Strelets Forum

Welcome to the Strelets Forum.
Please feel free to discuss any aspect of 1/72 scale plastic figures, not simply Strelets.
If you have any questions about our products then we will answer them here.

Strelets Forum
This Forum is Locked
Author
Comment
View Entire Thread
Re: Foreign Legion Desert Patrol

Don't get me started on fantasy! I don't care whether they're on camels. I want them, plain and simple - these FFL riders are going to be seated on my Dark Alliance Wargs anyway! lol

Re: Foreign Legion Desert Patrol

"Algerian Spahis, Moroccan Goums or Senegalese Tirailleurs ?"

I second that, these really are needed....

Re: Foreign Legion Desert Patrol

Yes dear Strelets please consider French colonial troops & please remember the Spanish troops for the RIF war. These are exciting times for our hobby.

Re: Foreign Legion Desert Patrol

Bob Richman
I love the Strelets Foreign Legion Sets.I never dreamed they would ever be made;I\\\'m a big fan of the French Foreign Legion,but I have never read of a desert patrol on camels.The Legion had it\\\'s Sahariens and the Beu Geste movie had legionaires mounted on horseback. I have read about the Legion mounted mule corps (one man mounted/one walking/taking turns). Does anyone have comments on this subject? Is it too late to convert to Legionaires mounted on horseback or mules? I will buy the set anyway;I was just wondering about how realistic it is.

Bob
Depends on which Beau Geste movie! 1926, 1939, 1963, 1977 ... and countless others in between. Who cares what they rode unless you were there and lived to talk about it.

I love the camels. But I've also got Airfix Cavalry horses, including the dead casualty horse, in light blue ready to be mounted and sent on patrol.

Fantasy? I reserve that term for actual Fantasy figures. These Strelets FFL sets are highly and accurately detailed figures, and in soft plastic. So I'll call these guys the "In My Dreams" sets.

I think the Lewis gunner idea came from the 1977 March or Die movie, not the 1977 Last Remake of Beau Geste comedy. In all the posters for March or Die, the hero of the movie is shooting a Lewis gun.

I'm going to have my Officers on both Camels and horses, with some wagons like the 1966 movie and maybe some camels with supplies strapped on their backs. The more options, the better!

"Thank you Strelets' Team!" for making my "Dream" sets - GC

Re: Foreign Legion Desert Patrol



Never the less the "Desert Patrol" were "Compagnies Mountees" ie Mule Mounted Legionaires, now Camels and horses are easily available, Mules though particularly with the additional saddle kit load for two men is somewhat difficult to source... that is other then in metal...

I'm sure its no problem to mount a mule mounted version on camels instead if thats whats required, Cavalry as such ie Horse mounted only come into being after WW1 with the influx of large numbers of White Russian Cavalrymen...

If Strelets wants their products to be considered Historically accurate, then they should apply Historical Accuracy...

The original mule company was fully mounted but made the mistake of considering themselves Cavalry and paid the price in blood, hence only one mule per two men to prevent them from doing so in future...

:wink:

Re: Foreign Legion Desert Patrol

This set looks like a "FFL Desert Patrol" in the Sahara Desert outside Fort Zinderneuf with sand dunes. It's my understanding Mounted Patrols on mules were used in the mountains throughout Morroco. Very different terrains.

It never occurred to me to consider this set as Mounted FFL that should have included two men and a mule to accompany them. The set includes 8 foot and 6 mounted Legionnaires and all the foot soldiers are wearing and carrying their full kit and there are no separate supplies anyway to put up on any animals. This is the perfect complimentary set to go with the other blue "Early XX C Legionnaires" in action poses. Now we have Legionnaires who will do the legendary deed "March or Die!"

If Strelets decides to make a set of Mounted FFL (and I hope they do) who in many cases are not wearing their famous Capotes I would buy them for doing garrison duty in my Sahara desert forts. But I'd like some action poses, too, shooting etc., not just walking or holding the mule's reins. If not, no problem, I've got plenty of Esci's / Italeri's sets with mixed uniforms with and without Capotes.

