PIKE & SHOT'S THEORY AND PRACTICE 1676 DANEMARK

I have to admit that I always had problem to fully understand how in the practice worked the pike & shot unit during the XVII Century. I put this question and topic also in THE MINIATURE PAGE and I got some good tips, but still when I am working with my unit at 1:1 ratio I have my problems and doubts.

Top: here we have a Danish Battalion of the Bremer Regiment in the Scanian War (1676) at 1:1 ratio (about 300 papersoldiers); in this picture the unit is standing normally, with pikes up and marching archibusers.

Bottom: a better view of this fierce unit at the Battle of Halmstad 1676.

 What I decided to do in order to recreate the real fascionation of the battle was to produce also (more) papesoldiers, with different positions. In this case I made the first line of the unit with fighting arms. Using the magnets to hold them fast, it's quite simple to remove and substitute them (about 10 seconds) and the unit will be ready and the papersoldiers well held on the field

Bottom: I did the same with the pikes: so they are in the fighting position too. I had to remake the 100% of the pikes, for the reasons I will show you later.

Bottom: finally the same unit in the fighting position: 1 center unit with pike down on 4 files and 2 side units with muskets on 6 lines

..

Top: as aforementioned the problem is to understand how they will array in case of attack (infantry/cavalry). 
Having to extend the front of the pikes I moved also the 2 back rows to the front (for that reason I  had to remake the total of the pikes); I held 2 musketeers units behind, protectec, with 2 other shooting units were positioned on the side to cover the pikes from side attacks.
Bottom: a detail of the pikes.

 Bottom: complete vision of the supposed array (defensive)

Top: in the last picture the same unit in a defensive array against cavalry.
This is just an idea how it worked. Do you have tips on this topic?

WWII (BRICKS) GERMAN TANKS

I know, it's not paper, but bricks like LEGO were always my (other) passion.
I actually liked the way you can try to recreate an object with some basic stuff. At my epoch there was just LEGO and LEGO decided not ever to make any military stuff; therefore I always had to build by myself the prototypes. (all very politically - and Scandinavian - correct, I have to admit)

Last days I was in Poland and I popped in shop with the usual LEGO of STAR WARS and I just passed over. Then my eyes fell on this super German Tanks built by the (less politically correct but much more accururate) Polish company COBI that I strongly recommend for quality and precision in details.

This is the motor (rear) of a Panther G. Also the box is very amazing because it explains the historical datas.

 Top: a fantastic TIGER full of details. It looks simply amazing

Top: the Panther Tanks with MG gun and crew

The view is great: they really look top top.

Who designed them is someone that likes history and know how to build with blocks

I think images speak better that any comment. Well I ordered some more.
And what is also unbelievable is that the price is 1/3 or 1/4 of LEGO and quality is the same.
Well... no words to add simply "dziekuje" (thanks in Polish)

SAMURAI INVASION OF KOREA

It was time I was not anymore here.
Well it doesn't mean I was not plannig some new stuff to cut or new epoch to approach. I bought a Korean car (KIA) and so I moved my interest on the history of that country.
My attention was drawn by the not very known (for us) invasion of Korea in the XVII Century.
It was quite interesting to recreate the Korean Army, a Korean fortress.
Then I was touched by the beauty of the Japanese Samurai Army

I have to admit the effect is quite good!! I like the most the Ashigaru!

But also the light Korean infantry looks great; the archer was a hard cut!

This view form the top shows some mix of Japanese walls, Korean Gate and Osaka Castle (with different colours)

I loke the vision of the hand to hand fighting between this armies so full of colours and so distant!
I hope you enjoy too.
Next step will be flags and officers.

MY HISTORY - PROPORTION ISSUES: 1:1 vs 1:5 vs 1:10

One of the main result of papersoldiers is their low cost and possibility to put one next to the other.

For this reason I started firstly with a 1:20 proportion (1 papersoldier represents 20 real men), but it seemed to me really very limited as proportion (imagine that 1 battalion of 600 men would be represented by 30 soldiers. This can well happen with normal plastic/lmetal soldiers but the effect - let me say - is that of a little re-anactement of some friends from the same block.

Here below a little idea: very well painted and great. But a battalion is about 20 models!

So I moved on to the 1:10 proportion. I stuck to this proportion for a long period, considering it the best compromise between numbers, playability and visual impact.

Here below a picture of time ago with papersoldiers still little brimmed out.

Very funny to play with (this was the battle of Abensberg 1809), but still....

Then my - at the time - fiancée "suggested" me to downscale the proportion to 1:5; firstly I was totally against, because of the need of space required for this and the new job to be done.

Then I tried, even reducing the size of the soldiers (from 25mm to 15 mm), and I started with the Battle of Blennheim (1704)

Total vision of the troops attacking the Village of Blenheim at 1:5 ratio

Above the Hessian Brigade. Bottom the British brigade attacking the village of Blenheim.

Well the 1:5 proportion was a real good compromise: the number increased as the vision of the battle, even though it was quite easy to use on the tables.
Then, I told myself: "Why not to try to increase the numbers, glueing the papersoldiers quite close.

So I passed to a 1:1 proportion with battalions increasing the width to 70 cm each! Bottom

 

Top: Battle of Lund December 1676 The Lvregiment of the Danish Army at 1:1 ratio 

Bottom: Battle of Leuthen - Decmber 1757 Prussian Hussars: Zieten Regiment

 

Bottom: close fighting between Swedes and Danish at the Battle of Halmstad 1676. 1:1 Ratio.

Bottom: Major commanding a coloumn of the Novgorod Regiment the morning of the Battle of Austerlitz - December 1805. 1:1 Ratio

Bottom: the night at the village of Leuthen. 1:1 Ratio

You have to admit that the effect is quite different!

So followint this path I started to project battles with 1:1 ratio, and writing rules for wargaming without dice.
But lately, I realized how huge is my project as dimensions: tableboard at least 10 meter X 3 meter and so on.
So I tried to come back and using the tight space that I am already using for glueing the papersoldiers at 1:1 ratio, I did 1 battalion at 1:5 and 1:10
Here the pictures:
1) here at 1:10 ratio: about 58 papersoldiers i.2. 580 real men.
I preferred to array them in 2 rows, trying to give the real idea of a battalion of the epoch

 Top; as you can see the papersoldiers are very close one to the other.

 Bottom: here a battalion at ratio 1:5. About 120 papersoldiers in 2 rowsi.e. 600 real men

 Top: The effect is quite good and manageble
Bottom: I tried also to array in 3 rows but I think in this way it lacks of reality.

 So I came back to the 2 rows battalion

 My dream would be to recreate the - just as a start - the battle of Leuthen at 1:5 ratio!