SAVE THE DATE! The Armchair Dragoons Fall Assembly will be held 11-13 October 2024 in Raleigh/Cary, NC
Recent Posts
21
History and Tall Tales / Re: This Day in History
« Last post by besilarius on May 24, 2024, 09:14:33 PM »1689. Parliament guarantees freedom of religion, for Protestants
1701. Don José Sarmiento y Valladares, who served as the Vice-Roy of New Spain from 1696 to 1701, was the husband of María Jerónima Moctezuma y Jofre de Loaiza, the third Countess de Moctezuma, a several times great-granddaughter of the Aztec Emperor Motecuhzoma II Xocoyotzin.
1779. Black Prince, owned by Irish and French smugglers, is commissed as an American privateer through the efforts of Benjamin Franklin.
1861. Col. Elmer E. Ellsworth, 11th NY, having pulled down a Confederate flag, was murdered in Alexandria, Va., at 24, by irate Rebel James W. Jackson, who was promptly shot & bayonetted at c. 38 by irate Yank Francis E. Brownell
1939. When the Royal Navy took the Canadian liner Montcalm into service as an armed merchant cruiser they renamed her HMS Wolfe, thus commemorating the general who defeated Montcalm on the. Plains of Abraham.
1939. The McCann Momsen Rescue Chamber saves 33 sailors from the sunken 'Squalus' (SS-192), the only time the device has ever been used
1941 HMS 'Hood' was sunk by the KMS 'Bismarck' in the Battle of the Denmark Straits, 1,416 killed, 3 survivors.
1701. Don José Sarmiento y Valladares, who served as the Vice-Roy of New Spain from 1696 to 1701, was the husband of María Jerónima Moctezuma y Jofre de Loaiza, the third Countess de Moctezuma, a several times great-granddaughter of the Aztec Emperor Motecuhzoma II Xocoyotzin.
1779. Black Prince, owned by Irish and French smugglers, is commissed as an American privateer through the efforts of Benjamin Franklin.
1861. Col. Elmer E. Ellsworth, 11th NY, having pulled down a Confederate flag, was murdered in Alexandria, Va., at 24, by irate Rebel James W. Jackson, who was promptly shot & bayonetted at c. 38 by irate Yank Francis E. Brownell
1939. When the Royal Navy took the Canadian liner Montcalm into service as an armed merchant cruiser they renamed her HMS Wolfe, thus commemorating the general who defeated Montcalm on the. Plains of Abraham.
1939. The McCann Momsen Rescue Chamber saves 33 sailors from the sunken 'Squalus' (SS-192), the only time the device has ever been used
1941 HMS 'Hood' was sunk by the KMS 'Bismarck' in the Battle of the Denmark Straits, 1,416 killed, 3 survivors.
22
The Modern World / Re: Last Hundred Yards V5
« Last post by bob48 on May 24, 2024, 06:16:56 PM »This is an incredible series. To say I'm enthusiastic about it is somewhat of an understatement.
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RPGs & Adventure Gaming / Ruins of Symbaroum
« Last post by bayonetbrant on May 24, 2024, 04:44:39 PM »Ruins of Symbaroum the Free League 5e way
For those who are tired of all the corporate shenanigans from Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro these days there are fortunately alternative publishers who care about players and their games. April 30 saw the release of two new products for the Ruins of Symbaroum 5e setting from Free League Publishing.
https://www.armchairdragoons.com/articles/symbaroum5e/
For those who are tired of all the corporate shenanigans from Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro these days there are fortunately alternative publishers who care about players and their games. April 30 saw the release of two new products for the Ruins of Symbaroum 5e setting from Free League Publishing.
https://www.armchairdragoons.com/articles/symbaroum5e/
24
Intel Dump / Re: Consolidated Games-on-Sale Thread
« Last post by bayonetbrant on May 24, 2024, 03:31:59 PM »crazy Talisman sale here, all add-ons to the free based game through Steam
https://www.humblebundle.com/games/talisman-complete-collection-returns?partner=tabletopbellhop
https://www.humblebundle.com/games/talisman-complete-collection-returns?partner=tabletopbellhop
25
Intel Dump / Re: Wargame Design Studio News Thread + Latest Sale Titles
« Last post by rahamy on May 24, 2024, 09:36:28 AM »Today's post brings you updates to the Modern Campaigns Asian titles as well as the three Panzer Campaigns Asian titles. This round brings these five games up to the 4.04 standard.
https://wargameds.com/blogs/news/asia-week-modern-campaigns-panzer-campaigns-4-04-updates
https://wargameds.com/blogs/news/asia-week-modern-campaigns-panzer-campaigns-4-04-updates
26
History and Tall Tales / Re: This Day in History
« Last post by besilarius on May 23, 2024, 11:09:56 PM »878 Battle of Edington: King Alfred the Great of Wessex defeats the Danes, imposing peace
1430. The Burgundians capture Joan of Arc, for the English
1792. George Rodney died
1896 the daily ration for a common soldier in the Argentine Army included 3.3 pounds of fresh beef and 1.8 pounds of other comestibles, plus 4.4 pounds of firewood, with which the troops were presumably supposed to barbecue all that beef.
