Great War Minis French Curassier Mitrailleuse

[Curassier]

Might Great War  Miniatures be persuaded to add a few things to their WW1 range ?
For example this would make a lovely set-piece and they have done dismounts for the British cavalry......

[monk2002uk]

Note that the photograph is mislabelled. The men are dragons (dragoons) not cuirassiers. The helmet is different and the men are not wearing the cuirass breast-plate. In wartime, the helmets would have been covered. They would make a nice set of figures for early war games for sure.

Robert

[Yankeepedlar01]

They can't even finish the outstanding dismounted German Hussars, so what chance does anything new added have?

[Curassier]

It is a great shame the the range seems to have come to a halt.
Even a small number of new packs after all this time might give it a renewed boost.
The original sculpts are superb.
Dos the designer frequent this site ?
JM

[armchairgeneral]

I feel your pain. Aly Morrison is the sculptor, a contributor to this forum. I am aware he is a very busy chap and like many wargamers (myself included) you really only want to direct your energies into whatever period you are currently into.

[Curassier]

Hopefully he sees this and can respond - maybe he can even be persuaded.
Strikes me there is a lot of 1914 stuff that could have a double use in VSF and historical settings,.
JM

[AlyMorrison]

Hi Curassier...

That is indeed a very nice image and yes I believe they are Dragoons... I can’t say that I have ever seen a picture of a Cuirassier MG... I seems to go against their heavy cavalry shock doctrine.
Yes it would be nice to add something like this to the range... but I am not sure when as working every day on CAD seems to have knocked the sculpting mojo out of both David and I (Although I have managed to make a couple of new packs for the Crimean War range over the holidays).
We both still want to add new toys to all our ranges but for the moment things will continue to be a bit slow...
I can only ask you to continue to have patience.

All the best.   Aly

[Curassier]

Many thanks for responding.
Good to hear the sculpting Mojo is still operating albeit not in high gear.
Certainly can do no more than wait. But hopefully this may have stimulated you into action.
Thanks again. hat is coming for the Crimea if I may ask ? Chasseurs d'Afrique command ?
Rather tempted to use these for 1870.
JM

[monk2002uk]

Cuirassiers had MG teams. Here are a couple of photos from 1903. Suppression of the enemy was regarded as a prerequisite for the charge, though cuirassiers were well trained in dismounted action where fire and movement was practiced in accordance with infantry-style tactics.

Robert

[vodkafan]

Second best- the old school wargamer solution- surely these woudn't be too hard to convert from other figures?

[janner]

Hi Aly,

Exciting to hear a few more Crimean packs are en route.

Regards,

[AlyMorrison]

Curassier...I am currently working through a few additions to the British infantry...
The Chasseurs d’Afrique would be nice to make ... they are on my list.

Robert...That is a rather nice picture,I notice there are no breastplates... So similar to the Dragoons. I have seen prewar photos of Cuirassiers skirmishing with carbines,but I can’t imagine that they would be very flight footed.

All the best.  Aly

[monk2002uk]

Aly, the cuirass was not worn all the time. It is unusual, however, not to see it worn for posed photographs, which these photos clearly are. The 13th Cuirassier Regiment was disbanded 10 years after the photos were taken but I doubt the two things are linked. There are few photos of French cuirassiers taken during wartime actions. Most photos pre-date the war or illustrate regiments riding past admiring crowds after mobilisation. There is anecdotal evidence that cuirassiers, like dragoons, wore helmet covers. I have read one account where the troopers were ordered to blacken the cuirass breast plates as well.

As to dismounted actions, there were many examples in the first weeks of the war. For example, 6th Cuirassier Regiment fought in the Battle of Longlier on 20th August. The men were dismounted 'en ligne de peloton' (lined up by troop) 500m in front of a French artillery battery in order to engage the German infantry that were advancing from the east. This type of action did not require the troopers to be fleet footed. They, like all cavalry of the period, were trained in the application of what the British called 'musketry' - massed use of carbines or rifles to apply controlled fire on a beaten zone, rather than individual aimed fire (marksmanship). The latter was reserved for those rare instances where a small patrol, for example, fought in a skirmish action. Chasseurs, hussars, and dragoons were more likely to be used for patrolling and reconnaissance functions.

Robert 

[Baron von Wreckedoften]

Robert - I've always been intrigued by this "beaten zone" approach.  It must have been very expensive in terms of ammunition - would the men have carried enough rounds to maintain it for very long?

[monk2002uk]

From the same battle (Hamipè - Longlier) on 20th August 1914, 8th Cuirassier Regiment reported that the unit was:

"...ordered to occupy a ridge south of the village [of Longlier] to stop the progress of the enemy infantry. More than half of the regiment was engaged in dismounted combat; troopers suffered from heavy German infantry fire [20 wounded were left in Neufchâteau because of the lack of ambulances] and the groups of horses were taken under fire by enemy artillery."

Robert