French Napoleonic 9th Cuirassiers

Another unit off the table this week, shelf queens again being completed, the third squadron of the 9th Cuirassiers for my 1805-09 French Napoleonic army. I really enjoy painting Elite miniatures, maybe because they are quite charismatic and have ver you good poses. The new Elite horses will fit out the next regiment of French dragoons. They will line up behind my Russians, and Baden cavalry I think.

Cheers
Matt

Slings and stones! Funditores

Off the desk some Greek slingers that have been shelf queens for some time, decided to complete them and get them into the display cabinet before I started my Russian Napoleonics that have been glaring at me. 28mm Foundry figures, one face was miscast so I done the best I could without trying to rebuild it.
These guys are quite universal and will fit in any ancient army, Greek, Roman or Carthaginian

Cheers
Matt

WIP Ardenne Abbey Normandy

I have commenced a big project, the Ardenne Abbey and its surrounding buildings, after visiting during DDay week with our Canadian guests. The Abbey and grounds are quite huge, around 400m square, with two entrances, surrounded by a 12ft stone wall, extensive gardens surround the main church, and trench positions or the mortar sections still exist at the rear of the Abbey church. It was the defended by the 12SS who used it as a observation post and HQ almost to the end of June. The 12SS executed 20 Canadian POWs and buried them in the garden, most were not found until after the war.
I plan to make the buildings removable, but leave the gardens etc so I can use the board for a chateau and outbuildings also.

Cheers

Matt

DDay event at Sainte Mère Église and Carentan 2019

We visited Carentan and Sainte Mère Église for DDay this year with our Canadian guests, along with several thousand other international visitors. As we live directly south of  Caen, we thought we would approach from the St Lo direction to enter, it was a very good choice as we reached camp Arizona easily parking within 300m of the event.
The para drop occurred at 11:30 first with a fly past of the C-47, who then circled and lined up for the drop, it was a great spectacle to see and bought back memories of my service with the 2 troop, 2/3 Royal Australian  Engineers attached to 3rd Royal Australian Infantry paratroop regiment.
We then visited camp Arizona, a US camp which predominantly was made up of trucks and jeeps, some great civilian vehicles also.
We then had lunch and back in the car travelled the back roads to Sainte Mère Église, again scoring a car park within 100m of the famous church. The place was alive and bustling with current servicemen, re enactors and visiting tourists. After walking around the square and taking a few photographs we headed off to camp Geronimo. A fantastic collection of American vehicles including some rare beasts, as an ex engineer I was most interested in the bridging equipment. It was fantastic to see a lot of passionate young French renactors, plus a few oldies.
On Friday  off to Pegasus and Gold beach for our British part of the tour, we are skipping the actual 6th because of all the official road blockages and politicians making speeches.

To book a battlefield tour or to visit our l'hotel B&B with us follow the link to L'Hotel de Hercé 

Cheers
Matt

28mm Gaulois army Aulerci Diablintes tribesmen I & Noble Cavalry

28mm Gallic Project

We have the fourth largest Gaulois Oppidium (fortified walled city) in France just a few kilometres from our Maison in Mayenne. Archeologists excavated a large amount of the city when the new motorway skirted the edge of it. Much of its twin ramparts still remain, the outer and the inner wall still have sections over 100m in length and some of the remains are between 3-5 meters in height. The city was once the capital of the Aulerci Diablintes

Also close by 10 kilometres away we also have the new Roman capital city of Jublians, which became the capital of the Diablintes Post 60AD. 

My Gaulois will focus on the Aulerci Diablintes tribe along with the Aulerci Cénomani and Aulerci Brannovices tribes to make up the warbands. The Aulerci tribes were pacified by Publius Licinius Crassus (Caesars Gallic wars) during his Amorican western Gallic campaign. In 56BC they joined the Veneti Confederation against Caesar, but were defeated again by Publius Licinius Crassus. In 53BC  like thier neighbours they sent men to support Vercingétorix during his uprising, they failed to arrive in time to relieve the besieged Gallic army. They rebelled again in 31 BC, 21AD, and finally in 56AD like most of the west France. 

            

I purchased three bags of Victrix naked Gauls, three bags of foot, plus two cavalry bags, I have a few unpainted and part painted Warlord, old glory and crusader command and a few warriors. 

The army will be based for impetus so I need about twenty four bases of infantry (10-12 figures per base), plus some skirmishers and a six bases of Cavalry, so about four hundred figures to paint to face Caesars Legions. So a lot to be done in the next six months

First off the desk are naked Gauls complete

Wish me all the best

Cheers

Matt

Saxon / Polish Infantry GNW

Continued completion of my unfinished Polish army, I gave had these in the lead pile for a very long time, so I popped them on the desk this week, easily completed in two days. I am unsure if I will keep them as originally they were purchased for a imagination army and they are a little late for my Polish hussar army, so off to market I think.

Foundry miniatures they were a breeze to paint.

Cheers

Matt