Great wargame, I just find it hard to believe that 2 divisions would be pulled out of the operation on its fourth day. Also, even if those orders arrived, they wouldn't just abandon their lines and leave a huge gap in the frontline. They would wait to be relieved in their positions.
I do agree that the two airborne division probably would not have been pulled or at the very least, could have delayed that move for 48 hours due to being “engaged”.
Agreed, and this was very impactful in the game. But...that said...there is ample historical evidence that Hitler was most reluctant to send German troops for this operation. And given how well the Axis were doing at the time, it's not out of bounds to consider that Hitler would have seen this as an ideal time to rotate the Germans out and rotate some fresh Italians into the line. North Africa has to be considered here as well--Rommel at this time was pushing into Egypt and always clamoring for more, more, more!
@@LittleWarsTV It's the least realistic element of the game. Bordering on the incredible. The panic over the impending arrival of the RN, on the other hand, feels much more realistic (even if it does rather overestimate the air power of Force H), which would have been outclassed by the Axis land-based aircraft (as Operation Pedestal graphically demonstrated)
@@LittleWarsTV That is a good point and something to consider. I do think a delay of 1 turn should occur from time of notification to allow for the rotation of the unit out of the line and to conduct passage of lines operations.
Being a Maltese historian and geologist, there are some points I would like to raise. 1 the south coast of Malta is next to impossible to land troops at. Other than 2 well defended deep valleys which meet the coast in the roughest of fashions, there is no way one can land troops, let alone equipment. 2 the Maltese are historically stubborn. They themselves wont surrender their towns and villages without a fight, which will atleast slow down the advance. 3 there was an entire airfield in the southwest of the island at siggiewi during ww2 which you missed to mention and consider. 4. There was an amphibious airplane base at the marsaxlokk bay. Thank you for showing interest in this "what could have been" battle regarding my country.
1. Yes as long as you dont land in the fishing villages 2. I life in Malta and they would have surrendered very quickly as the stomach full and the english boot out of the neck would have been enough...3. Yep could be suppressed with the Luftwaffe and the Regia Aeronautica 4. Would not have made a difference - The biggest difference would have been the Valetta Fortification and how quick the royal navy can provide shore bombardement, if the Airforce was supressed it would have been "happy days" for the He-111 and Ju88´s
@@michaelfinger6303 There are no fishing villages along that part of the coast, the Dingli cliffs. The Maltese probably wouldn't have fought the axis front on, but the air raids had made them come to hate the Germans and Italians, so I'm pretty sure they would have at least disrupted supplies and communication for the Axis as much as they could.
@@michaelfinger6303 I mean my grandparents lived through WW2 in Malta, and they share the sentiment that Mel brought up. The Maltese would have fought back to some degree - perhaps even on the level seen during the Great Siege of Malta. Granted, it likely would not have made any decisive differences since it would be civilian militias at best, but it would likely have slowed the advance and maybe even opened to door to sabotague, spying and maybe even spreading rumours to demoralise the enemy.
@@randomgamer7799 If any militia would have been mounted and arms would be available to be spared, we are talking here about a 5 day operation and within 5 days nothing would have happened, afterwards as long as food arrived business would be as usual...
@@andymoore9977 No they don't. In fact most of the Home Guard was made up of middle-aged WW1 veterans. Not people who were bumbling battle incompetents. Still, a P14 rifle and bayonet can get your average Nazi paratrooper out of your privy in the garden, even when he is dressed as a nun!
@@simoncampbell-smith6745 One thing I only found out recently was that a lot of anti aircraft batteries were manned (personed) by the Home Guard. Working as civilians all day then on duty ail night. Amazing commitment. Another footnote is that female mainstream army gunners were paid much less than their male counterparts.
As a born Maltese I am not only shocked but proud about this map, very impressed and as I am still learning all about this new hobby, I love how detailed it can get ❤️🇲🇹
I feel like I say this every episode, but this has to have been the highest production quality yet. While the battle wasn't necessarily the largest or the most intense that this channel has done, the overall polish has grown by leaps and bounds over the past few years. I love it!
Totally agreed, but would love to see some more of the board. It's a beautiful map recreation and I think it would be awesome to get a more comprehensive look at the gameboard. The battle lines are so fun to look at and although I love your history cuts and explanations I'd really like to see more of the war game! Just a suggestion! But I'm just one idiot on the internet!
@@LittleWarsTV You are far too modest! Beyond the absolutely stellar table, you manage to present a 6-hour wargame in under 25 minutes - showcasing some tough tactical decisions, rule highlights, and tense fog-of-war elements - while also overviewing the historical situation. One of your best!!
What effect do you think Axis conquest of Malta would have on the war ? Churchill said it would have had "the most grave consequences" but then again I've heard him say that about a lot of events and alternate scenarios.
In the alternate history book "Hitler Triumphant, by Peter Tsouras, there's a chapter about Malta. "For Want of an Island" by John D. Butt explores the fall of Malta, and it's effect. In his scenario, instead of invasion, Malta is forced to surrender for lack of food, after one supply convoy after another meant for Malta is sunk or driven off by the Axis air forces. The Axis forces in North Africa are still defeated, but it takes longer and is more costly. Political and military events cascade from there, eventually making the Americans push for a 1943 cross channel attack on France, which ultimately flounders and fails.
Perhaps "the most grave consequence" Churchill might have been thinking of was in terms of his own political career. He came to be Prime Minister with a lot of political baggage. He was not well liked or trusted by at least some of the elite British political class. 1942 was a tough year for the British military, with a string of significant defeats. Losing Malta might have been the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back, that could lead to a "vote of no confidence" in Parliament and his removal and replacement.
@@PMMagro Eh, I mean it was in our timeline, but the Germans themselves could have not made catastrophic mistakes that sped up their defeat i.e. the splitting of Army Group South. Had they not done so, Soviet defeat at Stalingrad is practically guaranteed. I come to such conclusion after watching TIK's highly detailed videos about the battle and how the Germans struggled to capture 95% of the city without any reserves, had they had reserves then they would have captured Stalingrad much earlier and have been prepared for Operation Uranus. Since Panzer armies were hundreds of miles south in the Caucuses, they had no answer to the Soviet November offensive.
Fantastic game. One of the things that is little recorded is the stubborn resistance at the airfields in Crete by RAF ground crew. They inflicted casualties on the paratroopers and allowed RAF aircraft to withdraw. An ad hoc Squadron (company) at each airfield of the plucky RAF boys would make for a bit of flavour on Malta.
