Volontaires Etrangers

Hello again.

I actually managed to get a game of something back on Sunday, 29th January! Having pushed through a heavy workload, life's general detritus and working Nights (which limited even what poor quality light we have had in Central England recently to just minutes a day for the most part, because I was sleeping for the rest!!!), I actually managed to finish off my first batch of French & Indian Wars figures to enable me to run a 400pt game of "Muskets & Tomahawks".

This was our first outing with these rules, which I must have purchased three or four years ago. I bought the figures a while back too - at least two years ago as I did not go to the Derby Show last year but got my French and British troops from there, courtesy of AW Miniatures.

Just to complicate things further, I wrote the scenario and special rules myself rather than use something from the book and, with Nephew Nick and Occasional Wargamer Brother Kev as guinea pigs, a jolly good time was had, if I say so myself.

The French won narrowly.

I forgot the camera AGAIN, so that is all you get!!!

However, I have included some photos of the "French" regulars in this post. The word "French" is in inverted commas because the unit is actually not French at all but mostly German, being as it is the Volontaires Etrangers.

Now, you may ask, why choose those? Well, I had meant to do an actual French unit and had already bought the figures. Doing a bit of background reading, my sources stated that the native French units in America during the FIW were supplied by the navy so had coats without collars. My figures had collared coats and, being a bit anal about such stuff, I had to find a unit that wore them. Cue the picture in the relevant Osprey on Louis XV's foreign troops and, centre stage, is a figure from the Volontaires Etrangers wearing, yes, a collared coat.

I knew they had been in North America because a former work colleague and friend of mine was a re-enactor for this unit and imparted various bits of knowledge about them many years ago, some of which must have stuck in Brain of G.

So, two 8-figure units of Volontaires Etrangers, plus an officer. form the current regular section of my fledgling French forces.

More pics to follow soon. And I may even get more painted soon enough, as I have loads more Indians, some Highlanders, some Compagnies Franches de la Marine, more Coureurs de Bois, etc in the "box".

G

Two companies of eight figures, AW Miniatures as stated in the text

Sergeant and Fusiliers

And the other flank

"Sir"