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JournalNo 88 Spring 2008

The British Flat Figure Society

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BFFS Journal No 88 - SPRING 2008

of The British Flat Figure

SocietyJournal No 88 Spring 2008

Journal Hon. Secretary:Simon Hoggett, 23 Parkhurst Road,Hertford SG14 3AZTel: 01992 586568E-mail:[email protected]

Membership Secretary:Charles King, 224 Homefield Park, Sutton, Surrey, SM1 2EATel: 0208 643 5168E-mail: [email protected]

Treasurer:Dr Bob Williams, 2a Old Bury Road, Thetford, Suf-folk, IP24 3AN.

Editor:Jeremy Mortimore, 17 Redwood Drive, Wing, Leighton Buzzard, Beds LU7 0TATel: 01296 688455E-mail: [email protected]

Additional Committee Members:Ian Parkinson, Ashton House, Main Street, Heming-brough, Selby, North Yorks YO8 6QE

Andrew Nickeas, 25 Newbold Way, Kinoulton, Not-tinghamshire NG12 3RF

Distribution & Printing:Mike Taylor, Stonechat House,8 Ferndell Close, Cannock, StaffsWS11 1HR

Joe Melvin, 21 Ridgeway, Aldridge,Walsall, WS9 0HL

Malcolm MacDonald, 279 Blackberry Lane, Four Oaks, Sutton Coldfield,West Midlands B74 4JS

Archivist:Richard Hyne, 23 Letchworth Road,Baldock, Herts. SG7 6AA

Society Sales:Michael Creese, ‘Nutwood’,Great Glemham Road, Stratford St Andrew,Saxmundham, Suffolk IP17 1LLTel: 01728 602746

Webmaster:Simon Hoggett, 23 Parkhurst Road,Hertford SG14 3AZTel: 01992 586568E-mail:[email protected]

Area RepresentativesLONDON: Phil Redman, Georgian House,50 Games Road, Cockfosters,Herts. EN4 9HW. Tel: 02084 408475

HAMPSHIRE: Chris Parkin,17 Constable Close, Black Dam,Basingstoke, Hants, RG21 3QY

SOUTH‑WEST: Tony Du-Vall,4 Pixie Dell, Braunton,North Devon EX33 1DP

SOUTH‑EAST: Situation vacant.

BRISTOL & AVON: Situation vacant.

MIDLANDS: Jon Redley, 64 York Avenue, Finch-field, Wolverhampton, West Midlands WV3 9BU. Tel: 01902 423732

NORTH‑EAST: M.G.Wardle, 96 WestEnd Drive, Horsforth, Leeds LS18 5JXTel: 0113 258 1508

NORTH‑WEST: Malcolm Collins,16 Tithe Barn Street, Currock, Carlisle,Cumbria CA2 4EL. Tel: 01228 46444

WALES: S.G.Rutherford, 5 Coleridge Road, Beech-wood, Newport, Gwent. NP9 8HYTel: 01633 273014

EAST ANGLIA: Michael Creese, ‘Nutwood’, Great Glemham Road,Stratford St Andrew, Saxmundham, Suffolk IP17 1LL Tel: 01728 602746

SCOTLAND: John Russell,2 Marcus Crescent, Aberdeen AB21 0SZTel: 01224 790680

EUROPE & OVERSEAS: Situation vacant.

NORTHERN IRELAND:C.W.Robinson, 25 Princetown Road,Bangor, Co. Down,Northern Ireland BT20 3TA

CANADA & USA:Kevin W.Dunne, 1854 Stone Avenue,East Meadow, NY 11554, USA.Tel:516-567-8195 E-mail: [email protected]

AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND:John Brewer, 18 Selby Avenue,Dee Why 2099, Australia

ITALY:Gianpaolo Bistulfi, Via Alberti 10,20149 Milano, ItalyTel: 02 33106690E-mail: [email protected]

Society ContactsPlease send all information to be published in the Journal to Jerry Mortimore. All other correspondence with the Society should be addressed to Simon Hoggett. Society Sales are handled by Michael Creese. Mem-bership applications and renewals go to Charles King. All addresses can be found on this page.

The next JournalThe copy deadline for the next Journal is 15 January 2008 for the Spring edition.Contributions to the Journal can be typed, handwritten or digital. If supplying scanned images, these should be 300dpi. For digital pictures the higher the number of pixels the better.

Annual SubscriptionsU.K. members: £15.00, European mem-bers: £18.00 Overseas members: £20.00 (by air mail). Subscriptions are due for renewal in January every year.

