The Grand Duchy of Stollen

P ayment for a lengthy translation, completed last summer, arrived finally mid-afternoon today.  It's reasonably large as these things go, and I'm allocating it to fund future, and as yet unimagined, figure purchases for the Grand Duchy of Stollen project.  Very likely more Minden and Fife&Drum stuff, which is simply too tempting to resist.  For the time being, though, I'm squirreling away these funds and forgetting about them since there is already a respectably sized pile of unpainted lead in Zum Stollenkeller .  Best to see to those before I go crazy ordering new stuff.  However, the Grand Duke Irwin-Amadeus II and Hives are enjoying clay pipes of the finest Virginia tobacco this evening, along with drams of something medicinal, in celebration of this windfall.

First off, here is a Saxon Lieutanant General, looking very dandy in crimson and cream with a silver sash, copious amounts of gold lace, feathers on his hat, and a walking stick.  C lasses have finally ended (Thursday the 5th) for the semester here at Stollen Central!  And while there will be the usual flood of final papers to collect and read through next week, I've finally got a few days, more or less, to myself for some fun stuff.  And then, there is a small vaguely Balt0-Teutonic castle to build and paint for the Young Master, to go with some two-inch high knights and Vikings that are on the way.  Might as well get him started down the toy soldier road now that he's turned four, you know.  That should not be too difficult since he is fascinated with Dad's own toys over on the painting table, especially the horses.   Next, we have  a Saxon Garde du Corps officer. So, it's high time to finish the ongoing work on a group of three Mi...

Part of the Prussian advance at the Battle of Leuthen on December 5th, 1757. W hile things remain distressingly busy for a few more days here at Stollen Central, there are nevertheless a few moments to share this wonderful old print today, Leuthen Day.  Of course, it's not quite the same thing as all of those wonderful recently painted Minden figures on display over at Der Alte Fritz Journal , but it's in the same general spirit.

The yearly Christmas Market in Luebeck, Germany, adjacent to the Marienkirche and the old Rathaus.  While I've never been to the city in December, I've spent lots of time goofing off in this very square during visits in 1986, 1990, and 2009. T oday is the first of December and time again for various and sundry seasonal images that catch my eye.  While I promise there will be more photos of my own soldiers-in-progress and tabletop battles in the coming days and weeks as the academic calendar for the year mercifully winds down, I nevertheless wanted to kick off the Advent and Christmas season with a few photographs of the annual Luebecker Weinachtsmarkt . . .  The Christmas Market as it exists in Luebeck, Germany.  I've never been fortunate enough to spend Christmas in this delightfully sleepy old capital of the Hanseatic League, but I hope to one day.  Keep your fingers crossed.  In the meantime. . . Another part of the Christmas market in the ol...

Strangely (for a guy), I really like old-fashioned Victorian and Edwardian greeting cards.  Long-time visitors to the GDofS blog might recall that rather odd bit of personal information.  Look what I found online this morning! A day early, yes, but I've got a few moments to myself for another mug of coffee before pie preparation (pumpkin and raspberry) begins in earnest along with a few other dishes for tomorrow and running the vacuum cleaner around the first floor to assist the Grand Duchess.  Wait!  I'm the one who usually swiffers and vacuums anyway.  You know.  One of those emasculated modern males.  No matter.  It gets the job done when it needs doing, so who cares which one of us wears the pants when it comes to domestic duties?  Not me. In any case, please allow me to wish all American visitors to The Grand Duchy of Stollen blog, wherever in the world you might find yourselves, a very. . .  Happy Thanksgiving!...

I'm afraid that my lack of painting opportunities the past few months are to the far right here! S ooner, or later, I suppose it happens to everyone in the miniatures painting and (war-)gaming hobby.  Real life gets in the way early on and will not budge and get out of the blasted way.  You know?  Kind of like when you are racing to make a connecting flight across a large airport in another terminal building, and you get stuck behind someone with lots of carry-on baggage and numerous drifting children on one of those moving sidewalk thingies.  But the people who are walking over to your right or left, those smart souls who chose the old-fashioned method of simply walking on the non-conveyered tiled floor, are zipping by at a much faster rate.  It's simply maddening when you think about it too much.  Know what I mean? Anyway, that is what has happened during the last few months, as the autumn term has worn on, here at Stollen Central.  The sheer ...

