The Company of Death

Military history is full of examples of men swearing to die rather than retreat. A remarkable example in the Classic Grece is the Spartan motto "either with shield or on the shield (you will return)" (greek: E tàn e epì tas), which was spoken by mothers and wifes to their men leaving for war. 

This tradition survived well into medieval times, these groups of knights taking oaths before battle often adopted dreadful names as Company of Death or Knights of Death. In the battle of Legnano (1176 AD) between the imperial army of Frederick Barbarossa and the troops of the Lombard League, a group of Italian knights named themself Company of Death and swore to defend with their lives the symbol of the Lombard League, the Carroccio.

Here I present some figures from a later example, taken from the Battle of Gagliana (1300 AD), fought during the Sicilian Vespers war between the Sicilian army and the Angevin French. A group of French knights formed a Company of Death to avenge their relatives killed at the battle of Falconara the previous year. I hope you will read the complete story, along with a scenario for Lion Rampant in a future issue of Wargame Soldiers and Strategy.

I painted some dismounted French knights for their last stand against the Sicilian army. All figures are from Fireforge Games (the standing figures) and Crusader Miniatures (the two wounded ones). I had a lot of fun painting the flag bearer of the Company of Death. The motto is in Latin "Or die or win" (latin: Aut  Vincere aut Morere") and it is taken from Francesco Petrarca's seventh book of Africa (written between 1339 and 1343 AD).

the first casualty

the painting steps for the flag

flagbearer and captain of the Company of Death

the final group of knights

Garibaldines' operations in Calabria, 1860

 Some pictures and a brief after-action report of our latest game of Rebels & Patriots.

The scenario is set in Calabria, 1860. After the conquest of Sicily, the first troops of the Army of the South (Garibaldi's army) landed in Calabria to march northward. The game involved a small garrison of the Kingdom of Two Sicilies in this hilly region. The scenario is Assault at Fort Glory, Paolo was the defender, and Edoardo was the attacker. 

Kingdom of Two Sicilies (Trait: Cunning) 12 points

• 4 skirmishers unit @2 points each
• 1 light artillery @4 points
• +1 skirmishers dummy unit

Garibaldines' army (Trait: Familiar Face) 24 points

• 3 shock infantry @6 points each
• 1 medium artillery

The Garibaldines, army was led by Nino Bixio, but one unit was led by Giacomo Medici. Their plan was simple: a frontal assault supported by the artillery fire. But some rivalries probably existed between the commanders, since Medici's unit refused to take part in the action for most of the game.

The defender led a sortie against the artillery, but the unit was wiped out (even if caused some casualties between the artillerymen). Bixio's unit was the first to approach the walls, but the general was hit by a cannonball and lightly wounded (+1 honor). Medici's unit was unaffected, while the third unit wavered. After a rally, the assault was restarted and fierce fighting across the walls ensued, with the defender pushed back thrice and retaking the position four times. Some Picciotti (skirmishers) reinforcements arrived to help the battered Garibaldines, but they received confusing orders and shoot their allies. On the eve of the tenth turn, the time was called and the game ended. Total honor scored 5 - 1 for the defenders. Suspicion of betrayal and rivalry arose between the Garibaldines. Overall a nice game, we found the scenario a bit easier for the defender, but definitely would play it again.

Medici's unit assaulting the fortification

One of the last assaults

Nino Bixio hit by the artillery fire

The defenders gun

the Garibaldines' artillery

Additions to my Garibaldine and Kingdom of Two Sicilies armies

 A brief update and some pictures of my Garibaldine and Kingdom of Two Sicilies armies. If you wish to be updated more frequently, please follow my Instagram page @arsenaledelnano

Italian Wars of Independence is one of my areas of interest. As a wargamer,  I find the many small clashes very appealing, especially considering I am currently playing large skirmish rulesets stemming from Lion Rampant.

