Book Review: The Napoleon Options - Ed. Jonathan North

The Napoleon Options is a terrifically enjoyable collection of pseudo-historical 'what-ifs'.

Written by a who's who of Napoleonic history boffins - several well known as wargamers, and almost all of whom will be names very familiar to any true Napoleonic buff - in much the same style as they would write about actual historical events, I found these 'what if?' scenarios, all very plausibly constructed, made for fascinating and highly entertaining reading. [1]

The authors and scenarios are as follows:

1) Paddy Griffith - A successful French invasion of Ireland by Hoche, 1796-7.

2) Charles Grant - Napoleon conquers Egypt & Syria, 1798-9.

3) Philip Haythornthwaite - Junot is victorious at Vimeiro, 1808

4) John Gill - The Austrians attack early, but are still defeated by a decisive Napoleon, 1809

5) Digby Smith - An alternative but equally bloody stalemate at Borodino, 1812, but with a very different outcome.

6) Jonathan North (Ed.) - The Grand Armée kicks Chichagov's butt at Minsk & Borisov, 1812.

7) John Gallagher - France wins the 1813 campaign, leading to a 2nd treaty of Tilsit!

8) Peter Hofschröer - Napoleon takes Brussels after Constant Rebeque follows Wellington's order to move on Nivelles, abandoning Quatre Bras, 1815.

9) Andrew Uffindell - A longer more complex and bloody two-day Waterloo, with a similar -yet radically different - outcome, 1815.

10) John Elting - Napoleon, regrouping at Quatre Bras, goes on to win the 1815 campaign.

Some of these alternate histories totally reverse events, as when Junot wins at Vimeiro, or Napoleon beats Wellington and Blücher in 1815. Others simply reach the same outcome via different routes, as when Napoleon defeats the Austrians in 1809, or is defeated after a two-day Waterloo. 

Lejeune's beautiful painting The Battle of Moscow, 7 Sept 1812 (1822). Known to us as Borodino, of course.

The Russian 1812 period has, for some time now, been my primary area of Napoleonic interest, so I found Digby Smith's alternate Borodino fascinating. Starting, as do all the accounts, from things as they really were, Smith begins changing things by allowing the Russians more forces and greater success in their northern flank attack, in which Platov's Cossacks harassed the French baggage train.

Whilst Smith has Napoleon stave off the worst of disaster that might've resulted in the areas of the field under his stepson Eugene, nevertheless the ultimate stalemate is worse for the French than it was on the actual day.

His account further diverges from real events in that, with heavier French losses, Napoleon chooses to overwinter in Smolensk. And from that point onwards Smith's alternate history takes a very radically different course.

One very intriguing point worthy of note, an aside by Smith described as a 'discordant footnote' to his imaginary history, is his reference to 'The slightly-unbalanced Bonapartist, Pierre d'Offshruere'. 

Pierre is the French form of Peter. Smith appears to be having a dig at 'revisionist' historian (as some call him) Peter Hofschröer. Hofschröer is, as it happens, a fellow contributor to this volume, and no stranger to intrigue. The world of Napoleonic literature is, like its subject, a scene of conflict! 

Editor Jonathan North contributes a second Russia 1812 piece, telling how Napoleon might've fared had he preserved the base and magazines at Minsk, and soundly thrashed Chichagov's army. This is another of those alternate realities that has very profoundly different outcomes for Europe and the world at large as a result. Very intriguing and entertaining indeed!

John Gallagher, the only contributor whose name I wasn't already acquainted with, offers us an 1813 campaign that, instead of ending with Allied victory at Leipzig, instead finds Napoleonic France re-ascendent, culminating in a second treaty at Tilsit. This was fascinating for me, as the 1813-14 campaigns are one of the areas of this era I'm least familiar with. Discerning fact from fiction was, for me, much harder!

William Sadler's depiction of Waterloo.

The book ends with three Waterloo related scenarios. Yes, three! Given the epoch-making and epoch-breaking significance of this particular battle that's not altogether surprising, perhaps.

Those who know the other Waterloo related works of Pierre d'Offshruere, um... sorry, Peter Hofschröer, might not be surprised by his 'what if' Waterloo finding Wellington worsted. Like all the scenarios in this book, it's both plausible and fun. Sensitive admirers of Wellington be warned, noses may be put out of joint!

