Friday 11 October 2024

Goumier support

 Mule Packed 75mm pack Howitzer

Due to work commitments back in Wales, this is my first painting and modeling since June.

As you will remember a few months back I read Edward Bimberg`s "Mountain Warriors" about the Morrocan Goumier in French service during WW2.during the fighting in Italy 1st Battalion, 69th RAA (Regiment Artillerie d`Afrique) were part of Gillaume`s French Mountain Corps (see note at end), this unit had mule packed 75mm pack howitzers.

So I decided to create a gun section.

I started by looking at 75s and decided the easiest starting point was the plastic set by Waterloo 1815 (set APO38), which gives you 4 nice hard plastic gun kits, perfect if you only need parts 😀  

Next I needed mules, Ian @ Shellhole Scenics does some excellent supply mules with his range of Goumier, he was nice enough to supply me with a couple of unloaded animals for this project. 

Now a brief bit of internet research showed that in reality you needed seven (7) mules to carry a 75mm, but now frankly this isn`t practical in wargames terms so I decided to go with four mules for my gun section.

This illustration is airborne loading, but it does show the gun split into seven loads, if you follow this link you`ll see the mule loading: 

Upon the two unloaded mules, I built basic load frames using matchsticks and plasterscene. On these I mounted the two-part trail, gun and wheels, once painted and washed I added rope ties (cotton) - whilst not accurate I think they look OK.

I then split Ian`s general stores mules set (FRE 10) and matched one of my mules with one of his to create a 2 mule base, these along with the handlers make up my moving packed 75 team.


A better photo of the handlers in djellaba

The whole team together

End note
Only when re-reading the chapter on Italy in Bimberg`s above book did I spot a howling error (at least to me). He referred to the artillery unit part of Gillaume`s French Mountain Corps as "1st Battalion, 69th Algerian Artillery Regiment"! This struck a nerve and I quickly did a bit of back-tracking, which led to the discovery the unit was infact 1st Battalion 69 RAA. This is the second time in a few weeks I`ve stumbled across authors not understanding French unit abbreviations - silly clumsey errors 😔


 












Tuesday 1 October 2024

The Schneider Ca-1 in Spanish Service (more stuff added 01/10/24)

The Schneider Ca-1 in Spanish Service

28mm model from my collection

Called Carro Pesado de Artilleríe M16 (modelo 1916) in Spanish service the Schneider Ca-1 like many of its contemporaries, was basically an armored box. Its main armament - a 75 mm Blockhaus Schneider gun, which was positioned in a sponson on the right of the vehicle, but this provided very limited traverse. Secondary armament consisted of two 8 mm Hotchkiss machine guns mounted in sponsons one on each side. The tank’s overhanging front in the shape of a pointed nose was designed to destroy German barbed wire, allowing infantry to break through. The nose meant the 6.32 meter long vehcle was nose heavy and would often become ditched. 

Crew comfort was not a consideration in the design - six crew members (commander/driver, main gunner, two machine gunners, loader, and mechanic) were all crammed into an interior which was 1.5 meters high and less than 2 meters wide and shared with the engine; making it hot and noisy when operating. The tank was extremely slow, with a maximum speed of 8.1 km/h and a ‘practical’ speed of between 2 and 4 km/h. The riveted and bolted armour had a maximum thickness of 11 mm, though this was later improved by an additional 5.5 mm. With the added armour, the total weight of the tank was 13.5 tonnes.

75mm Blockhaus cannon at the Armoured Vehicle Museum El Goloso, Madrid

As early as 1919, a Spanish Army commission inspected and considered French tanks, particularly the Renault FT and the Schneider CA-1, but apart from a single Renault FT, no vehicles were purchased. Then spurred into action by El Desastre and the collapse of the army infront of Melilla, Morocco in the summer of 1921, the Comisión de Experiencias de Artillería was tasked with coordinating the acquisition of modern armoured vehicles. Part of the purchase included 10 Renault FTs, 1 Renault TSF, replacement parts, support trucks, and ammunition to form a Compañía de Carros de Infantería (Infantry Tank Company) in September 1921.

