Friday 7 March 2014

I'm a Francophile...


But being a Francophile has its price, certainly when one is also a miniature collector and wargamer. One never really seems to reach a saturation point. There is always one more dramatic war to read about, or some new fantastic range of figures launched, that my unruly right index finger keeps clicking into a web shop basket.

Two war seasoned Poilus sharing a quiet moment in the sun

As it's the centennial for the horrible monument to blind nationalism mixed with unsavory weapons tactics called WW1, I have naturally bought a bunch of French trench rats, or Poilus if you will.

A whole generation of youths dutifully paid with their own blood, for the past failures of 1870 and the tactical shortcomings of their present commanders. If only they had been right when saying, "never again" as the war ended in 1918.

Smoking his pipe while keeping an eye on No Man's Land
Figure from Forgotten & Glorious

Figures: There are a few good options, but I have to credit Paris based company Forgotten & Glorious. They carry a small but incredibly nice sculpted range - a treat to paint.

The above mentioned year 1870, saw the eruption of the Franco-Prussian War. It’s a personal favorite in terms of wargaming and miniatures painting. What was soon to be a united Germany went to war under Prussian leadership disposing over some the greatest commanders and tactical politicians they would ever have - Moltke and Bismarck. France went into the war equipped with one of history’s most formidable armies, but worst high commands to lead it.

French "Lignards" trying to stem the German tide - Painting by Neuville

The brave French lignards could only scour for a fighting retreat, as a well run German war engine - spearheaded by the modern Krupp artillery - would run a tired Second French Empire under Louis Bonaparte (Napoleon III) into the corner of the ring. At Sedan the French Emperor was captured, a solid knock out, that saw France plunged into political chaos resulting in the proclaiming of the Paris commune. The war would leave France and the new republic traumatized by the loss of Alsace-Lorraine. This trauma would later play a key role in leading the nation on to seek the rematch with Germany of WW1.

A desperate stand - Mixed French unit offering resistance
Figures are Foundry


Figures: I love the Prussians from NorthStar 1866. They are clean, crisp and suited for todays painting techniques. French miniatures are tougher. In my opinion only Foundry has a range worth looking at, even if it's really 25mm and a bit out-dated in terms of pose variety and sculpting.

But things are happening, there are bright lights on the horizon, and I think 2014/15 will see a few new options on this period.

The First French Empire was run by Louis Bonaparte's uncle. A military and organizational genius known to history simply as Napoleon. Naturally the Corsican is a stop on any Francophile’s road to completion.

On the 1 year anniversary of his coronation as Emperor,
Napoleon won his greatest victory: Austerlitz 1805

Many historians, even today, will refer to Napoleon as a "little” or “short”. Actually Napoleon was not short at all, he was of average height of his time. “Warmonger” is another word that can stick to his legacy, but besides waging wars he also completed innovative law codes (many still used in today’s French legal code), understood and organized the basics of cities and industry for urbanization – For instance: he came up with the concept of house numbers being even on one side of the road, and uneven on the other.

French Grenadiers 1812 - Figures are Victrix

Figures: Where to start. I love the Victrix plastics for their sharp sculpting and multi-parts assembly options. I adore the Perry range, mainly because of the high quality and width of the range. As Napoleonic wargamer you're spoiled really, but the two above is my personal favorites.

Before the Revolution and the Bonapartes, France had one of Europe's oldest monarchies. As mainland Europe's strongest military and political power, Royal France naturally rivaled with the Habsburgs and The Holy Roman Empire for supremacy. A prime example of this would be either the 30 Years War or the Italian Wars, the latter a series of conflicts from 1494 to 1559, that witnessed some extreme men's fashion and even saw the pope field an army.

Landsknechts of the Italian Wars (1495 - 1559)
Figures are Foundry and Pro Gloria

Figures: I'd have to commend Foundry, their range still holds sway. Also the new comer,
Pro Gloria is adding premium products to the period. As a French player looking for Gendarmes, I also have to mention Eureka's beautiful range, sculpted I think by Alan Marsh.

So this brings me to a café au lait sipping and croissant-munching end. No matter whether you fancy lances, muskets or submachine guns, France offers plenty. And we didn't even touch on The Sun King or medieval times with Joan of Arc and the 100 years war. I feel my mouse wielding right hand itching again, I know Perry has got some lovely minis for this period...

Thanks for reading!

21 comments:

  1. You and me both, but my love affair with French forces starts in 1940 and goes on from there. Check these guys out:
    http://www.redstarminiatures.eu/shop_DBP.html
    and painted:
    http://dienbienphuredstarminiatures.blogspot.se/2013/12/bush-hats-and-bigeard-caps-by-andy.html

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    1. Did some Warlord WW2 French for Bolt Action - another "Sedan" experience for the French :0). Love the Red Star minis! Not many know how much the French were involved in the early part of the Vietnam War. Reminds me of a scene in Apocalypse Now, were Martin Sheen's character eats dinner deep in the jungle with this French family who refuses to surrender. Legendary. Thanks for stopping by!