Having struggled with (and thus far failed to finish) his Fields Of Glory, I was somewhat surprised that I found Andrew Uffindell's two-day Waterloo both one of the most convincing and most exciting of these accounts. 

On day one Napoleon pushes Wellington back on Waterloo village & the forest of Soignes, momentarily succeeding in his aim of separating the allies. 

But, despite Wellington dying on the second day, the Prussians, under the indefatigable Blücher, seal the gap and attack the spent French in ever-increasing force, also bolstered by elements arriving from Wellington's detached force at Hal, to the west. 

Not content with killing Wellington, Uffindell also has Napoleon slain, whilst sheltering in a square of the Old Guard, as the Armée du Nord is pulverised. With a welcome touch of humour he refers to revisionist controversies that question the 'Blücher myth'.

Hugely plausible, and hugely enjoyable. Well done Mr Uffindell, I doff my imaginary bicorne to your imaginary sanguinary scenario!

The Napoleon Options ends with a chapter by John Elting, the most novel-like, in terms of prose style, of the treatments of these 'captivating scenarios' [2]. 

Elting imagines that Napoleon not only successfully rallies his shattered forces at Quatre Bras, but then turns the tide on Wellington and Blücher, finally succeeding in his original aim of dividing and defeating them in detail. 

One senses a cheeky grin, and perhaps a gleam in Colonel Elting's eye, as his account ends thus: 'Military historians generally agree that Napoleon's post-Waterloo 1815 campaign was possibly the most brilliant of his entire career.' What fun!

I'd thoroughly and unhesitatingly recommend this book to wargamers and any other form of Napoleonic history buffs. 

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NOTES:

[1] Jonathan North's forward mentions Louis Geoffroy's pioneering work Histoire de la Monarchie universelle: Napoléon et la conquête du monde (1812–1832), which I first heard about in Zamoyski's excellent 1812. This has been translated and published in English, but is a rare expensive book. French versions can be found free online.

[2] Quoted from the dust jacket blurb.

Book Review: Gold From Crete - Forester

Plausible pulpy propaganda WWII action, inc. 'If Hitler Had Invaded England', from the author of the Hornblower Napoleonic naval novels.

Gold From Crete, which I bought very cheap in an old used Pan paperback edition (as pictured above) [1], is a very slight affair; nine short stories packed into just 190-odd pages. This is the first C S Forester I've read, and I was drawn to this book in particular because I'm fascinated by 'what if' scenarios regarding Operation Sealion [2], Hitler's mooted invasion plans for England. Apparently these stories were written while C S Forester was working in the US during the early years of the war, in a propaganda role, which explains the rather bombastic tone of patriotism. They weren't published in this collected form, however, until the early 1970s.

Cecil Louis Troughton Smith, AKA C S Forester.

Most of the nine very short stories - Gold From Crete, Dawn Attack, Depth Charge, Night Stalk, Intelligence and the Dumb Dutchman - are naval themed, which was Forester's preferred area of storytelling competence. There are three exceptions: Eagle Squadron is an air war story, concerning Spitfires vs. Messerchmitts; An Egg for the Major deals with tanks fighting against Italian forces in North Africa; and the final story is a more multifaceted piece on an imaginary invasion of England, which I'll address in a moment.

This is a rather odd little collection in some ways, as several of the stories seem related, inasmuch as the first five all feature a certain Capt. Crowe, engaged in various diverse nautical warfare scenarios aboard the HMS Apache, whilst the remainder of the stories are all unrelated standalone vignettes. The longest of these narratives is the final one, entitled If Hitler Had Invaded England. Like the piece that gives this collection it's title - and quite unlike the more cryptic/bizarre An Egg for the Major (this latter was perhaps the most fun to read) - this final tale does exactly 'what it says on the tin'.

The back of Paddy Griffith's head, as he briefs some of the operation Sealion 'kriegspielers' at Sandhurst, 1974.

I believe I once read somewhere that Forester based his Operation Sealion story on a wargame, or 'kriegspiel', played out at the Sandhurst officer training school after the war. Many wargamers will know of this legendary event, run by Paddy Griffiths, which was played out, in part, by genuine veteran officers of the Allied and Axis forces. 

