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Post by wisercj on Feb 1, 2016 16:04:46 GMT
Updated The Lafayette Legion was a project I started a couple of years ago using existing stat lines from the American and BEF forces but with 15mm French Minifigs or Peter Pig WW I and II figures along with a mix of Vehicles and equipment from Alien Dungeon and various 15mm manufactures such as QRF, Battlefront (FoW), Spartan Games Dystopian Legions (32mm), and some of my own design. The idea was that a French Expeditionary Force of volunteers to come to America and help fight off the invasion. I created a story line of the force arriving in New Orleans and coming up the Mississippi river to Iowa in order to support the fight in Des Moines. We had been playing a series of 'Battle of Des Moines' games, almost a mini campaign, in which the results of one battle set the scene for the next.  Ammunition carrier passes behind the command team positioned behind two flivver gun carriers. Some of the units built from the US list unless otherwise noted: Infantry Squad Command Squad Hotchkiss MG Squad Field Gun Battery Heavy Field Gun Battery 2-Pound Heavy Coil Gun (BEF) Flivver Gun Carrier Holt Gun Tractors Spector Armored Car (BEF) Defiant Armored Car (BEF) Imperial Tank MK I (BEF) Munitions Carrier Flivver Ambulance 
Colonel Jean Louis Petit directs the Heavy Artillery Batteries into position. 
The Heavy Batteries prepare to open fire as additional ammunition is brought forward and casualties are evacuated from a destroyed gun. 
Lafayette Legion Infantry with Hotchkiss machineguns and supported by Canon de 75mm prepare to repel an attack. 
Colonel Petit orders the L'Emperor Napoleon Mk I tank company to attack. |
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Post by madmorgan on Feb 1, 2016 21:09:10 GMT
yes wonderous stuff - is it all 15mm true scale or 18mm AQ scale "15s"?? Love the 'gun trucks'. Never mind reread the preamble - love that mix and use of the Spartan too! I'm definately going into 15mm true scale soon as there are so many nice figures available (Peter Pig, FoW, etc.)
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Post by hallostephan on Feb 6, 2016 17:10:07 GMT
Oh Nice, painded yesterday A Gun carrier for? looks like Yous, its from british WW2 Desert War, but some armoured Cars may looks like it!
My photobucket will nor work exactely, cant show You!
The newer FoW WW1 Battle Boxes continues Amis with French together-ok, true 15style, but if taken seperately, it works! The Blue Mooners can be integrated into the 18ners directly!
In the back cover of the french box, they write, that this troopy came directly out of the desert, to fight for theiy land-so paint them as desert mice!
Sorry, may be A little different, what I say, but may be go on the right way?
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Post by madmorgan on Feb 7, 2016 10:38:50 GMT
Most of the American units in WW1 were equipped with French gear, but for a really nice look at the 'common' doughboy gear, see the thread on ICM products in the 'suppliers' tab. Those 1/35 scale pics at Michigan Toy Soldier are nice guides to what various weapons were in use by various nations on the infantry man level.
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Post by easye on Feb 11, 2016 16:23:23 GMT
Great idea. I would love to see more.
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Post by wisercj on Feb 18, 2016 19:14:38 GMT
 Here is a comparison of MG Units from 3 manufacturers. On the left are 15mm Peter Pig WWI UK front two, WWII French back two, on the right are 18mm AQMF US front two and 18mm Blue Moon US back one. So the scales are compatible as long as you don't put them right next to each other. This formation would put out a hail of lead (63 dice of +1 penetration for only 280 points) enough to deter all but Veteran and Overseer tripods. They have stealth so start hidden, and if they are entrenched, are very difficult to kill. |
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Post by madmorgan on Feb 19, 2016 11:22:24 GMT
Impressive and a good call for comparisons. Good Ambush potential also. I like to mix the 'real' figures with Paperterrains MG Nests - those are very inexpensive, look good, and you can certainly do a great trench line defense with 8 squads of those (as pictured above)!
