New French Foreign Legion for the Desert

Hello Again! I recently received a parcel in the post from France and wanted to share the results!

I always wanted to add to add to my Rapid Fire battalion of French Foreign Legion and thought I only had the option of buying more of the SHQ figures. I have converted some,  by swapping heads, (kindly supplied by Ian from Shell Hole Scenics), on some SHQ Mediterranean figures but other than that I thought I had no alternative.

I know there is a plastic version of 20mm FFL but as I am a self confessed 'metal snob' I did not consider them.

Through facebook I found this company, https://lesarmeesoubliees.blog4ever.com/

I ordered the packs of FFL and here are their  figures.

I have added some completed and based SHQ figures to compare height so have placed the new figures in the same base. Overall these are a very compatable with some small differences in height and are a little less chunky in the legs. There is also minimal flash.

The three sets have a combination of mortar teams, bren gunners, an HMG, some Thompson MG gunners and the rest are rifles.

Overall I am more than happy with this purchase and would recommend these figures to anyone considering some French Foreign Legion for their collection

New and Last Company of Hampton's Legion

Hello Again! Here are the last troops to be added to Hampton's Legion. After obtaining some research information on this unit I found them to be a colourful unit with many subtle variations to their uniform. The last company of four figures was the best with a company of Zouaves.

These are Redoubt Enterprises figures with a variety of headgear. The Unit did wear turbans and they could be turned inside out. They were grey inside. They also had a selection of forage caps so I have made them dominant.

The pantaloons did not last long according to written records and were then replaces with grey trousers. The jackets did not have trefoils but did have blue trim on the edge and collar of the jacket.

It was nice to something a little more colourful and also end this unit which has eight companies and the attached artillery battery. I can now continue on the rest of the Texas brigade.

American Civil War, Battle for the Camp

Hello Again! I recently played an ACW game around a friends. It was an impromptu game with a very basic scenario.

As you can see the Union camp was at one corner of the table with a road running alongside. The Confederates entered the table, as per a chance dice roll, at the opposite end of the table. The Union forces  were also reinforced at their corner of the table by the same dice rolls.

As you can see the Union regiment  soon started to assemble from their rest and form up. The tents are scratch built and a tutorial on home to make them will be in an issue of Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy soon.

The Confederate Hampton's Legion gradually made its way across the board towards the sleepy Union troops.

The Confederates soon reached the camp and I, (the Union commander), was hoping to have better dice rolls for reinforcements. I did not and had to use another unit of infantry and cavalry to stem the Confederate tide, (Adrian had been somewhat more fortunate!). The Union had to be aggressive to make space for any troops that would eventually arrive. This led to a seesaw situation where  Confederate units in open order were forced back by formed Union troops who then presented a better denser target for the enemy as they became more vulnerable from the flanks. Here the Confederates are pushing in from the top of the picture as well as the left. 

At last the artillery arrived to 'save the day' but far too late. I had already begun to feel this was and ACW version of Isandwhalana! I tried to make more space in the camp to manoeuvre but the dice rolls for the melee results were very close but I had to pull back, actually following what was already running away.

Here you can see the more open area of the camp after a lot of my troops decided to leave the immediate vicinity.

The game overall was very too and fro for much of the time with things not going all one way or the other until getting towards the end of the game that things turned against the Union.