An Adolf Menzel illustration of a Prussian horse artillery officer, who bares a striking resemblance to General von Terreplein. A carriage drawn by six grey horses pulled up early this dark November afternoon in front of The Residenz , a.k.a. Krankenstadt Palace.  The long-suffering English manservant Hives rushed to the second floor to roust the Grand Duke Irwin-Amadeus II from his feather bed.  Meanwhile, Herr General von Terreplein, a former Prussian artillery officer and veteran of the First and Second Silesian Wars, now a newly appointed consultant to the Grand Duchy of Stollen, stepped out of the carriage and onto the front steps of the palace.  He was then ushered inside at the quick step.  What new game might be afoot? What plans might be hatched?  What unintentional alliteration might result? What kinds of unintended Rococo zaniness might come to the fore? What military and regional aims might remain maddeningly out of reach?  Who among us ...

A fitting image for November 11th. T ime to take a few moments to pause quietly and remember those who either serve now, or those who served in previous wars, the fallen as well as the survivors.  I always think of my maternal grandfather and various great uncles, all gone now, who fought during the Second World War.  All really young North Carolina, Georgia, and Massachusetts boys, who were drafted or enlisted during 1942, in the months following Pearl Harbor, and reported without fanfare or protest.  My family was extremely fortunate in that all of them came home more or less intact.  Many others were not so lucky.  While brightly colored toy soldiers, miniature planes, ships, tanks, and military history are fun and fascinating things, it's worth remembering on a day like today how utterly and indescribably awful real war actually must be for the men and women who experience it firsthand.  My maternal grandmother told me once about a family in...

Jim "Der Alte Fritz" Purky, the man behind Fife and Drum Miniatures has taken the reins of Minden Miniatures. B y now, many of you will have learned that Minden Miniatures has merged with Fife & Drum Miniatures here in the United States.  Excellent news!  Be sure to toodle on over to the Der Alte Fritz Journal forthwith -- don't wait! --  to learn all of the important details.  These are two of the very best ranges of 28-30mm (actually 1/56th scale) mid- to late 18th century figures currently available.  How could there ever be anything better?  If you are a fan of either Fife & Drum or Minden figures, you should definitely learn how the merger will proceed in the next few months, plus you can find out about the longer term plans in store for both ranges once the logistic end of things has been addressed.

Human and basic horseflesh almost finished.  A mix of Minden, RSM95, and Fife & Drum figures.  Look closely.  Can you pick out the RSM95 conversion? A s predicted some weeks ago, the current academic term is indeed a bear, and it seems like there is always a new batch of student papers to read and grade.  Whew!  So, finally, three weeks into the current painting challenge, I got off my you-know-what and sat down to the painting table for a couple of hours earlier this afternoon to work on a second round of staff vignettes for the Stollenian and Zichenauer armies.  These will be painted, more or less, in Prussian, Saxon, and American Continental Army uniforms. Anyway, a delightful time was had slopping on oil-based flesh and various browns, which were thinned down with Liquin Original.  Now, the real work begins as I take care of smaller details on each base, painting one at a time to completion before moving on to the next.  Sadly, we a...

The Grand Duke's Minister of Finance and his charming wife, Madame et Monsieur de Bouleversement . A small dinner party with  a few guests has been organized for this evening at Krankenstadt Palace, but, as usual, the Grand Duke Irwin-Amadeus II is distracted by other affairs of state.  We begin, however, with his ever-faithful manservant Hives late one September morning in the sunny drawing room of the Palace.  Hives has the morning and early afternoon off.  He is seated with a fresh pot of Frisian tea at hand and a copy of David Hume's A Treatise of Human Nature on the writing desk before him.  The door opens, and the Grand Duke peeks his head in and spots his gentleman's personal gentleman.  Let's eavesdrop on their conversation that follows. Irwin-Amadeus II (enters room): Ah, Hives!  There you are.  Enjoying our morning off, are we? Hives (turns a page without looking up): I am indeed, Sir. Just catching up on a little light readi...

