What period to choose?

[Cubster]

So, wet and greasy - dark.

Dry and cleaned - light.

In the vain hope this can somehow prevent what the rest of us, other than the relative rookies, know will be happening.

[janner]

sounds good to me and a fitting end to the exchange

[Invisible officer]

Well, like most of us I game the 1854 battles, not the siege. So my miniatures live under mild September / October conditions like the day of Balaklava. Coming out of a summer in the field camps and on the march.

I must confess my men are clean and not faded, looking nicely. Far too nicely.

The extremely awfull Crimean winter is a myth. Average temperature in the southern coast region is over 0°C with short periods of frost. 1854/55 was an unusual cold winter but at the Crimea that was still nothing a well fed and clad army could not survive. But the material losses in the November storm caused starving and the sanitary conditions weakened the men. In such a state even a mild winter is a killer.

[MiSiO]

LOVE the photos... Those pictures make my feel the era and the "battlefield". The first one with cannon balls... Impressive.

I just have to make a table for BP.

[MiSiO]

Are French zouaves miniatures for Crimea in 28mm avaliable? I was thinking about adding a French brigade in a future

Why same balls on a top of a shakos are white-red and some are green?
http://store.warlordgames.com/crimean-w ... 5759-p.asp

[grant]

Are French zouaves miniatures for Crimea in 28mm avaliable? I was thinking about adding a French brigade in a future

Why same balls on a top of a shakos are white-red and some are green?
http://store.warlordgames.com/crimean-w ... 5759-p.asp

Hi MiSiO!

I believe the shako pompons would be different by the company - the green and the white are the flank companies. The two-tone are the centre companies.

Regarding the Zouaves, I'm afraid I cannot help you there - my Google-fu is weak, tonight!

[MiSiO]

Another question. Did rifle companies used bayonets? I bought some minis from Great War (rifle companies without bayonets and flank companies to mix in with bayonets) and I do not know if I should clip them of the muskets.

[Invisible officer]

Rifles and flank companies ? Rifle regiments had no flank companies and line regiments no rifle companies, following the introduction of the Enfield all had a rifle and before all had smoothbore muskets.
All Infantry had bayonets. Rifles and line units alike.

[MiSiO]

In each British Battalion there were two Flank Companies, marked out by their more elaborate shoulder decoration. The same shoulder decoration was found on the Light Infantry and Fusilier regiments, so these figures can be fielded without the Line (Center) Infantry to represent Light/ Fusilers

I use few of them as an addition to my skirmishing rifles. They are in a shooting pose that is great with runinng and kneeling Rifles.

[Invisible officer]

The old manual of 1833 was still in use but in practice in 1854 all companies had the same training for line and light infantry work alike. Lord Hardinge did a lot to improve the tactics of the British infantry. The big 1853 manoeuvres at Chobham showed an army that was only on first glimpse like the 1815 one. Despite all the logistical and strategical failures it was a tactical superior force.

Flank companies had no problems to skirmish with fixed bayonets. Loading an Enfield or Minié is easy with or without bayonet and they needed it as the best close fighting arm they had. The added weight at the muzzle makes aimed shooting even easier, keeping the muzzle down in recoil.

The Rifle units had the inferior Brunswick Rifle that was replaced with the more modern rifle in the field. Unfortunately the Enfield was only available in large numbers in 1855. So in 1854 the infantry had to use Brunswick and Minié Rifles and older smoothbore M 1842 Muskets. All these arms are supplied with bayonets.