Payment of subscriptions can be made by cheque, postal order, or Paypal.We cannot accept foreign currency cheques.We can accept paper currency notes, e.g. Sterling, US Dollars or Euros. Please add the equivalent of £1 to cover conversion costs if sending foreign currency.Paypal payments should be made in Sterling to [email protected]. Add £1 to cover Paypal fees.Cheques must be made payable to The British Flat Figure Society, not to the Membership Secretary or any individual person.

Contact The committee and Area Representatives of the Society

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Front Cover: The Cawnpore Massacre.See the article by John Redley.

4. The Cawnpore Massacre.John Redley describes the BFSS diorama.

10. What's New.Flats from the pages of Die Zinnfigur.

11. The Missing Kilia Sets.More on the Kilia sets from Douglas Johnson.

14. The Greek War of Independance.Painting guide from Panos.

16.Aviation News.The la t e s t f rom our Av ia t i on Correspondant.

18. Featured Editor - Michael Knoll.Some superb Napoleonic figures.

20. The Siege of Maastricht, 1673.Kjeld Buchholtz gives the background to the Glorious Empires set.

23. What's New Too.New figures from Pilipili and Fredericus Rex.

24. Gallery.St. George and the Dragon, painted by Gianfranco Speranza.

The opinions expressed within this Journal are not necessarily those of the

Editor, the Committee, other officials, or the British Flat Figure Society.

I seem to be always apologising these days, this time for the last Journal. It was a bit of a disaster: not only was the contrast bad so the text and pictures looked washed out, but there were whole paragraphs missing.

The printers have apologised. You will find a replacement copy with this issue.

The BFFS meeting will be held on 15th June 2008 at Knowle.

EuroMilitaire 2008 will be held over the weekend of 20th-21st September at the Leas Cliff Hall in Folkestone

Attic Miniatures:Dick Jenkins has sold a number of his moulds to Attic Miniatures and they now have quite a range. Recent additions are:St. George & the Dragon £7.00Ballet School 1900 £10.00Bunch of Flowers £8.00Attic Miniatures are at:

Attic Miniaturesc/o 5 Milburn Road,Weston-super-Mare,North Somerset,BS23 3BE.

Website:www.finetooth-systems.com/Attic-MiniaturesEmail: [email protected]

The Annual meeting this year will be held at the Masonic Hall, Knowle, the venue used for the last few years, on Sunday, the 15th June.

The meeting is not restricted to members only, please invite anyone with an interest in attending.

As usual, the meeting will be non-com-petitive, a chance for members and friends to simply display their work in a friendly atmosphere. We do need as many people as possible to display some of their work. With no competitions and no judging there is no need to be shy, we all want to see what others are doing so bring your work along.

We will ask you to complete a display card so that we can identify any figures later pictured in the Journal.

This years theme is 'Western Miniatures'. A very wide subject with a lot of potential.

Note that the figures on display need not be part of the theme - any figures from any period displayed in any way will be very welcome.

The meeting will include a short AGM. Please notify the Hon. Secretary of any items for the agenda in advance.

Coffee, tea and biscuits will be available in the hall. There are pubs and restaurents in Knowle.

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Earlier this year the work of a number of members of the Society was donated, in a diorama, by Dick Jenkins to the Regimental museum of the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry at Bodmin in Cornwall. The diorama was based on a Victorian illustration of the events at Cawnpore during the Indian Mutiny and wasconstructed by Ed Humphreys using figures painted by several members of the Society.

The illustration is a typical piece of Victorian propaganda aimed to raise indignation on behalf of the general public or if you take a more conciliatory view it is a representation of a series of events that happened at Cawnpore over a period of time. Faced with recording the event of the ‘Massacre of Cawnpore’ the diorama concentrates on the events concerning the evacuation of the garrison by river from the city. Few actual witnesses survived to give a true account of the events and the Society’s diorama is an attempt to reflect the chaos that occurred at the departure of the British survivors of the siege.

So why was there confusion and what was the background to the event? The

Indian Mutiny has often been portrayed as an event that arose out of a dispute about grease used to allow the cartridge for the ‘new’ Enfield rifle to be easily rammed into the rifle. The Enfield rifle had replaced the older ‘Brown Bess’ musket as the standard weapon of the British Army. It offered improved accuracy and rapidity of fire. To aid the passage of the cartridge down the barrel a coating of grease was applied to the base of the cartridge. The contractors had been instructed to use mutton fat as the greasing agent so as not to offend the religious beliefs of the Hindu or Muslim Sepoys. As early as 1853 when the first supplies of the new cartridge had been sent for climate tests, Colonel Henry Tucker, Adjutant-General of the Bengal Army, had warned that “unless it be known that the grease in these cartridges is not of a nature to offend or interfere with the prejudices of caste” they should not be issued. Despite Tuckers concerns his warning was ignored and suggestions that the loading drill should be revised so that the cartridges could be torn rather than bitten or that the grease could be made up by the men themselves from oil and wax it was too late; stories about British disregard for the Sepoys beliefs started to circulate.

