Last Chance For Victory - July 1: Dawn to 2:00 pm

Dan K. and I recently started Last Chance For Victory's full battle of Gettysburg scenario, Dean Essig's latest regimental treatment of the battle using his Line of Battle series rules. The current edition is a much evolved version of his groundbreaking Civil War Brigade Series most remembered for the use of actual written orders to direct your troop movements. This signature command feature exists here along with a linear combat model that more accurately reflects the way Civil War era engagements played out.  It is also unique in that it is one of the first Gettysburg games to constrain the Confederate player as he approaches the town on the morning of July 1 to better represent the actual historical situation.  A.P. Hill and his boys cannot blitz across the map securing far flung objectives when in reality they barely knew what was over the next ridge.

July 1 8:30AM Burford's Cav block the roads to Gettysburg

John Burns lends a hand!

Here we see Heth's approach to McPherson's Ridge, who by design always opens the battle with his historical decision to send in Archer and Davis' brigades to probe Buford's cavalry screen. As higher level commands start to arrive you begin to develop your own battle plan, but the opening moves of the unexpected meeting engagement set the tempo of the battle in a more appropriate historical context.

July 1 10:45AM Iron Brigade ambushes Davis

July 1 1:45 Reinforcements from all directions!

GMT Battles of the American Revolution Recap

Here is a summary of our marathon of the Battles of the American Revolution series.  Mike L. and I played each full battle scenario without any optionals when offered.  We often switched sides based on preference, so this list does not reflect personal wins but simply which side was the victor.

Guildford Courthouse - British Marginal

Eutaw Springs - Patriot Marginal

Saratoga - Patriot Marginal

Brandywine - British Substantial

Germantown - Draw

Monmouth - Draw

Savannah - Patriot Decisive

Newtown - Patriot Substantial

Oriskany - Patriot Marginal

Pensacola - Patriot Decisive

One of the odd artifacts of the series rulebook is that every game can be won by reducing the enemy morale to zero, typically through success in combat, which immediately gives the victor a "substantial" victory.  To attain a "decisive" victory each individual game provides some specific condition such as to occupy certain hexes at game end. If one succeeds in the field during the game, you may end up denying yourself the "decisive" victory accolade.  

The Final Battle - Pensacola Falls to the Spanish

OSG Napoleon Retreats

Gene Wolfe Fuller Award 2012

It's hard to believe it's been seven years since one of the most remarkable nights I have ever experienced. On March 17, 2012, the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame awarded its first Fuller Award to Gene Wolfe for outstanding contributions to literature from a Chicago author. For those of you unfamiliar with his work, Gene is considered one of the masters of the science fiction/fantasy genre having influenced and mentored a generation of aspiring authors, most notably Neil Gaiman.  I have been a devoted fan of Gene's since high school in the 80's when his masterpiece four volume The Book of the New Sun was recently published. Gene's works are rich with language, insight and wonder; he is able to connect vast cultural touchstones from ancient philosophy to modern space flight much in the spirit of Umberto Eco and Luis Jorge Borges. He is best known for his use of unreliable narrators, obscure vocabulary and hidden symbolism, requiring some effort on the part of the reader to reach understanding. These hallmarks of his style are all part of Gene's demonstration of the dynamic power of literature and the way words shape our understanding of the world. Of interest to readers of this blog is the fact that Gene was a combat veteran of the Korean War, having served with the US 7th Infantry Division at the Battle of Pork Chop Hill. His works reflect many of his experiences and observations from the ordeal of army life and war.