I had a couple games of Rebels and Patriots with my two new 28mm miniatures armies: the Garibaldine army from the Expedition of the Thousand in 1860, and their opponent: the Kingdom of Two Sicilies army. I will post some after-action reports one day. After the last game, I felt I lacked variety, so I was prompt to add a couple of units to my armies, and here they are (the bases are not finished yet).

For the Garibaldine, I painted generals Nino Bixio (on the right) and Giacomo Medici (on the left) to serve as officers and to be fielded in an all cavalry unit, even if historically, the Garibaldine had almost no cavalry, except a small unit of mounted scouts (Guide a cavallo). 

For the Kingdom of Two Sicilies, I painted a medium artillery unit, to help fight those pesky red-shirts! Some mistakes were made in the uniforms, but I like the overall result, and will probably order a second unit to paint it correctly rather than correct this one.

All the miniatures are from a relatively new Italian manufacturer, Shako64, which produces an interesting and expanding range for the 1860-1861 campaign. They fit well with the existing Mirliton miniatures and with Perry miniatures size. I will post some comparison pictures another day. The miniatures are mostly painted with new Contrast paints, which I find a bit fiddly with Napoleonic and post-Napoleonic 19th-century type uniforms, but they are still pleasant to use.

The Silver Bayonet announcement: first thoughts and gathering some inspiration

 

The Silver Bayonet is a new wargame by Osprey Publishing (not in the blue series) to recreate gothic horror stories in the Napoleonic Wars period. The player will lead their adventurers band against supernatural foes and other nation's bands.

You can buy it directly from Osprey here, or, otherwise, North Star Figures has set up a lot of excellent deals for Silver Bayonet Preorder, including three ready to play (painting excluded) bands: French, British and Spanish. They also made a very nice selection of other ranges figures suitable for this ruleset.

I was a bit disappointed by the choice to include the Peninsula theater in the release set, but I understand the British-centered vision of the Napoleonic Wars. While the British Isles are plenty of traditions for supernatural stories I find the Mediterranean climate more difficult to inspire gothic horror stories, even if the very first gothic novel is set in Italy (e.g. The Castle of Otranto). I believe French-occupied Germany would have been a better deal, but probably they suffered the lack of British troops in that territories.

I believe I will set my The Silver Bayonet campaign in Germany in the years around 1805-1812 but I am still pondering to run a campaign in Northern Italy (a lot of mist&misteries here) in 1797, if I manage to find some First Edition Carnevale miniatures (the new ones being less historical), for my Venetian Schiavoni: if you have any spare Patrician Captain of the Guards or Guards, drop me a message!

Gathering inspiration

While for later 19th century the material is abundant and in many version (The league of extraordinary gentlemen, Pride Prejudice and Zombies, Dorian Gray, Doctor Jakill and Mr Hyde, Dracula, Penny Dreadful, Frankenstein's Chronicles,...), trying to keep the Napoleonic War theme is more difficult.

I listed movies and shows only, in this list.

• Brothers' Grimm (2005), set in 1811 Germany. A bit too humorous for my tastes, but if you eliminate the audio, the scenografy could inspire you nonetheless.
• Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell (2015), set during the Napoleonic Wars, it encompasses both the war in the Peninsula and the Waterloo Battle with some nice battle scenes and a well balanced magic element.
• The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (1999), set in Northern America, but the story unfold in the our period of interest and I believe the story could be set in any Northern Europe country without difficulties (the headless horseman being common thopos in European folklore).
• Brotherhood of the Wolfes (2001), based on the Gévaudan monster legend and set during the Ancient Regime, so a bit earlier than the Napoleonic period, but the civilians should look almost the same.
• La Révolution (2020), I did not watch this yet, but it is described as set just before the French Revolution with supernatural elements - if you have seen it drop a message below this post!

I am eager to hear your suggestion, too!

Dusting off Tercios! Ruleset

 After a couple years (and a pandemic) we were able to place our Thirty Years War armies on the gaming table. It was a simple face to face 1000 points scenario aimed to re-learn the rules.

The armies in the pictures are the majestically painted Luca's Catholic Imperial Army and my Swedish (I bought them painted except artillery and one general). I totally forgot to use my generals' virtues and traits and a couple mistakes were made. However, we enjoyed the ruleset which provides a challenging yet easy way to represent TYW battles. The final result was a Swedish army refusing to collapse against odds and let the Swedish gain a small edge against the tired Imperial troops. A special mention goes to the Scottish infantry on the Swedish right flank, which survived two break tests in a row with four "six" rolled, making the Imperial leader leave the field undefeated but unsettled.

 

Museo delle Forze Armate 1914-1945

ENGLISH LANGUAGE

Last weekend I visited Museo delle Forze Armate 1914-1945 in Montecchio Maggiore (Veneto, Italy).

It is a hidden gem of our territory, a museum created by the love of Giancarlo Marin (president) and Giancarlo Cosaro (vice) and one hundred members of the Associazione Cultori della Storia delle Forze Armate and devoted to memory preservation and diffusion of the period between WW1 and WW2.

The collection is mainly composed by former Italian Army historical pieces and donations of local people whose elders joined the army. Between them a lot of intriguing histories unfold, as the first Italian woman with flight license, or the Italian aviator trying the first Roma - Tokyo raid or the howitzer who stood in Bedeschi's living room (the author of Centomila gavette di ghiaccio, an iconic autobiographic novel set during the Italian expedition against the Sovietic Union in between 1941 and 1943) and many others, which maybe I will tell someday in this blog.

Between the museum rooms you can find weapons, uniforms, guns (many of them) and also bigger vehicles as DAK motorcycles, an Humber Scout Car and USAF M115, a Sd.Kfz.251 Hanomag, some Jeeps and Willis, an L3 Italian Tank and an M15/42 and many more. Then there is an awesome project, I will deal in a separate post.

The museum is totally sustained by its Association member volunteerism and private donations, if you want support them feel free to contact them here and e follow them on social networks (Facebook and Instagram).

Pictures below!

ITALIANO

Lo scorso weekend ho visitato il Museo delle Forze Armate 1914-1945 a Montecchio Maggiore (Vicenza), una gemma nascosta nel territorio, costituito nel 2003 da Giancarlo Marin (presidente) e Giancarlo Cosaro (vice) e sostenuto dal volontariato del centinaio di volontari dell'Associazione Cultori della Storia delle Forze Armate.

Il museo è votato alla preservazione e alla diffusione della memoria del periodo tra la prima e la seconda guerra mondiale, con attenzione particolare al territorio veneto. La collezione infatti è composta principalmente da pezzi storici dismessi dall'Esercito Italiano e dalle donazioni locali, di abitanti della zona i cui avi si sono ritrovati a combattere (e non solo) tra le due guerre mondiali.

Non solo combattere: tra le teche del museo si dipanano pagine di storie poco conosciute come quelle della prima donna italiana con brevetto di pilota o del tentativo di raid aereo Roma - Tokyo o l'obice da salotto di Bedeschi (l'autore di Centomila gavette di ghiaccio, un romanzo autobiografico ambientato durante la spedizione italiana in Russia tra il 1941 and 1943) and many others, which maybe I will tell someday in this blog.

Nelle varie stanze, e nella vasta esposizione all'aperto, trovano spazio armi leggere, uniformi, cannoni e veicoli come motociclette della DAK, Humber Scout Car, USAF M115, un Sd.Kfz.251 Hanomag,  Jeeps e Willis, carri armati leggeri italiani L3 e medi M15/42 e molto altro. V'è poi un altro fantastico progetto che merita un post a parte. 

Il museo è completamente sostenuto dal volontariato dei suoi membri e dalle donazioni private, perciò se volete supportarli contattateli liberamente qui e seguirli sui social (Facebook e Instagram).

E ora un po' di foto!

