Sunday, February 14, 2010

Nery and German Uhlans Cavalry Command

I just finished reading Nery, 1914 - The adventure of the German 4th Cavalry Division on the 31st August and the 1st September by Major A.F. Becke. It is a detailed look at a cavalry vs cavalry action. There is also a nice website on the action - www.chakoten.dk/nery_100914_2.html
The GWSH yahoo group has a nice scenario on the action also. I have created a FOW1918 version and will post it in the files section once I have play tested it.
This book along with the delay in receiving my German infantry from the painter, more on that in another post, I have decided to use the remaining German cavalry figures I have from the big purchase to create a Squadron to game with. I only had a few Minifigs Uhlans so I decided to use them as the Squadron Command.
I had to strip them of there original paint job. The horses are not Minifigs but I am not sure what manufacture they are.


While I was working on the Uhlans I also did two more command stands. One is for the artillery and the other will be for the Cavalry HMG teams.

I am now working on another 7.7cm gun section, the German Horse artillery batteries had four guns and I will need a full battery for the Nery scenario. I am also working on the remaining Peter Pig German cavalry I have left. They need major stripping and cleaning. Four stands of Dragoons and four stands of Uhlans. I plan on mixing them in with the Minifigs stands i have already completed to make two full troops.

Sunday, February 7, 2010

1914 British Life Guards

With a snow storm that dumped over 24" of snow I had a little time to do some painting. This is a troop of British Life Guards. The figures are a mix of Minifigs and the updated version from GFI titled British Lifeguard Troopers. The GFI figures come with larger horses than the old Minifigs. They come with lances but I removed them because my research into the Life Guards did not have them as lancers. Not like the Germans, only Lancer units carried lances. Only one squadron was sent to France in August 1914 as part of a composite Regiment. They saw action at Mons, the Marne and Ypres. The rest of the Regiment arrived in October 1914. With the completion of this troop and the half troop of Peter Pig figures, very little will be needed to complete a Squadron. I plan on finishing the second half of the Peter Pig figure squadron (still need to order the figs), create a Squadron HQ and paint up some packsaddlrey horses (QRF makes some nice figs) for the Cavalry machine gun section.

The other items completed are two artillery limbers. I still need one more for the half battery and plan on ordering it with the next GFI order.

Again the pictures are not that great. I suspect I need a new camera.

Reference:

http://1914-1918.net/lifeguards.htm