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  2. as we didn´t know Sören... :)

    Greate painted Landsknechts, realy looking forward to see them all painted up.

    Best regards Michael

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    1. Haha, was hoping to confuse you with all the ACW stuff ;0)
      Thanks Micke - got the Landsknechts lined up on the painting table.
      Something quite different from painting uniformed units, this is all about details. Very customized and time consuming. Realizing the work load, this put your impressive pike blocks in a completely new light of respect!

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  3. Studying French history seems to confuse many Brits. At my local U3A Military History group, I told one of my colleagues that I studied French history, he looked confused and then said in his Yorkshire accent "Oh...don't you like victories?".

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    1. Thanks Pierre, absolutely golden comment! Your colleague must somehow be related to the Dowager Countess of Grantham! But I admit, there is a nostalgia to the grandeur dressed in defeat, probably best caught in the paintings of Neuville and Detaille.

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    2. Ah, you're confusing Brits with Yorkshiremen, which are a breed apart. To put it into context, there's a British saying that goes, 'you can tell a Yorkshireman, but only once' ;)
      I study the High Middles Ages, during which a large swathe of France belonged to the Angevin kings of England. A Yorkshire friend regularly asks if I've done another article about Frenchmen running away. He's only half joking…

      Anyway, great stuff as always Sören. You'll be pleased to hear that I've just invested in Ledru's 10th Division c.1812 with supporting light horse :-)

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  4. Beautiful painted minis Soren, and a great pro French propaganda historical read up!.
    I second Michael on the Landsknechts, very well painted and will be nice to see more!

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    1. Thanks Chris! Inspired by your excellent Swiss pike, I'm going to offer some adversaries by painting the Landsknecht legions of Von Frundsberg. It's such a welcome change to bask in colorful clothes and amazing flags of this period.

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    1. Thanks Franck, and thanks for the welcoming service you offered at your shop. The WW1 figures paint up nicely as you can see. Looking forward to those Hardee Hat fellows:0)

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  6. Great post and great painting!
    Those landsknechts look splendid - a favourite period of mine that I shy away from as it is so labour intensive.
    Will follow yours with interest though!
    /Mattias

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    1. Words of truth Mattias! I now look with a new level of respect at anyone who have actually finished a complete pike block of these babies. Boy was I naive to think confederates labour intensive...

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  7. Thanks for a great read Sören! I must confess I'm a bit of a francophile myself. Well in addition to being an anglophile and general historyphile of course ... ;)

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    1. Oh, and those landsknechts do look mighty fine indeed – as does the rest of the miniatures on display here.

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    2. Thanks Jonas! Glad you got me into the Italian War project. Hope those Anglophile genes will get their cravings feed when you're in London for Salute then - preferably with an old-fashioned hearty English breakfast. What more complete meal could a man want for in the morning, right?

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  8. Excellent post...I'm a francophile too, but I am French, can be helpful! Great read and beautiful minis!
    Phil.

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    1. Thanks Phil, glad you liked the post :0) Being French I guess you already knew about the beautiful WW1 minis from Forgotten & Glorious? By the way, does France have anything comparing to Salute in terms of wargaming conventions?

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  9. Hi there, Søren, love your work on the Victrix French grenadiers. I'm a fellow Dane, but thought it better to keep my post in English, just as everyone else. I am at great pains when it comes to choosing between 28mm and 15mm for Napoleonics and am yet to find a ruleset that would allow playing 28mm on a modest 6 x 4 standard tabletop. Would that be possible with Black Powder and 4 (company) bases like yours (40mm x 40mm) making up a battalion - that is with just a few battalions per army? I hope you have experience with this kind of small-scale Black Powder battles.
    Hatten af for din fantastiske bemaling - virkelig flotte enheder.
    Jan, Copenhagen

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    1. Hi Jan, and first of all thanks for your kind words and for dropping by my blog. For me the central part of the hobby is painting historical miniatures, so my opinion is definitely influenced by that. If one were more a gamer at heart one would probably have different parameters to navigate by. Anyway, I have an ACW collection in both 15 & 28mm, and after playing both, always end up with the latter. I find 28mm gives me the perfect balance between something with a certain level of sculpting detail that’s enjoyable to paint and at the same time a playable collection for battalion based games. Also today one is spoiled with the level of excellent 28mm miniatures available on the market. Good rules are plenty to. For me Black Powder has worked really well for club games on small-medium tables with 8-12 units (size like above) per side. This usually gives one a game of around 2-3 hrs, and the rules are framed in a very free and gentlemanly spirit. BP has sister publications for ancients and for the pike&shotte era, so it’s easy to jump to other époques with rules that will be familiar. I hope this was just a little helpful and that you find something that suits you. Wish you all the best with your project. As you’re in Copenhagen maybe we’ll get a chance to meet at Defcon in Tøjhusmuseet later this year? Cheers, Søren

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  10. Thanks, Søren. I'll cash out for a copy of Black Powder and from reading so many positive reviews on the net I am sure they will suit my purpose. I'll also be coming by your blog once in a while and perhaps we'll meet at DEFCON. Cheers, Jan

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