I'm happy to share the latest addition to our ranges of Spanish Civil War flags in 1:100th, 1:72nd and 1:56th scales altogether - the ones of several units belonging to the XIV International Brigade, otherwise known as "La Marseillaise" Brigade, due to most of their members being French language native speakers.
(https://www.wargames.cat/minairons/gec/m_99GEC918_1.jpg)
Worth to mention that, besides, I've recently published too a further 1:56th scale set - this one devoted to Anarchist units. Taking advantage of such circumstance, I've also redesigned their already existing 1:100th and 1:72nd scales versions, so as to make all them to share design now.
(https://www.wargames.cat/minairons/gec/m_99GEC901.jpg)
Lluís Vilalta
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I'd never heard of "La Marseillaise" Brigade - but I like their flags :)
Simon
They didn't become as famous as the XV, but there they were nevertheless.
Here you have their composition and history:
XIV IB (Wikipedia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XIV_International_Brigade)
Lluís
Thanks - you are a veritable font of knowledge, Lluis!
Simon
Thanks for this, I did wonder if there was a French section, and you have answered that.
Miles
The key role of French volunteers in the SCW has been blatantly ignored by Historians, I'd dare to say.
Especially if having into account they were by far the most numerous contingent in the IBs (over 10,000 out of 35,000-40,000 from 50 different nations!).
One likely explanation for their relative invisibility is that some of the French battalions formed by late 1936 (Commune de Paris, André Marty, Louise Michel, Henri Vuillemin) did not form a Brigade of their own from a start, but gave birth instead to other units later associated to other nations (such as XI Thälmann, XII Garibaldi and XIII Dabrowski), or completed ranks in the XV Lincoln (as 6 de Février did) - to be transferred to XIV Marseillaise only after casualties started to mount.
It is also possible that, due to vicinity reasons, the flow over time of French volunteers in Spain was steadier than those from other countries. Just some thoughts.
An aside note for those willing to add variety and colour to their IB contingents, or starting to muse with building a French IB unit: many of them arrived in Spain already equipped with uniforms and belting from French stock (diverted from French Army depots by trade unions or activists perhaps? By the government itself maybe?) - so here you have a likely new use for your Range 08 French and Belgians! Adequately mixed with Range 13 Republicans, they could make superb units...
Lluís
That's a very good point on mixing existing forces to make it that much easier to field an IB force, Lluis!
Simon
Lluis, very nice flags and interesting information. It's certainly given me some food for thought.
Best wishes,
Martin from Grimsby
And on second thoughts, maybe the WW1 French (old uniform stores?) could also work well here?
Simon
Funnily enough I ve just recently bought a French 1/144th scale small bomber for Republican air force use ?
As I ve been watching some footage about how some French involvement in the SCW, so I was wondering how much this actually amounted too ?
This period is starting to open up to a very interesting subject. It does help when you have people like yourselves that can help us expand our understanding and knowledge base.
Simon raises a good point, WW1 or WW2 ? Type Uniforms predominantly?
Miles
A most interesting war indeed.
I want to see how cavalry forces do.
They did OK in play testing, but that was a long time ago.
martin :)
Nice bit of subliminal marketing there, Martin ;)
Simon
Quote from: Smiley Miley 66 on March 16, 2024, 06:42:35 AMFunnily enough I ve just recently bought a French 1/144th scale small bomber for Republican air force use ?
As I ve been watching some footage about how some French involvement in the SCW, so I was wondering how much this actually amounted too ?
This period is starting to open up to a very interesting subject. It does help when you have people like yourselves that can help us expand our understanding and knowledge base.
Simon raises a good point, WW1 or WW2 ? Type Uniforms predominantly?
Miles
French involvement largely depended on the politics of the French government; when leftists were in power, the frontier was porous for both volunteers and aid. At other time a strict neutrality was enforced, which aided Franco. Aircraft were sold, I'd have to check what else. Tanks and artillery from pre-war were French.
Uniforms - never seen evidence of Horizon bleu. Republican "khaki" would be close to French material. Early French IB wore a lot of leather jackets and big floppy dark berets. As wore went on, most IB and Spanish republicans were indistinguishable.
Neil
Quote from: Panzer21 on March 16, 2024, 10:13:55 AMFrench involvement largely depended on the politics of the French government; when leftists were in power, the frontier was porous for both volunteers and aid. At other time a strict neutrality was enforced, which aided Franco. Aircraft were sold, I'd have to check what else. Tanks and artillery from pre-war were French.
Just so, with a few caveats. Some of the aircraft were sold, others were acquired by French trade unions using public subsciption and then delivered to Spain. The Renault FT-17 tanks acquired by the Basques after the conlict started were purchased from Poland instead.
Quote from: Panzer21 on March 16, 2024, 10:13:55 AMUniforms - never seen evidence of Horizon bleu. Republican "khaki" would be close to French material. Early French IB wore a lot of leather jackets and big floppy dark berets. As wore went on, most IB and Spanish republicans were indistinguishable.
Neil
The French army had determined the replacement of
Horizon bleu by khaki in their uniforms long before the SCW outbreak.
However, their old stocks of blue uniforms by then were still large, so the process took several years. Apparently, it was complete only by 1935 - and made universal by 1939. Even after that, some reservists and non-first line combattants still wore the old blue uniforms when the Nazis invaded them.
(https://www.quora.com/What-did-the-French-wear-in-WW2-Are-horizon-blue-uniforms-used-in-obsolete-3rd-line-infantry-divisions)
Lluís
(Something quite different can be told about French helmets in Spanish service; I'm in a hurry right now and can't explain it, so I'm coming later to explain it)