"Mounted infantry in TSATF" Topic

Hello Gentlemen.

Please, I would need your thoughts on the mounted infantry in TSATF.

As I'm planning a campaign on the Transvaal war, a unit of british mounted infantry is needed. So, would the unit be like other infantry units, 20 soldiers or like a mounted unit with 12?.

Many thanks in advance.

I would say 12

I use 12.

Also a vote for 12

Another for 12.

Eric

For me, mounted infantry is at 20. Same as the Boers.

I have two units of mounted infantry. One is in whole British kit and the second is in khaki with green hats. The second can also be used as bitter ender Boers as the English Killing Dragoons.

I also have a British lancer troop made up of two 12 man units with command.

I would agree with Comrade Vince, 20 figures for a mounted infantry unit. But they would still have to have horseholders so i would think the dismounted component would be only 15 figures with 5 horseholders.

The reasoning for the mounted Boers having no horseholders is that they would have a small component on non-combatants to do that where the Imperial mounted infantry would not.

Jim

Ditto to VCarter and the Colonel. If you go with 12 mounted figures and a horse holder for every three you don't have many fighting troops left.

Agree with Vince, Col. Campbell & Bobgnar. AFAIK Mtd. Inf. were always organized as per standard pre-existing infantry units.

20

My assumption would be that a mounted infantry unit would be organized more like an infantry unit than a cavalry unit.

20 and they CANNOT fight mounted, only dismounted.
I use 1 for 4 as horse holders, so the 20 figure
unit when dismounted to fight isn't as strong as a
regular infantry unit of course.

If caught in melee while mounted, fight at -1/figure

(mods from about 1990 but ain't used 'em in years since
the MI were purely for mobility, not shock).

During the Zulu War mounted infantry were ad hoc formations taken from multiple infantry regiments and companies. These units were not formal units, just a mix of units from different companies and regiment. There primary purpose was scouting and to act as vedettes.

These infantryman replaced their cartridge pouches for bandoleers. The were capable of shooting on horse or dismounting.

Organizationally they where pretty much the same as Natal Mounted Police or Natal Carbineers. Units were usually small, about the size of Natal Mounted Police troops.

I'm not a big fan of TSATF so how you organize and use them would be up to you, but how ever Natal Mounted Police work is your best model.

Kim

There's a bit of a difference between the organisation and use of MI in the Zulu War, First Boer War and the Sudan, and the organisation and use of MI in the Second Boer War. But all occasions required horse holders.

In TSATF I use 20 dismounted figs or 12 mounted figs to represent mounted infantry for both British forces as well as Boers.

Neither can charge but can fire from horseback. If mounted I still only allow 12 figs to fire and that is if they have LOS. The reasoning being they are mounted and may not all be able to all fire at once due to their mounts.

Once dismounted I use 15 infantry to represent the unit if they are holding their horses, 20 if they aren't.
This can be modeled by a cool vignette or two of a horse holder with 2-4 riderless horses. It can also be represented by a couple of mounted figs turned away from the enemy with an infantry man standing at the horses heads, etc.

If either Boers or Brits are in a prepared position I allow the horses to be tethered and it's up to the players if they want to guard their mounts.

That's just my $0.02 USD.

Cheers,
Sgt G

In the original rules, Boers are organized in units of 20. They also suggest a measure to economize by fielding 20 dismounted figures with five riderless horses. When the unit is mounted, put the horses in the middle, when they are dismounted, leave the horses behind the firing line with the horse holders.

The most expensive route is a 20 man mounted unit with 15 dismounted figures and 5 horse holders. An alternative is to build 10 figure mounted units with 8 dismounted figures. Mounted infantry are not cavalry and therefore don't fight as such. I have 10 figure mounted Natal mounted police and Sekhali horse with 10 dismounts each.