Monday, March 16, 2015

Marshalling the Grand Armée - And Some Mystery Troops

I spent this weekend combing through the 6mm Napoleonic collection I purchased last winter and started sorting and basing the French troops.  Here’s a portion of the infantry and some of the artillery.  Depending on the scale, I figure I have either two corps or two divisions.

 

Some mystery troops.  I’m fairly sure that these are French chasseurs from the blue uniforms and the green hackles, but I’m a little puzzled by the large red roundels on the shakos in the second of these photos.  Your thoughts?

 

 

 

More mystery troops.  These were part of an order I received from Baccus last week.  They are supposed to be Austrian Hussars.  Notice anything wrong with them?

 

In other news, I’m happy to say that all three of my committee members approved my MA thesis to go to the external reader.   I should have a defence date by early April.  Hurrah!

Blessings to your brushes and die rolls!

 

Mike

20 comments:

  1. Were the painted troops attempting to be soldiers of Berg or some other small German state? And why do some/most of those so called Austrians have Norman "kite" shields and spears? Do you know something I don't? (Obviously you do since your thesis is moving along to a defense. Congratulations!) Hope to see you at Hot Lead!

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  2. Well done with the thesis. Can't help with the ID, I can hardly see the figures at all!!

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    1. Thank you sir. I can barely see them either, it makes me less critical of my painting efforts!

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  3. Isn't it obvious Padre? Peter anticipated your need of figures to represent the Normandie and Breton hussar regiments who adopted C11th dress, armour and weapons to terrify les Rosbifs.

    Mind you, some poor Anglo-Saxons/Anglo-Danes somewhere are puzzled as to how the Frenchies fighting them have got hold of advanced tech in the form of pistols and carbines...

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    1. D'oh! Just noticed - *Austrian* hussars. Hmmm, I'll have to do a rethink of how they got included.

      If you drop Peter a line with a pic of the pack contents, he'll definitely send out a replacement pack (possibly after convincing you that you really-really-really want to wargame the First Crusade in 6mm ;)

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    2. Spot on, Tamsin. Knowing Peter, this is not a order handling mistake, it is guerilla marketing! ;-)

      And congrats on the thesis, Padre!

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  4. Tamsin and Thomas (hmm, sounds like the name of a folk duo) I have to say I briefly considered starting a Dark Ages army in 6mm. The thought crossed and recrossed my mind. I have indeed written to Peter and have even offered to buy more product so he doesn't lose money on postage to Cannuckistan via Express Moose Mail.

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  5. Good work on getting your 6mm Napoleonics project organized and nearing game-ready status. As for the mystery figures, sorry I cannot help there. Clearly, Igor slipped the crusaders in as a "cat amongst the pigeons" to see if you noticed! Perhaps, this was an early (very early) form of Austrian uhlans?

    Excellent news on the thesis front!

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    1. Thank you Jonathan. It's a start, I should have a Naps game in soon. Just have to rush some scenery into production.
      They could be early Uhlans. I did have some Austrian Uhlans in the same Baccus order, just because Uhlans are always cool.

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  6. If you play each stand = a bgde then you've got possibly more than 2 corps. A small corps could be as small as 4 bgdes in 2 div with some guns and a bgde of hussars.

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    1. Very true. Or I could scale it down and make each stand an infantry battalion and group them as brigades, depending on the size of the action and scale of the rules.

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  7. I'm counting 9x div each of 3x bgdes which actually gives you 3x average sized corps...
    Each corps needs a small div of hussars, chasseurs or dragoons and an arty reserve.
    Then at army level more heavy arty and some divisions of dragoons, cuirassier and more lights in the cav corps
    Just saying! :-D

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    1. I like that you think big, my friend.

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    2. It's hard to think small with Napoleonics!

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  8. Well done on the thesis Padre.

    Can't help much more than what's been offered already on the minis though.

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  9. Those big red roundels seem to be an attempt to depict the small red within white roundel that appeared just below the pom-pom or plume on the shako. This was pretty universal amongst the French. I think it was a small cockade.

    If those pointy stick armed dudes really are armed with pointy sticks, I suggest they are hastily gathered conscript or other units armed with pikes (or half-pikes) against a shortage of firearms. I believe the practice, though fairly rare, was not unknown.

    Two corps or two divisions - or, if each stand is a brigade, then 3 or 4 Army Corps, there, and a whole campaign in the making!

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    1. Hi Ion:
      I am now inclined to think they are Chasseurs, since the infantry have firearms. I don't think those are pointy stick chaps.
      Like James, you think big. I do think there is a campaign in the making, and since I have Schneid's book on Napoleon's Italian Campaigns, 1805-1815l, I'm thinking the 1805-1806 Caldiero campaign, since I have all the Russians as well.

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  10. Nappys aren't my period but well done on the completion of the thesis.

    Cheers,

    Pete.

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  11. The Polemos Nap rules are worth a look Michael. They have two levels (Marechal de l'Empire and General de Division for Army and Corps level games respectively) so your bases are interchangeable as brigades/battalions. They give a very enjoyable, challenging game once you get your head round the sequence of play.

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    1. Thank you sir. I have both those sets of rules and am looking forward to trying them once I get these chaps properly based.

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