With Gene Wolfe at the Fuller Award

Sanfilippo Carousel Hall

When I moved to Chicago in the mid-2000's I was fortunate enough to strike up a friendship with Gene at one of his local convention appearances. Gene is an amazing personality as well as a writer.  Those few times I was able to share with him will remain with me forever. Through a series of incredible coincidences, my wife's career in Chicago media had her promoting the upcoming Fuller Award for Gene Wolfe, so we were invited to attend the event due to both professional and personal relationships. The setting of the award ceremony was at the Sanfilippo Estate, the family home of Chicago's own nut barons who operate the Fisher Nut empire. The Sanfilippo Foundation opens the estate to notable events in the Chicago area in a venue that showcases their amazing collection of eclectic items ranging from vintage carousels to steam engines, circus art to antique electronic fortune tellers: a melange that could best be described as a steampunk-fairy-carnival. This was the perfect setting for an unforgettable night of music, stage-plays, readings and speeches from SF notables. The event was an intimate affair, perhaps a hundred guests, almost all of whom were people with a much stronger connection to Gene than I, ranging from his personal family to fellow writers and accomplished authors. I like to think of my symbolic identity there that ethereal evening as the one of the multitude of unknown admirers silently acknowledging the profound influence that the great authors such as Gene Wolfe have upon our lives.

Neil Gaiman presents the Fuller Award

Update: Gene Wolfe passed away on April 14, 2019, just a few weeks after posting this reminiscence. He will be dearly missed by all.

Gene Wolfe Turned Science Fiction Into High Art

NYT Gene Wolfe

Red Factories

Cushing's Battery A, 4th U.S Artillery Position at Gettysburg

Location: Cemetery Ridge, Gettysburg

Features: Monuments and cannon.

History:  The Union artillery played a vital role in the repulse of the Confederate attack known as Pickett's Charge on the third day of the battle of Gettysburg, July 3, 1863. Battery A, 4th U.S. Artillery, commanded by 22 year old Alonzo Cushing, took up position along Cemetery Ridge in the area that would come to be known as "The Angle." Cushing's guns supported infantry from the 71st and 69th Pennsylvania regiments behind a low stone wall.  This location would be the only position the Southern attack would reach that day, culminating in fierce hand-to-hand fighting.  Though severely wounded several times, Cushing remained with his guns, pouring fire into the advancing Virginians. Cushing's heroic stand finally came to an end when he was mortally shot in the head. Due to his and many other Union soldier's sacrifices that day, the Confederate charge was broken and R.E. Lee's invasion of the North was finished.

Battery A Position, Cemetery Ridge

The Angle - Cushing's Battery at left

Heroic exploits were not uncommon in the Cushing family of Delafield, Wisconsin. Both of Alonzo's brothers served with distinction during the Civil War. Brother William Cushing served in the Navy and is best known for a daring night commando raid that sank the Confederate ironclad Albemarle. Howard, the oldest of the brothers, also served in the artillery and fought the Apaches in the post war period, meeting an untimely fate in the West which earned him the unfortunate title "The Custer of Arizona."

Battery A Position looking west toward the Confederate attack.
In the foreground is the marker noting where Cushing fell.

Note: This is a repost of an article originally published on August 26, 2014.  It was on that date that President Obama announced Alonzo Cushing would finally receive the Congressional Medal of Honor, 151 years after the battle.

Resources: http://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2014/08/26/obama-to-award-medal-of-honor-to-civil-war-soldier

Cushing's Battery - MMP Last Chance For Victory

Axis & Allies Revisited

I recently introduced the original Milton Bradley Axis & Allies to a group of experienced gamers who had never encountered this classic boardgame. After a quick game the discussion turned toward the reputation of the classic version as a largely "unbalanced" scenario.  The design of Axis & Allies attempts to simulate an understanding of World War II as a situation where the Axis powers (Germany and Japan) start out with an abundance of forces that must overwhelm the Allies (UK, USSR and USA).  The Allies begin with a smaller amount of units on the board but have a larger economic potential to slowly build up and defeat the Axis.  Victory for the Axis largely depends on an aggressive and lucky Germany defeating the Russians before they can build up massive infantry forces that eventually wear down the Axis advance.  The luck factor here requiring the player to roll low with a "buckets of dice" approach to combat that gave rise to an entire classification of boardgame: Ameritrash. While I mostly agree that by modern standards the game has inherent flaws, I could not help but ruminate on how fundamental this game was to my development as a historical boardgamer.

