The Boxer Rebellion Project, Part 3: Lt. Col. Shiba Gorō

 

A great figure of a Japanese officer and NCO from Crusader Miniatures.

Shiba Gorō (柴 五郎, June 21, 1860 – December 13, 1945) was a samurai of Aizu Domain and later a career officer and general in the Meiji period Imperial Japanese Army. Shiba Gorō witnessed the events of the Boshin War as a child when Aizu was attacked by the imperial forces in 1868. With the abolition of the Han system, he moved to Tokyo and enlisted in the fledgling Imperial Japanese Army in 1873. He was in the 1877 class of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the artillery in 1879.

I’m not going to cover this remarkable warrior's entire career but focus on the Boxer Rebellion and the Russian Japanese War. In March 1900, Shiba returned to Beijing as a military attaché, and was thus present at the Japanese legation during the Boxer Rebellion. There his small force fought tenaciously and suffered almost 100% casualties over a 60 day period. He served with distinction during that campaign, aided by his prior knowledge of Beijing and by a large network of local spies. He protected the citizens and diplomats alongside several Western powers during the siege, and was subsequently awarded decorations by many of the western nations in the Eight-Nation Alliance. Shiba's role in the Boxer Rebellion is often highlighted in Western accounts of the conflict. In the 1963 film 55 Days at Peking about the siege of international legations he is a supporting character, played by future director Juzo Itami.

In March 1901, he was returned to Japan and attached to the General Staff. In June 1901 Shiba was appointed commander of the IJA 15th Field Artillery Regiment, which he continued to command after the start of the Russo-Japanese War in 1904, where he was awarded the Order of the Golden Kite (2nd class), for bravery in battle.

Here is my painting guide for Lieutenant Colonel Shiba Gorō which, with minor changes, will be used for my other Japanese Infantry.

For 28mm figures I like to glue them to soda caps with all purpose white glue for easy handling. Wait for the glue to dry! I first painted the flesh CC Darkoath Flesh and I was quite pleased with the results.

When I’m trying to work out which paint colors to use on a new unit/army I rarely use an officer figure; but this Crusader Miniature looked so cool I had to give it a try. My gut feel for the uniform was to use a base of Vallejo Prussian Blue and then to highlight with Vallejo Dark Blue. And then I said to myself, “Self, let’s try a heavy coat of Citadel Contrast (CC) Ultramarine Blue. When using contrast/speed paints it’s important to use a quality primer (trust me on this one!). I used Citadel Wraithbone.

He wears the dark blue Atilla blouse and the black braid (it’s hard to see in this picture), boots and cap brim are CC Black Templar. I initially used CC Blood Angels Red but I realized I would need to use Vallejo Flat Red with a detail brush to simulate the finer, well, details. Oh by the way, there was no way I was going to try painting the Austrian loops on the sleeve. The red (technically scarlet) indicates a member of the Imperial Guard.

After doing more research, I realized that I made the trouser stripe too narrow. As a field grade office it should be about twice as wide. I’ll fix that later.

It was also at this time (nothing like carefully checking before you paint!) that he should also have 2 rings on his cap as a Lieutenant Colonel and two stars on the front of the cap. All leather is also CC Templar Black.

As mentioned earlier, I used Vallejo Flat Red to clean up the cap and Vallejo Shiny Gold for the stars. He carries the M1888 officers sword and I used Vallejo Shiny Gold for the details and Vallejo Silver for the scabbard.

I used Vallejo Flat White to make the trouser stripe wider and used CC Blood Angels Red for the stripe. The figure is glued to a 25mm Litko wood base and I used my normal sand mixture and static grass to finish the base. Don’t forget to protect the figure with a clear matte spray.

Almost forgot to add the mustache!

Next: Imperial Japanese infantry.

