Artizan March Or Die Additions

[former user]

Found it
Osprey MaA 461 P 36 shows a picture of the MG platoon of the 2eme RE (Puteaux M1908) stating indeed that MG were first issued in 1908, sand jamming etc.
Anyway, there appears to have been some reluctance by the french army to achieve some technological superiority by means of infantry support weapons (there also lacked light artillery or mountain guns) - when on the other side the other main colonial power even had poems about maxim guns while also fighting in sandy areas, not to mention the effort of moving mountain guns on the Northwest frontier
The more interesting aspect to me, if I may clarify and broaden my question, is that the image of the FFL - not only the one offered by the excellent MOD range - the cultural trope so to say, results in the problem of obtaining said infantry support weapons (here I include all available ranges for all time periods until 1945) even if there should have been plenty, especially starting with the interwar era. A notable exception are the Chatellerault LMG in the Artizan range.
Possibly related to this is the treatment of legion cavalry after WWI (one manufacturer, a handful of models)
I simply aknowledge that there are loads of FFL infantry from quite some manufacturers, but these mainly cover the "classical" Beau Geste period as "hammered in"  by even more Hollywood movies.
Artizan (and a few others) have finally started to close this gap, thank You very much again.
I would like to derive the assumption that the case of the depiction of FFL in miniature wargaming clearly shows that historical wargaming is apparently dominated by the medial treatment in our heads.
discuss  

no seriously, I am hoping to see Artizan eventually releasing some heavy MG and artillery teams for both ranges. To be fair, these are a problem for "regular" french units as well - see another recent thread.

[Patrice]

French troops had some machine guns in Morocco: "mitrailleuses" and "sections de mitrailleurs" are mentioned in texts of the period (in the 1907-1908 campaign, etc) but I don't know their organization.

Not sure about mortars, I haven't seen anything about them. Direct artillery fire was probably more effective against a very mobile enemy. Apparently there was mountain guns, and 75.

French troops defending the town of Casablanca at close range during the 1907 events:


I'am not sure of the year of these other pics:

Carrying an observation balloon across a river (one is mentioned with that name in the 1907-1908 campaign):


Troops in Rabat (text says they come back from Fes so it could be 1911):


The guys need guns ! :-)

[former user]

wonderful pictures
THX a lot!

the first picture says light artillery and it certainly looks like small mountain guns

[pacofeanor]

hello, before the great war there isn't mortar anyway in french infantry or field artillery . just a few for heavy artillery , but all in the north of France in front of germany. During the morrocan campaign french artillery  use 75 mm guns and 65 mm "montagne" guns

for the MG, as all regiments , the FFL had a MG company by regiment (only one/regiment) and no LMG (the "chauchat apeared in 1915-16 but the artizan range needs putties instead of black gaiters to be used in 1915!) i don't remember the number of MG by company.....two or three ? So it was something rare before 1914!


and something very important .................
 only Jean Claude Van Damme had a lewis gun in the all FFL history (before or after the WWI !!!!!!!) 


best regards
paco

[former user]

THX for basically confirming my information so far. I would be curious how much of it actually corresponds with the historical truth   

Anyway, for all it's wonderfull sculpting and atmosphere, the MOD range is a bit retrostyled it seems.
Never mind, I love it nonetheless - please keep up the standard and keep it coming.

[Patrice]

Sailors defending Casablanca in 1907 (37 gun?)


Horse disembarkment! (the army post mark is 1908)

I'm not surprised by this: my grandfather (who was a civilian airport radio) often told that when he arrived at Casablanca in 1920 he himself had to be carried to the quay "dans un filet" (in a net) because weather was bad and even small boats could not reach the quay.

An "araba" was a local cart, useful for Army transport:


former user is certainly right about the lack of supply weapons for small skirmishes in the desert. For some campaigns it seems that more weapons were available (so, wargamers may have an excuse to use them! ) I mentioned the 1907-1908 campaign which started from Casablanca. Troops were brought by sea as fast as possible and were not supposed to stay (a permanent occupation being still forbidden by the terms of the Conference of Algesiras 1906; the French Protectorate was established later in 1912) but they had some heavy support for some time.

For those who can read French I found this book on Gallica (French National Library website)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k105220v.
(click on "télécharger" for free download)
it's the whole story of the 1907-1908 campaign written by an officer capitaine Grasset, published 1911. Picture number 12 (very dark, between pages 62-63 of the book) shows "the machine guns of the 2e tirailleurs in action, 21st september 1907" it looks like two Hotchkiss used by tirailleurs algériens, French officers/NCOs in kepi standing behind them.

Captain Grasset gives lists of the troops involved in the campaign, you may be intersted by this. First troops in town were sailors; they have some "pièces de 37". Other artillery support is direct fire from the warships. Journalist Houel (a witness) also mentions "canons de 65" brought at the consulate.
Reinforcements hastily brought from Algeria were about 2,000 men:
- one bataillon of the 1er tirailleurs algériens
- one bataillon of the 2e tirailleurs algériens
- one squadron of the 1er spahis
- one "batterie de montagne du contingent algérien" (mountain gun battery)
- two machine-guns sections (I think that each of these sections belongs to each bataillon de tirailleurs algériens) …but he also mentions a third machine-gun section(?)

A few days later they received one bataillon of the 1er étranger (that is the FFL), the "goum algérien", and another bataillon of the 2e tirailleurs algériens (four companies and one machine-gun section); then the two bataillons of the 2e étranger (= FFL), one 75 gun (perhaps the gun on the boat on the picture in my other post) then a 75 battery; and services are installed (army post office, treasury, quartermaster, food, hay, ambulance) etc... There is also "télégraphie optique" (signallers to communicate with the warships), and some time later "T.S.F." (radio). More troops arrive a bit later (including chasseurs d'Afrique) to a total of around 6,000 men.

Well I mention all this as an example of an interesting little army.