1934 Bonnie Elizabeth Parker (23) and Clyde Barrow (24), ambushed by police after a three year killing spree
1939. USS Squalus (SS 192) suffers a catastrophic main induction valve failure during a test dive off the New Hampshire coast and is partially flooded, killing 26 crew members.
1944. USS England (DE 635) sinks a Japanese submarine near New Ireland, sinking five submarines in a week
1945. During World War II the prostitute population of Fayetteville, North Carolina, site of Fort Bragg, rose from a “normal” level of about 200 to occasional peaks of some 5,000, as the number of troops stationed there rose and fell.
Although the Soviet Union had 289 submarines in commission during World War II, they were only able to sink only 128 enemy vessels, in the process losing 110 of their number, perhaps the worst loss-to-kill ratio in the history of submarine warfare
1430. The Burgundians capture Joan of Arc, for the English
1792. George Rodney died
1896 the daily ration for a common soldier in the Argentine Army included 3.3 pounds of fresh beef and 1.8 pounds of other comestibles, plus 4.4 pounds of firewood, with which the troops were presumably supposed to barbecue all that beef.
1934 Bonnie Elizabeth Parker (23) and Clyde Barrow (24), ambushed by police after a three year killing spree
1939. USS Squalus (SS 192) suffers a catastrophic main induction valve failure during a test dive off the New Hampshire coast and is partially flooded, killing 26 crew members.
1944. USS England (DE 635) sinks a Japanese submarine near New Ireland, sinking five submarines in a week
1945. During World War II the prostitute population of Fayetteville, North Carolina, site of Fort Bragg, rose from a “normal” level of about 200 to occasional peaks of some 5,000, as the number of troops stationed there rose and fell.
Although the Soviet Union had 289 submarines in commission during World War II, they were only able to sink only 128 enemy vessels, in the process losing 110 of their number, perhaps the worst loss-to-kill ratio in the history of submarine warfare
27
Intel Dump / Re: New Column - #TBT / Throwback Thursday!
« Last post by bayonetbrant on May 23, 2024, 10:38:05 AM »#TBT ~ The Gamemaster Series
No, the 1980s saw something of a rebirth, a spark if you will, that lit off a keg of potential that would influence not just wargames but the board gaming hobby as a whole, arguably: the Milton Bradley Gamemaster Series.
https://www.armchairdragoons.com/articles/tbt/tbt-gmseries/
No, the 1980s saw something of a rebirth, a spark if you will, that lit off a keg of potential that would influence not just wargames but the board gaming hobby as a whole, arguably: the Milton Bradley Gamemaster Series.
https://www.armchairdragoons.com/articles/tbt/tbt-gmseries/
28
Organizations, Vehicles, Equipment / Re: Ships!
« Last post by bayonetbrant on May 23, 2024, 09:41:26 AM »thread starts here
https://twitter.com/garius/status/1631635077057708033
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1631635077057708033.html
https://twitter.com/garius/status/1631635077057708033
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1631635077057708033.html
Quote
As the last of her crew passes away, it is time to tell the story of ORP Piorun again.
The Free Polish Navy destroyer that faced down the Bismarck, ran supplies to Malta, and fought the Luftwaffe over Clydebank during the Clydebank Blitz. /1 The N-Class destroyer ORP Piorun, moored up.
After the fall of Poland, many Polish sailors escape. some with their ships in frankly incredible acts of bravery, but not all.
So in May 1940, the British navy give the Free Poles HMS Nerissa. An N-Class destroyer, small and lightly armoured, with a focus on speed and torpedoes
The Free Polish navy rechristen her 'ORP Piorun' and give command to Eugeniusz Pławski. Pławski commanded destroyers in the Imperial Russian Navy in WW1, then immediately joined the Polish navy when they got independence.
He was a highly experienced officer and a fierce patriot. Pławski on the deck of his ship, in uniform, with a camera.
On 13th March 1941, Piorun and her all-Polish crew are laid up for repairs at John Browns in Clydebank.
That night, the Luftwaffe launch a devastating attack on the area, home to vital industry and oil supplies.
Thus begins the Clydebank Blitz. It will almost destroy the town. wrecked buildings and a tram during the clydebank blitz
For two nights bombs rain down on Clydebank. Over a thousand die, but the Clydebankers fight the fires and battle to help survivors.
And alongside them, blazing away at the Luftwaffe prone in her berth, despite the attention it draws and the target it makes her, is the Piorun.