The Boxer Rebellion Project, Part One: Midshipman Second Class Georg von Trapp

Yes. That von Trapp. As we all know from The Sound of Music, etc., Georg Ludwig Ritter von Trapp was an officer in the Austro-Hungarian Navy who became the patriarch of the Trapp Family Singers. Captain von Trapp Trapp was the most successful Austro-Hungarian submarine commander of World War I, sinking 11 Allied merchant ships totaling 47,653 GRT and two Allied warships displacing 12,641 tons. 

Hmmm . . . I think I gave him Groucho Marx eyebrows. that will be an easy fix.

But how many of us knew that he participated, and was awarded for bravery during the Boxer Rebellion? Ladies and Gentlemen, the SMS Zenta:

In 1894, aged fourteen, Trapp followed in his father's footsteps and joined the Austro-Hungarian Navy, entering the Imperial and Royal Naval Academy at Fiume (today Rijeka, Croatia). In 1900, as a midshipman, he was assigned to the protected cruiser SMS Zenta and was decorated for his performance during the Boxer Rebellion in China, in which he participated in the assault on the Taku Forts. He personally led the Austro-Hungarian sailors that helped assault and capture Fort Pei Tang. For his bravery he was awarded the Silver Bravery Medal, 2nd Class and the War Medal.

Silver Bravery Medal, 2nd Class 

War Medal

In doing my research I noticed that many European Navies had similar uniforms and that the differences in 28mm are not noticeable. Now if you want to do the French, you can buy the figures with the pom pom on the top or even use British navy figures with Sennet hats as photographic evidence from the Boxer rebellion has them wearing (outside of Legation forces). Back back to the Austrians. I thought the Copplestone Castings Russian Sailors from their Back of Beyond range would be perfect for the Austrian Sailors from the SMS Zenta (reinforced later by the SMS Kaiserin und Königin Maria Theresia, SMS Kaiserin Elisabeth, SMS Aspern and an additional 160 Austrian marines).

"The Capture of the Forts at Taku", by Fritz Neumann in the Anne S.K. Brown Military Collection, Brown University.

I accidentally painted the figure as a Koverttenleutnant thinking that he already passed his Lieutenant examination and had been commissioned at this time - and by golly, the figure is going to stay that way!

Lieutenant Charles Deschamps de Boishébert et de Raffetot, Compagnies Franches de la Marine

  Lieutenant Charles Deschamps de Boishébert et de Raffetot, Compagnies Franches de la Marine.

 Charles Deschamps de Boishébert et de Raffetot was born in Quebec on February 7th, 1727 and entered upon a military career early in life. He became a gentlemen cadet in the Campagnies Franches de la Marine in 1739, with the comment “a promising young man, very steady.” In 1742 he joined the Quebec garrison as assistant adjutant. During the years 1744 and 1745 he participated in several expeditions along the New York frontier.

 After the first Siege of Louisbourg in May–June 1745, a British force composed largely of New England irregulars proceeded to seize Île Saint-Jean (present day Prince Edward Island) and its capital Port-la-Joye, which had a French garrison consisting of about 15 soldiers and 100 Mi'kmaq. The British force consisted of two Royal Navy ships and 200 New England soldiers stationed at Port-La-Joie. Boishébert was sent to Île Saint-Jean on a reconnaissance to assess the size of the British force. After Boishébert returned, the French Army with over 500 men, 200 of whom were Mi'kmaq, went to Port-la-Joye. The battle took place in July 1746 near Port-la-Joye on the bank of the Northeast River and the French killed forty New Englanders and captured the rest.  Boishébert was commended for having distinguished himself during the battle exposing himself to danger and personally leading attacks against the enemy force.

 On 28 Feb. 1748 Boishébert was promoted lieutenant, and he soon was engaged in operations in yet another part of New France. The previous year had seen the threat of a general Indian uprising in the west, and in the spring of 1748 Boishébert was among the reinforcements sent under Pierre-Joseph Céloron de Blainville to Detroit, which was particularly endangered. He took part in an expedition that took revenge on the Indians for attacks that had been made on the French in the vicinity.