The RAF Regiment was a very scary prospect for any would be airfield attackers. The RAF Regiment defending an air field against paratroops would make a great skirmish wargame.
I was just having a crappy week. COVID, cancelling events and meetings, etc... then I saw this video got uploaded. I'm just gonna say all of the bad stuff was last week...
Nice terrain map. I developed Air Assault on Crete and the bonus game Invasion of Malta for the designer, Vance von Borries, when I was VP for R&D for the Avalon Hill Game Company a thousand years ago. I always thought that Malta--and the entire Mediterranean Campaign in general--has been largely ignored by wargame designers. Wonderful effort!
I’ve been fortunate enough to play in Bruce’s games a couple times at Historicon. They are always beautiful and Bruce himself is a true gentleman that really makes the games enjoyable. I’m jealous that I won’t make it out this year for the show.
We'll have a full show report. Bruce's games are always a highlight. A couple years ago he ran a Kasserine Pass scenario using the same rules and it was also stunning.
The board was truly glorious though the miniatures seemed a bit lost on the huge play area. The rules seem quick and playable. I thought the end of the game was anti-climatic, the Axis was done in by the game design not any decision they made. Removing the best Axis troops from the center while engaged with the enemy seemed a forced decision to balance the game for the undermanned British.
Bruce designed the scenario and I agree that it seems he was trying to use the random events table as a way to represent some realities that were out of control of the Axis players BUT also as a scenario balancing tool. The British are hopelessly outmatched on paper. Their only chance was (1) help from the Royal Navy; (2) Hitler interfering with poor micromanagement; (3) Italian disaster in scaling the cliffs along Famagusta. So Bruce made charts to represent all three of those variables. He's run a couple additional playtests since our game and adjusted the charts to be less punitive for the Axis.
@@LittleWarsTV All about balance. A forgone conclusion game is rarely worth testing. "What if's" are fascinating. If Hitler had invaded Spain (perhaps called a 'special operation') the 'what if' Malta would never have been on the table. With Gibraltar Hitler would have owned the 'Med'.
@@LittleWarsTV This makes total sense from a gaming perspective but does it historically represent the what if?? For example, if on paper the British stood little chance than the historical conclusion and message to draw might be that yes it most likely would have worked and change the events of the North African War, even though it would not be a very enjoyable game to play??? Also the victory conditions can always be changed to represent the realities of the battle. For example, I watched a wonderful battle of the Alamo at a convention. The Texans won the game by simple holding out X amount of turns, NOT winning the actual battle as there was no end to Mexican troops coming on each turn. That said I agree with others, great looking game, very interesting and well done!!!
And the British have jets! (20.15). Don't pay any attention to me guys. Putting together these large game reports is a fine achievement, and I enjoyed the whole thing. Very well done.
Beautiful table and game! In addition to the "would two divisions really have been precipitously withdrawn from the fight?" question highlighted by others, I wonder if the rules were also overly generous about what could be landed and sustained on those particular (generally very rocky) beaches. The landing craft losses could have been horrendous, even without much immediate local resistance.
Indeed - and if you've ever been to Malta you'll know that pretty much the entire countryside of the island is made up of small rocky fields surrounded by drystone walls. There'd have been a horrendous number of minor and major injuries amongst the parachutists before anyone even started shooting at them.
The landings wouldn't have been as easy as you make it out to be. Where the Italians selected for their landings there are almost continuous cliffs, with no small docks or ports or beaches for supplies. They would have fought only with the weapons they could climb a cliff with till they took a port or airfield, leaving them severely outgunned by the British, who would have had rifles and LMGs, compared to the Germans and Italians with Pistols and SMGs.
Superb table and game. However, careful reading of the history would suggest that the FJ and Folgore were not withdrawn to Africa as claimed but were in fact cut up in their trenches by Maltese housewives in search of parachute silk - a fact the Fuhrer and Il Duce well wanted to conceal. Surprisingly this is only a moderate exaggeration. Silk was indeed highly sought after on the island as very little non essential supplies like cloth was getting through and there are several cases where Axis pilots had to be rescued by British AA gunners before the local women did them in with kitchen implements. My in laws were from Malta and were newly married when the worst of the bombing began. What the Maltese people went through is nearly unfathomable and their bravery and endurance was truly heroic. Thank you Bruce and the Little Wars crew. Pastizzi and Kinnie all around!
Historically on 10th August 1942 the Pedestal Convoy passaged the Straits of Gibraltar. The convoy and assorted escorts totaled 1 fast tanker; 13 fast freighters with escort including 4 aircraft carriers, 2 battleships (16-inch guns), 7 light cruisers, 36 destroyers, 2 ocean tugs, 4 corvettes....
But despite all that, nearly every ship in the convoy was sunk or turned back, and the one that did arrive was so severely damaged that it had to be held up by two destroyers, and sank shortly afterwards. The Italian navy fought many actions with the Royal Navy and won several of them. They were committed to a "Fleet in being" strategy but the prize of Malta was worth risking their fleet and I don't see the Italians running away because the RN showed up. Having said all that, look what happened in Operation Citadel - the German commanders thought they were winning despite Prokorhovka etc when the Allies landed in Sicily and Hitler decided to pull out the spearhead divisions, even though there was no chance of them arriving in Sicily in time. I don't see Hitler being unwilling to commit his paratroopers once they were on the ground, after all there were many parachute divisions used in ground operations after this time. The Germans had a special unit of Russian tanks - KV-1's and T-34's - which they planned to use for this operation.
@@VirgoShelter USS Wasp carried out two aircraft ferry missions to fly off fighters to Malta. The April mission USS Wasp launched 47 spitfire fighters and the May mission USS Wasp launched 47 Spitfire fighters,
Fantastic work by Bruce, that has to be one of the best wargaming tables I’ve ever seen. Plus the in depth research of the operation lead to a brilliant “what if” battle. I was in Malta in June and the terrain is spot on.
The table looks amazing. But that in-game rule of rolling to check if the axis player removes two divisions is ridiculously unrealistic, it baffles the mind with how ilogical it is. Especially since the Fuhrer was such a diehard hold-the-front-at-all-costs type of strategist.
