Thursday 3 June 2021

Paris in the Springtime - part 3 - Let Me In

 Back we go to Paris, where when we left, Government troops were poised to storm the gates.

A fluke artillery round lit off a gunpowder store, taking the gatehouse with it
A rather overscale Col. Rossel manning the guns!  
The Commune's militias rushed to the walls.
Shrouded in smoke, troops swarmed through the breach.
Another gatehouse soon fell to the Government...
...but who is this innocent-looking lady?  Surely not one of the notorious and much-rumoured petroleuses?
A petrol bomb soon exploded in the gateway.  The troops weren't happy.

While some parts of the walls held, troops still flowed through the earlier breach.
The defenders were a motley crowd - this barricade was defended by a chimney sweep and a prostitute.  A dirty crowd in every way!

Not all of the Petroleuses were effective - this one blew up on the launching pad, so to speak.

The post subtitle?  Here you go...


10 comments:

Martin Rapier said...

I never realised we could close the city gates! But I was only a Colonel, so what do I know....

Brad DeSantis said...

Another wonderful post Tim! You always come up with the unique and unexpected! The petroleuses are new to me and add an interesting dynamic to the game! But a prostitute and chimney sweep? I thought that was Mary Poppins and Mr. Dawes! A prostitute is a better choice though, if you want to stop a large group of soldiers in their tracks! I look forward to part 4!

Pete. said...

Looks great Tim- was deploying under the patio umbrella to protect them from the elements?

Cheers,

Pete.

Syl said...

Great idea and very good report :-)
Vive La Commune !

Funny Little Wars said...

The Committee of Public Safety may wish to investigate the lack of barricades at the gates?

Treachery?

Excellent stuff.

Tim Gow said...

Martin Rapier
That's right - blame the General!

Tim Gow said...

Brad DeSantis
When I started combing through boxes for civilian figures it turned out there were quite a few! They added considerable 'atmosphere' to the game.

Tim Gow said...

Pete
Happily we didn't need to deploy the umbrellas - either for rain or sun.

Tim Gow said...

Syl
Thanks - but I fear you may have backed the wrong horse!

Tim Gow said...

Vauban & Shandy
A bigger question is why the gates were left open! Clearly treachery at work.