1/144th Modern Gaming At The Harrogate Wargamers Club

On the last two Thursdays at the Harrogate Club my gaming group has been trying out a set of Modern gaming rules that we have been developing.  These are essentially a cut down version of the WRG 1950 - 1985 set. Thus far I'm liking the way they are playing out.  Anyway, here are a few photos from the last Thursday.  I was on the Soviet side which is quite unusual for me (borrowing a friends vehicles).  Must confess I was quite taken with some of their kit and might be tempted get myself some vehicles from the Minfigs 12mm range Link  :)
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My company commander in his T72 commanding his force with cunning and daring, or alternatively skulking like a girl, depending on your view-point...  :)
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T80s on my right flank commander by John Elwen.  ZSU23-4 in support.
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The opposition, a tooled up Challenger.
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The battlefield.
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British Lynx helicopter ready to fire.
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F-16 Flies With No Pilot

An F-16 took off from Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., on Sept. 19 without a pilot in the cockpit.  Read more: Link.
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Picture Of The Week - No 19 - 'Minor Problem With The Tiger Sir'

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Comment:  These guys have got their work cut out trying to get this King Tiger running again.  Looks like damage to both front drive sprockets.  If the damage has continued in and taken out the final drives, that is massive about of work to replace them.  Both the drive and hull mg stations have to be dismantled as a starter.
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CCKW 352 1/16th Scale Model

Last year I was contacted by keen modeller called Morten Moeslund who wished to build a 1/16th scale model of a CCKW truck and was looking for some assistance with measurements and photos.  I was happy to help, and a couple of months back he sent me some photos of the end result.  It looks just brilliant.
-orten MoeslundMorten MoeslundMorten Moeslund
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Troop Train (1943) Short Film

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Comment:  Worth a watch.
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War Tales - Ed Deluka

This is worth a read, about a chap called Ed Deluka and his experience during the Battle of The Bulge. Link
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Outside the Chieftains Hatch: Maus

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Comment:  A fascinating looking inside a Maus !
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Army Truck - Brake Test Fail

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Comment:  Ouch !  That wasn't supposed to happen...
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Crumbling buildings where soldiers from the Somme were treated

A haunting look inside a once state-of-the-art military hospital: Images show the crumbling buildings where soldiers from the Somme were treated.  Read more: Link
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Tank Recovery - STuG III German Assault Gun Pulled From The Mud

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Comment:  Looks amazingly well preserved !
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Picture Of The Week - No 18 - Tiger Tank

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Comment:  Assuming this a not staged, this is a very unusual shot of a Russian AT shell lodged in the gun mantle of a WW2 German Tiger I tank.
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Space Hulk 2013 - PC Game

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Comment:  Looks interesting, but I'm not blown away but it.
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Stalingrad 2013 trailer

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Comment:  This looks to have promise.
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Leopard 2 Tank

An interesting vid about the German Leopard 2
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Donald Featherstone Passes Away

Slightly gutted today to hear that Donald Featherstone has died.  I've posted about him a couple of times previously Link.  A prodigious writer of Wargaming books, one of his earliest books 'Wargaming' was the trigger for getting me into 'proper' gaming.  Of the books in my collection, it would have to be amongst the five that I cherish most.  There is short piece on Wikipedia about him. Link
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Army officer freed from POW camp kept promise to return

A British Army officer captured by the Germans during World War One was granted temporary leave from a prisoner of war camp to visit his dying mother on one condition – that he returns. See The Telegraph for more info - Link.

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Minecraft - Villager News

My son is still massively into Minecraft.  I was hoping his enthusiasm might have waned slightly since I posted on 27 Jul, but no, it just goes from strength to strength. He's been watch all sorts of videos associated it with on U-Tube, and I have to admit that some of them are really well done.  Here are two of our favourites:
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Modern Rule Set ?

We are thinking of doing some Modern gaming (at the Harrogate Wargames Club) in 10mm, and few of us have been dusting off some old and new rule sets.  Currently under consideration are:
1)  Flames Of War - Modern Supplement
2)  A Fistfull of TOWs 2
3)  WRG 1950 - 1985
4)  WRG 1900 - 2000
5)  A set from Miniature Wargames No2
Anyone tried anything else they could recommend we should look at ?
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"Join the Pork Side" in Angry Birds Star Wars 2 - Video Clip

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Comment:  This is excellent !  :)
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New Game - Titanfall

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Comment:  This looks promising...  :)
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Very Simple Generic Miniatures Rules