Even if he put them out they shouldn't had left the island immediately by art of magic, they needed to move hence giving time for a rotation with italian reinforcements
I played a large game like this once [with a real mix of experiences amongst the players] - We, the Axis, were allowed to spread our troops more over the Island so it made it much easier to isolate the Island Garrison. Supply for the Axis wasn't a huge factor as we can see the difference in this great game.
Fantastic table and great game. Agree that the sudden withdrawal of two axis divisions seems to be a bit stretched, but anyway. Just one small geographical point. There is(and never was) no place called ‘Birzebbu Port’. The correct name is Birzebbugia. From a Maltese guy 😊
I love stumbling across channels like this. Sometimes UA-cam recommends some weird channels, but then it goes and recommends channels like this and it makes me appreciate UA-cams crazy, nonsensical algorithm
Awesome table and game! As a Maltese man and history enthusiast, I really appreciate the effort. We have similar models in our multiple war museums on the island, you should definetly visit! 😃
What an incredible scenario and game! The board is absolutely amazing. A Herculean effort by your host to make that possible! Thanks for showing the stuff gaming dreams are made of.
That's cool stuff, glad I discovered your channel! My older brother would play Avalon Hill board games in the 1970s, I have not seen it done much since. Memories, thanks for the war game!
What I really liked about seeing this was that the Art of War Maxim on deception is vividly demonstrated: "All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when we are able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must appear inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near." Making the Axis believe the RN is approaching forces them into a defensive posture while on the cusp of victory. If you can then surprise them when they're not expecting you, you can deliver a decisive and crushing defeat.
I disagree with the dissent with the pullback of the elite troops. The Maltese invasion coincided with the North African campaign and North Africa would always be prioritized and especially since its together with Rommel's counterattack. It was a good mechanic but the players rolled such badluck since they immediately had to pullback and rolled the worst possible roll with the rumors.
The navy was ok, but the withdrawal was badly executed, they should had immobilize them or something like that to put them out later and if the axis moved right then they shouldn't at least be left with a huge gap in the middle
As someone with a Maltese Grandmother, (who I never met), I've often wondered what would have happened. Great table, great game and the rules look very interesting too. Oh, Spoiler Alert; If the Ottomans couldn't take Malta, the Italian Army of the day certainly couldn't, (and not a dig at italians, they once ruled the world).
My Maltese grandfather worked as engineer at the docks, and my grandmother at the admiralty. They remembered the relentless bombing raids, fuel and food shortages. It got pretty desparate.
I found this super interesting! I love historical battle games and I live in Malta so this was right up my ally. Just FYI some of your pronunciations of locations are off but Maltese is a very difficult language so you're forgiven lol. Loved this thanks guys.
The other thing the Germans had for this operation that not many know about is 20 KV-2's that was shipped to Germany and then held in a depot in southern Austria, they was to be loaded on freighters and then offloaded when the harbor was taken and so used against the said strong points all along the islands beaches and interior.
Brilliant video and a fascinating what if. I have been playing Malta Besieged by Worthington Games, a solo board game about the same conflict. Thank you
Great episode! I like the actual play videos much more than the travelogue/history reviews. I'm sure they're much more labor intensive, but I love them! Amazing table. Just one note: maybe it's just my system but the narration audio levels are all over the place. I was constantly chasing the volume button.
Saw this, and started to question this scenario. The first and obvious problem is the cliff landing. From a local point of view, the Dingli cliffs are very high, 250m above sea-level to be exact, which is equivalent to 76 storeys. Second, even if they managed to "James bond" the cliffs, there is an airfield at Qrendi, so basically landing paratroopers ain't no easy task. Third factor is the population. The area mentioned is surrounded by at least 4 towns. These towns are surrounded by fields in which case, any farmer seeing this happening, will quickly sound the alarm. Fourth factor is that the enemy would have met resistance from some if not all the locals immediately. Case in point, downed enemy airman that survived, would have been treated harshly by the locals and only the intervention of the police and army would their lives be spared. Fifth factor being fortifications. Malta can be considered as a fortified nation. During the time of the Knights of St.John, entrenchments, Redoubts, batteries and towers have been built along the coast, and it didn't stop there. After they surrendered to the French in 1798 and then we kicked them off with the help of the British in 1800, by the 1880s they began to build up modern fortifications. Benghajsa was built around 1910 and the last fortification built was a large anti aircraft fortification in 1937-38 called Fort Campbell in Mellieha. Malta was also surrounded by 200 pilboxes. Had the tried from the North, they would have a hard time trying to cross the Victoria lines, which runs from Bingemma to Madaliena. In short, that is half the country devided from North to South. The last factor would be the Harbour area. Valletta is quite well fortified and so is its suburb Floriana. To top it all off, the Grand Harbour is protected by the British built Corradino lines, the Old cities of Birgu and Isla and behind that, two massive fortifications from the Knights period. These are the Cottonera lines and inside is the Santa Margerita lines. Between them is the Saint Clement retrenchment and on the Santa Margarita lines, there's also Fort Verdala. Up to the NE, there's Fort Ricasoli at the tip and back on the Cottonera lines, one of its Bastions is also a Fort. Marsamxett Harbour is also fortified by Forts Manoel and Tigne. As one may have noticed by now, is Malta is like Tortuga when it comes to Fortifications, only its in the Mediterranean and not in the tropics of the Caribbean. The only things in favour to this invasion is the small valleys that the cliffs break from. Even there, there are issues, Wied iz-Zurrieq is a small fishing village with a tower and Wied Znuber has a stopgap built in it. So yeah, easy to invade.
@@Gustav_Kuriga Not if you are in Malta. Based from our history, in the 1400s, there was a Militia called "Tad-Dejma". The Dejma consisted of Maltese men aged from 16 to 65. These were located in every town and village. Once an alarm is sounded, they all met next to a cross that bares the same name and could be found across the islands. We also fought alongside side the Knights against the Ottomans in the Great Siege of 1565. They were Civilians and local fighting men. We fought against the French with the help of the British During the blockade from 1798 to 1800. There were Civilians who thrown out Colonel Masson from the balcony in Mdina. This happened just three months after the French occupation started, because they began to loot the churches and this angered the then heavily religious Maltese. As for the POWs? Well, turns out they were spared, just TWO YEARS AFTER THE WAR ENDED!!!. So no, I'm not overestimating how my ancestors would react. You might be correct on how they would react if an Invasion occurred today, because a quarter of the people just aren't proud to be Maltese. But not the Maltese of old. They had the balls of steel like the Brits during the Blitz!