Another deal at the same time was agreed to form a Batería de carros de asalto (assault tank battery), which was to include: 6 Schneider CA-1s, 6 Latil TAR tractors, 6 tank transporter platforms, 6,000 rounds of 75 mm ammunition, and replacement parts. The purchase was authorized by Royal Decree on September 16th 1921, with a total cost of 1,367,303 Francs.


The Schneider CA-1s sent to Spain had the thicker 16 mm armour and were re-armed with Spanish 7 mm Hotchkiss machine guns. Externally, the tanks were painted in the original French colours – a grey background with green and ochre ‘stains’, sometimes outlined in black, while the interiors were painted white. Initially, the vehicles were inscribed with “ARTILLERIA” and the vehicles number in white on the left side to identify individual tanks. In Spain, they were designated as Carro Pesado de Artillería M16 (Modelo 1916). At some point in early 1922, a battery’s organization was created: 1 command tank, 4 tanks, 5 Latil TAR tractors and tank transporter platforms, a tractor to carry ammunition, and a workshop truck. In the event of war, the battery size would be increased by one tank, one Latil TAR tractor and tank transporter platform, a Pavesi tractor, four ammunition trucks, and a water tank truck.

Batería de Carros de Asalto unit patch


The 6 Ca-1s and their support equipment were sent to Melilla alongside three 45 hp Krupp trucks, a Hispano-Suiza water tank truck, a 15 hp Hupmobile automobile, and two Harley-Davison motorbikes. They arrived in the North African city on March 6th on board the 
Guillem Sorolla steamship and were inspected by the Commander General of Melilla, José Sanjurjo y Sacanell, as soon as they were unloaded.

Command of the battery was assigned to Captain Carlos Ruiz de Toledo, who, in the future, would play a crucial role in the development of Spain’s first indigenous tank – the Trubia Serie A. Each Ca-1 had a crew of seven: commander (with the rank of lieutenant), a second commander (with the rank of sergeant), a corporal, a driver/mechanic, a main gunner, and two machine gunners.

Ca-1 on its transporter platform with Latil TAR tractor

On March 8th, the Ca-1 battery departed Melilla towards Batel to join General Miguel Cabanella Ferrer’s column. On route was the first instance of what was to become a recurring problem during the Ca-1‘s time in North Africa. The bridges in the region were unable to sustain the combined weight of a tractor, the tank carrying platform, and the tank at the same time, meaning the Ca-1 had to be dismounted and cross the rivers (in most cases dry), by their own propulsion.

The Ca-1 made their combat debut on March 14th 1922, becoming the first ever Spanish tanks to see action. With accompanying infantry, atop of their tank transporter platforms, the Ca-1s left Batel heading towards Kandoussi at 5:30 in the morning. After a stop in Aasel, they arrived on the bank of the River Kert opposite Kandoussi at 8:20. At this point, the assault tanks dismounted and attempted to cross the river bed to attack some Rifian trenches.

Whilst crossing the river, tank No5 got stuck and No3 went to its rescue, with its crew exiting the tank to attach ropes to tow No5. A similar fate befell No6, this left only three tanks to carry out the attack. No2 advanced to the right of Sbuch-Sba (a mountain near to the west of Kandoussi), whilst Nos 1 and 4 took the left, enabling the position to be occupied by infantry by 9:45. As a result of this first ever tank deployment, Lieutenant Vidal Cuadras was mentioned in dispatches.

 The following day, March 15th, the battery returned to Batel. They then went to Driouch, from where, on March 19th, they joined the Renault FTs and a number of armoured cars. Over the next five days, they took part in camp protection duties and the engagements in Midar, Issen-Lassen, and Azrou Ntminta. On March 24th, the battery returned to Melilla by train.

The battery was soon back in the Driouch area, taking part in action alongside two banderas of the Foreign Legion, a battalion of the Regimiento de Infantería “Otumba” Nº 49 and a squadron of the Regimiento de Húsares de Pavía on May 17th 1922.