I've been corresponding with a guys called Michael Taylor about the FUBAR Sc-Fi version of the rules I adapted Link.  He referred me to a yahoo group dedicated to a concept called 'Very Simple Generic Miniatures Rules' which are described as, 'A very easy to play set of generic miniature rules for any time period and any figures'.  They certainly look worth investigating.  Link
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Pompeii - Official Teaser Trailer (2014)

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Comment:  This looks like it could be good !  :)
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The riddle of the 400-year-old shipwreck

It was discovered by chance and hailed by archaeologists as the most significant find since the Mary Rose. But in spite of years of painstaking work, two tantalising details about the vast wooden ship lying off the Dorset coast remain elusive - its identity and how it came to its meet its end. But tomorrow, as the recovery phase ends, the biggest clue yet will come to the surface when the vessel’s 27ft, 2.4 tonne rudder, complete with Baroque carved face, is brought to the surface. Read more Link.
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The Difference Between The UK, England, And Great Britain

For those what are aren't quite sure what the difference is between The UK, England, And Great Britain. Link

WWI tourism: Looking for your family hero

As the 100th anniversary of WWI approaches, growing numbers are tracing their genealogy back to Europe's battlefields. Matthew Davis went to Ramicourt in France to find the spot where his great-grandfather won the Victoria Cross. Link to the BBC web site.

Friday Humour - Phil's Scrotum

The pastor asked if anyone in the congregation would like to express praise for answered prayers.

Suzie Smith stood and walked to the podium. She said, "I have a praise. Two months ago, my husband, Phil, had a terrible bicycle wreck and his scrotum was completely crushed. The pain was excruciating and the doctors didn't know if they could help him." You could hear a muffled gasp from the men in the congregation as they imagine the pain that poor Phil must have experienced. "Phil was unable to hold me or the children," she went on, "and every move caused him terrible pain." We prayed as the doctors performed a delicate operation, and it turned out they were able to piece together the crushed remnants of Phil's scrotum, and wrap wire around it to hold it in place." Again, the men in the congregation cringed and squirmed uncomfortably as they imagined the horrible surgery performed on Phil. "Now," she announced in a quivering voice, "thank the Lord, Phil is out of the hospital and the doctors say that with time, his scrotum should recover completely." All the men sighed with unified relief.

The pastor rose and tentatively asked if anyone else had something to say.

A man stood up and walked slowly to the podium. He said, "I'm Phil." The entire congregation held its breath.
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"I just want to tell my wife, the word is sternum."

The US Navy's Newest Toy

Film - Ralph

Ralph is a short World War One film, based on the true story of Producer Matthew Lightstone’s Great Great Uncle; Ralph Howells, Signing up under aged as a pioneer he looked for an adventure, but what he finds is something far from that.  Link
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Comment:  Looks like a film worth watching.

Seven Decades After World War II, the Search for Germany’s War Dead Continues

This weekend, German officials will travel to Russia for the opening of the latest in a long line of war cemeteries containing the graves of Wehrmacht soldiers killed on the Eastern Front during World War II. The cemetery, located near the western Russian city of Smolensk, will eventually be the final resting place of 70,000 soldiers and is just one of 20 similar sites in Russia, commonly known as “concentration cemeteries,” that have been created in the country since the fall of the USSR two decades ago. Link
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Kampfgruppe Von Abt Website

This site is dedicated to 1/6th and 1/30th scale models built by the Kampfgruppe von Abt modelling team, living in England.  Well worth a look this site has some astonishingly good modelling on it.  Link
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Eve players stage giant online space battle

One of the largest video game space battles ever seen has taken place in the Eve Online game.
For five hours on 28 July about 4,000 players took part in the epic battle between two of the game's biggest alliances. Link
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Comment:  This looking incredibly cool.  Must confess I'd never heard of the game until reading the BBC article. Looks very interesting.
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Boeing 747 Does Extreme Low Pass !

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Comment:  We like low passes :)
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Minecraft

My 11 year old son has become totally immersed in the whole Minecraft thing.

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Is the Mosquito the greatest warplane of all?

The Spitfire is more famous but, discovers Jasper Copping, the de Havilland Mosquito can claim to be the plane that won the war. Read more here Link.
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Picture Of The Week - No 17 - Destroyed Sherman Tank

Comment:  I have never seen a Sherman so badly blown apart, supposedly by German engineers after the battle of Kasserine Pass.
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Film - A Field in England

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Comment:  I've read a couple of reviews (link) and this film is meant to be well worth seeing.
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World War 2 History: The Only Time in History a Submerged Submarine Sank Another Submerged Submarine

In movies and books about the Cold War and whatever era we are in now and wherever we're going, it is not uncommon for two submarines to fight each other deep below the ocean's surface. Usually, one emerges victorious, while the other, holed or blown to pieces, disappears into the freezing, inky depths below. In actuality, there is only one documented instance in history of a submerged sub attacking and destroying another submerged sub.  Link
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Russian T35/85 Tank - War And Peace Show