I just love this new set and will buy lot's of them for the purposes they look like they were intended for.

And I'd like to complement the sculptor for doing such an outstanding job with all of the details on all of the fugures in all of the FFL sets, including the new Artillery set that we have only seen Teaser Pics once.

Re: Foreign Legion Desert Patrol

P.S. I would love to see Strelets make a set of these Legionnaires below without wearing their Capotes and in the nice Light Blue Color. Hope the link works. If it only brings up Wikipedia, then click on the second small picture titled "A depiction of the Foreign Legion in action in Morocco, 1907":

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Military_history/News/May_2013/Book_reviews#/media/File:Fflmorocco.png

Re: Foreign Legion Desert Patrol


If the Legion is legend then the Mule company is the legend of the legend, they were the elite of the Legion in the same way that Paratrooper units or special forces are the elites of other army's.... Mule Mounted companys were used everywhere in North Africa and there were many companys...


I'm afraid the reality is somewhat different to Beau Geste or March or Die... they are after all fiction though there are elements of truth, for example the huge battle that takes place at the end of "March or Die" against impossible odds, could easily be based on actual events that took place not once but many times, sometimes the Legionaires survived sometimes not...
But they had No Artillery only Rifles (they were good steady shots) and no Machineguns yet still 100 men or so and a few Spahis for recon may hold off 1500 attackers for many hours as their very lives would depend on it, few prisoners were ever taken by either side... the general tactic was to form a square for movement and defence with the mules inside or find some higher ground to make a stand and await reinforcements..

Military Columns of war is another matter...

Morroco in particular the Riff War saw the increased use of modern Warfare Tanks, Aircraft, Artillery etc and serious fortified defences using Barbwire and machineguns and I think maybe even gas....

As has already been said Saharan units are Méharistes, North Africans...

I think the sets of FFL that have been produced by Strelets so far are best suited to 1890-1914, the French didnt use the Lewis as an infantry weapon the Chauchat however was used in north Africa for awhile but neither would have been available in any case at that time, the combat look of The Legion has changed by the mid twenties and the Riff War...

:wink:

Re: Foreign Legion Desert Patrol

Did you ever hear of the Legion's Donkey Mounted Unit called the "Smart Asses"?

Hope you have a great weekend with lots of laughs ...


https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&biw=1536&bih=806&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=2VaWXPPdFNDmsAXM36vIAw&q=photo+of+legionnaire+carrying+baby+mule&oq=photo+of+legionnaire+carrying+baby+mule&gs_l=img.3...275426.297476..298642...0.0..0.169.5120.0j41......1....1..gws-wiz-img.cMA8qUWrVhU#imgrc=EFmXq275-E4QRM:

Re: Foreign Legion Desert Patrol

I rest my case....

http://www.plasticsoldierreview.com/review.aspx?id=2531

Still there is one saving grace strelets could produce this set again with mules instead.. and camels are always usefull...

:wink:

Re: Foreign Legion Desert Patrol

Just like their camels (which have appeared in several sets now), if Mr Strelets produced a set of generic mules (lets say 12 with 3-4 different poses) plus accessories which can be added to the body/saddle area such as blanket rolls, bags/sacks/baggage, small ammo or generic wooden boxes, heck even a disassembled small cannon, then these could be used as mules for the mounted FFL figures or as an additional supply train for use in any campaign from Arabia to WWII Far East, across a multitude of eras/dioramas...

Re: Foreign Legion Desert Patrol

Baratheon
Just like their camels (which have appeared in several sets now), if Mr Strelets produced a set of generic mules (lets say 12 with 3-4 different poses) plus accessories which can be added to the body/saddle area such as blanket rolls, bags/sacks/baggage, small ammo or generic wooden boxes, heck even a disassembled small cannon, then these could be used as mules for the mounted FFL figures or as an additional supply train for use in any campaign from Arabia to WWII Far East, across a multitude of eras/dioramas...
I'd buy it :cupid: