1/32 SCW - Spanish Foreign Legion

My Foreign Legion figures were all bodged from Airfix Commandos.  The er, 'conversions' involved:
1.  trimming their caps into the shape of the Spanish 'Gorillo' side cap, with red piping added with a paint pen.
2. Carving off water bottles and ammo pouches (don't try this with the more recent harder plastic Airfix figures!)
3. Adding blanket rolls and knapsacks made of Milliput.
4. Er, that's about all!  Like all of my figures, they're best viewed from a safe distance...

1/32 SCW Nationalist Regulares

Continuing with my Nationalist forces are those stalwarts of the Spanish Army of Africa, Moroccan Regulares. As with the other figures, these have been bodged from other nationalities and eras. In fact there’s not a Moroccan or indeed a Spaniard among them!

The chap with the flag began life as a HAT ACW Zouave. His rifle was carved away and a blanket roll added, then his hands were drilled to accommodate a brass rod flagpole.

From left to right (which could be, in itself, a summary of the conflict) : the officer is from the Armies in Plastic 1916 Germans set with a ‘paint conversion’.  The machine gunner is an old hollowcast with a head from a WW2 US figure - the latter from one of the cheap Chinese sets mentioned in previous posts. The rank and file were my starting point and are in fact Replicants ACW zouaves, with their muskets shortened and waistcoats trimmed to look less flamboyant. 

The Moroccans share a box with the Foreign Legion. More on them soon.

Delium 424BC

Last Wednesday we continues our chronological canter through (most of) the available Command & Colours Ancients scenarios.  The Peloponnesian Wars continued with the Battle of Delium between Athens and Boetia.  The Athenians were led by John A and generally appear on the left of the photos.  The Boetians were commanded by Tim C.  I ran the game and provided all the toys from my accumulation of elderly 25mm metal.
Above - Pagondas can be seen at the head of his Thebans near the top rightish of the photo.  Hippocrates (left) leads the Athenians.

 Figures were from several manufacturers - I'll let you spot and guess for yourselves!

 Pagondas opened the batting on his left  - which is bottom right in the photo....

 The Athenians soon responded and a load of Hoplites clanked forward.

 Pagondas rolled some astonishing dice - this lot eliminated a unit of Athenian Hoplites in one go!

Soon the centre and right (from the Boetian point of view) were heavily engaged and the casualty markers soon stacked up.

 This soon thinned the ranks!

 The Boetian Hoplites on the left were soon in action again and destroyed this Athenian peltast unit.

 By now it was all still to play for - the Boetians seemed to have the upper hand on the right while the Athenians looked stronger in the centre.

Hippocrates led his own troops in combat and another sudden death occurred - another pile of empty Boetian helmets!

 The sector nearest the camera had degenerated into a scrappy mess.  At this point it could still have gone either way.

The end.  Hippocrates found himself beset by enemies and perished at the head of his troops - clinching a hard fought and generally historical victory for Pagondas.

Charging into the past - the battle of Sittingbad

Last week while visiting Bertrand, we seized the opportunity to clear the floor and get some toys out.  We opted for an 18th Century engagement based on the Battle of Sittingbad - which you may recognise as the second scenario in the classic wargames book 'Charge!  Or how to play wargames'.

The peaceful town of Sittingbad.  Behind the town a bridge crosses a river.  You'll have to imagine that.

Imperial forces gather to defend the crossing from the Elector and his band of heretics.  Assembled from various bits of old Elastolin castles, the town included the remains of the medieval walls.

I provided the Imperial troops - Bertrand the enemy.  Here my heavy cavalry deploy forward while the CO watches from a tall tower.  The cavalry are mostly Armies in Plastic while the general is a metal casting found at a show by John A.

An overview (photo by Bertrand)

My chaps garrison a reboubt while cavalry and light infantry form a skirmishing screen.

Most of these chaps are from the collection I bought from Portland Little Wars.  The infantry are mostly BMC figures.

The Elector's chaplain.  It is revealing of his deviant practices that he is ignoring the comely milkmaid while casting amorous glances at the dog.... (photo by Bertrand)

For maximum efficiency I set up my artillery battery in the local graveyard.  Not so far to carry the casualties that way...

The enemy gathers!

The Electoral army arrived in overwhelming numbers - typically unsporting behaviour!  My heavy cavalry (top right) charged an enemy battery but the appearance of loads of infantry saw them off.  But all good wargames should include a futile charge.

While all this excitement was underway, my engineers were carrying several barrels of gunpowder to the bridge...

I put the walls to good use - which at least gave this battalion a good view of...

...the brigade level assault on my redoubt.

My light troops skulked in a marsh to harass the enemy flank.

The assault was very messy.  It carried the redoubt but all of the Elector's battalions had suffered. (photo by Bertrand)

Flag waving from atop a mound of plastic corpses. (photo by Bertrand)

The Elector watches the carnage from a typically safe distance. (photo by Bertrand)

We played for about two and a half hours, after which we agreed that by the time the Elector invested the town the garrison would have been largely evacuated and the bridge blown.