New books

Hi all,  quite a long without writing on my blog...well, life gets in the hobby.

Two big news: I got two cats, Pepe and Sally, which keep me busy (and full of fur), and I moved (always in Verona). Some weeks ago I got my new bookcase, so I decided to purchase more books to fill it! Here the picture of the last three the mailman delivered to me.

 As you can see different themes (I hope I will review the books someday):

• East Africa 1940-1941 (Land Campaign) by Mark Sobisnky: a detailed book about an often forgotten WW2 campaign. Even if the Italian Army, cut away from the homeland, was doomed, his men's toughness and courage give the Commonwealth army a worthy opponent. Plenty of wargaming opportunities, especially for infantry-based rules. A friend of mine suggested Crossfire, I think I will give it a go when I will finish painting an Italian Army for this theatre.
  I also suggest as reading: La caduta dell’impero fascista. La guerra in Africa orientale italiana 1940-1941 by Andrea Santangelo (in Italian only).
• A Gentleman's War or Glossy Coats and Tin Bayonets by Foley and Whiteman. I came through this on a Facebook group. The reviews were funny. I think it is a modern version of Well's Little Wars. I will try them to play Italian Risorgimento, along with Micheal Leck's Rebels and Patriots.
• La marca nelle Crociate by Danilo Riponti (Italian). Is a collection of essays about Treviso (a town in northern Italy - Veneto) families in the X-XIII century and their involvement in Crusaders in Holy Land. The interests in Crusades pre-dates this year, thanks to prof. Raccagni involving my club (Band of Butei) in playtesting  Lion Rampant: The Crusader States. I am trying to figure out a retinue for Lion Rampant which can be used both in Italy and in Holy Land, set at the beginning of the Communal Age, around 1150 AD. More will follow about this too (I hope).

It is all for now, feel free to comment on the blog or on Facebook if you read any of these books or have further suggestions!

Since I know you are curious about the cats:
Pepe on the left (male), Sally on the right (female)

Osprey "Renaissance Armies in Italy 1450 - 1550" review

I just received the recently published Osprey Men-At-Arms 536 "Renaissance Armies in Italy 1450 - 1550". The book presents the usual MAA format and it is tightly packed with historical information, uniformologic details and beautiful illustrations.

The author is G. Esposito, and the booklet is preciously illustrated by the skilled G. Rava, one of my favourite historical illutrators.

You can find details about the main armies of the periods, both Italian (Milanese, Florentine, Papal, Venetian, Kingdom of Naples) and Foreign (Aragonese, French, Imperial German). The illustration are well researched (the commentary plate is one of the most valuable asset of this series), and very inspiring (for those interesting seeing them translated into the wargaming table, check my post). The book also contains other illustrations, also in colour (differently from older Ospreys), but in this volume mostly from the same source/style, I would have preferred a little variation and some real piece of armour, instead than nineteenth century impressions.

Lastly, the book share the the same issues as the previous books about Italian history (e.g. Italian Medieval Armies 1125–1325 and Italian Unification Wars): too much events and armies in the frametime and to little space to deal with them! I understand the limitation imposed by the series format, and I think the author managed to squeeze the essential in it. For this reason I would have loved a longer bibliography, which is instead limited to a couple of volumes for each army involved.

Overall I value positively the book, mainly for its illustrations, for many player it will be a nice introduction to this period.

Images taken from author Facebook page for his concession.

My first article on WSS!

 

At the end of this difficult 2020, a piece of good news: I published my first article for the popular wargame magazine Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy.

The article, which I wrote in collaboration with Gianluca Raccagni, the author of the recently published Lion Rampant: The Crusader States (electronic and printed sale), features a scenario for the popular Lion Rampant rules.

The scenario is set during the Albigensian Crusade in 13th century France, and it is named THERE WILL BE FLYING STONES.

Since it was chosen as a digital article for WSS 112, you can freely download it from here. Let me know your thoughts about it!

And happy 2021 to you all!