At the beginning of the French and Indian War, he was sent to take command of Fort La Tour, at the mouth of the Saint John River, and there he worked to counter persistent British efforts to establish themselves. He also made a study of the harbours between Acadia and Boston. The capture of Fort Beauséjour (near Sackville, N.B.) on 16 June 1755 by British Lieutenant Colonel Robert Monckton’s forces marked a turning-point in Boishébert’s career. Immediately after the fort fell, the British commander dispatched a large detachment against the handful of militiamen at Fort La Tour. As there was no hope of a successful outcome, Boishébert burned his fort before the enemy arrived and sought refuge among the local populace, continuing meanwhile to fight the enemy. The rest of his career in Acadia was spent working to secure the Acadians’ loyalty to France, bringing to French territory as many of those in British-occupied regions as possible, and with the Indians’ help constantly skirmishing against the enemy.  

 

Charles Deschamps de Boishébert et de Raffetot was a real officer of the Compagnies Franches de la Marine and he is going to be the Officer for the French Forces in Rebels and Patriots (Paid Link). When I rolled for the Officer Traits for the French Officer, I knew I had to find a man worthy of the roll. From my research, he was an outstanding leader, tactician, and compassionate man. I rolled a "3" and then a "4" giving him the trait "Strategist". This allows him to redeploy 6 points of troops (which is exactly the point count of a normal unit of Compagnies Franches de la Marine) up to 12 inches away from their original deployment point but no closer than 12 inches to an enemy unit. Yikes! The British are going to have their hands full with this guy.

 

The figure of the Officer of Compagnies Franches de la Marine is from North Star miniatures. As you have probably noticed, I forgot to paint his eyes.

Victoire sur les intrus britanniques!

Starship Troopers: The Annual Read

"I always get the shakes before a jump . . ." thus starts one of the greatest military science fiction novels of all time, Starship Troopers, by Robert Heinlein. Even today, the book has stood the test of time, and was a big influence on my decision to be an Infantry officer.

When I attended the Command and General Staff College, I was pleasantly surprised to see the novel on the required reading list. Today, the novel is still on the reading list for the US Army, Navy and United States Marine Corps.

The overall theme of the book is that social responsibility requires individual ownership. Social responsibility is an act of self acceptance of that responsibility along with the concomitant commitment to the debts that are incurred. 

Juan Rico begins the novel with no thought of his personal responsibility or of any particular group's responsibility to self or others. This theme is obliquely addressed in the novel's opening: "We had all inspected our combat equipment (look, it's your own neck -- see?), the acting platoon sergeant had gone over us carefully after he mustered us, and now Jelly went over us again, his eyes missing nothing." "Now I was going to have a hole in my section and no way to fill it. That's not good; it means a man can run into something sticky, call for help and have nobody to help him." "I've heard tell that there used to be military outfits whose chaplains did not fight alongside the others, but I've never been able to see how that could work. I mean, how can a chaplain bless anything he's not willing to do himself? In any case, in the Mobile Infantry, everybody drops and everybody fights -- chaplain and cook and the Old Man's writer."

 The theme is repeated through flashbacks to High School and Officer Candidate School in a required class called History and Moral Philosophy. In this view, everything from the right to vote to the punishments for various crimes are depicted as part of a larger effort to recognize society's needs and improve society, as distinct from self-interest. The service Heinlein envisioned was an all-volunteer service, long before the US military had changed to an all-volunteer model. Other than the rights to vote and hold public office, there is no other restriction between service veterans and civilians.

 

In the course of both the "current" plot and flashbacks Rico learns to take responsibility for ever increasing groups: himself, his comrades, and eventually all of mankind (a shared responsibility), and accept that as the reason for remaining in the service. Further, Rico is seen to develop from a relatively powerless citizen, to a very dangerous fighter: "There are no dangerous weapons; there are only dangerous men. We're trying to teach you to be dangerous -- to the enemy. Dangerous even without a knife. Deadly as long as you still have one hand or one foot and are still alive."

