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"Bolt Action French Army Releases" Topic


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79thPA Supporting Member of TMP30 Jan 2015 11:37 a.m. PST

I think I could use that for my Frenchies.

Aubrey30 Jan 2015 12:18 p.m. PST

I think these could be the start of my Frenchies. If they have them at the York show this Sunday not sure I will be able to resist.

in plumbum nos fides30 Jan 2015 12:47 p.m. PST

Too bad I missd the Battle of France. Riding around in the back of that "armored" trailer with 5 other swarthy Frenchmen nervously smoking Gauloises by the douzaine sounds like a great time!

They would look nice running away from Gerry! Great minis!

BlackWidowPilot Fezian30 Jan 2015 1:43 p.m. PST

They would look nice running away from Gerry! Great minis!


Unless of course you were at Stonne, or Gembloux Gap, etc., in which case the the poilus were often running *at* Gerry if they weren't simply shooting him down like a dog in the street… evil grin

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express
metal-express.net

nazrat30 Jan 2015 3:30 p.m. PST

Yeah, Leland, I get a little tired of all these "hilarious" jabs at the French infantry and the obvious ignorance of how they comported themselves in the Battle of France…

AzSteven30 Jan 2015 4:24 p.m. PST

Yeah, those bad boys are going to be very useful for my French force. Awesome!

I know they don't have a huge impact on the Bolt Action game, but I love transports and soft-skins, especially odd or rarely-seen ones like these.

ACWBill30 Jan 2015 4:50 p.m. PST

While I have no interest in this line of figures, the painter did a fabulous job with such a drab color. Kudos.

snurl131 Jan 2015 3:53 a.m. PST

The officer waving the white flag is just the thing.

in plumbum nos fides31 Jan 2015 7:59 a.m. PST

Oh come on boys. Just a little fun at Paris's expense! They were hopelessly out generaled in my opinion.Not out soldiered. Once they realized the gig was up most decided it was better to live with Germanany than be pain perdu. Fair enough. Being of french decent myself I have been the brunt of many jokes about the French army's performance in WW2. Paris surrendering when taxis backfire and Germans marching in the shade of well lined trees and that sort of thing. It's all good fun!Recent events in Paris showed a different sort of Froggy. I do love the French armor of the period though. If only they could have been employed better. My limited knowledge of the campaign seems to point at a lack of radios and doctrine.
This scale does lend itself to many smaller or less well known actions that showed what small determined groups could do. I dont game the period ( I am buried under WW1 lead at the moment) but the figures and the painting are very nice and I think those early war vehicles like the carrier advertised here are very cool. Still, The Germans were dining in Paris peu de temps! Au revoir!

John Mitchell31 Jan 2015 11:55 a.m. PST

Its nice to see early French get into Bolt Action. There are a lot of good skirmish games here, even for a short campaign. I'm not a fan of plastic figures, no matter who makes them . I prefer metal soldiers for my games. If you do too look at Crusader miniatures. They are really good. I still may use the Bolt Action commands though. They look like they will fit. I hope Bolt Action comes out with a WW1 rule set as I am building a WW1 French and German army with home made trenches to run a game at Historicon. Viva La France!

lou passejaire01 Feb 2015 7:10 a.m. PST

To all froggy bashers, give a look at the narvik Campaign …
the huns were retreating to Sweden …
give a look at the fighting in the Alpes … they halted the italians and the germans …
Worst leaders, worst tactic , and that's all !

What's the last US victorious war ?
Grenade ?

Some kind of a joke too :o)

Brigadier Garibaldi01 Feb 2015 7:17 a.m. PST

Nice figures indeed. Really hoping Warlord Games will expand their French army options to include colonial infantry for France 1940. With all the different 28mm manufacturers for WWII I find it amazing that no one got round to producing colonial infantry, which often put up the most stubborn resistance the Germans faced in May-June 1940. Like the Spahis Brigade at La Horgne. Fingers crossed for dismounted Algerians or Morrocans!

Guinny01 Feb 2015 11:46 a.m. PST

Brigadier – you mean colonials like these?

link

Brigadier Garibaldi01 Feb 2015 1:22 p.m. PST

Guinny, incredible how Warlord keeps producing figures no one else does. I am no expert, could these also be used for France 1940 or are they more intended for late-war?

