HELP! - Belgium WW1 Askaris...can they be anyone else?

[Happy Wanderer]

Gents,

I have in my bag of bits three packs of Belgium asakris for WW1 (24 figs). They look like the pic below.

They are nice figures and I'd like to use them for something more in line with 1880-1900...around east or central Africa perhaps. I was thinking maybe some sort of German askari types but not sure they will work. I'm not doing them as Force Publique unless they are the only fit.

Does any one know what I could use these boys for?

[The Gray Ghost]

I on't see why you couldn't use them as German, especially late WW1

[Arthur]

The rifles will be wrong for the 1880's and 1890's if you're picky about such things.

[juergen c. olk]

Could probably use for a Portuguese Askaris,

[warrenpeace]

Happy Wanderer, my suggestion would be to create a fictional colony. I mean, if Belgium could get a colony, then why not the Principality of Liechtenstein? If a landlocked colonial power is too much of a stretch, then why not Denmark, Sweden, Austria-Hungary, or some other country with a coastline and a few naval warships?

[italwars]

just my thought
BUt....if you already have them why not simply use them for BELGIANS...as they fit almost perfectly your need for games in Central/ Africa?
the uniform could be simply painted to blue and the headgear in red..and voilà!...only the rifle is different from WW1...the Belgian Askaris of the period you mentioned where equiped with "modified" BLR Albini and only later with BLMR Mausers.
As for the versatiliy of Belgian Askaris..its very high...they fought VS countless African tribes up to 1904..eache with variety of costumes and weapons...they fought VS Arabs, Arab and Africans and Vs Dervishes.in ne occasion they had an accidental clash VS the Portugueses..they had some friction VS Rhodesians and once they clashed and hanged a German adventurer...and in their most famous campaign they fought succesfully Vs Dervishes..and i'm sure that if the followed up their (crazy) intents they would have clashed also VS Anglo-Egyptian and French...in WW1 they fought alongside French in German Kamerun and later VS German in East Africa alongside Rhodesians, British ecc...and their uniform.also for this late period was a transitional one..with mixing of blue and kaki but with the same apearance....so enjoy with the Congo Belgians

[Happy Wanderer]

Gents,

Thanks for your thoughtful suggestions....lots of good ideas.

I think Italwars has sold me...keep them as Belgiums to fight 1890s+ actions....I don't have any yet so maybe time to get some.

So picking up on uniform color, do you think if these minis were painted predominately in blue with red fez then that would work for them from 1890s up to WW1 and thus could quite reasonably be mixed in with the Foundry Force Publique Belgiums?

Happy W

[warrenpeace]

Taking the plunge into the Congo! I would suggest separating out the few figures that have pockets and puttees. I would save those for Tarzan pulp scenarios set in the 1920's and 30's, painted khaki.

I wouldn't mix the others with the pull over shirts and without puttees in the same units as the Foundry figures. Since their fez looks a little different (bigger) and their rifles are a bit different, I'd put them in their own unit or two (depending on what unit size you use). You can just say those units received a different type of rifle and had a different fez maker. (I'm doing that with the Foundry figures wearing straw hats, putting them in their own unit.) Do paint them with red fez and blue uniforms.

A stunning and remarkable event in the early 1890's was the "Ivory War," or Congo-Arab War, or Belgo-Arab War in 1892 & 1893. Congo Free State Force Publique and lots of cannibal allies against the Arab slavers and their allied tribes. There wasn't much left to bury after the battles! Here's a short five paragraph intro to the topic:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congo_Arab_war

Might also want to check out the Batetela Rebellions (1897 & 1898) link near the bottom of that page.

[Happy Wanderer]

Thanks warrenbruhn

...once again, excellent info...this should prove to be a useful archive thread.

Much appreciated.

Happy W

[italwars]

Happy Wanderer ...this weekend, having time to use my scanner,  i'll post some useful infos about the appearance and campaigns/ennemies of the Force Publique up to 1914  that will help you to find work for your castings

[italwars]

in the meanwhile

http://abergo1.e-monsite.com/album/eic-histoire/


https://it.pinterest.com/source/rudi-geudens.be/

[Happy Wanderer]

"this weekend, having time to use my scanner,  i'll post some useful infos about the appearance and campaigns/ennemies of the Force Publique up to 1914  that will help you to find work for your castings".

Thank you kind sir! Shall look forward to that reading 

Nice links ...excellent pics - thanks 

[italwars]

as i said before, i got the opinion that, as concerns minis, the Belgians in Congo are a paradise for wargamers...and indeed with few minis..your askaris..in my TSATF games from 20 to maximum 60 castings plus few porters, a gun, in some battles also some auxiliaries tribesmen (i  use zulus or whatever you already have at hand) against all the kind of ennemies that you can choice from various arab/dervish types, semiregular askari mutineers,savage tribesmen..and a mixture of everythings...also your Belgians can be allied with everyone except, of course, their own mutineers or dervishes..last, as you can see, troubles, mopping up operations and fights continued up to 1914..so late type askaris with pieces of kaki uniform would not be out of place
here a list of what you can play..

[italwars]

as concerns your doubts about use of your casting...i confirm you that you can easily paint the majority of them in blue..and, in any case, kaki would not be out of place..or a mixing of both...the following pict taken from a book published in 1906 refers to a unit in kaki..(probably from Katanga garrison..the officer leading them is in the classical blue tunic and white trousers with 19c. type colonial helmet..diffrent from WW1..as the precious antiquarian book from which i find the photo having being published in 1906..i suppose the pict could be from just the beginning of XX century say 1904-1906...a period during which your askaris were very busy fighting tribesmen..

[Saucy Jack]

Sorry to gate crash this thread, but I have a question regarding playing the Force Publique. This has to do with playing some of history's worst villains, so this would also apply to Nazis.

I love the FP Foundry figures and want to get into Darkest Africa, but I have a real problem playing a side that were so horrible and committed so many horrible things. I know this is just a game, but I am interested in knowing what people think.