"The Basmachi Cavalry." Topic

In 28mm.

"The Basmachi movement was a national liberation movement that sought to end foreign rule over the Central Asian territories then known as Turkestan, and also the protectorates of Khiva and Bokhara. "Basmach" is a Turkic word which refers to a bandit or marauder, such as the bands of thieves that preyed on caravans in the region. The term Basmachi was often used in Soviet sources because of its pejorative meaning.

The Soviets portrayed the movement as being composed of brigands motivated by Islamic fundamentalism, waging a counterrevolutionary war with the support of British agents. In reality, the Basmachi were a diverse and multi-faceted that received negligible foreign aid. The Basmachi were not viewed favorably by Western Powers, who saw the Basmachi as potential enemies due to the Pan-Turkist or Pan-Islamist ideologies of some of their leaders. However, some Basmachi groups received support from British and Turkish intelligence services and in order to cut off this outside help, special military detachments of the Red Army masqueraded as Basmachi forces and successfully intercepted supplies.

Although many fighters were motivated by calls for jihad, the Basmachi drew support from many ideological camps and major sectors of the population. At some point or another the Basmachi attracted the support of Jadid reformers, pan-Turkic ideologues and leftist Turkestani nationalists.[12] Peasants and nomads, long opposed to Russian colonial rule, reacted with hostility to anti-Islamic policies and Soviet requisitioning of food and livestock. The fact that Bolshevism in Turkestan was dominated by Russian colonists in Tashkent made Tsarist and Soviet rule appear identical. The ranks of the Basmachi were filled with those left jobless by poor economic conditions, and those who felt that they were opposing an attack on their way of life.
The first Basmachi fighters were bandits, as their name suggests, and they reverted to brigandage as the movement fizzled later on. Although the Basmachi were relatively united at certain points, the movement suffered from atomization overall. Rivalry between various leaders and more serious ethnic disputes between Kyrgyz and Uzbeks or Turkmen posed major problems to the movement."
From Wiki.

The Mountain gun also.

See here
link

Hope you enjoy!.

Amicalement
Armand

There were some Soviet films about this in the 1970's… It was their own sort of "westerns" although it was in the East! In these films, "Basmachis" were the "bad guys" instead of Indians.

Some do not look very different of some Sergio Leone's films of the same years… :-)

"White Sun of the Desert", 1970:
YouTube link

Slightly off topic but you mention Sergio Leone, he was commisioned to do a film about Stalingrad by the then Soviet Government, unfortunately he died before filming could begin and there was no script written – apparently he quite regularly worked without one!!!!!

Gorgeous figures from Studio Siberia, but they accept neither Paypal nor credit cards. I got all the way through the ordering process, but was unwilling to learn to do a bank transfer and bailed out.

Hope their emaill list tells me when they are set up for international trade.

And I hope they continue to expand this very interesting range of figures.

I've been wanting that manor house set for quite a while now. Very interesting miniatures.

Glad you had enjoy them boys!.

Amicalement
Armand