COLD WARS 2012 - FORWARD TO MOSCOW!
 Vive l'Empereur! Our theme for 2012 is 1812, A World at War - Napoleon in Russia, Wellington in Spain and the War of 1812. The campaign began on 24 June 1812, when Napoleon's forces crossed the river Neman. Napoleon aimed to compel Emperor of Russia Alexander I to remain in the Continental Blockade of the United Kingdom; an official aim was to remove the threat of a Russian invasion of Poland. Napoleon named the campaign a Second Polish War; the Russian government proclaimed a Patriotic War. Half a million strong, the Grande Armée marched through the Western Russia, winning a number of relatively minor engagements and a major battle at Smolensk on August 16-18. However, at that same day, the right wing of the Russian Army, under the command of General Peter Wittgenstein, stopped part of the French Army, led by Marshal Nicolas Oudinot, in the Battle of Polotsk. This prevented the French marching on the Russian capital at Saint Petersburg; the fate of the war had to be decided on the Moscow front, where Napoleon himself led his forces.
While the Russians used scorched-earth tactics, and often raided the enemy with light Cossack cavalry, their main army retreated for almost three months. This constant retreat undermined confidence in Field Marshal Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly, leading Alexander I to appoint an old veteran, Prince Mikhail Kutuzov, the new Commander-in-Chief. Finally, on 7 September, the two armies met near Moscow in the Battle of Borodino. Here. where courage and sacrifice was a virture shared by all, some 250,000 troops would not only decide the fate of Russia, but of Europe as well.
Think you can handle the rigors of such a campaign? Then down a flask of your favorite libation, pack a Marshal's Baton in your backpack and begin the march to Cold Wars 2012, where this year the convention presents three full days of the best historical miniatures gaming anywhere. To the sound of the guns, forward - for God, the Czar and Holy Russia! |
KEEPING
HISTORY ALIVE!
Welcome
to the Interenet's best online miniature gaming support, direct from
the Historical Miniatures Gaming Society (HMGS). Our organization was the founding body of the
Society and as such remains its senior, and largest, Chapter.
HMGS, now boasting 2000+ members worldwide, promotes the hobby of historical miniature wargaming as a registered non-profit charitable and educational foundation. The Chapter accordingly has in the past sponsored seminars by distinguished historians such as Dr David
G. Chandler of RMA Sandhurst and special events such as the American Civil War in Miniature series. We also award
grants to other miniature wargaming
clubs or activities, and fund related causes such as battlefield preservation.
Most importantly,
HMGS holds three historical miniature gaming conventions
each year. These are COLD WARS in March, FALL IN! in November
and the one and only HISTORICON (called "the mother of
all wargaming conventions" by The
Wall Street Journal )
in July.
 Membership
in HMGS is $25.00 per year and brings discounts
at many hobby franchises and HMGS
conventions nation wide. Members also receive advance
convention mailings and
a periodic newsletter.
We hope you find this Website both informative and fun, encouraging you to join us in promoting our exciting
hobby. Just click Join
HMGS for a convenient form that will allow you
to enjoy our growing and exciting Chapter. You may also Email
our WebMeister for any questions or concerns you might have.
Thanks, and all of us at HMGS hope to hear from you soon!
Special thanks to Bob French of
Grandiosity for previously
sponsoring the HMGS Website until we could get our feet on the
ground. Bob's volunteer spirit is a big reason why HMGS
not only works, but works well.
HMGS logo used with permission of HMGS Midwest.
Unless
otherwise noted, illustrations by WebMeister, COL (Ret) Bill
Gray, HMGS. HMGS is a registered trademark of the Historical Miniatures Gaming Society. Painting above of from the Borodino Panorama by Franz Roubaud (1911) and in the Public Domain..
Updated 20 January 2012..
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Cold Wars 12 Online PreRegistration! Now open and ready for business, just click here. NEW!
Historicon 2012! Has been announced for the Fredericksburg Expo and Convention Center in VA. Click here for details.
HMGS Newsletter Online! Click here for a look at our most current Newsletter, now in color with fully online delivery.
Fall In 2011! Click here for a Windows Live driven photo album and slide show to recall the great time you had or see what you missed.
Historicon 2011! Click here for a bevy of images from this great convention, bring back great memories or see what you missed!
Cold Wars 2011! Click here for a Windows Live driven photo album and slide show to recall the great time you had or see what you missed.
BTW, need the new Adobe Acrobat Reader to view some of our files? Click on the icon below!
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