@@Gustav_Kuriga Even though nowadays there is more 'closeness' to Italy, during the War that sentiment was not a thing at all for the most part. The Maltese would have definitely defended Malta - likely offering a scenario with civilian militia, sabotague and maybe even trying to cause doubts within the Axis camps via rumours etc... There is a reason why Malta was awarded the George Cross. We were bombarded consistently and whole towns turned to rubble and nearly starved into submission - but still the Maltese did not surrender. Malta may have been colonised several times throughout history, but whenever we have been invaded, the locals have always aggressively defended against and defied them.
@@LittleWarsTV lol his website makes reference to possible release in August 2021... but based on the fact it also says your visit was 2021 I'm alas thinking it might be a typo lol. How easy were they to pick up? Many pages long?
Couple of us got into a hex map based game based on the Battle for Crete. Took Germ for one, Brits for second. Carl and me vs Steve and Joe. Won marginally first one. We still had strong forces intact for second one holding southern half. Trash talk got intense at times.
I have stood on those western cliffs looking down and the drop off is no joke. Sheer vertical face right down to the sea. I find it hard to believe that any amphib landings could take place on that southwest coast.
As a Maltese person who is well versed in history, I found some problems with this, despite its many correct judgements. Firstly, it is almost impossible to land troops on the western side of the island due to cliffs. Secondly, in the summer, the heat would be too hard to bear, especially with high humidity preventing troops from cooling down adequately, and heatstroke and malfunctions in equipment would ensue. Finally, convoys supplying the island were always defended by some destroyers or other warships, which would have aided in the defence.
Really enjoyed this game. The table upon which it is played is truly superb. I have long had an interest in the Malta Campaign and have spent time on the southern coast looking over the designated Axis landing area. I do share the qualms about Hitler pulling troops away from the operation so soon after its opening. I think, despite his misgivings, he would not have done this. Also, the Axis generally had horrendous supply and logistics problems in the Med and in Africa which may have meant that they would have been unable to pull troops off Malta while continuing with the assault. The limitations in logistics was a significant reason why the assault never happened; there simply wasn’t enough transport to supply both Rommel’s offensive in Africa and a Malta invasion. I also think that you have underestimated the quality of the British defenders of Malta. While the infantry battalions were largely untested as you said, and were under-nourished, and had shed some of their best officers to other units fighting in the desert, they were pre-war regular army battalions containing large numbers of professional soldiers. Such units have always fought well in most armies. Subsequently 231st brigade performed very well on Sicily, as did the battalions of 234th brigade despite being badly handled on Kos and Leros. Also, all battalions were very well dug in, with concrete bunkers and a had a high number of automatic weapons. Using the invasions of Crete, Kos and Leros as references, I personally doubt the invasion would have succeeded. Great game though, and full marks for trying it!!
One of your best videos yet! At first, I was uncertain because the map looked so big, but as it went on I got into the the story and was cheering for a British defeat.
Great wargame, I just find it hard to believe that 2 divisions would be pulled out of the operation on its fourth day. Also, even if those orders arrived, they wouldn't just abandon their lines and leave a huge gap in the frontline. They would wait to be relieved in their positions.
I do agree that the two airborne division probably would not have been pulled or at the very least, could have delayed that move for 48 hours due to being “engaged”.
Well said!
Agreed, and this was very impactful in the game. But...that said...there is ample historical evidence that Hitler was most reluctant to send German troops for this operation. And given how well the Axis were doing at the time, it's not out of bounds to consider that Hitler would have seen this as an ideal time to rotate the Germans out and rotate some fresh Italians into the line. North Africa has to be considered here as well--Rommel at this time was pushing into Egypt and always clamoring for more, more, more!
@@LittleWarsTV It's the least realistic element of the game. Bordering on the incredible. The panic over the impending arrival of the RN, on the other hand, feels much more realistic (even if it does rather overestimate the air power of Force H), which would have been outclassed by the Axis land-based aircraft (as Operation Pedestal graphically demonstrated)
@@LittleWarsTV That is a good point and something to consider. I do think a delay of 1 turn should occur from time of notification to allow for the rotation of the unit out of the line and to conduct passage of lines operations.
Being a Maltese historian and geologist, there are some points I would like to raise.
1 the south coast of Malta is next to impossible to land troops at. Other than 2 well defended deep valleys which meet the coast in the roughest of fashions, there is no way one can land troops, let alone equipment.
2 the Maltese are historically stubborn. They themselves wont surrender their towns and villages without a fight, which will atleast slow down the advance.
3 there was an entire airfield in the southwest of the island at siggiewi during ww2 which you missed to mention and consider.
4. There was an amphibious airplane base at the marsaxlokk bay.
Thank you for showing interest in this "what could have been" battle regarding my country.
1. Yes as long as you dont land in the fishing villages 2. I life in Malta and they would have surrendered very quickly as the stomach full and the english boot out of the neck would have been enough...3. Yep could be suppressed with the Luftwaffe and the Regia Aeronautica 4. Would not have made a difference - The biggest difference would have been the Valetta Fortification and how quick the royal navy can provide shore bombardement, if the Airforce was supressed it would have been "happy days" for the He-111 and Ju88´s
@@michaelfinger6303 There are no fishing villages along that part of the coast, the Dingli cliffs. The Maltese probably wouldn't have fought the axis front on, but the air raids had made them come to hate the Germans and Italians, so I'm pretty sure they would have at least disrupted supplies and communication for the Axis as much as they could.
@@michaelfinger6303 I mean my grandparents lived through WW2 in Malta, and they share the sentiment that Mel brought up. The Maltese would have fought back to some degree - perhaps even on the level seen during the Great Siege of Malta. Granted, it likely would not have made any decisive differences since it would be civilian militias at best, but it would likely have slowed the advance and maybe even opened to door to sabotague, spying and maybe even spreading rumours to demoralise the enemy.
@@randomgamer7799 If any militia would have been mounted and arms would be available to be spared, we are talking here about a 5 day operation and within 5 days nothing would have happened, afterwards as long as food arrived business would be as usual...
Whatever Maltese militia that was raised on the island would've stood no chance against actually trained fully equipped German and Italian diviaions.
More what ifs please!!! Love this! Love to sea a sea-lion what if!
Oh yes, that would be a fun one to play!
