This is definitely going to be a post of rather specialist appeal, but if you like this sort of thing then you may like it.
Here is my enhanced collection of gabions, now painted, and ready for - well, whatever it is that I might need gabions to do...
Some of these are bit oversize, but that's OK, and they will be harder to lose in the field. The small objects on the right look rather like Minifigs 5mm troop blocks, but are officially wooden chevaux de frises [I mention these with some trepidation, since last time 5mm troop blocks came up here some idiot had a conniption, for reasons which still mystify me]. Now that I have some chevaux de frises, I need to think how they might feature in the game - Chris Duffy doesn't mention them in the Sandhurst rules...
Next job is to start experimenting with designs for flat glacis plates - a future post may feature some of this.
Oooh lovely - dirty siege work pictures. You can't have too many gabions. Very nicely painted they are. Duffy may not have mentioned them but the chevaux de frise will look good when a breach has to be defended - possibly only as decoration as your rules may not need an additional obstacle for troops storming a breach. I know you are not keen on them, but for reference Vauban's Wars rules mention them on P 75 Create Barriers. I look forward to your next instalment.
ReplyDeleteHello there Tony! You can never have enough gabions. In his books on siege warfare Duffy does explain how they were used (apart from being pre-fab earthworks for batteries). I'll dig out a relevant section for you, but basically they were filled and used when digging saps.
ReplyDeleteGabions are also one area of intersection between my wife's and my passions. I was surprised to hear her mention gabions on a walk not long ago, a proposal of some earth-retaining landscape works.