The late Donald Featherstone as a young man during World War II.

Sometimes, you've gotta give in and get your Fritz on!  A mug of North German tea and rock sugar, purchased during our last sojourn to Bremen, Germany during the summer of 2009.  The mug was included in a package of unused figures sold to me by the proprietor of Fife & Drum Miniatures, Jim Purky (Der Alte Fritz himself), in 2008. Y ou know?  Sometimes the best laid plans don't happen.  And I've been fine with that these last few weeks and months.  Today is Labor Day, the traditional end of summer season here in the United States.  The unpleasantly hot weather has broken.  The central air-conditioner is off, and the windows open.  The sun is out, and the birds and cicadas are singing and churruping away.   I haven't accomplished very much that I had planned for this three-day weekend.  Not much at all.  Other than a picnic dinner at a local park with the Young Master and Grand Duchess yesterday evening, followed by fr...

The recent Battle for the River Elbow, seen once again from the Stollenian side of the table . T he beauty of multiple bases?  I just spent slightly over an hour putting everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, carefully back in its plastics tubs, consolidating and storing the buildings and terrain, and tidying up in general.  Ahhhhh. . .  I may just pour myself a bit of something medicinal in a moment.   Tomorrow is September 1st -- Can you believe it? -- and it's time to get painting again for yet another friendly painting challenge that a few like-minded friends and I are waging from September 1st to November 1st.  Or was it December 1st?  No matter.  I've got my anticipated brushwork cut out for me in any case.  But more on that anon.   Time to finish that first batch of student papers for the semester in the meantime, which I collected yesterday.  This semester will be particularly brutal where free time is concerned.  ...

"Well, I suppose that's that, Hives," quipped the Grand Duke Irwin-Amadeus II at the conclusion of the battle.  "Frightfully good show, but ol' von Tschatschke had an easy time of it though if you ask me.  Still, places to go, and people to see, eh Hives?  Come along now!  There's a cobbler back up the road in Kaunitz who has promised to measure my feet for a pair of whole-cut riding boots.  We mustn't keep him waiting."  Figures in this vignette are all by Minden with a Foundry barrel at the foot of the signpost and a unit of 1/72 Revell plastic infantry in the background.

General de Latte (at far left in dark blue and red), after much deliberation and consultation with his subordinate officers, decides to order a general withdrawal.  With great shame and frustration, he concedes the battle to his Stollenian opponents.  There will clearly be no schnooky-schnooky when de Latte returns to Princess Antonia III this evening!  The miniatures in the group of officers pictured above come from RSM95, Minden, and Spencer Smith. B etween seven-thirty and eight o'clock on the evening of 4th August 1773, General Phillipe de Latte gave the order for his men to break off contact and begin an orderly retreat to their south.  He had no wish to squander any more of his troops, who, during the course of several hours, had failed to cross the River Elbow and establish a foothold within the Grand Duchy of Stollen as ordered by the conniving Princess Antonia III.  The Zichenauer infantry took heavy casualties in its attempt to do so, and the bulk...

Berliner Landmiliz, 1760.  You can see where my mind is headed, can't you?  B reaking News!  Phil's War Cabinet is back!  Noted wargamer Phil Olley has been hard at work behind the scenes, and it looks like his new blog is going to be an amazing ride chocked full of visual goodies and inspiring copy.  Do yourselves a favor and toodle on over to Phil's War Cabinet right now.  Have a look around and either bookmark or, better yet, click on 'follow'.  This is destined to become one of the greats I'm certain. In other news, the Battle of the Elbow River has obviously taken a brief hiatus.  The Grand Duchess and Young Master returned last week, which has eaten into my available freetime considerably, much as I love and missed them.  And then, in a double whammy worthy of a WWF tag-team move, I looked at the calendar and noticed, almost as an afterthought, that it was the final week of summer vacation.  Which meant that it was time...

