Force Publique Trench Mortars

[Plynkes]

Some much-needed fire support for my Belgians. They'll need these if they're to mount another attack on Von Hanneken's hardened jungle fighters:


I'm not posting them to show off fancy paint jobs (as frankly they are okay, but nothing to coo over), but to show what's possible in the field of arty support, if one is prepared to perform a little surgery. There's not much commercially available out there of this sort for this theatre.


They are Old Glory French, headswapped with African heads in fezzes from their colonial range.


The collars are totally wrong, and they really should be barefoot, but my patience and skill only go so far. Besides, those high collars cover the head-neck join rather nicely.


The Force Publique trench mortars were supplied by the French, though I don't know if this exact model was what they had (I'm a "near enough" type of chap, as you can probably tell).


I don't know what colour they were in Africa, but I do know the ones on the Western Front were this rather nice shade of blue. So I decided these particular ones have arrived in the Congo in their original factory finish, and the Belgians can't be bothered to repaint them (It's too damn hot to be bothered with all that nonsense).

These figures, given a neck flap,  would be even more suitable as part of a Schutztruppe gun crew, as the Germans wisely made their askaris wear boots for the most part.


Or perhaps even a rocket crew, like the one in the Osprey book. Anyway, hope you liked my idea. Try it out. If a work-shy buffoon like me can do it, anybody can.
 

[Helen]

Nice one Poly   They look fab and thanks for sharing. Actually I'ven't started on my Belgians, but I like your idea with the mortars. I'm just waiting for Brigade to release their command pack which I hope will be soon.

I do have a rocket launcher (taken from the Osprey) for my Germans and just waiting for my crew to be finalised. I'll look at a captured stokes mortar for the Germans as well and use the German Askaris Standard Bearers as crew like I'm using for the Rocket Crew. For the former its just a matter of placing a mortar bomb in their hands.

God Bless

Helen

[Hammers]

Very nice, Plynkes.

[Plynkes]

I like the idea of a Schutztruppe rocket launcher, too. What did you use for yours, Helen? Scratch-built?

[Driscoles]

Hello,

the black and white picture is from a Nazi Webpage.

No offense to you Plynkes you cant know this, but www.rechtes-regensburg.net is a webpage supporting racism.

Keep the picture in, but blacken the web link on the photograph.

Björn

[Plynkes]

Thanks for telling me that, Björn. I hadn't even looked at that website, as I found the picture with Google Images.

Got rid of the offending link.

[Helen]

I like the idea of a Schutztruppe rocket launcher, too. What did you use for yours, Helen? Scratch-built?

Hi Poly, I'll need to ask Leroy my friend who made the launcher for me.

God Bless

Helen

[TadPortly]

Really like the trench mortars - you rarely see them being used in anything other than WW I games.  Great stuff!

On a related subject here's some interesting German links on colonial africa:

http://www.deutsche-schutzgebiete.de/suedwest.htm

http://www.klausdierks.com/Strassen/index.html

http://www.lexi-tv.de/lexikon/thema.asp?InhaltID=4003&Seite=7

http://www.deutsche-schutzgebiete.de/ostafrika_1914.htm

[Plynkes]

Er, I shall be using them in WWI games, Tadportly!    The Belgians plan to use them on the Germans rather than the natives.

I don't think anybody had mortars in Africa pre-war. In fact nobody except the Germans (who were stockpiling them in preparation for the campaign in Europe) had any mortars at all before the war, and the Entente powers were quite taken by surprise by their emergence as a useful weapon.

[TadPortly]

:oops:

[Prof.Witchheimer]

wow, that is really a nice one, never seen it before   Well done, Plynkes, nice painting job opn the askaris, too!

[Boggler]

Excellent stuff.

p33 of the Osprey MAA 379 has a photo of a Force Publique trench mortar, although I guess youve already seen it?

Neat trench thingy too. Vacform?

[Plynkes]

Yeah, that pic is what gave me the idea. The Old Glory model was the closest thing to it I could find. It doesn't look quite the same, but it's near enough.

The trenchy thing is from Tablescape.