AzSteven01 Feb 2015 9:44 p.m. PST

Guinny, you just had to post that link, didn't you. My damn wish-list keeps growing!

Guinny02 Feb 2015 9:51 a.m. PST

Brigadier – according to Paul, they've been designed primarily with Early War in mind. I believe in late war, they'd mostly be using US equipment.

Brigadier Garibaldi02 Feb 2015 1:59 p.m. PST

Guinny, thanks, that's also what I gathered after having seen photos of tirailleurs senegalais in US uniforms from the 1944 campaign in southern France. That suits me just fine, as I am more interested in early war. If Warlord goes on to produce Morrocans and Algerians they would truly amaze me…

BlackWidowPilot Fezian02 Feb 2015 5:11 p.m. PST

Late war the French Army was a mix-up of old and new, French, British, and U.S. makes of uniforms, helmets, equipment, weapons, and vehicles.

For example, only one (1) French unit – 1e Regiment Chasseurs de Parachutists- received the M1 Garand and full US uniform issue. Most had a mix of M1903 .30 cal. Springfield bolt action rifles, or .303-in. Lee-Enfields. Helmets were actually often the M1926 Adrian, retained as a matter of national pride and identity (plus there were not enough British and U.S. M1 helmets to go around).

Support weapons could just as easily be the FM 24/29 Chatterault or the .303-in. Bren gun. M1914 Hotchkiss 8mm machine guns were in service alongside M1919 watercooled browning .30-cal. machine guns. Great War vintage VB rifle grenade launchers were still around, as were French 81mm Brandt mortars and captured MG42s.

The FFI (Forces Francaise de Interieur, aka the Maquis) were an real grab bag of everything from hunting shotguns to captured German KAR 98 rifles, MG42s to 7.5mm MAS rifles and 8mm Lebels.

Armor support could range from Lend-Lease M4 Shermans to recaptured 1940-vintage French tanks taken back from the Germans, and even captured and repainted Panzer IVs and Panthers:


picture


IIRC, the FFI even managed to get ahold of a Tiger I:

picture

picture


Regarding the Early War, when one plays at the tactical level, the French Army of 1940 is plenty dangerous for the Germans to engage in a stand up fight. The colonial forces were very good, yet the fact remains that the metropolitan forces were no slouches as evidenced by the combat performance of the mainly *reservists* who did most of the fighting against 10th Panzer and Regiment Grossdeutchsland during the Battle of Stonne among other battles that cost the Germans a total of 101,000 *officially* reported battle casualties sustained during the six week invasion of France and the Low Countries.

Then we have the fact that the first documented tank ace of WW2 was in fact a Frenchman, Capitaine Pierre Billotte, who with his crew of the Char B1bis Eure went on a one tank rampage through the streets of Stonne, accounting for as many as thirteen Panzer IIIs and IVs (11 + 2), several Panzer IIs (the remainder scrambling for their lives to get out of the way of the rampaging French char), plus two Pak 36 antitank guns whose crews made the fatal mistake of engaging the lumbering French "Kolosse."evil grin

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express
metal-express.net

FreemanL03 Feb 2015 10:32 a.m. PST

Pierre Billotte sounds exactly like someone Tank War was made for! Dang it, now I want to game it!
Larry

BlackWidowPilot Fezian03 Feb 2015 3:15 p.m. PST

At Landrecies two Chars B1bis lumbered into the town performing a recon in force and found the streets full of German halftracks, armored cars, light tanks, and towed AT guns, a major German mechanized recce formation apparently. The streets were teeming with German soldats and German hardware, and the two chars simply lumbered straight into their midst, firing everything they had.

After all the mayhem subsided the two French chars were trundling back to their lines, while the surviving Germans were sticking their heads out from cover, with between 50 to as many as 100 of their armored cars, light panzers, halftracks, trucks, etc. shot to pieces and in various states of wreckage ranging from looking like a colander to burning like a torch.

BTW, the Eure was hit 140 times during Billotte's Death Ride through Stonne, and not one of the hits penetrated. Both of the chars at Landrecies it was the same; scores of hits from AP rounds at point blank range, but not a single penetration.

There's a detailed presentation including photos and maps of Billotte's fight at Stonne in the Osprey Duel series volume Panzer IV vs. Char B1bis. Highly recommended.

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express
metal-express.net

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