I will be giving a Herero War talk at the HMGS War College on Saturday at Historicon 2024, and I will be running Herero War and Nama War games on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
HMGS WAR COLLEGE LECTURE:
“Sea Soldiers, Sailors, and Schutztruppen: German Troop Types and Tactics in the Herero War”
Speaker: Roy Jones
Type of Talk: Historical
Period: Colonial
Location: Montgomery House
Time: Saturday, 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Description: “The aggressiveness of the Hereros pressing after [the Germans] broke on the resistance of the Marines.”: German official history, 1904. Imperial Marines (“Seesoldaten”, or Sea Soldiers) survived against overwhelming odds through their exceptional tenacity and maneuverability. Sailors had extraordinary morale, triumphantly charging uphill against Hereros in superior positions. Schutztruppen were masters of the bayonet, forcing Hereros to abandon their trenches. This talk focuses on these forces.
This talk is linked to two games: Thursday’s “Otjihinamaparero: The Threatened Flank” and Saturday’s “Assault at Liewenberg: Hitting the Main Line!”.
Bio: Dr. Roy Jones has been researching and writing books and essays on German colonialism in Africa for more than fifteen years, focusing on early twentieth-century conflicts: the Herero War of 1904 and the Nama Wars of 1904-08. In 2014, Dr. Jones and his co-author Eric Alvarado released "The Herero War ", a historical scenario and rules book derived from original German sources: official histories, first-person accounts, and original maps. In 2015, Dr. Jones released the first essay to present and analyze German casualty rates - i.e., the percentage of the total force that was killed or wounded - for the individual Herero War battles. He is currently working on a follow-on rules and scenario book on the Nama Wars. Dr. Jones has won multiple 'Pour Encourager Les Autres' (PELA) Awards for his German colonial games. Roy Jones received his bachelor's degree in physics from Columbia University and his PhD in physics from Rutgers University. Dr. Jones has more than thirty years of experience in the development and validation of high-fidelity physics-based models and advanced sensors and signal analysis for defense. He lives in Arlington, Virginia.
HERERO WAR AND NAMA WAR GAMES
T19:210 Otjihinamaparero: The Threatened Flank (German South West Africa, 1904)
Historical Period: Colonial
Time: Thursday, 7 PM; Length: 4 hrs
No. of Players: 6
GM: Roy Jones
Sponsor: Recreational Conflict
Scale: 25mm
Rules: The Sword and the Flame (Modified)
Herero riflemen occupy the formidable natural fortress of Otjihinamaparero, with its high rock walls. Schutztruppen and Marines launch a flank assault, but the Hereros hold their ground and shower the attackers with lead. The Hereros must now counterattack quickly, before the Germans can break the morale of the Herero army. From the scenario book "The Herero War". More at www.hererowars.com. This game is paired with the HMGS War College lecture: Sea Soldiers, Sailors, and Schutztruppen: German Troop Types and Tactics in the Herero War.
F19:211 Gunfight at Narudas Gorge (German South West Africa, 1905)
Historical Period: Colonial
Time: Friday, 7 PM; Length: 4 hrs
No. of Players: 6
GM: Roy Jones
Sponsor: Recreational Conflict
Scale: 25mm
Rules: The Sword and the Flame (Modified)
Jakobus Morenga leads a column of horse-mounted Nama troops racing south through the gorge at Narudas. The outnumbered German Fussabteilung (Foot Detachment) confronts Morenga and his men. The objective for both sides: the hill that dominates the right flank. Meanwhile on the left flank, the German horsemen of the berittene Abteilung (Mounted Detachment) assault the outnumbered Nama foot troops of the Morris Brothers. It’s a Horse vs. Foot gunfight at Narudas! More at www.hererowars.com.
S19:212: Assault At Liewenberg: Hitting The Main Line! (German South West Africa, 1904)
Historical Period: Colonial
Time: Saturday, 7 PM; Length: 4 hrs
No. of Players: 6
GM: Roy Jones
Sponsor: Recreational Conflict
Scale: 25mm
Rules: The Sword and the Flame (Modified)
German sailors took a beating in their first assault at Liewenberg. But now the sailors have more men, high morales and a Revolver cannon! Herero riflemen, however, still hold the high ground. And they fight concealed behind nearly impregnable rock. Somebody “ German or Herero“ is definitely going to get hurt at Liewenberg. From the scenario book "The Herero War". More at: https://www.hererowars.com. This game is paired with the HMGS War College lecture: Sea Soldiers, Sailors, and Schutztruppen: German Troop Types and Tactics in the Herero War.