Algerie 1834

For the French Zouave Player:

You are Lt. Hans Neinschiese of the 2e Zouaves.  Due to Berber activity and lack of ammunition and food, you were forced to abandon your outpost and make a move down the valley to the safety of the fort but were halted at this small village of El Nowar.  You had a volunteer with a message of your plight go to the fort but chances were slim of his success, however you hear the sounds of gunfire indicating help is on its way.

You may have limited action however due to your fatigued state of your men and their lack of ammuntion.  Thus you activate any moves with an additional +2 on the dice; can only fire on a successful activation four times; and cannot activate any charges.  If on the path, you gain 4” of movement.

Units within the baseboard perimeter of the town offers an additional stamina point.

The game to last to “night fall” The French must either have all units move back to the start point of the FFLor all units must be within the perimeter of the village for safety.

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The Zouaves in the village.  The rather crude buildings made from cork sheets.

For the French Foreign Legion Player:

You are Capt. Francois D’Mathie of the 2e ER.  A bedraggled volunteer of the 2e Zouaves , has given a message of the plight of a contingent overwhelmed at the El Nowar outpost and the commander has tasked you to offer a rescue.  You are to take 2 companies and a train of ammunition and food up the valley.  You must link up with the Legionaries and return with them. 

You have 6 rounds of ammuntion per unit. While designated for the rescued, you can break open the ammuntion boxes of the mule train for up to an additional 12 rounds of ammunition.  The unit resupplied must be adjacent to the mule train to be re-supplied.  

The wagon has the food for the rescued and must be protected.

If on the path, you gain 4” of movement 

Having much elan, your Legionnaires can activate charges against known Berber positions with an additional +2 modifier on your roll. 

The game to last to “night fall” The French must either have all units move back to the start point of the FFL or all units must be within the perimeter of the village for safety.

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Using TMWWBK rules, KevinA, PeterM and myself as the Berber leader 'I Bin a Badhi' gave my French of Algeria 1834 a go.  The French in 1830, still uniformed much as they had in the Napoleonic wars, sought to colonize the north coast of Africa and fighting practically never ceased until 1964 when finally relinquishing control.  Early on the French incorporated native elements but the Zouave contingent soon became primarily European in nature but still retaining the native dress which soon would become so beloved by American volunteer units in their civil war. As this is the early years of the occupation, I employed Victrix greatcoat plastics with modifications to show the Foreign Legion uniform before 1840 at which the belly box was in vogue and thus lack of crossbelts would render these figures out of date.  

While I do have some Berber type figures on foot for use against my other 1920's style Legionnaires, I have not gained any appropriate types and so use hidden markers.  They activate as usual to fire but do not move. If attacked, a dice roll determines if they stay and fight, or evaporate off the table.

The Legionnaries Grenadier company (top) and Voltigeur company (bottom).  At this early stage, French still had differing companies within the battalion and so coloured epaulettes.

Smoke from the 'shrubbery' has a small group of hidden native musketeers firing at the grenadiers. 

The small groups of hidden Berbers in this game had the French stymied and hard pressed to stave off disaster.  

Chasseurs d'Afrique 1834

 

My small unit of 28mm Chasseurs d'Afrique during the French occupation of Algeria in the 1830’s.  This is much earlier than the Beau Geste era so the uniforms are more Napoleonic than ‘colonial’. 

I based the army as my original infantry I made (converted from Napoleonics in overcoats but with the distinctive tall red cap -see below) are the French Foreign Legion who would be sent to Spain in 1836 for the Carlist War.  The uniform in Algeria would be changed in the meantime. Thus the early time frame. Still flintlock muskets at this time.

Obvious not based up yet.  Made from Perry plastic ACW cavalry horses, 3 of the riders are also ACW but the others kitbashed from various Napoleonic bits - French and Austrian. A bit of scraping and different colour of paint hides the American-ish of them <grin> 

French Infantry in the common overcoats worn in Algeria (it can have quite miserable weather).
These are my earlier edition. I have subsequently have removed the tent roll and changed their epaulettes to red fringe and green to represent the Foreign Legion during this era. 

French Zouaves in green turbans (2nd Batt.) in 1834

Still haven't an opposition however. Sigh.  Might wait for the company "1898" to develop their Berber range or still have them as 'hidden' marksmen in hill and scrub....

the original French Zouaves

The famous Zouave military unit of the French Army started as a tribal enemy to the French occupation of modern-day Algeria in 1832 but within only a couple of years they were recruited. Its original commander designed the distinctive uniform based upon the tribal dress which, interestingly, did not much alter for another 150 or so years.  The ethnic makeup of the unit soon became all French in nature, but the uniform remained quite standard.  I am showing the earlier dress which included the green turban for the 2nd battalion.  The 1st wore a red turban; while later years had the turban in the well-known white as this had less a Muslim connotation.  The leggings are portrayed differently by various illustrators, but I went with black as this is a bit different than the usual brown leather look.  I am using the Perry ACW plastic versions which are modelled after the famous American 5th New York Volunteers who, in turn, modelled their uniform very closely to the French version.  Thus I only needed to modify the round American canteen into the black leather water carrier of the French (albeit of a slightly later era to be honest) and remove all the oval Union Army buckle badges. A common trait of the French of the era was to cover the ammunition pouch with a linen which I mimicked to give them that much more not-the-American-version look! 

Here they are somewhere in North Africa with a French occupied village in the background.  

The French in Algeria c.1834

 French involvement in Algeria c.1834

I love the image on the right.  I added the red trousers from the more formal dress, as seen on the left hand figures. 

Ever since I looked at this image, I saw the potential in the Victrix plastic Napoleonic Guardsmen with their overcoats.  The red trousers are a great look.  But at the time, I dutifully employed those I did have, in the various napoleonic units I needed to create.  Then there was a sale at the local hobby store and the big old box of Victrix Guardsmen were still there, buried, and still at the old low price.  I could not resist!  

The rear of the 'African caps' used at this early date in Algeria. With muskets and looking very Napoleonic still. The start of use of the bulky packs worn in the campaigns of North Africa can be seen. 'Green Stuff' rolls were added. Some modifications to the equipment was done but the figures as is were quite appropriate for 1834.

The headdress is the “African cap” which would eventually be reduced in size and transformed into the famous kepi; but at this early date, the French were still experimenting on the military headdress to be worn as the traditional leather or felt shako was too hot and unsuitable to the environment of North Africa.  I created the 'African caps' from the Perry late Napoleonic French hussar shakos (the Rouleau) with the back leather flap the distinctive feature.  The pompons and cockades were removed and a button of the ‘African cap’ was added on the top. I must admit that I added the folds by paint only….

I picked this earlier era, as by 1840 the French in North Africa had taken to place ammunition pouches on a front waist, so these figures would not be appropriate.

Line Infantry in Algeria 1833. An 'interesting'  experiment in cap design by the regiment on the right.  These experiments were seen very early in the North African campaigns. The tincture of this plate over-lightens the intended grey too blue, but the pack was inspirational. 

Note the white/blue striped roll on the backpack. I found some plastic ones that look the part with paint

But alas, once again,  I have done a force without an opposition for them.  Perhaps I will obtain some Algerians of this earlier era of colonialism at some date, but first I will probably add the Zouaves to bulk up the French presence.

During this era the armaments of the French and locals were not all that dissimilar so battle would not be the usual one-sided colonial actions of the later part of the century.  Reading the military histories, the fights were quite intense.