Ca-1 in the Rif

 I can find no specific info for engagements involving the battery during the following year, but the battery was probably used in night and day guard duties, convoy protection, occupying settlements, and covering retreats. In most operations, because of the 75 mm gun and 16 mm of protection, the tanks were used as mobile forts.

 Between May 28th and June 7th 1923, the battery took part in combat in the hills around Tafersit. Its distinguished actions across those two weeks resulted in the battery being awarded the Medalla Militar Colectiva (Collective Military Medal) by Royal Decree on April 30th 1925. The new commander, Captain Luís Ruano Peña, was also awarded the Medalla Militar Individual (Individual Military Medal). However, according to sources by this point, two Ca-1s had been reportedly lost, however sources also say six vehicles returned to Spain after the hostilities ended, so maybe these lost vehicles were recovered and repaired?

Based on combat experience, a series of field modifications were carried out on some or perhaps all of the Ca-1s. More often than not, because they were used as mobile forts, the tanks found themselves in close combat. Crews needed an increase in firepower, and to that end, a third 7 mm Hotchkiss machine gun was positioned on the rear access doors. Similarly, an opening cut into the front of the driver’s position added a fourth machine gun to be operated by the driver when the tank was stationary.

In some photos, two bracket-shaped structures, one at the rear and the other on top of the driver’s position can be noted, these are thought to be antennas for radio equipment. This theory is supported by photographic evidence of crew members with what appears to be a primitive headset.

After their return to Spain, four Ca-1s were part of the depot of the Regimiento Ligero de Carros de Combate No 1 at Madrid - a mixed armoured unit with Renault FTs and armoured cars. The remaining two Ca-1s were part of the depot strength of RLCC No 2 at Zaragoza, Spains other armoured unit, sometime after returning to Spain the Ca-1s were repainted olive green. 

At the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, the first unit remained under Republican command, while the second took the side of the Nationalist rebels. The Madrid vehicles saw some action during the bloody attacks on the Cuartel de la Montaña, the main military barracks of the capital which had an arsenal with a large quantity of weapons which the loyalist workers wanted to use. At least one Ca-1 and two Bilbao armoured cars took part in the fighting. Some of the tanks were manned by militia members of the Unión General de Trabajadores (UGT) and the Unión de Hermanos Proletarios (UHP).




On 21 July, a large column under the command of General José Riquelme y López-Bago used two Schneider CA-1s and a number of improvised armored vehicles to head south towards Toledo. Rebel troops took refuge in the historic Alcázar, holding out until the end of September, when the siege was relieved by Franco’s Army de Africa. 

During my research across the web, I stubbled across this brief account of the fighting in Toledo (I`ve edited the original to make more sense in English -

During the action against the Hospital de Tavera (The Hospital de Tavera was not part of the Alcazar although it could be seen from the North Terrace). A Ca-1 passing between two buildings down the Calle de Carmen to attack the Stable access and main approach to the Alcazar was attacked with a Laffite Grenade by Lt Espiga who leaned out of a upper window to drop the grenade onto the tank. The grenade bounced off before exploding, causing not damage, but the tank withdrew.

 During the fighting in Toledo, one Schneider CA-1 was knocked out or abandoned on Calle Santa Cruz, this vehicle is clearly marked with JSU (Juventudes Socialistas Unificadas) so we have to assume it was manned by members of this union? 

Artists impression of the Ca-1 in Toledo

Two photos showing the abandoned Ca-1 on Calle Santa Cruz, Toledo

The remaining Ca-1 is believed to have withdrawn back to Madrid

The Ca-1s in Zaragoza also participated in the initial fighting, though I have found no real information.

It is possible the remaining Ca-1s in Madrid were used in later fighting, but again no definite information could be found, I think we can probably assume all the Ca-1s were out of action by the end of 1936.

Wargaming with the Ca-1

During the Rif War use the tank as you would any other, an assault weapon supporting infantry and cavalry in their attacks. In defence, use it like a mobile fort covering withdrawals or blocking a road or track denying its use to the enemy or as a convoy escort (be it a very slow one).

