"Review British Infantry in Attack 1701-1714" Topic

"The 17th century had seen a steady shift in importance from the pike to the musket, especially once the bayonet was introduced. By 1701 all recognised that the most important characteristic of the infantry was its firepower, and the classic tactic was to approach the enemy and then fire in a disciplined manner until one side or the other retired. However there were times when infantry engaged in hand-to-hand fighting, particularly when assaulting a defended position like a breastwork, where the troops or officers might feel it worthwhile to stay put and fight even when the enemy was upon them. This kind of personal, face-to-face killing is surely the most dramatic and vicious action an infantryman would take, and with this set Strelets have depicted this most basic of fighting for the soldiers under Marlborough.

All of these poses can be imagined facing their opponent immediately to their front, and we thought they were all terrific. Several are showing their bayonet, and the grenadier actually thrusting with his bayonet is doing so in a more natural and believable way than any figure we think we have ever seen. Traditionally this has been a difficult pose, yet here it is done to perfection. Another highlight is the first figure in the top row, about to strike someone with the butt of his musket. Again, an energetic and completely believable pose, but then all of these are apart from the static man firing his weapon. The two infantrymen who have drawn their swords are a nice feature, although the man holding his over his head is the one poor pose in the set as this is both a difficult posture and very unlikely. Many grenadiers carried a hatchet, which was primarily meant to be used to break down obstacles and gates, and this may be the purpose of the grenadier we see here. However it is easy to imagine a man also using it as a weapon, which this figure could also be doing. The grenadier with the grenade ready to throw or bowl is a particularly interesting pose, as grenades were seldom seen on the battlefield by this date, but were used mostly in sieges, so this man may be at a siege (about to throw his grenade over a wall), or about to throw it from cover…"

Full Review here
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Amicalement
Armand

Beautiful figures, but why would an infantryman draw his sword in combat when he had a perfectly good bayonet with a longer reach?

Glad you like them my friend!. (smile)

Amicalement
Armand

Beautiful figures, but why would an infantryman draw his sword in combat when he had a perfectly good bayonet with a longer reach?

Because a musket with a baoynet is anything but nimble and he might prefer to use his sword. Bayonet drills were very basic at this point (if they had them at all) while sword techniques were well established.

I just got a box of these. They're lovely. And they're STRELETS??? Can you believe it??

Happy you like them too my friend!.

Amicalement
Armand