I just finished my annual reading of the book . . . something I do annually!

Now for the Warning!!!

This is a poster for the movie directed by Paul Verhoeven who admitted he never finished reading the book.  Please don't watch it . . . you'll thank me later.  Not only does the movie miss most of the points of the book and, as a retired infantry officer (Regulars By God!), it's embarrassing to watch. 

Please don't get me started on how they portray Lieutenant Rasczak, the epitome of the servant leader in the novel that leads the Roughnecks.

One of the worst scenes in the book is when the platoon is defending an outpost and the bugs are coming. I can see the nuclear rockets strapped to the backs of the (so called) Mobile Infantry! So what do they do? Break out the SMALL ARMS (sigh). How about the scene when the platoon surround a bug in a circle, and then they all fire at the bug! In a circle? They would have hit each other. (Note: That's a safety violation) And please

Do not watch the movie!



The book sums it up nicely: "For the everlasting glory of the Infantry . . ."

Flashback February: Romano-British Army and Arthur, Dux Bellorum

Arthur, Dux Bellorum of Britain leads the elite of Britain against the Saxon invaders.

Usually I take one month out the year to take a break from blogging mainly because I do other things other than play with toy soldiers . . . I mean accurate representations of historical and fictional soldiers, etc. throughout the ages. Okay, they are toy soldiers. What else do I do? Well I watch TV, read, serve my reserve obligation as a Colonel of Mobile Infantry in the Terran Federation, read, do watercolors, re-read Calvin and Hobbes, tinker with my time machine, read, teach grandchildren bad habits (I mean survival skills) and read, practice my awesome bo stick skills and read. So . . . get ready for some of my favorite posts over the years in February.

My Romano-British army composed primarily of Wargames Foundry figures with some Old Glory miniatures is finished and battle tested.  They are mounted for Dux Bellorum on 120mm wide bases.  In Dux Bellorum game terms I organized the army as my own interpretation of King Arthur:

1 Mounted Companions: 5 points

3 Noble Riders: 15 points

2 Ordinary Shieldwall: 6 points

1 Mounted Skirmishers: 2 points

Of course I utilize the Experience Warlord and Imposing Horsemen option!

The assembled War host.

Shieldwall infantry #1.

Shieldwall Infantry #2.

Arthur is the middle figure from Wargames Foundry flanked by Old Glory miniatures. Since he was also known as the "Bear" I added an extra flag to go along with the traditional Pendragon standard.

Okay . . . I'm showing off the dragon painted on the shield.

Another view of the mounted force.

One of the most useful units are my mounted skirmishers for making Saxon Warbands charge when they don't want to. I have also discovered that dismounted skirmishers with javelins are very useful.

I love the priest from Wargames Foundry that was sculpted by the Perrys.

One last look at the "overlooked" infantry of Arthur's army.

Lord Sheriff Sir Roscoe B. T. Reinwald of Clan Campbell, OBE, DSO, KCWP

 

Editor's Note: Originally published on December 4th, 2022.

It is with great humility and sadness that I must announce the passing of Lord Sheriff Sir Roscoe Bumpee Thumperton Reinwald of Clan Campbell, Colonel-in-Chief of the War Poodles Own Regiment of Foote,  OBE, DSO KCWP. A very few knew his secret identity; the international troubleshooter and crimefighter known only as Danger Dog.

Sir Roscoe getting ready to cheer an Alabama Sports team to another victory.

Sir Roscoe was a miniature poodle, but there was nothing miniature about him. A loyal companion, fierce warrior and guardian of his household, Sir Roscoe never (with some rumored exceptions) failed to live up to the highest expectations of the Order of War Poodles.

Talbot's (The War Poodle's Own) Regiment of Foote Passes in Review in honor of Sir Roscoe.