Nice bit of footage of a T34/85 at this years War & Peace Show here in the UK.  Wish I could have made it along...  :(
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How aerial photographs tracked down Hitler's flying bombs

At the height of WWII, as deadly German V1 and V2 rockets were fired from northern France towards the UK, a country house by the banks of the River Thames became the centre of Allied attempts to discover the Nazis' test and launch sites. Link to BBC web site.
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Yorkshire Wartime Experience - Military Event

Went along with the family plus CCKW truck to the Yorkshire Wartime Experience on Saturday 6th Jul with the family and my brother-in-law.  Fabulous weather helped make for an excellent event after it was almost washed out last year.  Lots of vehicles, trade stands to browse, re-enactment events and displays all made for an entertaining day.  I shall be along next year ! :)  Here's a few photos:
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M10 Tank Destroyer
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Nice replica PIIIM built on the chassis of a FV432.
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British Para re-enactors.
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M10 Tank Destroyer
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M24 Chaffee tank.
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Kursk legacy: Will there ever be another massive tank battle?

It's 70 years since Kursk, the largest ever tank battle. Will there ever be another battle involving thousands of tanks on each side or has armoured warfare had its day? Link to BBC web site.
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Russian Dash Cams

Some astonishing footage here...  (no-one gets hurt, so kid safe)

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Abandoned Airfields, Airports & Airplanes

Air travel has become a major part of our society, with industries and individuals depending on air transport for their livelihood. But have you ever wondered what happens to the artefacts of our airborne culture when they’re no longer needed? In many cases, they’re simply abandoned and forgotten. Link
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Battlefields of the Netherlands

This article on the Battlefront web site about Battlefields of the Netherlands in WW2 is worth a read. Link

Picture Of The Week - No 16 - Sherman With Extra Armour

My chosen picture this week is of a Sherman tank at Okinawa. I've never seen one with this much additional armour tacked on!
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Truck Stuff & 1940 Event On Fathers Day At The Valley Gardens

Since I posted on 3 Jun about the issues with the trucks windscreen seal, after a great deal of ringing around I sourced a replacement from a company called 'Dugdales', the part being described as a Rubber Extrusion R40 Windscreen Section.  It was quite straightforward to fit thankfully.
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This allowed me to attend a 1940s event at the Valley Gardens in Harrogate last Sunday without the truck looking too shabby.  Initially I drove over to Knaresborough on my own in the morning and then swung by to see my old friend Chris.  He fired his Jeep up, and my godson Gareth became my co-driver and we drove up in convoy up to Harrogate and parked up with a collection of other 1940 vehicles (mainly Jeeps it has to be said).
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Chris in his Jeep

This is the 3rd year that the Valley Gardens has hosted the event, and it is getting better each year so it seems.  The goodish weather this year helped with the attendance, with over 22,000 people going through the gardens.  Mrs Vulture and son Alex turned up just after lunch and during a break in chatting with people I decided to try and lay the windscreen assembly down.  This was a first for me, not having tried it before in the almost two years I've had the vehicle.  After untying the ropes holding the cab roof canvas with the assistance of Chris, Gareth and Chris other son Graham the four of us then applied some muscle to the windscreen which slowly started to move.  The repeated application of some light oil eased the pivot joints that probably haven't moved in over a decade, and  eventually the windscreen assembly lay flat.
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The truck certainly looked different !
When it came time to leave I decided to drive home with it down which was:
a)  Quite a cold experience, and
b)  Quite disconcerting as the view forward to so heavily restricted !
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All in all a good day out :)
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Breaking the Westwall (Siegfried line) October–December 1944

Allied penetration of the western defences of Germany. The Siegfried Line an Allied label based on German World War I defences, known to the Germans as the West Wall was a system of defensive positions in western Germany. The Siegfried Line ran south to north from the Swiss border along the Rhine River to the area of Karlsruhe and then northwest to Saarbrucken; it followed the Saar River to Trier and then paralleled the German border with Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands.  Read More Link

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The ruins of Normandy: Unpublished colour photos taken in northern France in 1944 show the devastating impact of the Allied Force's battle to defeat the Nazis in World War 2

A series of never-before-published color images of the devastation in northern France after the D-Day landings have been released by LIFE.com   Read more: Link
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Tanks - Getting Lazy People To The Battlefield Since 1916

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WWII Dornier bomber raised from English Channel

A German World War II Dornier bomber has been raised from the bottom of the English Channel. Link to BBC Web site.