Classic Axis & Allies Setup

Axis & Allies was the first game where I finally found a group of players.  My pre-teen efforts had been a solitaire effort with an assortment of the vintage Avalon Hill titles.  However, meeting willing and like-minded gamers in high school really opened up the arena, and the 1984 release of Axis & Allies dominated those years.  We devoured the game whole: constant replays turned to house rules turned to experiments with alternate setups, unit values and production.  We created new nations, alien invaders, and expansive technological development trees.  We developed names for our strategies such as "The Karelian Gambit" or the "Manchurian Candidate."  We plotted and we analyzed.  In short we discovered the power of the wargame sandbox.  It was a tool that could be manipulated to explore history through the potential of myriad permutations.  It was from these experiences that I was forever hooked on historical gaming and it shaped my particular love for operational and strategic simulations.

Karelia dominates the Eastern Front

The other appeal of classic Axis & Allies may in fact be that it provides a playable "unbalanced" scenario. Historical gamers enjoy recreating events where one side is outnumbered, on the defense or has to exploit a momentary advantage before an inevitable outcome. The historical gamer may not always be looking to "win" so much as measure his performance to the historical outcome or hope to gain a better understanding of why certain decisions succeeded or failed.  Any player who is challenged by the underdog position of the Axis and seeks to try again or do better next time is certainly a candidate for the larger world of wargaming. In that respect I think that Axis & Allies still serves as an excellent introduction to the world of historical gaming. I am aware of all the newer editions of Axis & Allies that are reported to fix many of the original game's weaknesses, I have never played any of them, but I would hope that they have not erased the level of "imbalance" inherent to the historical situation and the lessons and challenges it provides.

Axis & Allies and World In Flames.....pretty much the same game, right?

Battle of the River Raisin - January 22, 1813

"Remember the River Raisin" is the battle cry we remember today on the 206th anniversary of the 2nd Battle of Frenchtown or River Raisin.  This battle from the second year of the War of 1812 is located in Monroe, Michigan, near the banks of Lake Erie between Detroit and Toledo, Ohio.  The River Raisin National Battlefield Park has the distinction of being the only land battle found in the Northwest Territory to receive this recognition, with that honor only established as recently as 2010. The nearest battlefields of equal import are all administered by state park systems or in Canada, including Fort Mackinac in Michigan, Tippecanoe in Indiana and Moraviantown in Ontario.

National Park - Monroe, Michigan

River Raisin Battle Line

The 2nd Battle of Frenchtown was the final action in a series of skirmishes taking place from January 18-23, 1813. Detroit had surrendered to the British and William Henry Harrison launched a winter campaign to retake that strategic location. Moving from Ohio toward Detroit, an advance American force had pushed into Frenchtown on the 18th in what is considered the First Battle the River Raisin.  On the 22nd the British, Canadian, and Native American combined forces counter-attacked the poorly prepared and inexperienced United States defenders. This surprise morning attack took the Americans under fire from three sides and they were soon routed.  Despite a heroic and disciplined stand by the Kentucky Rife units on the American side, all forces were persuaded to surrender. The prisoners were marched off to Canada, but the wounded were largely left behind. On January 23, the Native Americans raided Frenchtown, killing the wounded and setting fire to many of the buildings in what would be know as the River Raisin Massacre.

2013 Bicentennial Event

This incident shocked a young nation and the headlines screamed "Remember the River Raisin!" This rallying cry outraged public opinion and fueled enlistment drives for the American militia, setting a precedent for future U.S. public responses to similar military events such as "Remember the Maine!" from the Spanish-American War or "Avenge Pearl Harbor!" from World War II. As one of American's "forgotten wars" the War of 1812 and the Battle of Frenchtown are likewise largely overlooked in the historical boardgaming community.  The 200th anniversary did see the publication of two games that encompass the events at the River Raisin, albeit at a strategic scale. Clash of Arms Games "Amateurs To Arms!" is a card driven game that examines the entire war at a grand strategic level. GMT's "Mr. Madison's War," also a card driven design, focuses on the operations conducted along the Great Lakes.

Michigan Territory - Amateurs To Arms!