@@LittleWarsTV I would love that too. I come from the South Coast of England. Trust me the fighting would have been fanatical.
@@simoncampbell-smith6745 'They don't like it up em'!
@@andymoore9977 No they don't. In fact most of the Home Guard was made up of middle-aged WW1 veterans. Not people who were bumbling battle incompetents. Still, a P14 rifle and bayonet can get your average Nazi paratrooper out of your privy in the garden, even when he is dressed as a nun!
@@simoncampbell-smith6745 One thing I only found out recently was that a lot of anti aircraft batteries were manned (personed) by the Home Guard. Working as civilians all day then on duty ail night. Amazing commitment.
Another footnote is that female mainstream army gunners were paid much less than their male counterparts.
As a born Maltese I am not only shocked but proud about this map, very impressed and as I am still learning all about this new hobby, I love how detailed it can get ❤️🇲🇹
I feel like I say this every episode, but this has to have been the highest production quality yet. While the battle wasn't necessarily the largest or the most intense that this channel has done, the overall polish has grown by leaps and bounds over the past few years. I love it!
Thanks! We are always trying to improve upon our rudimentary production skills here!
Totally agreed, but would love to see some more of the board. It's a beautiful map recreation and I think it would be awesome to get a more comprehensive look at the gameboard. The battle lines are so fun to look at and although I love your history cuts and explanations I'd really like to see more of the war game! Just a suggestion! But I'm just one idiot on the internet!
@@LittleWarsTV You are far too modest! Beyond the absolutely stellar table, you manage to present a 6-hour wargame in under 25 minutes - showcasing some tough tactical decisions, rule highlights, and tense fog-of-war elements - while also overviewing the historical situation. One of your best!!
What effect do you think Axis conquest of Malta would have on the war ?
Churchill said it would have had "the most grave consequences" but then again I've heard him say that about a lot of events and alternate scenarios.
In the alternate history book "Hitler Triumphant, by Peter Tsouras, there's a chapter about Malta. "For Want of an Island" by John D. Butt explores the fall of Malta, and it's effect. In his scenario, instead of invasion, Malta is forced to surrender for lack of food, after one supply convoy after another meant for Malta is sunk or driven off by the Axis air forces.
The Axis forces in North Africa are still defeated, but it takes longer and is more costly. Political and military events cascade from there, eventually making the Americans push for a 1943 cross channel attack on France, which ultimately flounders and fails.
North Africa was a side show. 1942 the Axis timer was already dangerously low/desperate. Malta whould noy hjave been enough to turn the rising tide.
Perhaps "the most grave consequence" Churchill might have been thinking of was in terms of his own political career. He came to be Prime Minister with a lot of political baggage. He was not well liked or trusted by at least some of the elite British political class. 1942 was a tough year for the British military, with a string of significant defeats. Losing Malta might have been the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back, that could lead to a "vote of no confidence" in Parliament and his removal and replacement.
@@PMMagro Eh, I mean it was in our timeline, but the Germans themselves could have not made catastrophic mistakes that sped up their defeat i.e. the splitting of Army Group South. Had they not done so, Soviet defeat at Stalingrad is practically guaranteed. I come to such conclusion after watching TIK's highly detailed videos about the battle and how the Germans struggled to capture 95% of the city without any reserves, had they had reserves then they would have captured Stalingrad much earlier and have been prepared for Operation Uranus. Since Panzer armies were hundreds of miles south in the Caucuses, they had no answer to the Soviet November offensive.
@@dongilleo9743 if I remember right in that scenario the soviets still do pretty well, the allies just get a MUCH smaller free Europe
Fantastic game. One of the things that is little recorded is the stubborn resistance at the airfields in Crete by RAF ground crew. They inflicted casualties on the paratroopers and allowed RAF aircraft to withdraw. An ad hoc Squadron (company) at each airfield of the plucky RAF boys would make for a bit of flavour on Malta.
The RAF Regiment was a very scary prospect for any would be airfield attackers. The RAF Regiment defending an air field against paratroops would make a great skirmish wargame.
Brilliant game! Fabulous table! Outstanding episode once gain. Thanks chaps!
If you are the same Charles R who makes the fabulous wargaming tables such as Arnhem then you are up there as another brilliant battlefield maker!
I was just having a crappy week. COVID, cancelling events and meetings, etc... then I saw this video got uploaded. I'm just gonna say all of the bad stuff was last week...
Happy to hear the game could bring some joy to the week!
When lindybiege was in Malta, showcasing the ww2 defenses, I thought that it would make a really cool what if? This is perfect.
Nice terrain map. I developed Air Assault on Crete and the bonus game Invasion of Malta for the designer, Vance von Borries, when I was VP for R&D for the Avalon Hill Game Company a thousand years ago. I always thought that Malta--and the entire Mediterranean Campaign in general--has been largely ignored by wargame designers. Wonderful effort!
Love the Red Dawn shirt! Game looks unbelievably awesome!!!!
I’ve been fortunate enough to play in Bruce’s games a couple times at Historicon. They are always beautiful and Bruce himself is a true gentleman that really makes the games enjoyable. I’m jealous that I won’t make it out this year for the show.
We'll have a full show report. Bruce's games are always a highlight. A couple years ago he ran a Kasserine Pass scenario using the same rules and it was also stunning.
The board was truly glorious though the miniatures seemed a bit lost on the huge play area. The rules seem quick and playable. I thought the end of the game was anti-climatic, the Axis was done in by the game design not any decision they made. Removing the best Axis troops from the center while engaged with the enemy seemed a forced decision to balance the game for the undermanned British.
Bruce designed the scenario and I agree that it seems he was trying to use the random events table as a way to represent some realities that were out of control of the Axis players BUT also as a scenario balancing tool. The British are hopelessly outmatched on paper. Their only chance was (1) help from the Royal Navy; (2) Hitler interfering with poor micromanagement; (3) Italian disaster in scaling the cliffs along Famagusta. So Bruce made charts to represent all three of those variables. He's run a couple additional playtests since our game and adjusted the charts to be less punitive for the Axis.
@@LittleWarsTV All about balance. A forgone conclusion game is rarely worth testing. "What if's" are fascinating. If Hitler had invaded Spain (perhaps called a 'special operation') the 'what if' Malta would never have been on the table. With Gibraltar Hitler would have owned the 'Med'.