During the SCW the Ca-1 could be used as part of a mobile column or in support of one side or the other in attack or defence

20mm Ca-1 from Barcelona Universal Models with Regulares all from my collection

The same Barcelona Universal Models CA-1 on a trailer during one of our games



 

 

Sunday 8 September 2024

Solo Wargaming – A Practitioner`s Guide (book review)

Solo Wargaming – A Practitioner`s Guide

By David Heading

Pen and Sword Books

Hardback, 186 pages

ISBN 9781399055536

In this book the author tries to explain and to encourage the reader to look at; and explore wargaming as a solo hobby; whether as an extension to their current hobby or as something new to try. Now first off, I`ve been experimenting with rules and playing solo games since I was a teenager (over 40 years), so I`m not really the audience this book is aimed at. What I`ll try and do here is give my general impressions of the book without comparing it to my own experiences.

The book is divided into six chapters:

First gives a general overview of the author`s views on solo wargaming, what he gets out of it and what he believes are the pros and cons – all well thought out in a clear easy style, the author gives plenty of references for further reading.

In the second chapter, the author gives his views on types of wargame and battles which can be fought solo and how these can be set-up. This includes ideas on random deployment and terrain generation, plus remote generalship and command. Again, simply laid out in a clear concise style with references for books mentioned in the text.

The third chapter concentrates on campaigns a part of wargaming the author has already mentioned several times in passing in the earlier chapters and seem to be a major focus of his hobby. He goes on to spend nearly 40 pages explaining the various types of campaign from role-playing type skirmishes to large map-based nation building type games. This chapter has loads of ideas which I for one had not considered with my hobby, once again further reading references are provided.

The fourth chapter covers character creation (as used in role-playing games) and creating unit histories for imaginations. There are also sections on logistics, recruiting and finance, diplomacy and randomised weather. The section on chance cards is quite nice.

In chapter five the author discusses sieges, naval and air wargames. The author tries with sieges to come up with ideas which some may find interesting, how to recreate one onto a solo tabletop, there are so many variables in sieges and forces involved can be quite large, he ends up discussing map based campaign games. Both naval and air wargames are treated mostly in isolation from land-based warfare, again the author goes off at a tangent and starts talking campaigns, be they small scale – single plane or ship to large armada`s and air-groups! The author doesn`t seem like modern (C20th upwards) periods and he doesn`t seem to consider battlefield close air-support, except in terms of larger campaign style games.

In the final chapter the author discusses sources of ideas for games – films, books, etc. Realism in wargames, including civilians, diseases and desertion and their effects on wargames. The author finishes with ideas about fantasy and science fiction gaming, plus using computers and the internet.

The book is loaded with tables for random generation of various facets of wargaming, at the end you`ll find a couple of pages listing all the books already mentioned in the text.   

Like I said at the start, I`m not the audience this book is aimed at – I have a time-served system, designed and created over a number of years for the style and level of game I enjoy. Weather, forces and deployment are all written into the scenarios I design. I am also a committed twentieth century, historical gamer, so sections on C17th imaginations leaves me stone cold, but I`m sure there is something here for any gamer thinking of trying solo gaming or expanding on what they already do.

I was a little surprised that Stuart Asquith`s “Solo Wargaming” doesn`t get a mention and I do note also the info on the SOTCW (Society of Twentieth Century Wargamers) website – www.sotcw.co.uk is well out of date and this site is sadly long gone.

 

Sunday 1 September 2024

Koufra, Libya, 1st March 1941

                          The Koufra Raid

                                 1st March 1941

In early 1941, the motley collection of French colonial forces in Chad declared for de Gaulle and the Free French. Lt Col d’Ornano (commander of French Forces in Chad) and Col. LeClerc received orders off de Gaulle in London, were tasked with attacking Italian positions in Libya with the forces at their disposal. 