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Post by dawgofflanders on Mar 12, 2016 16:38:47 GMT
Really impressive!
Are the two portee's actual Martian Front Flivvers?
I love the idea of a machine gun battalion.
kev
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Post by wisercj on Mar 13, 2016 19:04:58 GMT
Are the two portee's actual Martian Front Flivvers? They are Battlefront FoW French Autocanon de 75mm, a self-propelled 75mm on AA mount. Actually a WW I vintage that carried over into WW II. www.flamesofwar.com/hobby.aspx?art_id=2702 |
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Post by madmorgan on Mar 13, 2016 22:37:22 GMT
Yes FoW have several nice portee mounts for difference nations - particularly British, French, and Italians.
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Post by dawgofflanders on Mar 14, 2016 1:17:49 GMT
Wow. Thanks wiserjc and madmorgan. I'm gonna pick up some of the portee's for my French.
Kev
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Post by madmorgan on Mar 14, 2016 9:59:33 GMT
Remember these are 'true' 15mms and will look off against your 18mm AD, Old Glory, and Eureka minis, per wisercj picture above, if you have those. But the Italians also have some great guns - both the 65mm/17 and the 100mm/17 (ISO 504 & ISO 506) from FoW are actually leftovers from WW1 used in WW2 with great effect apparently for the 100mm. The Lancia 3RO 6t truck makes a nice set of (2) flivvers with cargo in the back for both (IT440). I'm up on all this as was researching 15mm for colonial and Bersaglieri units. I've already done a Bersaglieri unit from Eureka, which looks great btw with its tricycles and all. But, I want 15mm troops for colonials in Africa and elsewhere. Perfect stuff, only lacking artillery crews for the guns  in their figure line. |
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Post by dawgofflanders on Mar 15, 2016 1:34:32 GMT
Right, 15mm verses 18mm. I've used Minifigs, because I had dozens of them kicking around, and yes they do look different when in the same unit as MF, which I never do. I have some 15mm WWI British armoured cars and they are way different in size from MF. That said, I'm now half blind (sorta kidding, age) and therefore don't worry so if they're off a bit. I really like your ideas for Italians, I just read that Italy was one of three countries to come out of WWI ahead. U.S., Britain and Italy were the three. So maybe an expanded role for Italy!
Kev
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Post by wisercj on Mar 15, 2016 5:32:28 GMT
I just read that Italy was one of three countries to come out of WWI ahead. U.S., Britain and Italy were the three. So maybe an expanded role for Italy! Kev Yes, even though Italy got hammered pretty badly on the battlefield and needed to get backed up by the allies, the US even send a Regiment. Since they were on the winning side, they came away with a good chunk of land from Austria-Hungary only to lose it to Yugoslavia as a result of the Second World War. Still the Bersagleri troops with the feathers and motoguzzi's are way cool. |
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Post by wisercj on Mar 18, 2016 17:27:50 GMT
Finally added photos of the painted Legion to the first post. My new French hero is Colonel Jean Louis Petit, whom I have named my Lafayette Legion commander after. Born in 1894, Col Petit graduated from the French military academy just in time for the First World War. He served as a Lieutenant and at age 23, a Captain of Infantry being award the Legion d'Honeur for the defense of Fort Doumount during the fighting at Verdun. He was an Instructor in the interwar period then being called up from the reserves to fight in the Second World War. After the Fall of France he was posted to Morocco where he commanded the 1e régiment de tirailleurs marocains (1e RTM) at Port Lyautey. After first being told that he was to welcome the Americans he was then ordered to resist, which he did. His forces counterattacked the 60th Regiment of the US 9th Infantry Division capturing a number of them and driving the rest of the 2d Battalion back to the sea. After holding out for three days he was finally ordered by higher to surrender. He then served with the Free French often being a liaison officer with the US Army, his recent, brief enemies, during the liberation of France. He held out a third time finally succumbing to death in 1997 at the age of 103! passé-présent-futur-de-stéphane.com/colonel-jean-petit.html |
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in their figure line.