Frenchtown - Mr. Madison's War

Falling Sky

The ancient tradition holds that the first multiplayer game day of the new year be brought in with blowing snow.  Today held a series of firsts as it was the first multiplayer game in the new Palatine War Room as well as my first attempt at a COIN game.  The game is GMT's Falling Sky, a counter-insurgency examination of Caesar's conquest of the Gaulish tribes.   We more or less chalked this up to a learning test run, but I think I speak for everyone when I say that we had a good time!

Falling Sky

Friends, Roman, Gauls!

David Martin wrote up a nice little summary of our misadventures in Gaul:  https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/250706/item/6673037#item6673037

Chicago - World In Flames (Australian Design Group)

Fort Dearborn - Amateurs To Arms! (Clash of Arms Games)

The 2 Half-Squads: Episode 214: Mad Hattten in Flames

In the latest episode of the 2 Half-Squads you can hear Dave tell the story about my completely botched defense in scenario WO20 Sealing Their Fate.  When a scenario SSR offers you the choice to deploy your entire starting force, you should probably consider deploying your entire starting force. Next time, Mr. Kleinschmidt, next time!

Katyn Massacre Memorial - Saint Adalbert Cemetery

Location: Saint Adalbert Cemetery, Niles, Illinois

Features:  Memorial situated in Polish-Catholic cemetery.

History:  In 1939, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union agreed to a non-aggression pact that secretly allowed for the separation of Eastern Europe into their respective spheres of influence.  For Poland this was to foretell a new division of the country.  On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland and so began World War II in Europe. Several weeks later the Soviets rolled through eastern Poland, quickly capturing what little remained of the Polish Army shattered by the Germany attack.  In accordance with their treaty, Germany and the Soviet Union split the country in two.  The Polish prisoners captured in this rapid advance were held by the NKVD, the Soviet state security organization. While most of these prisoners were from the Polish officer class, there were also many intellectuals, lawyers, doctors and government officials.  In March, 1940, Stalin ordered that these prisoners be executed by the NKVD.  When it was done, some 22,000 Polish nationals had been killed.  These executions occurred at various interment camps in Russia, but the discovery of mass graves at the forest near Katyn presented the world a name for these massacres.

In 2007, a memorial to the Katyn Massacre was established at Saint Adalberts Cemetery in Niles, Illinois, here in Chicago's Near Northwest suburbs.  There is a long history of Polish settlement in Chicago, which is considered the largest community of Poles outside of Poland.  Saint Adalberts Cemetery was established in 1872 to serve this growing community.   Named for Poland's first saint, the cemetery's 255 acres are filled with a beautiful display of over 300,00 historic graves, shrines and memorials.  The Katyn Monument was designed by noted Polish artist Wojciech Seweryn, who immigrated to Chicago in the 1970's.  More significantly, Seweryn was the son of a Polish Army officer killed in the Katyn massacre.  To add to the tragedy, Wojciech Seweryn was killed, along with Polish President Lech Kaczynski, in the 2010 Polish Air Force Crash near Smolensk. Along with Seweryn and the President, several government officials as well as relatives of victims of the Katyn Massacre were on their way to mark the 70th anniversary of the event.  All aboard were lost.  A new monument was placed in 2011 nearby the Katyn Memorial to honor those lost in the disaster.

Notes:  This is a repost from my 2014 survey of local monuments near my then home in Park Ridge. Saint Adalberts Cemetery in nearby Niles is a scenic destination for cemetery walkers with its rich, gothic architecture and stonework. These memorials are of particular meaning to me considering my own Polish-Lithuanian heritage, but you don't have to be related to appreciate and honor the artistic expression of those who seek to remember.

Resources: Saint Adalbert Cemetery - Archdiocese of Chicago

Katyn Memorial

Katyn Memorial

Katyn Memorial

Memorial to the 2010 Air Disaster

World War I Veterans Memorial - Saint Adalbert Cemetery

Location: Saint Adalbert Cemetery, Niles, Illinois

Features: Monument on cemetery grounds.