@@LittleWarsTV This makes total sense from a gaming perspective but does it historically represent the what if?? For example, if on paper the British stood little chance than the historical conclusion and message to draw might be that yes it most likely would have worked and change the events of the North African War, even though it would not be a very enjoyable game to play??? Also the victory conditions can always be changed to represent the realities of the battle. For example, I watched a wonderful battle of the Alamo at a convention. The Texans won the game by simple holding out X amount of turns, NOT winning the actual battle as there was no end to Mexican troops coming on each turn. That said I agree with others, great looking game, very interesting and well done!!!
And the British have jets! (20.15). Don't pay any attention to me guys. Putting together these large game reports is a fine achievement, and I enjoyed the whole thing. Very well done.
I am maltese. I always wondered if some had ever made such a table. Stunning 💪
Beautiful table and game! In addition to the "would two divisions really have been precipitously withdrawn from the fight?" question highlighted by others, I wonder if the rules were also overly generous about what could be landed and sustained on those particular (generally very rocky) beaches. The landing craft losses could have been horrendous, even without much immediate local resistance.
Indeed - and if you've ever been to Malta you'll know that pretty much the entire countryside of the island is made up of small rocky fields surrounded by drystone walls. There'd have been a horrendous number of minor and major injuries amongst the parachutists before anyone even started shooting at them.
Yeah hauling supplies over that end of the island would be a nightmare
The landings wouldn't have been as easy as you make it out to be. Where the Italians selected for their landings there are almost continuous cliffs, with no small docks or ports or beaches for supplies. They would have fought only with the weapons they could climb a cliff with till they took a port or airfield, leaving them severely outgunned by the British, who would have had rifles and LMGs, compared to the Germans and Italians with Pistols and SMGs.
I've missed your longer form battle repports like this so this is great :D
Thank you for this excellent report! What a fantastic table and I LOVE your add-on Game Room Bruce and the decorations!
I love alternate history scenarios. I would love to see more videos like this.
Thanks for the feedback on this Philip!
Cool stuff. Not sure I like the dice in the little containers but everyone seems to have had fun and it looks like an easy system.
Great presentation. ‘What if’ scenarios are always interesting and this is one of the best, aided by that amazing table. Thank you.
Superb table and game. However, careful reading of the history would suggest that the FJ and Folgore were not withdrawn to Africa as claimed but were in fact cut up in their trenches by Maltese housewives in search of parachute silk - a fact the Fuhrer and Il Duce well wanted to conceal.
Surprisingly this is only a moderate exaggeration. Silk was indeed highly sought after on the island as very little non essential supplies like cloth was getting through and there are several cases where Axis pilots had to be rescued by British AA gunners before the local women did them in with kitchen implements.
My in laws were from Malta and were newly married when the worst of the bombing began. What the Maltese people went through is nearly unfathomable and their bravery and endurance was truly heroic.
Thank you Bruce and the Little Wars crew.
Pastizzi and Kinnie all around!
Historically on 10th August 1942 the Pedestal Convoy passaged the Straits of Gibraltar. The convoy and assorted escorts totaled 1 fast tanker; 13 fast freighters with escort including 4 aircraft carriers, 2 battleships (16-inch guns), 7 light cruisers, 36 destroyers, 2 ocean tugs, 4 corvettes....
Wasn't one of the Aircraft Carriers an American CV?, USS Wasp
But despite all that, nearly every ship in the convoy was sunk or turned back, and the one that did arrive was so severely damaged that it had to be held up by two destroyers, and sank shortly afterwards. The Italian navy fought many actions with the Royal Navy and won several of them. They were committed to a "Fleet in being" strategy but the prize of Malta was worth risking their fleet and I don't see the Italians running away because the RN showed up. Having said all that, look what happened in Operation Citadel - the German commanders thought they were winning despite Prokorhovka etc when the Allies landed in Sicily and Hitler decided to pull out the spearhead divisions, even though there was no chance of them arriving in Sicily in time. I don't see Hitler being unwilling to commit his paratroopers once they were on the ground, after all there were many parachute divisions used in ground operations after this time. The Germans had a special unit of Russian tanks - KV-1's and T-34's - which they planned to use for this operation.
@@VirgoShelter USS Wasp carried out two aircraft ferry missions to fly off fighters to Malta. The April mission USS Wasp launched 47 spitfire fighters and the May mission USS Wasp launched 47 Spitfire fighters,
This quality content is why I back them on Patreon.
And we very, very much appreciate that!
It shows what can be done with micro armour. Just like your D-Day game it was just so well done.
Fantastic work by Bruce, that has to be one of the best wargaming tables I’ve ever seen. Plus the in depth research of the operation lead to a brilliant “what if” battle.
I was in Malta in June and the terrain is spot on.
The table looks amazing. But that in-game rule of rolling to check if the axis player removes two divisions is ridiculously unrealistic, it baffles the mind with how ilogical it is. Especially since the Fuhrer was such a diehard hold-the-front-at-all-costs type of strategist.
Even if he put them out they shouldn't had left the island immediately by art of magic, they needed to move hence giving time for a rotation with italian reinforcements
I played a large game like this once [with a real mix of experiences amongst the players] - We, the Axis, were allowed to spread our troops more over the Island so it made it much easier to isolate the Island Garrison. Supply for the Axis wasn't a huge factor as we can see the difference in this great game.
What a beautiful setup by the host, a wonderful game room.
Yessss! More content! Love to see when ur notification pops up! Thank you for your hard work.
More to come!
Fantastic video! That table is absolutely gorgeous. Also loved seeing the fine collection of GMT games and other boxed goodies that someone has!
Salivating over the map, would love to see an episode of how he created the table.
Fantastic table and great game. Agree that the sudden withdrawal of two axis divisions seems to be a bit stretched, but anyway.
Just one small geographical point. There is(and never was) no place called ‘Birzebbu Port’. The correct name is Birzebbugia. From a Maltese guy 😊
Thank you! We saw it spelled about four different ways on various maps, some of which didn't even have the port at all!
I love stumbling across channels like this. Sometimes UA-cam recommends some weird channels, but then it goes and recommends channels like this and it makes me appreciate UA-cams crazy, nonsensical algorithm
Great show, really enjoyed this one and loved that map. Brilliant work!
PS, Tony, I was only teasing in the other comment, just a follow on from the funny video we made whilst at Joy of Six. No offense was intended.