I can't recall where I read of this connection, but I do know that both ended with a similar denouement. However, I believe that Forester's imagined account actually predates the Griffiths kriegspiel - it might've been written during the war? - and the 'novelisation' of the Sandhurst wargame was in fact done by Richard Cox. The latter can be seen (at the time of posting) here.

Anyway, in case you don't know the outcome of these imagined and reconstructed scenarios, I won't spoil it here. 

Whilst this is collection is certainly no literary masterpiece, the story of the Sea Lion invasion is a fascinating little imaginative experiment, and would remain such even if it had been based on the Sandhurst wargame. Whilst the brevity of the account means it's not enormously detailed, it's nevertheless clear Forester has researched his subject pretty well, resulting in a quite plausible sounding narrative. 

A British map of German plans for Operation Sealion.

Forester's literary skills - the narrative is peppered with imaginary news bulletins, and refers to imaginary versions of the kind of material (official records, memoirs, reference to post conflict battlefields) that flesh out real campaign narratives - turn his thought experiment into a story well enough written to sustain interest. But it is quite a short/slight affair. A fun quick read, it's whetted my appetite for more in depth treatments.

Before buying this, whilst reading about Forester generally, I felt quite tempted to start in on his Hornblower books, what with my particular interest in the Napoleonic era. But whilst these short stories were all very enjoyable enough to read, they were a bit too 'boys own action adventure' for me, peopled by rather dated stock stereotypes, and displaying a certain overly simplistic chest-beating patriotism I can't really relate to. 

Forester has German paratroopers landing successfully in his story.

A boat being converted for Operation Sealion. Forester follows the fate of such a vessel, inc. its cargo and commander in his narrative.

As alluded to above, this slant to the writing isn't so surprising in the light of C S Forester's role at the time, as a propaganda writer based in the US. But in more general stylistic terms, Forester's literary flavour reminded me of a slightly less exciting or accomplished Ian Fleming - fun but rather naff - the only major difference being that Forester's stories (as presented here, at any rate) are, despite the propaganda spin, somewhat more plausible than Fleming's 007 stuff. 

Whilst I won't be rushing into the Hornblower chronicles on the strength of reading these stories, I certainly would recommend Gold From Crete to anyone looking for wartime action and adventure of the pulpy throwaway variety - stirring fun for quiet afternoons! And if you're intrigued by alternative histories, then the piece on Hitler's invasion of England is certainly worth reading. 

A still - clearly reproduced from a printed source - from the Brownlow & Mollo film It Happened Here, a film I simply have to see (just ordered it!)

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NOTES:

[1] I got my copy via the Amazon UK 'marketplace'.

[2] Much as I'm fascinated by ideas around France and/or Napoleon's plans to invade Britain in the late 1790s, early 1800s.

Wargaming Media: Battleground - Part 5, Episode 6: Gettysburg

Episode 4: Gettysburg (1863)

Episode first aired 27/04/1978 - Players: Peter Gilder - Confederates; Paddy Griffith - Union.

'Ready, set...'

'Go!'This is, I think, quite an iconic image. The halo round the title is the bell of a bugle.

A reminder of what we're about to see.

EW: 'This is the last of our present series' [this kind of hints that there might've been hopes for more!] '...in six programmes we couldn't hope to cover the whole timespan of wargaming. I mean, let's face it, it runs from prehistoric to intergalactic fantasy.'

Returning from his more general introduction to the theme of this episode, Woodward notes that the ACW is 'hugely popular with wargamers. And the most famous battle of that time is probably Gettysburg, which was, in fact, the turning point...'

One of the posters for the Callan movie. No hint here of any wargames references, alas!

EW: 'A few years ago I made a film [Callan] in which I had to play a wargame, and Peter Gilder built the terrain for Gettysburg, for that film. After the production I bought it... You'll see it in a moment. I thought at the time it was rather special, and I think you'll agree with me.'

Though shalt not cover thy neighbour's table: yep, that's a desirable work of art.

Well yes, I'm sure we're all bound to agree, Gilder's troops and terrain are truly magnificent. And Woodward has finally answered conclusively the question of whether wargaming is a subject dear to his heart, or merely something he was hired to present as a 'famous face'. Quite clearly he bought the Gettysbury set-up (I read somewhere that Woodward wanted the whole lot, but Gilder wouldn't sell the figures, so Ed' only got the terrain [1]) because he loved it. 