History:  Before World War One Poland no longer existed as a country.  It had been partitioned by surrounding nations, its territory broken apart and ruled by Germany, Austria and Russia.  With the outbreak of war in 1914, many hoped that Allied victory would see the restoration of Poland as a sovereign state.  The United States entered the war in 1917 and many Polish-Americans volunteered to fight in the US armed forces.  Additionally, many Poles from the United States and abroad volunteered to join the ranks of the Blue Army.  The Blue Army, or Haller's Army, was an independent unit of Polish soldiers who fought alongside the Allied forces in France with the objective of promoting a free Poland. The name Blue Army was taken from their distinctive blue uniforms, but they were also know as Haller's Army after the name of the Polish General, Jozef Haller, who commanded the unit.  With the Allied victory secured in 1918, Poland was restored as a nation.  This monument honors those from the Chicago Polish community who served in the United States Armed Forces during the First World War as well as those who volunteered to serve in the Blue Army.

Notes:  This is a repost from a survey of Chicago area World War I monuments I published in October 2014 for the 100th anniversary of the start of World War One.

Resources: Haller's Army Website, Saint Adalbert Cemetery

Veterans Memorial

Soldiers

Navy

Haller Army

Marines

Monument Park - Edison Park

Location: Edison Park, Illinois

Features: Small neighborhood park with granite monument.

History: Located in the far Northwest Chicago neighborhood of Edison Park, this granite monument was dedicated in 1919.  According to the Chicago Park District, members of the Illinois Volunteer Training Corps offered this monument to honor all citizens of Edison Park who served in the United States Armed Forces during World War I.  It was accepted and maintained by the Edison Park District before being incorporated into the Chicago Parks District in 1934.  The granite column is itself an historical artifact, a remnant of the old Cook County Courthouse which was demolished in 1906.  The monument suffered from vandalism and wear over the years and was recently restored in 2008.

Among the individuals named for their service on the memorial plaque is that of Thomas A. Pope, United States Medal of Honor, British Distinguished Conduct Medal and French Croix de Guerre recipient. Corporal Pope saw his first and only action at the Battle of Hamel, July 4, 1918.  American units, including Pope's 33 Infantry Division were attached to an Australian offensive in France against German defenses.  As Pope's battalion advanced on an enemy machine gun nest, he charged ahead alone into the surprised crew and eliminated them with the bayonet.  Then he picked off nearby German squads with his rifle while the rest of his unit caught up with him in the trench.  The Battle of Hamel was an important moment for the Allies as it showcased the success of their efforts to improve cooperation between the various nations and demonstrated the power of new combined arms tactics that would defeat the stalemate of trench warfare.   For Thomas Pope, however, the war was soon over.  Two days after his heroic moment, he was the victim of a gas attack and shipped back home to Edison Park.  For his actions that day he was the first American to receive the Medal of Honor in France, and the longest American soldier Medal of Honor recipient to survive, passing in 1989 at the age of 94.  He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

Notes:  This is a repost from a survey of Chicago area World War I monuments I published in October 2014 for the 100th anniversary of the start of World War One.

Resources:  Chicago Park District - Monument Park, Thomas Pope Wiki, Thomas Pope Obituary, Battle of Hamel Wiki

Stalemate on the Peninsula!

After several months of play, Dan K. and I finished up our play of the monster 7 Days campaign.  The final VP tally was in the very narrow draw range.  Throughout the game we evenly matched each attempt to dislodge the other from their defensive positions, resulting in high casualty rates. The final bid to break the stalemate was to attempt the Union supply train rebase, but Dan managed to cut off the supply wagons from reaching the James River.  This left us with two exhausted armies facing off, each unable to gain advantage on the other...by any analysis a draw.
For this extended day campaign model to fit with the Brigade Series rules, you really need to use the optional fatigue rules...but they sure are cumbersome.  Way too much bookkeeping, literally tracking every shot taken and even being shot at!  However, if you have the time and the space, there is nothing that compares to this as the total Civil War experience.

Final Positions 

Stalemate at the Union Siege Line

Battle at White Oak Bridge