Afghan War Over

Photo from the Daily Telegraph


Politicians lie, soldiers die, and generals get medals.

CHILDREN OF A LESSER WAR

We are children of a lesser war

A petty skirmish, nothing more,

The bluebirds won’t sing over

The white cliffs of Dover

For us,

There’ll be no fuss

Just a footnote in our history

No Vera Lynn, no mystery

No Nazis in the countryside

Or turning back the evil tide

Just tattered gaps in people’s lives

Grieving wives

No fly-by at the Cenotaph

Sing songs where people laugh

Through the Blitz,

Defying Fritz

We envy them that cause

Not like our wars

No equals in Afghanistan

No tussles man to man

No Luftwaffe in Iraq

No Bletchley Park

Just car bombs and smell

A cut-price hell

No Winston, just windbags

We won’t see waving flags

Just body bags and sad parades

Until a sordid peace is made

Nothing solved

Nothing gained

James Milton - 

Go here for more of his work

A Very Merry Xmas from London

I hope everyone has a great Xmas with their families and also people they like.

And I hope Santa brings you lots of plastic and pewter, preferably cunningly fashioned into toy soldiers.

With all Best Wishes for Next Year

John & Wabbit

Osprey Taken Over

Osprey have been taken over by Bloomsbury.

We will have to see the implications as events unfold.

Here Comes The Sun

It's the Winter Solstice today folks.

From tomorrow the sun starts to come back to us here on the roof of the world.

Woop, woop.

Bolt Action - Moroccan Goumiers

Moroccan Goumiers were French auxiliary units in WWII.

They were distinguished by their traditional jelleba hooded coats that came in a variety of stripes.

Their most famous campaign was in Italy where they used their mountaineer skills to break the Cassino line, the key victory resulting in the capture of Rome.

They also built up a reputation for rapine but the stories lost nothing in the telling.

Weapons varied with time and place but Springfield rifles and other American gear was employed along with original French 1940 equipment.

IHMN Venus - Break Green Section, Bandit High 6 O'Clock

Finished my Venusian Newt Flyers, all but a bit o' touching up when the paint has cured - as the bishop said to the actress.

Some very big flying beasts on Venus: warm, lowish gravity (0.9 g) and a thick atmosphere. :)

Next the ground warriors.

It's all go on Venus.

Bolt Action Home Guard War Casualty

I played a Bolt Action Home Guard versus German paratroops at the Medway Club last night - more about that later.

Upon arriving home I discovered one of my crack Home Guard Mechanised Troopers had gone AWOL - with his bicycle and cycle clips.

I did find him the next morning - caught up in the rear door lock on my car.

'Fraid it's not looking good despite the best efforts of Nurse Wimpole.

What a grisley fate.

Black Powder - Blood on the Nile

The Warlord Games Blood on the Nile supplement is due shortly so I decided to churn out some more 1/72 units.

This week - Anglo Egyptians.

IHMN, Storming Venus - Newt Dragon Rider

A Newt Dragon Rider flies hard and fast over the tropical jungles of Venus, lance ready.

Storming Venus is currently on promotion as a freebie at Baen Books. Click on the side bar at the top right of this blog or on the links in this text and select Chapter 3.

You may want to read Storming Hell first.

In Praise of Second Hand Models

I picked up eight very old 28mm Macedonian Companion Cavalry from a second hand dealer for £6 including postage.

Are they great models? Um no.
Well painted? Well, they were painted.
Based? Yes, and quite decently.

But all it took was a bit of paint freshening, some new spears and a touch of diluted Army Painter Dark Tone and I have a perfectly acceptable unit for my Hellenistic armies after just a couple of hours work.

No they're not going to win any awards but they do the job for a minimal outlay of time and money.

IHMN - Life on Venus

Venusian 'tiger'

Venusian 'mongoose'

Marsh 'scorpion', a mongoose's rightful prey

Boomer, named after the mating call amplified through a hollow crest

Venusian 'parrot', a popular pet because of its talent for mimicry

Models by Tamiya except for the scorpion - anyone recognise what that is?

Russian Guards on the Attack

Mixture of Warlord, Tamiya and Plastic Soldier models for a '44 Soviet Guards Armoured army.

North Star tea bag

My Artizan French colonial troops, crow man and George Orwell order arrived from North Star this morning complete with complimentary tea bag.

Life on Venus

A red-legged booby takes exception to a tree-lizard on the hunt for eggs. Meanwhile, a tortoise plods past a pile of dragon pooh.

Models by Tamiya and my local pet shop.