Awesome table and game! As a Maltese man and history enthusiast, I really appreciate the effort. We have similar models in our multiple war museums on the island, you should definetly visit! 😃
I get super excited when I see a new upload from you guys. Keep up the good work we appreciate y’all!!!
I can’t believe how well this was done. You folks are incredible. I’d love to play that game.
All credit to Bruce for doing the hard work! He did the research, scenario design, table build, and miniatures. We just got to show up and roll dice!
The tables are always so stunning.
I have always wanted to go there. It looks beautiful now.
That table is insane! Amazing work looks absolutely stunning and immeadiately pulls you in helps immerse you
Wrote my thesis on the island and how it won the Battle of the Mediterranean. Good job here!
What an incredible scenario and game! The board is absolutely amazing. A Herculean effort by your host to make that possible! Thanks for showing the stuff gaming dreams are made of.
Credit to Bruce for doing all the work while we just got to play and have fun!
Great Game, thanks to Bruce and the Little Wars boys
Love the boardgame shelf Ed!
HOLY CRAP. That table is astonishing!
Love the sound of this man's rule set, and using Pico with these sprawling battlefields is incredible.
That's cool stuff, glad I discovered your channel! My older brother would play Avalon Hill board games in the 1970s, I have not seen it done much since. Memories, thanks for the war game!
Ah the classic "What If"? wargaming. A favorite vintage of the hobby. I hope we can see more of these hypothetically operations in the future.
Incredible, just wow. Scores ten out of a possible five.
It’s good seeing the GOAT Ed again
No argument here! Ed is the GOAT.
What I really liked about seeing this was that the Art of War Maxim on deception is vividly demonstrated:
"All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when we are able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must appear inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near."
Making the Axis believe the RN is approaching forces them into a defensive posture while on the cusp of victory. If you can then surprise them when they're not expecting you, you can deliver a decisive and crushing defeat.
Beautiful battle map of Malta!
Guys!!! just visited the homepage. This game looks beautyful!!!!
My grandfather was one of the many people who defended the island during WW2.
Excellent Mini-Wargaming evangelism guys. I see my good friend Bill Rutherford joined the British team.
I disagree with the dissent with the pullback of the elite troops. The Maltese invasion coincided with the North African campaign and North Africa would always be prioritized and especially since its together with Rommel's counterattack.
It was a good mechanic but the players rolled such badluck since they immediately had to pullback and rolled the worst possible roll with the rumors.
I have my own project focusing on the naval and air camping of this hypothetical operation. This inspires me to work on it!
That table is crazy
The british navy arrival and the fallschirmjäger withrawal seems too random, but otherwise a most impressive scenario
I think the British Navy would steam to Malta, but I highly doubt they would pull out engaged troops when they were about to break the British line.
The navy was ok, but the withdrawal was badly executed, they should had immobilize them or something like that to put them out later and if the axis moved right then they shouldn't at least be left with a huge gap in the middle
That map is off the hook! A masterpiece!
I love the camouflage markings in the wartime footage of the Italian fleet
Nice, learned something today which is always a bonus. Fantastic map & a good play through, well done Gents.
That was a lot of fun to watch. Great video!
Thought this would be boring turned out this was some of the most entertaining thing i've watched
As someone with a Maltese Grandmother, (who I never met), I've often wondered what would have happened. Great table, great game and the rules look very interesting too. Oh, Spoiler Alert; If the Ottomans couldn't take Malta, the Italian Army of the day certainly couldn't, (and not a dig at italians, they once ruled the world).
My Maltese grandfather worked as engineer at the docks, and my grandmother at the admiralty. They remembered the relentless bombing raids, fuel and food shortages. It got pretty desparate.
This is a very amazing idea! It’s just sad on how anticlimactic the ending was. So close to perfection.
The future of gaming? 3mm amazing. All played on an incredible gaming table. Fantasitic video yet again thank you from across the pond
I love how well this was researched and planned, looks incredible to play
Interesting to see your board-wargame collection in the background. I'm quite the GMT fan myself.
Ed's board game collection is second to none!
Sick bois, love your production and background info. SUBBED👍
I found this super interesting! I love historical battle games and I live in Malta so this was right up my ally. Just FYI some of your pronunciations of locations are off but Maltese is a very difficult language so you're forgiven lol. Loved this thanks guys.
The other thing the Germans had for this operation that not many know about is 20 KV-2's that was shipped to Germany and then held in a depot in southern Austria, they was to be loaded on freighters and then offloaded when the harbor was taken and so used against the said strong points all along the islands beaches and interior.
Yes, those KVs were supposed to arrive on Day 4! They were among the troops that were delayed due to the rumors of the Royal Navy in the vicinity.
Brilliant video and a fascinating what if. I have been playing Malta Besieged by Worthington Games, a solo board game about the same conflict. Thank you
Great episode! I like the actual play videos much more than the travelogue/history reviews. I'm sure they're much more labor intensive, but I love them! Amazing table. Just one note: maybe it's just my system but the narration audio levels are all over the place. I was constantly chasing the volume button.
Appreciate the feedback, Warhoon.
Saw this, and started to question this scenario. The first and obvious problem is the cliff landing. From a local point of view, the Dingli cliffs are very high, 250m above sea-level to be exact, which is equivalent to 76 storeys. Second, even if they managed to "James bond" the cliffs, there is an airfield at Qrendi, so basically landing paratroopers ain't no easy task. Third factor is the population. The area mentioned is surrounded by at least 4 towns. These towns are surrounded by fields in which case, any farmer seeing this happening, will quickly sound the alarm. Fourth factor is that the enemy would have met resistance from some if not all the locals immediately. Case in point, downed enemy airman that survived, would have been treated harshly by the locals and only the intervention of the police and army would their lives be spared. Fifth factor being fortifications. Malta can be considered as a fortified nation. During the time of the Knights of St.John, entrenchments, Redoubts, batteries and towers have been built along the coast, and it didn't stop there. After they surrendered to the French in 1798 and then we kicked them off with the help of the British in 1800, by the 1880s they began to build up modern fortifications. Benghajsa was built around 1910 and the last fortification built was a large anti aircraft fortification in 1937-38 called Fort Campbell in Mellieha. Malta was also surrounded by 200 pilboxes. Had the tried from the North, they would have a hard time trying to cross the Victoria lines, which runs from Bingemma to Madaliena. In short, that is half the country devided from North to South. The last factor would be the Harbour area. Valletta is quite well fortified and so is its suburb Floriana. To top it all off, the Grand Harbour is protected by the British built Corradino lines, the Old cities of Birgu and Isla and behind that, two massive fortifications from the Knights period. These are the Cottonera lines and inside is the Santa Margerita lines. Between them is the Saint Clement retrenchment and on the Santa Margarita lines, there's also Fort Verdala. Up to the NE, there's Fort Ricasoli at the tip and back on the Cottonera lines, one of its Bastions is also a Fort. Marsamxett Harbour is also fortified by Forts Manoel and Tigne. As one may have noticed by now, is Malta is like Tortuga when it comes to Fortifications, only its in the Mediterranean and not in the tropics of the Caribbean. The only things in favour to this invasion is the small valleys that the cliffs break from. Even there, there are issues, Wied iz-Zurrieq is a small fishing village with a tower and Wied Znuber has a stopgap built in it. So yeah, easy to invade.
