"Westfalia Miniatures Questions" Topic

Hi everyone. Perusing the Westfalia Miniatures site. I assume some on this forum have purchased and gamed with these – they are quite nice looking. Few questions:

1. I like the look of the French ammo caisson. In modeling the French ammunition caisson for use on the table top, would the train horses have been removed to the "rear"? In other words, if I just wanted to model the caisson on a base to keep near the artillery pieces, no need for horses?

2. How does the Westfalia Saxon infantry compare to Calpe's? Just curious. I am interested in the light infantry as well as the line infantry…

3. It appears that Westfalia was working the Saxon cavalry back in June of 2015 but did not carry it forward to completion? Or am I missing it somewhere else?

As always, thanks for any assistance.

ccmatty

Horses stayed with the ammo caissons…poor devils…and made a massive target. Just think what they were harnessed to, if it was hit!

The point was that a caisson was soon exhausted and had to be moved to the rear for resupply from much larger wagons. The larger wagon you did not want too near the firing line! If one of those went up…….

Westfalia's ammo caisson is highly detailed. The horses are superb…..they do look like they could pull artillery!

We have heard only today, on another topic, that the Saxon Chevauxlegers are about to be released. They look great..they should….they have an obvious interest in the Saxons, down to the most obscure vehicles.

Thanks deadhead. Follow up questions.

The French train horse team comes with four horses. That seems to be right number? Looks like four pull cross bars on the caisson…thoughts on that?

How is the quality of the Saxony infantry? In particular, I was thinking of light infantry. But I notice the command set does not include a flag bearer. Would you know if Saxon light infantry did not bring the colors into battle?

Thanks for you help.

If you go for six you will have a very unwieldy unit in 28mm. The train of four (two wheel horses and two leads) pulling a gun is long enough as it is. Six would be more typical for a six pounder, but four not impossible. Adding more horses produces surprisingly little extra pulling power after four…….but still had to be done, say for a 12pdr especially!

I cannot speak with any authority at all on the Saxons apologies. But I do know mine would have a flag whatever. My Gendarmes d'Elite carry no fewer than three eagles! One bearer in the red lapelled coat, one on the Perry Surtout and one in the Restoration helmet….but they would not have carried a single one at all up that ridge in June 1815

I seem to recall reading on this site that a French 8-gun battery was supported by one caisson at a time, up with the 6-8 guns. Each gun probably had 2 or more caissons (depending on ball weight) but all but one for the whole battery stayed to the rear in a relatively safer area.

Not sure how this worked for howitzers, a their caissons would carry a different kind of ammunition (unless all caissons carried a mix of (for instance) 8 pdr and howitzer ball/canister/grape/exploding howitzer shells, etc.

I prefer to use 2 horses for limbers, caissons, wurst wagons, etc, to reduce the clutter on the field. I use 2 men with each of 6 or 8 guns, no limbers, and 1 caisson with 2 horses centered behind them.

GdeP

each gun was supported by one caisson, a 12 pdr, in case memory isn't failing me, had 3 caissons, but two stayed much to the rear to reduce the density of waggons