"No one who lived through the Blitz in Clydebank seems likely to forget the terrific barrage on the first night from Ack-Ack guns on a Polish destroyer which happened to be in John Brown’s dock for repairs at that time." - Dr MacPhail, Clydebank blitz survivor
The impact of Piorun's fire was minimal, but to those on the ground it was a defiant answer. A sign that Clydebank was not alone and punching back.
Over two terrible nights, Piorun emptied her magazines in defence of her temporary home. Today she is permanently remembered there. commemorative stone to Piorun in Clydebank
After refit, Piorun joins the 4th Destroyer Flotilla, alongside four Tribals.
They're escorting a convoy near the Bay of Biscay late on 25 May 1941 when word is received:
Bismarck is escaping. Hunt is on. Stay with your convoy
NARRATOR: The 4th do not stay with their convoy bismarck looking very big and very battleshippy
The 4th Flotilla is led by Philip Vian. One of the finest Flotilla commanders EVER and entirely capable of reading a chart.
He knows Bismarck is fast. The only chance the British have to kill her is if they can find her quick. philip vian looking clean shaven and stern
Vian is in the right place. Maybe the only flotilla that is. He has 4 Tribals (the most batshit aggressive destroyers in the Navy) and the crazy brave Piorun under Pławski.
He ignores the order and unleashes his pack of sea wolves, ordering them to fan out and find. That. Ship.
On the night of the 26th, in heaving seas, ORP Piorun sights an unknown big ship. She attempts to establish its identity. It answers with gunfire.
Bismarck.
Pławski signals Vian. Vian orders the Flotilla to converge and alerts the Admiralty.
But everyone else is an hour away.
Pławski now faces a choice. One solid hit from Bismarck will disable or destroy Piorun. But if he backs off, they'll lose contact before the Tribals arrive to help.
So he orders a single message sent to the giant battleship unencoded:
"I AM A POLE!"
And then Piorun charges her Pławski wrapped up warm on the bridge, smoking a cigarette
For almost an hour, ORP Piorun harries Bismarck alone, her smaller guns blazing, while the bigger ship tries to swat her.
Finally, Vian and the rest of the Flotilla arrive and join in. Together they box her, wearing her down until the British big guns can reach them at daylight.
Indeed knowing Piorun is lower on fuel than the Tribals, Vian (perhaps also feeling the Poles had done enough and were pushing their luck) orders her to withdraw. They don't.
"Radio problem" Pławski later tells Vian.
Vian (who can't really throw stones at that glass house) is:
Piorun's war isn't over. She runs supplies to Malta (notably as part of Operation Halberd) and takes part in the invasion of Sicily. But it's against Bismarck that she claims her place in history.
As it was politely put:
"Piorun did well under difficult conditions."
😆 official memo praising piorun for her actions
In late 1944 Pławski becomes Chief of Staff for the Free Polish Navy. At war's end, like many Poles, he refuses to return to a Poland abandoned by the allies to the Soviets.
In a quiet act of defiance he hands the Free Navy's flag to the Sikorski institute. He moves to Canada. Pławski as a senior officer, inspecting a ship.
Pławski dies, still in exile, in Vancover in 1973.
But he would eventually make it back home.
In 2004, watched by his son, he was reinterred in the Polish naval cemetery at Gdynia.
It is an honour he thoroughly deserves.
Many of Piorun's crew (including one Richard Polanski) move to Scotland, and Clydebank. The area that had been their home in wartime, now a home in exile.
Often forced to watch as their own country, and their adopted one, largely wrote them out of history. They were inconvenient photo of ship's crew
In 1960, "Sink the Bismarck!" is released to great acclaim, telling the story of the hunt and destruction of the Bismarck.
Piorun does not feature in it. Instead, the sighting of Bismarck is shown as being made by Vian
(Something the real-life Vian was furious about) film poster for Sink the Bismarck!
This thread is dedicated to Pławski, the crew of Piorun and all who served in the Free Polish Navy.
In particular to Richard Polanski, who died on 17th December 2022, the last of Piorun's crew.
There can be no greater honour than to say:
He was a Pole.
Anyway, hope you enjoyed this little diversion into a little piece of Polish naval history, which really deserves to be much better known.
29
Conventions, Clubs, and Events / Re: North Carolina meet ups ???
« Last post by bayonetbrant on May 23, 2024, 06:25:48 AM »Sure, are you still there.
well we're not still there from October, but we do have our monthly 1st-Sunday meetups still going on every month. Next one is in 2 weeks, but if you're in California, it's a bit of a commute
30
Saturday Night Fights & Tabletop Simulator / Re: Eggmuhl Week
« Last post by olivasmith on May 23, 2024, 05:56:15 AM »Hi,
Sure, "Valour & Fortitude" sounds like a great choice for your first session.
Sure, "Valour & Fortitude" sounds like a great choice for your first session.