You're vastly overestimating how civilians would react.
@@Gustav_Kuriga Not if you are in Malta. Based from our history, in the 1400s, there was a Militia called "Tad-Dejma". The Dejma consisted of Maltese men aged from 16 to 65. These were located in every town and village. Once an alarm is sounded, they all met next to a cross that bares the same name and could be found across the islands. We also fought alongside side the Knights against the Ottomans in the Great Siege of 1565. They were Civilians and local fighting men. We fought against the French with the help of the British During the blockade from 1798 to 1800. There were Civilians who thrown out Colonel Masson from the balcony in Mdina. This happened just three months after the French occupation started, because they began to loot the churches and this angered the then heavily religious Maltese. As for the POWs? Well, turns out they were spared, just TWO YEARS AFTER THE WAR ENDED!!!. So no, I'm not overestimating how my ancestors would react. You might be correct on how they would react if an Invasion occurred today, because a quarter of the people just aren't proud to be Maltese. But not the Maltese of old. They had the balls of steel like the Brits during the Blitz!
@@Gustav_Kuriga nah trust me, never offend Malta infront of old maltese or otherwise ur dead meat😂
You literally summed up exactly what I was thinking as a Maltese person with Grandparents who lived through WW2 was thinking watching this video
@@Gustav_Kuriga Even though nowadays there is more 'closeness' to Italy, during the War that sentiment was not a thing at all for the most part. The Maltese would have definitely defended Malta - likely offering a scenario with civilian militia, sabotague and maybe even trying to cause doubts within the Axis camps via rumours etc...
There is a reason why Malta was awarded the George Cross. We were bombarded consistently and whole towns turned to rubble and nearly starved into submission - but still the Maltese did not surrender. Malta may have been colonised several times throughout history, but whenever we have been invaded, the locals have always aggressively defended against and defied them.
Amazing table as always!
Woow ! This table is just insane ! 😵
Brilliant video as always.
Looking forward to getting a copy of those rules though.
Bruce has been playtesting them for years! He swears they are near completion!
@@LittleWarsTV lol his website makes reference to possible release in August 2021... but based on the fact it also says your visit was 2021 I'm alas thinking it might be a typo lol.
How easy were they to pick up? Many pages long?
this looks fantastic ... i love playing italians .... well done lads,
Couple of us got into a hex map based game based on the Battle for Crete. Took Germ for one, Brits for second. Carl and me vs Steve and Joe. Won marginally first one. We still had strong forces intact for second one holding southern half. Trash talk got intense at times.
This is fantastic! The Axis players got screwed by their rolls, I love it.
This was amazing
I have stood on those western cliffs looking down and the drop off is no joke. Sheer vertical face right down to the sea. I find it hard to believe that any amphib landings could take place on that southwest coast.
Utterly un real wow. Those dice shakers are a great idea too.
Bruce gave each player a little shaker so that you never had to ask anyone for dice or roll them across the table! It was very slick.
What an excellent looking tabletop.
great work！keep making this amazing videos
Another great game. But please.... bring on Pyrrhus!
August 2nd the series rolls out!
I am so looking for award to that.
As a Maltese person who is well versed in history, I found some problems with this, despite its many correct judgements. Firstly, it is almost impossible to land troops on the western side of the island due to cliffs. Secondly, in the summer, the heat would be too hard to bear, especially with high humidity preventing troops from cooling down adequately, and heatstroke and malfunctions in equipment would ensue. Finally, convoys supplying the island were always defended by some destroyers or other warships, which would have aided in the defence.
Lets not also forget the patriotic Maltese resistance that would be a pain the butt for the axis
a very interesting and what if wargame, not forgetting the amazing terrain/table 😄
In Avalon Hill's 'Air Assault on Crete' game in the 70s, they included this operation as a bonus scenario.
Can’t wait to see you guys at historicon!
We'll be there! Can't wait.
Really enjoyed this game. The table upon which it is played is truly superb.
I have long had an interest in the Malta Campaign and have spent time on the southern coast looking over the designated Axis landing area.
I do share the qualms about Hitler pulling troops away from the operation so soon after its opening. I think, despite his misgivings, he would not have done this.
Also, the Axis generally had horrendous supply and logistics problems in the Med and in Africa which may have meant that they would have been unable to pull troops off Malta while continuing with the assault. The limitations in logistics was a significant reason why the assault never happened; there simply wasn’t enough transport to supply both Rommel’s offensive in Africa and a Malta invasion.
I also think that you have underestimated the quality of the British defenders of Malta. While the infantry battalions were largely untested as you said, and were under-nourished, and had shed some of their best officers to other units fighting in the desert, they were pre-war regular army battalions containing large numbers of professional soldiers. Such units have always fought well in most armies. Subsequently 231st brigade performed very well on Sicily, as did the battalions of 234th brigade despite being badly handled on Kos and Leros. Also, all battalions were very well dug in, with concrete bunkers and a had a high number of automatic weapons.
Using the invasions of Crete, Kos and Leros as references, I personally doubt the invasion would have succeeded.
Great game though, and full marks for trying it!!
Wow, thanks for sharing this!
1- gliders for cliff landings
2- create a network of subs to keep the Royal fleet out
3- fake merchant ship with commandoes (like Norway) to land
That gaming board is sick!
One of your best videos yet! At first, I was uncertain because the map looked so big, but as it went on I got into the the story and was cheering for a British defeat.
Fantastic, looks like great fun!
Love the bitva u Hradce Králové poster :D