 Ed as 'The Equalizer' (note American spelling!).

Ed as Sgt. Howie, in The Wicker Man, a cult classic.

I've long been a fan of Woodward, firstly for his portrayal of Sgt. Howie in The Wicker Man, and then for his role in The Equaliser, which I used to enjoy on TV as a kid. I love the webs of connections that what I term 'cultural archaeology' throws up: as a drummer myself, a fan of Stewart Copeland's playing with The Police, I like the fact that The Equaliser theme was by Copeland, in his role as a soundtrack composer. 

A black and white still from the (colour) Callan movie, showing Gilder's Gettysburg terrain.

There's also another funny connection, in that although Stewart Copeland is most famous for his role as founder member and drummer of The Police, he was one of several sons of Miles Copeland, a real life 'big cheese' in America's international espionage machinery! But, returning from yet another digression, my love for Woodward has multiplied exponentially with my discovery of Callan and Battleground, and his whole wargaming side.

Unlike most of the gamers, Woodward knows and loves the camera: 'C'm'ere son' he says, 'follow me!'

Woodward, consumate actor that he was, rest his soul, shows that it wasn't only Roger Moore whose eyebrows could command an acting salary of their own: pointing up, eyebrows raised.

Pointing down, eyebrows still raised. What a pro!

Woodward then gives a synopsis of the forthcoming scenario, in which he mentions that oft-cited and now semi-legendary bit of historical trivia, about how the the first of the Rebs to reach Gettysburg were in search of shoes! His summary comes to a close with Pickett's charge: '... they were massacred. The human toll was so great that the South never recovered... the Confederacy was doomed.'

Doc' Griffith gets down.

It's that Gilder again... has he ruptured something with all that stooping?

Next he introduces the players: Griffith is a senior lecturer at Sandhurst, where he was a developer of the wargaming used as part of the training of officers (can anyone tell me: was wargaming an official or unofficial part of the curriculum at Sandhurst?), and was a consultant for the series. Turning to Gilder, who we've already met in the Edgehill episode, Woodward drily notes: 'This time he's given himself a crafty advantage: they're his toys, his terrain, and he wrote the rules.'

Dispostion, dat position.

True to the shows formula, next we see the map: the Union are Blue, the Confederates are Red. The battle can be seen to be a very compressed version of, more or less, the whole historical battlefield area, excepting that we are only dealing with the long straight western flank, and not the 'Shepherd's crook' at the top, where the lines bent around Gettysburg, as, in the northern zone, the Rebs almost encircled the Union position. 

Taking stock.

The dance begins.

This obviously simplifies things considerably, which is eminently sensible. In a similar vein, no mention is made, as it is in the Gettysburg movie, of any Confederates ideas about turning the right flank. Consequently the tabletop version, as presented here, starts with Gettysburg in the north, and ends with Little Round Top in the south, with the two armies facing each other in simple linear formation, Johnny Reb, emerging from a line of woods, to attack the Yankee line ensconced on the heights.

PG 'These have got a fascination for rocks.'

The two PGs - PG = Peter Gilder, DrPG = Paddy Griffith - immediately settle into the gentle competitive bantering typical of a wargame table:

PG: 'Sensible, sensible... (Gen. Meade, the figure of whom Griffith is moving rearwards) going back to write the historic orders to retreat.'
DrPG: 'Well, we keep them up our sleeves, in case we need them later. But I don't anticipate that just at the moment.'

'...cavalry in melée at the bottom of Cemetery Hill…' Not what you're seeing!

Well, yes, now that is cavalry.

Some single-figure eye candy.

'The smoke gets in your eyes…'

Nice beard! Is this, perhaps, 'JEB' Stuart?

'Sound the attack!'

A well dressed Union line awaits orders. Didn't they hear the horn?

Another good beard. Hang on... Maybe this is 'JEB' Stuart?

Natty looking Zouaves.

In the mid-episode interludicule [2] we get to gawp at Gilder's gorgeous Gettysburg terrain and his adorable ACW armies. You can see why Woodward wanted to buy the lot after the making of Callan. 

