have him being a son of a simple farmer. As the author shows, that would have been highly unlikely. He would have had to be born into one of Macedon's leading aristocratic families. Exactly when and where is hidden in the depths of that era's history. 

 Antigonus was put into the position of satrap (governor) of Phrygia by Alexander. The satraps promoted by Alexander were sometimes given territories that the Macedonian army never went near. So the newly appointed satrap would have to conquer or at least subdue the indigenous populations. After Alexanders death in 323 B.C. Antigonus was just one of many satraps. In addition, his satrap of Phrygia was nowhere near any of the different sources of power at that time. His rise from this backwater to almost becoming the king of the entire Macedonian empire is detailed by the author. The author has had to piece together the life of Antigonus from the many scraps that we are left from the ancient historians. Unfortunately, the ancient authors jumped about like a cat being teased with a laser. Their accounts of different years hop around the ancient world from year to year without really following a clear path through any kingdom or person's life. Mr. Champion is to be congratulated for his detective work in bringing the lives he has to our attention, and hopefully prodded to bring more out of the dustbin.

Ptolemy I

  Antigonus' many battles and wars are shown to us, as is his ultimate failure and defeat in old age at Ipsus in 301 B.C. His son Demetrius poliocretes (the besieger) life is also a tale of rise and final ruin, however Demetrius' life was more of a roller coaster ride than his fathers. 

 The Antigonid kingdom at its greatest extent encompassed the entire Asian conquests of Alexander, and some additions that were conquered by the Macedonians after his death. The Antigonids went on to rule Macedon and some of Greece after the fall of Antigonus at Ipsus. Macedon saw many rulers in a few short decades. One of them was Demetrius, son of Antigonus. His grandson, also named Antigonus, became ruler after that; the Macedonian kingdom was ruled by the Antigonids until its fall in 168 B.C. The Antigonids as a family were very different from the Ptolemies and Seleucids. There was no patricide or filicide in the Antigonids for over a hundred years. The other Hellenistic kingdoms' families were lucky to go a generation without it happening.

 Antigonus' rise to power and eventual loss of his life and kingdom at Ipsus was used by the ancient writers as a prime example of hubris, which is unfortunate because all great conquerors have had the need to possess and reach for more than they have. I wonder if Mr. Champion is working on the biography of Demetrius next?


 Robert

 Book: Antigonus The One-Eyed
Author: Jeff Champion
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Distributor: Casemate Publishing
Date of Review: 10/14/2016

Warlords of Republican Rome Caesar Versus Pompey

                                            

By

Dr. Nic Fields

 Warlords of Republican Rome Caesar versus Pompey is really a misnomer. It is really a political and military history of Rome from the rise of Marius to right before the battle of Phillipi.

 With this book you get a very well done political history of the Roman Republic. All of the Republics' elected offices and the qualifications needed for them, including the actual duties of the office holders, are explained in detail.

 The rise of Marius during the Jugurthine War, and his subsequent campaigns against the northern barbarian tribes, are gone over in depth. With the fear that engulfed Rome during these invasions of Italy, it is no wonder that Marius was proclaimed the third founder of Rome.

 

Marius

 The subsequent Social War with the Italian allies seeking Roman citizenship is touched upon. The virtual civil war between the optimates and the populares, more informally known as Sulla versus Marius, is explained.

 Then we head to the east for a description of the start of the twenty-four year long war with Mithridates of Pontus. Sulla's campaigns against Mithridates is explained to the reader, as is Sulla's return to Rome and his proscriptions (don't forget about Marius and Cinna's earlier proscriptions), and then his reforms to the Republic's laws are gone into. Sulla has himself made dictator with no period of time attached to his taking the office. Before, the dictatorship was only for at most six months and normally just until the crisis of the moment had passed. He does away with the overwhelming power of the tribunes, which has caused so much trouble over the last fifty years of the Republic. His other laws put the Senate squarely back in the saddle and holding the reins of government. Sulla then retires to private life, leading Caesar to comment " that Sulla knew nothing about politics", or perhaps he was very knowledgeable about politics and wanted the Republic restored to its glory. That is up to the reader to decide.

Mithridates

 From there the book goes into the rise of Pompey The Great, and all of his campaigns that made the Romans look at him as a new Alexander.

 The political history continues with the destruction of all of Sulla's reforms and the fall of the Republic into more chaos than even before his reforms. Crassus enters the field, as does a little known Julius Caesar. We read about the Catiline conspiracy and all of the other political upheavals until the first triumvirate of Crassus, Caesar, and Pompey takes place. Crassus' Parthian folly is shown to us also, and then we go to Caesar's bloody conquest of Gaul.

 The book then goes into the causes and military history of the civil war between Caesar and Pompey. Caesar's political agenda after his defeat of Pompey, and his overweening pride and attempt to make himself king and destroy the Republic is stripped bare for the reader to see.

 The events of the Ides of March are gone into, and the book finishes with the beginning of the second triumvirate of Octavian, Antony, and Lepidus. 

 Dr. Fields has really gone into a much larger area of Roman history than just a book about the military campaigns between Caesar, Pompey, and the other Republicans.

  As stated, the title is a misnomer, but that is not a bad point. By going into all of the different political and military history before the actual civil war between Caesar and Pompey, the reader becomes very well versed in the whys and not just a retelling of what happened. The book is written to not overwhelm a newcomer to Roman history, but it also will teach an old hand a thing or two.

Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus

                                

 Robert


Book: Warlords of Republican Rome Caesar versus Pompey
Author: Dr. Nic Fields
Publisher: Casemate
Date of Review: 10/3/2016