Maintainance and repairs
Some of you may recall I`ve played a few late war games using my 1940s era French over the last year or so. If not please check out these earlier posts:
https://baberonwargames.blogspot.com/2026/01/mulhouse-november-1944.html
https://baberonwargames.blogspot.com/2026/03/silencing-battery-at-les-huttes-pointe.html
https://baberonwargames.blogspot.com/2026/04/seizing-boyardville-ile-doleron-1st-may.html
I`ve also used them as proxy Spanish Republican regular army in a couple of my more recent games.
But I must admit I did notice the figures had suffered a fair bit of wear and tear: chipped paint, etc and also some were neither based or inked in (colour washed)!! Now whilst setting up some of the scenarios I also noted quite significant gaps in my organisation and also found I was a couple infantry platoons short of a full battalion in our rules, so I ordered what I needed off Paul @ Early War Miniatures - as always his service was excellent 😁 These have now reached the painting tray (cleaned, based and undercoated), but I have decided to bite the bullet and completely refurbish the whole force before I paint them, so all will look a similar standard. It has taken a few weeks, but finally I`m a bit more happy with the overall look.
You will note I`ve mostly painted the greatcoats in a tan brown, this is because I built this force not for 1940 Europe but 1943/43 French North Africa. Though it should also be noted the tan overcoat was used in mainland France, it wouldn`t be silly to find troops wearing it.
Horse drawn (hippomobile) 75mm battery
Guns are both Hat Industrie as is the closest limber, the front horse team and limber is by Imex, the rear limber is by Irregular Miniatures and the horse team and rider Early War Miniatures
6 of the gunners are
Hat Industrie (one from the pneumatic wheel set), the standing guy back right is an old
FAA figure and gun captain an
Italeri Italian with a head swap 😁
Republican Guard cycle platoon
A mix of Early War Miniatures Danes and French all head swapped with cavalry helmet heads, the walking figures have Raventhrope bikes and I`ve added stowage.
Recce cavalry patrol
SHQ Poles with a Waterloo 1815 plastic officer (head swapped of course)
Genie platoon (engineers)
Figures from all over the place -
FAA, Shellhole Scenics, Blitz/Battlefield. EWM, Airfix &
Italeri Foreign Legion (head swapped),
Airfix WW1 French (two have arm swaps),
Hat Industrie gunners and the mine detector guy is a real Frankenstein creation - his legs are from an
Italeri Italian, his body and detector are from an
Esci American and his head is
EWM. Several of the other figures are altered and have added tools, sachels or rifles also.
The two horse trailer is scratch built and covered one by EWM
Mule packed 65mm mountain battery
The mules teams are
B&B Miniatures, the guns are by
David Reasoner, the crews are a mix of
Shellhole Scenics and
Battlefield/Blitz, the battery commander is
FAA.
25mm Hotchkiss AT battery
The left gun is Shellhole Scenics, the right is SHQ.
The gunners are L-R: FAA, Hat (pneumatic wheel set), Hat (spoked wheel set), Battlefield/Blitz
The infantry gun tow is by EWM obviously the guns can be towed by Renault UE or a P107 etc.
37mm (American) AT battery
The Yanks lent the under equipped (now allied) French forces in Tunisia quite a few of these obsolete guns (better than nothing after all). I cobbled together a pair of guns from the bits box using Hasagawa and Matchbox bits. The crews are same figures as with the 25mm Hotchkiss battery above.
37mm AC (anti-char) de Marine battery
These were secretly built in French naval yards in Vichy French North Africa, using 37mm Hotchkiss naval guns to build makeshift anti-tank guns. They saw action in Tunisia against the Germans serving with 64RAA and Marine AC units.
I kit bashed the guns based on photos, visit this original post for more details:
The crew are L-R: EWM with a head-swap - a Raventhorpe tam o`shanter head painted to look like a French sailor`s Bachi hat; Blitz/Battlefield, 2 more from EWM
47mm APX anti-tank guns
I`m pretty sure the green guns are by
S&S Models, the third with a blotchy camo scheme is a very old
Tom`s Tins model (may still be available through
EWM?)
For these pics I have decided to reuse gunners, as there is no chance I will ever have to field every gun I own on a single table at one time. So L-R we have FAA, Hat (spoked wheel set), B&B Miniatures, Hat (spoked wheel set), Shellhole Scenics, B&B Miniatures, FAA, 2 x Hat (spoked wheel set) and finally Hat (pneumatic wheel set)
DCA (Defense Contra Avion)
Twin 25mm Hotchiss and crew all
EWM, Twin 8mm belt fed Hotchiss (gun kitbashed by me), the gunner is
Airfix, the No2
EWM, the truck is
Raventhorpe Ready to Roll, 8mm Hotchkiss on AA mount, gun and crew
EWM
1st Towed `75 battery
The guns are
EWM, the limber is
Hat Industrie, the crew L-R:
2
Battlefield/Blitz, 2
EWM, the battery commander is
Hat (Pneumatic wheel set), the three kneeling figures are all
Battlefield/Blitz, the last standing figure is
Hat (spoked wheel `75 set)
2nd Towed `75 Battery
The Pneumatic wheeled gun (mle 1897/38) is an old Skytrex model, the spoked wheeled one is SHQ; the deployed limber is Hat Industrie the train rouleur is by EWM
The crews are mixed: left gun has 3 by SHQ and one Hat (pneumatic wheel set), the right gun has 2 from Hat (spoked wheeled set) and 2 very old B&B Miniatures, the battery commander is FAA
No2 gun on its train rouleur
For more info on this interesting piece of interwar technology check out my short article:
Battalion support weapons
Hotchkiss MMGs
The left hand gun team is FAA, the others Tumbling Dice
81mm Brandt mortars
Tubes and crews all FAA
Command
2 x
Shellhole Scenics, 1 x
battlefield/BlitzAll EWM, the colonel was a gunner, now with a Raventhorpe kepi head on an ancient Citadel Miniatures horse (must be 45yrs old at least)
Communications
L-R: Raventhorpe telephone op (from their WW1 range), EWM radio team, Irregular Miniatures bugler, EWM signaller, Blitz/Battlefield RTO & officer
Observers
EWM observer with scissors scope, old
Airfix observer and carrier pigeon guy
Medical unit
Classic Airfix wounded French soldier, nurse (Elheim German female auxiliary), Elheim French nun, medic (British gunner by SHQ)
EWM stretcher team, doctor (Combat Miniatures Japanese officer with minor modifications and a head-swap)
Infantry
3 x
Irregular Miniatures WW1 French
3 x
Tumbling Dice WW1 French
L-R: FAA (I think?), Shellhole Scenics, FAA and old Tom`s Tins
27 infantry and a company commander by
Blitz/Battlefield
5 old
Fantassin Miniaturers and a
Tumbling Dice NCO