At the mid point things look good for Gilder, especially in the Gettysburg/Cemetry Hill area at the top of the table, where Griffiths' cavalry are in rout.

Mid-way through the game: if either side appear to be in the ascendent, it's Gilder, at the top of the board.

As Gilder's cavalry chase off Griffiths retreating riders he quips about his troops having '…repeating shotguns!' 'Rubbish!' sniffs Woodward, superciliously, 'No such thing!'

Griffiths removes mounted cavalry stands...

... replacing them with dismounted sharpshooters.

Artillery and signals/observers.

PG: 'I would like you test the morale of the lads on the hill, if you wouldn't mind!' Gilder is, to use the proper ACW vernacular, 'licking' Griffiths' troops on Cemetery Hill.

Griffiths' Union cav rout off the field with PG's Rebs in hot pursuit.

DrPG: 'I'll get these greatcoats in position at last, this turn.'' PG: 'You can, if you wish, take your greatcoats off. I've no objection!'

EW: 'He's going to run the famous Stonewall Brigade up on the top of the hill.' PG crest the rise of Cemetery Hill... and thinks he's won!

Gilder's bullish approach - he'd started out strong, and had Griffiths on the run in several places - which had helped him rewrite history in the Waterloo episode, simply results in a swap here; from Pickett's original historical massacre, in the centre, to a suicidal rebel charge of Gilder's own making , at the northern end of the board. This time the carnage falls to Stonewall's troops, not Pickett's, who momentarily capture Cemetery Hill, only to be blasted off it and into rout.

PG: 'Have they got repeaters?' Peter realises he may have made a mistake, rushing in where even Rebel angels ought to fear to tread. EW: 'He's taken the hill; he may wish he hadn't. Paddy's pulled off quite a flanker!'

Dr Griffths' 's guns, on Peter's right flank, will enfilade him… oops!  

Suddenly the tables have turned: EW: That's done it!' PG: 'Keep a smiling face Gilder!… Eighteen throwing a 12…' 

Stonewall's Brigade takes over 50% casualties, figures reminiscent of real ACW battles! EW:  'They've really been massacred.'

PG: 'It's amazing how that changed round. I'm going back to Dixie.'
DrPG: 'I think I would change the history books, and have Gen. Meade making a counter-attack.'
PG: 'You would, wouldn't you! It comes out on a wargames table, the true nature of a man.'

Snipers in cover.

Yep, Gilder's ACW collection is smashing!

The Union flag flies high at battles end.

More troop and terrain eye-candy is paraded before the camera, backed by 'Battle Hymn of the Republic' and suitable sound-effects, before Woodward delivers his final summing up.

One die!

Two dice!!

I can see why they saved the Gettysburg episode till last: it's probably the best in both visual and dramatic respects. Consequently I've used more stills from this episode than any other. Above are two of the less dramatic stills, visually speaking. But, despite the inanity of looking at dice rolls on TV, it was a dice throw upon which this game hinged: with one volley the tide of the battle turned, as Stonewall's Brigade found their graves upon Cemetery hill.

Edward Woodward was a canny choice of presenter, as he had the skills to deliver the content, and the passion for the subject that ensures that it is exciting. In tribute to this, I'll let him close the fourth and final post in which I cover the actual surviving episodes.

EW: 'That was a near thing. But it was a well fought game. And it was interesting, because Peter and Paddy had never played each other before. Up till now we've seen wargamers who face each other across the table regularly, and over the years they get a pretty good idea of the tactical thinking they're up against.

But neither Paddy nor Peter had that help. And so they had to rely on their considerable knowledge of both history and wargaming.

And that is what it's all about. Given a set of rules, and the toys, anyone can start to wargame. To get the most out of it, you've got to love the history and want to know more.

We've only given you a keyhole view on what is becoming the fastest growing hobby in the world. It's not expensive, and it's very rewarding. And it's great fun. So you try. I hope to see you soon. Goodbye!'

EW: 'I hope to see you soon. Goodbye!' Gone, but not forgotten.

The final bit of eye-candy is a real mouthwatering treat.

[1] I can't recall where I read that. Nor can I remember where I read that, in fact, Gilder sold the Gettysburg terrain three times! How? Apparently he was given it back, twice!

[2] Blackadder, Ink & Incapability.

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