  General de Latte's first assault across the River Elbow comes to a standstill thanks to Stollenian musketeers and artillery  Not much is left of the first wave of von Flickenhoffer's Fusilers (foreground), and the Ermland Garde (background) have suffered badly the hands of von Tschatschke's 13th Musketeers. F or the next hour, General de Latte's advance stalled as his officers and NCOs attempted to sort out their men and restore some sort of order.  By 7:30pm, General von Tschatschke asked for the return of his telescope from the Grand Duke-Irwin Amadeus II, who remarked cheerily, "I say!  Did you know that if you look through the other end of this thingy, everything looks farther away?" Von Tschatschke raised an eyebrow in reply, as did Hives, and took back his telescope.  He surveyed the scene before him.     Reduced below 50% of their initial strength, de Latte's remaining Irish Grenzers (in the distance) turn tail and flee while ...

  The Stollenian Jaeger zu Fuss inflict another five casualties on Zichenau's von Cziklos Croats on the wooded hill, reducing their numbers to less than 50% of their original strength.  The remaining Croats fled as fast as their feet could carry them. A t half past six on the evening of 4th August 1773, the situation for General de Latte's invading army grew darker in every sense.  Along his front line, de Latte's infantry took heavy casualties from enemy musketry and gunfire, throwing the various units comprising the Zichenauer Army into confusion.  Chaos erupted in some areas as men and horses struggled to escape the carnage.  Still worse, the hussars and Croats attacking the left flank of the Stollenian Army on the eastern end of de Latte's position withered and evaporated in the face of heavy return fire.  The latter caused high casualties within de Latte's units in that area of the battlefield with sheer panic breaking among the relatively few sur...

  Throwing caution to the wind, the infantry on General de Latte's left flank wades into the RIver Elbow, with one platoon storming the bridge, while the Stollenian infantry waits beyond, its muskets at the ready.  Meanwhile, the aristocrats continue their carousal in the village of Clauswitz beyond.  Listen closely, and you'll hear Maestro Bacharach's musical combo striking up Sir Roger de Coverley! S hortly after 6pm on the evening of 4th August 1773, the Battle of the Elbow turned into a full-blown affair.  General de Latte's cavalry brigade had finally been able to concentrate on his left flank at the western end of the battlefield.  It was, however, unable to do much thanks to the mass of confused men and riderless horses before it on the south bank of the Elbow.  As the broken independent company of the Wolmar-Bock Regiment makes its way to a rear area, the remnants of de Latte's cavalry brigade form up into two lines.  What a pity ...

To the rear of his center, General von Tschatschke's Leib Grenadiers and 4th Dragoons continued approaching their new positions  B etween 5:30 and 6pm late in the afternoon of 4th August 1773, the action heated up across the battlefield.  Yet a third attempt by Stollenian engineers to blow the single small bridge across the River Elbow failed.  General von Tschtschke's artillery, nevertheless, managed to inflict heavy casualties on parts of the Zichenauer line which gave way.  So too did the Grand Duchy's corps of Jaeger zu Fuss during a stiff exchange of skirmish fire atop a wooded hill at the eastern end of the field.   A hot firefight erupted on the thickly wooded slopes at the far eastern edge of the battlefield between the von Cziklos Croats and  their enemies the Grand Duchy of Stollen's green-coated Jaeger zu Fuss during Turn Five  The latter managed to inflict three casualties on the blue Croatian devils without suffering any of...

The Zichenauer Infantry began to feel the effects of prolonged Stollenian artillery fire during Turns 3 and 4 with the independent company of the Wolmar-Bock Regiment (in light blue) taking the brunt of it. L ittle additional troop movement on either side had occurred by 5:30pm that afternoon thanks to a sudden cloudburst.  However, the artillery on either side was able to resume its barrages again as soon as possible after the rain quit, and the sun returned.  The were casualties on either side, although the Zichenauers suffered especially hard at the hands of the Stollenian artillery crew and its lone gun in the Lesser Redoubt, which blew gaping holes in the ranks of the Wolmar-Bock regiment.   Presumably, the sudden rain also had something to do with the Stollenian engineers' failure to detonate the bridge across the River Elbow.  You'll recall that they placed a charge beneath it before the battle began in earnest.  At the moment, two brave volun...