Sir Roscoe's first human commented, "He was full of life and vigor and the most loving doggie you could ever have. He always had fun, blazing trails in the forest, going on trips and doing everything together with The Colonel. He was the sweetest, smartest dog ever. I loved him so much and treasured the time I had with him."

"Man of the house my fuzzy butt. Just leave your credit cards on the table next to the bed."

When Sir Roscoe joined The Colonel and his Beautiful Bride, it was evident he was no ordinary Poodle. Through his bravery and steadfast bravery, he quickly moved up the ranks protecting the household from what seemed to be an army of parentless children, delivery men, roaming packs of middle school girls on bikes, and the inevitable backing up of the red pickup truck across the street. Sir Roscoe was also the first to notice that The Colonel was losing his hearing and would announce in a manly bark whenever there was a knock on the door or if the door bell was rung.

"Turn left, now right! IT'S OKAY TO SPEED UP AND GO STRAIGHT AHEAD TO RUN THE SQUIRREL OVER!

Sir Roscoe always followed the rules, even if he was the only one who knew what the rule was (to this day some are a mystery): 

1. If there is a path, stay on the path. 

2. Never yield to a bike on the path; they have no business being in the woods and should be on bike paths on the street.

3. Never, never, never use the house as a bathroom. I would rather die of embarrassment or explode than use my house as a toilet.

4. Geese are not allowed near the house. Deal with them with extreme prejudice.

5. Those animals, even the animated ones on the big screen may jump off any moment. Soon as they are noticed, alert The Colonel or his Beautiful Bride immediately.

6. Rodents are and always will be the enemy. Don't believe in this woke nonsense and peace in our time. They are as bad as communists.

7. Tortilla Chips are the greatest food on Planet Earth.

8. The "Case of the Great Blueberry Muffin Disappearance" was solved . . . but you can't prove it.

"Did you see me eat that whole bag of tortilla chips?"

Sir Roscoe took his responsibilities very seriously, especially the training of HRH Princess Bonnabelle. He personally taught the young Royal "THE RULES" and was not shy about letting her know when she violated his personal space. In addition, if she did not clean her bowl completely at meal time, he was more than willing to help her in this arduous task.

Sir Roscoe and HRH Bonnabelle.

Sir Roscoe's finest hour came during the Battle of Sokol, when Sir Roscoe, The Colonel and HRN Bonnabelle were outnumbered and outflanked by a rogue flock of wild turkeys. When the larger General Tom of the turkeys advanced and displayed his plumage, Sir Roscoe reared up on his hind legs, bared his Danger Dog teeth and barked, "Get off our path you stupid turkeys!" General Tom promptly retreated along with the rest of the army of turkeys. In honor of the battle, Sir Roscoe always received turkey at Thanksgiving.

One of the most admirable traits of Sir Roscoe was that he never got tired of The Colonel's war stories, walking with him in the woods, drinking coffee with him, and putting up with him when he wanted to rub Sir Roscoe's belly.  In addition, he would be most insulted if he did not accompany The Colonel to the War Room when it was time to paint miniatures. There is no way to count the nights and days he accompanied The Colonel through thick and thin as he painted; they both participated in many major miniature battles. Every dog The Colonel painted was painted as a member of the Exalted Order of the War Poodles. The living members of this elite Knighthood of the Empire include Teddy, Gracie, Rory, Fido, Lucy and of course Buddy. The deceased members are Rose, Toto, Allie, Tia and now Sir Roscoe.

Approximately 2 weeks before his passing, the last official portrait of Sir Roscoe attired in his ceremonial uniform as a Knight Commander of the Order of War Poodles (GKWP).

One of Danger Dog's missions was the year he replaced Santa on a perilous December 25, but that's a story for another day.

Carry on Sir Roscoe, you have earned your rest. The Bible is vague about animals when the Lord creates the new Earth; but somehow, I think you'll be there.

Good dog.