Thursday 2 September 2021

The First of the Perry Plastic Franco-Germans

You knew I couldn’t resist, right? I mean the first significant release of 28mm Franco-Prussian War figures in nearly 40 years and tat conflict being my most favoured period of play. With my last order with the Perrys I ordered a box each of the advancing and skirmishing figures just to test the water…and received them I can say that the water is just fine!

No sooner had the boxes arrived that I assembled the first box to figure out how I want to organise and base them. My plan is to base these on stands of six figures, each representing a company, and four companies to a battalion. It took a few days to clear the painting queue but over the weekend I commenced the painting these.

My interest in this conflict was first piqued many years ago when I read a the chapter about the Battle of Spicheren in Donald Feathersone’s “Wargames Campaigns” and ever since I have had a fascination with this battle. It is quite fitting then that I have decided to base this collection around the VII Corps that was at the centre of that battle (I may live to regret the decision to use this corps rather than the VIII because VII had cuff piping whereas VIII did not and after painting several hundred figures I expect to be fed up with cuff piping). So this battalion has been done as the First Battalion, 74th (1st Hanoverian) Regiment. This regiment was one of the thirty odd regiments that were added to the Prussian army after the annexation of a number of minor states after 1866 and because of this I have given the all the 1867 Picklehaube and the 1868 standard. 

I also decided to do the entire unit in Puckelhaube because in the early stages of the war - the Imperial Phase - it was the most common headwear. I had read that in a recent article but couldn’t remember where do  in support of that statement I reviewed more than 100 images of Prussian troops in action and noted that although some officers and a very few rank and file troops were portrayed wearing the fatigue cap the vast majority are wearing the Pickelhaube. In the later stages - the Republican Phase -  there seem to be more fatigue caps being worn, presumably as equipment shortages began to bite.

Last  night I completed the basing of the battalion and here are they are:

A single company stand

Two half battalions, in close column on the left and open column on the right
 Full battalion in line

I really like how each figure can be made unique in a battalion with a slightly turned head or an arm slightly differently positioned.

Then I turned my attention to how to handle skirmishers in this period. As a group we have never managed to successfully use skirmishers without specialist light units becoming super troops. Even the light companies of several battalions tend to end up being able to magically coordinate fire amongst themselves and deliver the equivalent of a full battalion against a single target. In reality there were few major actions during the period 1700 to 1871 where light troops played more than a peripheral role. Yes they were and essential element of the advance into action to feel the way forward and in 1870 that was the basis of German infantry tactics, but once the enemy was found he could only be driven by mass.

I want to try to recreate the tactics I described in detailing an earlier post (here). To do this I have decided that any unit or sub-unit can deploy a skirmish stand for each front line stand. If deployed in a position not too close and not too far away from the main body the skirmish stand will shield the main body from small arms fire, but not artillery fire.

It may seem like an indulgence but I have used the skirmishing figures that come with the Perry boxed sets to create specific skirmishing stands. Below are the first our of those stands. I like how each stands can be made into a vignette and am particularly pleased with the stand where one chap is offering comfort to is wounded comrade while the other stands watch.


The way these stands are deployed in front of different formations as as below:

A company with its skirmish division deployed

Two half battalions, in close column on the left and open column on the right

A full battalion with skirmish divisions deployed

A full battalion deployed as skirmishers, with one company in support to the rear

Now this does create an apparent anomaly in that if a battalion was to break into separate companies and deploy skirmishers would be able to fire with four dice whereas a formed full battalion would only fire with one die. I am comfortable with this because is does create that nimbleness that gave the German infantry an advantage, but at they same time those smaller units are more vulnerable to attack and will have command and control problems.

Under this method when skirmishers fire, no matter how many stands are in the skirmish line, they only fire with one die so that at best their fire is annoying but over a few turns could chip away the enemy. But while their fire will not be overly damaging to the enemy they way they take damage will also be different in that if skirmishers are fired on they will not take casualties from fire. Rather, if they are shot at and have unsaved hits the skirmish line will halt and cannot move closer to the enemy until the fire ceases or the main body comes forward to support them. They can continue to fire at the enemy when halted, but if they take additional unsaved hits they will be driven back on the main body.

There are four more boxes of Prussian infantry on their way.

37 comments:

  1. Very nice work Mark - I wonder if the Perrys will offer Bavarian heads to add to the plastic bodies - I could be tempted gain by Bavarians, although I may resist as I have many other things I would like to collect and paint and I am sure you will be all over the various Krauts for this era.....its only a couple of years since I disposed of about ten or twelve German guns and crews for this era....verdammt!

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    1. There are other differences between the Prussians and Bavarians than the helmet. I will do some of everything in this range in due course, including the French, Bavarians and
      Württembergers when they do them. Going to look to move on my existing FPW collection to fund this.

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  2. Very nice…or rather impressed must say. I think the Perry’s have struck gold with these…you certainly have them both painted and based in a very appealing manner.

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    1. Thanks. I am pleased with the start, but I have a feeling this is going to be a costly exercise.

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  3. Gorgeous.
    I've just completed my first three battalions of Prussians in firing line poses.
    Next up are my kurassiers! I really liked painting the Perry Prussians. The only problem is that the red seam on the trouser legs is very hard to see when painting.

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    1. They are really great to work with. I decided to complete a full infantry brigade before I start on the cavalry. I certainly hope that releases come out at a good pace…keen to get some mounted generals and Jägers.

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  4. Those are very nice and a good mix of poses too. The skirmish bases are lovely and have that nice vignette feel about them:).

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    1. Thanks Steve. In can see more of those vignettes coming on…

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  5. Beautiful work Mark, and your enthusiasm for this period really comes through. I often wonder where we would have been without the Pickelhaube, as a whole generation of 1970's British comedians would otherwise have lost their punchline.

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    1. Thanks Lawrence. I guess if the Picklehaube had not been there we would have been stuck with Tommy Cooper in his fez!

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  6. Clever idea with the skirmish bases although does that mean you'll be painting 36 figures for each battalion?

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    1. I envisage that the skirmish stands will be markers and that not every unit will have skirmishers deployed at all times meaning that the stands can be battalion agnostic. A pool of say 20-25 stands would probably be more than enough for a large force.

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  7. Very teutonic in appearance. Great idea on playing the skirmishers in different levels of deployment.

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    1. Thanks. We tried the skirmish concept in a recent 1801 French in Egypt game and it seemed to work well…still needs a couple of tweaks.

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  8. These look outstanding. Excellent job on painting the figures and the bases. The skirmish stands are very effective looking.

    The last thing I need is a new period. Especially one that I sold my figures for a few years back. But then I hear the voices say, " come on,just a couple battalions. "

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    1. Thanks Mark. My plan was small too…maybe a brigade…but then why not do a division, because the artillery is attached at divisional level…but then then the opataional unit was the corps…and suddenly the project has expanded from six battalions to twenty-five!

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  9. Blimey… your not wasting any time are you…

    I’ve only just got some stuck together… 😁

    They look great … the separate skirmishers work really well.

    All the best. Aly

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    1. Well patience as never one of my virtues and we are locked down at present and unable to do much else other than go to the supermarket and exercise. The pantry is full and I have walked around the local park so often now that I can recognise every blade of grass and and am speaking terms with every bird that inhabits the place, so painting is one of the limited options available! I really wish I had ordered more of my terrain tile frames a couple of weeks ago as they would make an excellent lockdown project.

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  10. This is fine work Mark - I had done some 28mm FPW myself already, using the Foundry range (which, I guess, is also Perrys :) - I wish I had tried your basing approach, but I feel kinda stuck with the one I started with years ago...

    Well done, looking great!

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    1. I still have a reasonably large collection of the Foundry figures that I am going try to sell off…to help fund the new project!

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    2. I still have a reasonably large collection of the Foundry figures that I am going try to sell off…to help fund the new project!

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  11. Hi Mark, I could be interested in buying your Foundry FPW (or some of them at least). I bought a lot of French from Chris back in 2017 to add to my collection, so some Prussians would be good but interested in anything you might want to sell. Drop me a line if/when you're ready to sell. bryan dot orsbourne at gmail dot com Kind regards, Bryan.

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    1. Will do Brian…just need to sort an inventory.

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  12. nice Mark im just rebasing some 15mm prussians and french myslef during house arrest ;-)

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    1. That sounds like an excellent use of the time Bruce. I would have liked to do that today, but instead I sat through three online meetings of bureaucratic BS!

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  13. indeed , folks seem to be needing to make themselves look busy , you couldnt just give your foundry prussians a minus one in hand to hand

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  14. You beat me to it. Very nice work. I’ve already got maybe 20 battalions of Prussians and 1866 chums in 28mm (mostly old Helion and new North Star but some Foundry). I went for 20 figure btns cos everyone else was here but I wish I’d not now. The thought of rebasing them, and even more Austrians gives me a headache so I won’t. I am sticking a battalion of Landwehr together and I’m going to see if Gripping Beast WW1 British service cap heads look the part to make 1866 Saxons.

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    1. I had a huge Foundry Franco-Prussian War collection back in the mid-80s, something like 40 infantry battalions and 15 cavalry regiments and probably 40 guns a side, but sold off in the late-90s. I rebuilt a smaller collection about 12 years ago, primarily for the Austro-Prussian war. I also designed and produced a range of Austrians for my own enjoyment - I also made masters for Saxons, Bavarians and Hanoverians - but gave up on the project when the mould maker screwed up the Saxon figures.

      Like you I am pleased with the inclusion of the landwehr heads and can see a few battalions of them in the future.

      I had the thought about using the British heads for Saxons. I am thinking seriously about the Northstar Bavarians.

      I really wish someone would do a full range for 1859 which presents some great gaming options in interesting terrain with large, colourful armies. I have been making suggestions to the Perrys and to Aly, but to no avail!

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  15. Lovely looking Prussians and rapid work, you're putting your enforced incarceration to good use! I really like the skirmisher solution too.
    Best Iain

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    1. Thanks Iain. They came together remarkable quickly. My incarceration allows me to put a bit of extra time in on the weekends, but I am still putting in full days “in the office” at home, although I struggle with the practice.

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  16. Those have turned out really well, looks like the Battle of Dorking might be back on in 2022 :-)
    Cheers
    Stu

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    1. Thanks Stu. I think that these will be a real winner for the Perrys.

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  17. Handsome Prussian figures Mark, wonderful job!

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    1. Thank you Phil…I hope the French will follow soon.

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  18. Very nicely done, Mark. I can see the attraction of the period - there's something about those helmets...

    Giles

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