Home Forums WWII Help tracking down old WW2 wargaming book

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  • #116912
    Avatar photoMichael Morris
    Participant

    Back in the early 1970s I was a geeky 12/13 year old into astronomy, music, football and airfix kits (girls came a bit later).

    One day I was looking through the shelves of my local library and found a book on wargaming which included some chapters on using 1:72 scale WW2 airfix kits for war gaming (it may have been the whole book, I can’t remember). For a couple of years I was hooked.

    I’m now trying to find out which book it may have been. I remember that wargaming involved using clear  template homemade plastics templates to lay over the scenery help work out the fall of shot.

    Any ideas as to what this book may have been gratefully received.

     

     

    #116915
    Avatar photoMartinR
    Participant

    Charles Grants “Battle” used templates for artillery, mortar and machinegun fire, along with Airfix figures. The vehicles were Roco though. A wargaming classic nonetheless.

    "Mistakes in the initial deployment cannot be rectified" - Helmuth von Moltke

    #116916
    Avatar photoEtranger
    Participant

    Either Featherstone or Grant would be my guess too. John Curry’s History Of Wargaming project has lots of illustrations from old books and may prompt a memory http://www.wargaming.co/

    #116917
    Avatar photoLes Hammond
    Participant

    Bruce Quarrie’s WW2 Wargaming was my first set of rules. It used blast radii for HE fire but as far as I know didn’t suggest the use of clear templates.
    Operation Warboard (my next set) did, along with a design for an elongated fire arc thingammy for MG fire.

     

    6mm France 1940

    http://les1940.blogspot.co.uk/
    https://www.facebook.com/groups/386297688467965/

    #116929
    Avatar photoRussell Phillips
    Participant

    I was going to suggest that it sounded like Charles Grant’s Battle. My first set of wargames rules, I still have my copy. As well as templates for artillery and mortar fire, it also has cones for SMG & MG fire.

    Military history author
    Website : Mastodon : Facebook

    #116937
    Avatar photoNot Connard Sage
    Participant

    http://tantobieinternettattler.blogspot.com/2017/05/battle-practical-wargaming-by-charles.html

     

    First rules I owned too, and I still have them. 🙂

     

    Obvious contrarian and passive aggressive old prat, who is taken far too seriously by some and not seriously enough by others.

    #116950
    Avatar photoMichael Morris
    Participant

    Thanks, it is definitely Battle.

     

    #116966
    Avatar photoMichael Morris
    Participant

    Just found out that the book is basically a series of articles published in Meccano Magazine. All these articles are now available for free download. 😀

    What is even better is that some very kind person has downloaded all the articles and amalgamated them all into two PDF files for free download. 😀😀😀😀

    https://freewargamesrules.fandom.com/wiki/Battle

    Result!

    #116969

    Got the book back in the day, the great man himself signed it, at a wargaming event. All the players wore jackets, shirts and ties…

    us kids were well impressed!

    "Wot did you do in the war Grandad?"

    "I was with Harry... At The Bridge!"

    #116970

    We still wear shirts at the cons I attend — the alternative doesn’t bear thinking about!

    I’m assuming trousers of some description were also in evidence?

    #116971
    Avatar photoAlan Hamilton
    Participant

    The book may be Terry Wise’s “Introduction to Battle Gaming”

    #116972
    Avatar photojeffers
    Participant

    Note the parts of other articles in the PDFs: a review of Intro to Battle Gaming, a lady assembling Dinky spitfires and behind the scenes at Captain Scarlet. Those were the days!

    *Note I turned 53 today so am more nostalgic than usual.

    More nonsense on my blog: http://battle77.blogspot.com/

    #116979

    Well, Happy Birthday, you young whippersnapper, you!

    Mine’s tomorrow — not saying which one.

    TBH, I think we’d both live longer if we started forgetting about them. OK when you’re 12, but when the candles start to outnumber the guests at the party. . .

    #116981
    Avatar photoMartinR
    Participant

    I also still have a copy of Battle. Somewhat stupidly I sold my original one in 1980 when I was shirt I shelf space, then spent some tim later on trying to source a replacement.  But yes, someone has PDFd the entire Meccano series including all the optional rules (so infantry can now march even slower!)

    "Mistakes in the initial deployment cannot be rectified" - Helmuth von Moltke

    #116983
    Avatar photohammurabi70
    Participant

    We still wear shirts at the cons I attend — the alternative doesn’t bear thinking about! I’m assuming trousers of some description were also in evidence?

    Kilts!  There was a time when T-shirts and jeans were not ubiquitous.

    www.olivercromwell.org; www.battlefieldstrust.com
    6mm wargames group: [email protected]; 2mm wargames group: [email protected]

    #117003
    Avatar photojeffers
    Participant

    You too, Hafen! I stopped enjoying birthdays at about 14 when people began to give me clothes as presents because it was ‘grown up’…

    I donated my copy to the local hospice shop and it was snapped up within days. Goes to show it still has shelf appeal!

     

     

    More nonsense on my blog: http://battle77.blogspot.com/

    #117019

    Ugh — clothes. Don’t talk to me about clothes.

    Now a nice kilt would have gone down well — but it never happened.

    #117736
    Avatar photoTruscott Trotter
    Participant

    I have a copy I would be willing to part with

    #117751
    Avatar photoMike
    Keymaster

    Odd. I just ordered a cheap kilt to wear at home due to the heat.
    I will investigate my Irish heritage to ensure that if I like it and buy a proper one, it is from the county of my parent.

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