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: WW2 FFL Heavy weapons

Wow!!! Awesome set.

Well done, Strelets!!

Regards,
Andrew

Re: WW2 FFL Heavy weapons

Excuse me for asking, but where and when exactly was the legion deployed in North Africa?

Re: WW2 FFL Heavy weapons

Served with the 8th Army and also Chad, from where they raided Axis positions.

Re: WW2 FFL Heavy weapons

In North Africa, Bir Hakeim was one of the most famous WW2 battles they were involved in

Re: WW2 FFL Heavy weapons

Morning,
These are looking great. If memory serves, wasn't there a detachment of the legion fighting with British in Ethiopia. I know that's technically not North Africa but.... There were also sizeable formations of the Legion in Syria, North Africa and Madagascar which were initially controlled by Vichy. Just my two cents, and if I am wrong someone let me know.

From a cold and dry Old North State,
Ole Ben

Re: WW2 FFL Heavy weapons

Hi
yes you're true ..a detachment of FFL fought also in Ethiopia near Keren..not really succesful ..but, in any case and unfortunatly, you cannot use those minis cause in Ethiopia the FFL sported the French type pith colonial helmet not the képi. In Tchad, or better at the Lybian border with Tchad, the French carried out some timid raids against isolated Italian outposts but certainly not with FFL troops but instead with Méharistes Camel Troopers and hastly motorised Tirailleurs Sénégalais columns. I also think, but i'm not totally sure, that even the few Vichy Légionaires in Syria fought in pith helmet instead of képi..
those Légionaires are certainly more iconic and useful to battle at Bir Hakeim where they repulsed the Ariete Italian tanks (one of the worst errors of Rommel to try to stubbornly to wipe out this isolated absolutly secondary target ) and during one of the many El Alamein battles in which they were, even if in superior number and supported by carriers, tanks and planes sorties, soundly beaten by the defending Italian Folgore paratroops crack division cleverly positioned in depth. Finally some FFL detachmnents, wearing képis (but from picts also wearing a higher proprtion of battle dresses and jumpers instead of shirts and shorts) fought also in Tunisia.
By the way ..WW2 support teams are always very useful above all from less common units like those FFL..but they are some "minor" errors in this set.. like the radio operator with a képi provided with a neckcloth..never seen in WW2 and, in view of the pose, it'll be almost impossible to swap his head with somebody else..2 smgs per sprue..really too many ..and, finally, an officer wearing some trousers ending with anklets..the trousers are really tight ..sorry but the appearance of French officers in the desert was different..the trousers were invariably the fashionable arab wide type serouals not those ones..a pity that, with some rare exceptions, when i buy something out of the beaten path there are always some figures which cannot be used and, in that case, some key ones..