Koufra was the obvious first target. Taken by Graziani in 1931, Koufra (also spelt Cufra, Kufra & Khofra) is an oasis in Southeast Libya. The Buma airfield at Koufra has now fallen into disrepair and is little-used since World War II, but in 1941 was an important link to Italian East Africa and a base for reconnaissance aircraft supporting local Italian units (Sahariana and Meharista). The town surrounding the Oasis is dominated by the old fort of El Tag, built by the Italians in the mid-1930s – a square structure 150 meters each side with 4 meter high walls; built on a rocky outcrop at Djebel el Bub. Standing alone, it was surrounded by an extensive external defence system (trenches and barbed wire). The fort was also used as a radio post to guide in Italian aircraft as well as to maintain communication with Italian East Africa.

Koufra was important because:
- it is an oasis
- it controls a road to the Fezzan area
- there is a radio-gonio post to guide the Italian aircrafts to the Buma airfield

The task of striking at the heavily defended oasis at Koufra was made all the more difficult by inadequate transport to cross sand dunes and the rocky ground, considered to be impassable to vehicles.

Fortunately for the French, assistance was received from Major Pat Clayton of the Long Range Desert Group (LRDG), who was keen to join with the Free French to test the Italians. Clayton had under his command G (Guards) and T (New Zealand) patrols, a total of seventy-six men in twenty-six vehicles.

In order to assist in the attack against Kufra, a raid was mounted against the airfield at the oasis of Mourzouck, capital of the Fezzan region of Libya. Ten Free French (three officers, two sergeants and five native soldiers) under D’Ornano met with Clayton’s LRDG patrols on 6 January 1941 at Kayouge. The combined force reached Mourzouck on 11 January. In a daring daylight raid, they surprised the sentries and swept through the oasis, devastating the base. The majority of the force attacked the main fort, while a troop from T patrol under Lieutenant Ballantyne engaged the airfield defences, destroying 3 Caproni aircraft and capturing a number of prisoners.

The success of the raid was tempered by the loss of a T patrol member and the intrepid d’Ornano. Another wounded French officer cauterized his leg wound with his own cigarette, much to the admiration of the LRDG. A diversionary raid by mounted Meharistes Colonial Cavalry failed after it was betrayed by local guides, prompting LeClerc to relegate these troops to recon duties only.

After the success of the Mourzouck raid Leclerc, who had assumed overall command, marshalled his forces to take on Koufra itself. Intelligence indicated that the Oasis was defended by two defensive lines based around the El Tag fort which included barbed wire, trenches. In the El Tag fort defending the oasis the Italian Colonel Leo had 580 Askaris and various Italian detachments (engineers, signals etc.) but he had also the Compania Saharina di Cufra under the command of Captains Mattioli and Moreschini: a specialist mobile force and the forerunner of the famous “Sahariana” companies of the mid war period. The company was comprised of desert veterans crewing various Fiat and Lancia trucks equipped with HMGs and 20 mm AA weapons, together with some armoured cars. The company also had the support of its own air arm to assist in long range reconnaissance and ground attack. The fort itself is defended by Schwarzlose and Fiat 1914/35 MGs as well as 20 mm Breda guns.

LeClerc could not pinpoint the Saharianas, so he tasked the LRDG with the job of hunting them down and robbing the defenders of their mobile reserve. Unfortunately for the LRDG, a radio intercept unit at Koufra picked up their radio traffic and they were spotted from the air. The defenders had been on their guard since Mourzouck. Conscious of the weakness of his forces, LeClerc also scheduled three air raids on Koufra (I assume these would be by Blenheim bombers from Chad), whose mission was to destroy the aerodrome; however only one aircraft on the ground was hit.

G patrol had been kept in reserve and Major Clayton was leading T patrol, 30 men in 11 trucks, including a French detachment from GN (Groupe Nomad) Tibesti under Lt. Dubut.

The patrol was at Bishara on the morning of 31 January when an Italian aircraft appeared overhead. The trucks scattered and made for some hills, and the plane flew away without attacking them. The patrol took cover among some rocks in a small wadi at Gebel Sherif and camouflaged the trucks, before preparing to have lunch. The plane returned and circled over the wadi, where it directed a patrol of the Auto-Saharan Company to intercept the LRDG.

During fierce fighting, the LRDG patrol came off second best to superior Italian firepower and constant air attack. After severe losses, the surviving seven trucks of the patrol were forced to withdraw, leaving behind their commanding officer, who was captured along with several others. Other survivors embarked on epic journeys to seek safety. After this reverse, the LRDG force was forced to withdraw and refit, leaving Leclerc the services of only one LRDG vehicle from T patrol crucially equipped for desert navigation.

LeClerc pressed on with his attack, in spite of losing a copy of his plan to the enemy with the capture of Major Clayton. After conducting further reconnaissance, Leclerc reorganized his forces on 16 February. He abandoned his two armoured cars (two AMC Laffly S15 TOE) and took with him the remaining serviceable artillery piece, a crucial decision.

Initially the LeClerc column is made up of 101 “white” French troops and 295 Senegalese and Chadian colonial soldiers: 396 men (armed with Lebel 1886/93 rifles, a Brandt 81mm mortar, four x 8 mm Hotchkiss Mle1914 MMGs and 26 x FM 24/29 LMGs), but several vehicles and their men were not available for the attack because of mechanical breakdowns.

They had to travel 1650 km before reaching the objective.

HQ: 1 Matford, 2 Chevrolet 1t, 2 Bedford 1.5t and one ER26bis radio (Captain Geoffroy)

1 reduced infantry company (Captain Rennepont) with 23 Bedford 1.5t

2 platoons of the GN (Groupe Nomad) Ennedi - 120 men (Captain Barboten) with 1 dodge and 16 Matford V8 3t

1 platoon of the 7th Company of the RTST (60 men) (Captains Florentin & Fabre) with 1 dodge and 2 Matford V8 3t

1 artillery platoon (Lieutenant Ceccaldi) with a 75 mm Mle1928 Schneider mountain gun, 1 dodge, 1 Laffly S15 tow, 1 Laffly S15 for the ammunition and 2 Matford V8 3t

On the 17th, LeClerc’s forces brushed with the Saharianas whom had no problems wiping out French trucks with their machine guns and 20mm cannon but despite a disparity in firepower the French were able to drive them off and this prevented the Saharinas from entering in El Tag. The Saharina escaped towards Tazerbo. The Italians never sent reinforcements to the fort, only a few planes attacked the French troops who now encircled the fort!

The lone 75 mm gun was placed 3000 m from the fort, beyond range of the defenses and opens fire (40 shells the first day and then about 20 shells per day after that). This single gun is constantly moved to give the impression that there are several guns. The 81mm mortar was positioned 1,500m to the Northwest. Using mobile patrols and general harassing tactics LeClerc managed to give the impression he had a much larger force. The Italian airforce initially tried to intervene, but eventually just gave up!

After ten days of fighting, despite having superior numbers, Italian resolve faltered. Negotiations to surrender began on 28 February and finally on 1 March 1941 the Free French captured El Tag and with it, the oasis at Koufra. The French took more than three hundred prisoners: eleven Italian officers and eighteen Italian soldiers and two hundred and seventy three Libyan soldiers. Italian losses amounted to three dead and four wounded. For the Free French Forces, the operation accounted for four dead and twenty one wounded. Seized from the enemy were four 20 mm canons, fifty three machine guns, fourteen vehicles, not to mention a large stock of munitions and supplies.

Captured arms

Col. Leclerc (on the right) with the captured banner of the Saharina de Cufra
The French flag flys proudly over El Tag

Leclerc addresses his troops following the Italian surrender, with a declaration which went down in history as the oath of Koufra:

 "We are on the march. We will not stop until the French flag flies over the Cathedral of Strasbourg." 



Friday 16 August 2024

British K-type landing Barges in Spanish service (new photo added 16/08/2024)

 British K-type landing Barges in Spanish service

General history

X-Lighters would make a huge difference to amphibious warfare, the craft were designed by naval architect Walter Pollock of James Pollock & Son in 1915. He was summoned to develop a suitable landing craft, taking on Admiralty input – particularly that of the First Sea Lord, ‘Jackie’ Fisher, who was familiar with Pollock’s work and saw the value of the craft in his proposed North Sea and Baltic operations.

The Navy demanded a self-propelled vessel suitable for transporting men, supplies and heavy equipment to shore in an opposed landing. The X-Lighters were designed in just four days, and Pollocks also oversaw their construction. The craft became known as ‘Black Beetles’, due to their black-painted construction, low profile and landing ramp that, when deployed, resembled a stag beetle’s horns.

Orders for 200 were placed and their production given high priority. The 105ft craft displaced some 160 tons and were 21ft across the beam. Each had a distinctive hinged ramp over the bow, which dropped down to disembark infantry. This enabled a platoon to be landed within seconds, while the remainder could filter through in the following minutes.

Although a common design, variances were tolerated to enable smaller yards to maintain swift production. The first X-Lighter launched in April and the Royal Navy received its initial vessels in June, with all delivered by August. With the initial order completed, a further 50 were produced in 1916 to smaller dimensions (98ft long), 25 as stores ships and tenders, with 25 ‘dumb’ (engineless) craft – designated DX-Lighters – for towing. The building of all 250 vessels was spread across 30 shipyards.

The craft were given ‘L’ or ‘K’ numbers depending on their role, though they were officially known by their ‘X’ designation (for example, K77 was X166). Of the original 200, approximately 20 were converted into tenders or similar and one even served as a Q-ship (an armed decoy ship for duping U-boats).

X-Lighters were produced from iron and wood over a metal frame and their spoon-shaped bow and 3½ft draught enabled them to get right up to shore without beaching. Their engine fit varied, but they were unusual in that they were among the earliest small craft to use oil or diesel fuel. Swedish-made Bolinder engines were favoured as Pollocks was their British agent, but two-cylinder engines from six companies were used. Powerplant and screw fit varied between yards (and were often changed postwar) but the most powerful were capable of 7-8kts and used a single screw, while less powerful examples usually incorporated a twin screw and paired engines.

The engine room was encased at the stern with a 450-gal tank on each side. Ahead of those was space for a 16ft dingy, a 12-seat table, a stove and berth for up to a dozen hammocks. Then came the steering and compass platform, protected by an armoured screen. The troop/ cargo well was enclosed and formed 60% of the craft’s length. If necessary, fixtures were provided to secure horses and heavy equipment. At the bow there were two more 450-gal tanks, and a staircase enabled troops clamber up to the hand-lowered ramp, while a portion of the upper deck could drop to provide a stairless exit.

Up to 500 men could be transported in each X-Lighter for short periods, though lack of space was a common gripe. In safe areas, more men were often carried on top. Located amidships was a machine gun platform and shield, which poked out above the deck. Shortages meant the guns were rarely supplied and the platforms were often removed, though a transported party would be keen to lend a Lewis gun to cover their approach.

Specifications:

Displacement: 160 tons

Length: 105ft (32.2 meters)

propulsion: Bolinder semi-diesel, single shaft


Speed: 7 to 8 knots

Draft: 3.5 ft (1 meter)

Capacity: 500men + 4 crew 

Use by Spain

In the mid-1920s Spain bought 26 vessels off the Royal Navy at Gibralter, They were re-numbered K-1 - K-26. These were used as part of the massive amphibious operation at Alhucemas Bay in September 1925 which effectively turned the tide and led to the defeat of Abd el Krim`s rebellion. Most of the craft were used as troop/supply transports but some were modified to carry Ft17 tanks and land them directly on the beaches - in fact due to the nature of the rocky beaches, this never happened and the tanks had to be landed by crane once the defenders had been cleared.





These troops disemarking are obviously Regulares

These men appear to be naval personel possibly Infanteria de Marina?


After the Rif War the remaining craft stayed in Spanish service. By 1936 at the time of the Civil War there were still 10 barges still operational at Cartegena. At least two: K-12 and K-26 took part in the abortive attempt by Republican forces to retake Mallorca from the Rebels. After the Republicans withdrew, the two craft were captured and became part of Palma Squadron.
This photo is of a K-type barge unloading militia at Porto Cristo, Mallorca in 1936