This however was just one of a number of factors that exploded into mu-tiny. The British had taken the opportunity to expand their empire on the sub-continent since Clive’s victory at Plassey in 1757. Gradually they had formed treaties with local princes or taken land by force. To achieve this they had relied on the native troops and by 1857 this had resulted in the Sepoy army being asked to serve through-out the country. Earlier agreements had allowed troops to remain in their native homelands, now they were being expected to keep the peace throughout the country. British officials had become both lazy and greedy, not administering the justice of previous generations and seeing the country as a means of gaining wealth. These factors allied to a growing resentment of the Brit-ish rule resulted in rumours being spread throughout the country. It was – by whom nobody knew – that the British rule was coming to an end, and it would happen on the one hundredth anniversary of the Battle of Plassey, June 23rd 1757.

In this atmosphere the fears of the Sepoys were easily played upon by those wishing to turn them against the British. For their part the British authorities oper-

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ated a highly centralised system where every thing had to be committed to paper and no action could be taken until it had been approved by a higher authority. As a result, where the British officers knew their troops and could understand their concerns nothing could be done. As a result “a let-ter was written where a blow should have been struck”.

After months of disquiet with mi-nor acts of vandalism and refusal to obey orders the powder keg was finally ignited on May 9th at Meerut. The account of the events is detailed in the writings of Hugh Gough who was present in Meerut that day. On the following day the powder keg was finally blown apart and the killing began. Even at this late stage little was done to prevent the situation from developing and the mutineers and their supporters made for the old Imperial capital of Delhi some 40 miles away. Most of the senior British officers were old and had been caught off balance. As a result the mutineers made their way unmolested to Delhi.

At the time the East India Company and the Royal Army could only muster about 40,000 Europeans as opposed to a total strength of about 300,000 Indian troops, though not all of these were of doubtful loyalty. To compound matters further the British troops were not spread evenly throughout the country and the Crimean War had reduced the garrison force of the Queens Army.

The city of Cawnpore is about 260 miles east of Delhi and was an important military station and centre of trade, being on the Grand Trunk Road from Calcutta to Peshawar. It was also the headquarters of the command that covered the region of Oudh. In charge was Major-General Sir Hugh Wheeler, who had served for 54 years in India but none of those years could have prepared him for what he was about to face. The city was sited across the main road north from Delhi and stretched for six miles along the south bank of the River Ganges. The city was divided into three parts with the native city at its centre, to the north was the civil lines with the civic

buildings and homes of the British officials, while to the west were the military lines, which were separated from the city by a canal. There were only some 300 European troops stationed at Cawnpore, whereas there were three infantry and cavalry regi-ments of Indian troops, some 3000 men in total. In addition there was a sizeable civil European and Eurasian population made up from merchants and engineers working on preparations for the extension of the railway from Calcutta.

In many ways Sir Hugh Wheeler was the ideal man to command the defence of Cawnpore. Not only had he over 50 years of service in India, he was believed to know the Sepoy better than any other officer and he had no racial prejudices for he had an Indian wife. Not only was he a man of great experience but he also pos-sessed sound common sense.

Unfortunately near Cawnpore was the town of Bithur, the home of Nana Sahib, who was the adoptive son of Baji Rao who had opposed the British and was

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the last leader of the Maratha Confederacy. He was exiled to Bithur and under close observation by the British had established court there. When Baji Rao surrendered his power to the British in 1818 he had been granted a generous pension but on his death in 1851 the payment was stopped. Nana Sahib appealed to the Government for his fathers’ pension to be continued but was refused. The monies already obtained allowed Nana Sahib not only to live in luxury but to finance his own bodyguard. Nobody seemed to suspect that by remov-ing his finances might cause Nana Sahib to resent the British. He waited for his time, remaining on friendly terms with the British, in particular General Wheeler and his Indian wife. It would appear Wheeler sought Nana Sahib’s advice early in 1857 as to the loyalty of the Sepoys and later of their actions. Wheeler was lead to believe that the Sepoys would make for Delhi and leave the British in Cawnpore alone. Wheeler trusted Nana Sahib implicitly, there is even a suggestion that the Gener-als wife was related to the Nana and if not directly related then of the same subdivision of the same caste.

It was this trust that may have af-fected Wheeler’s judgement in his choice of a defensive position. His main thought was to choose a point near the river, which could be defended and from where he could evacuate the women and children to either Allahabad or Calcutta. Nana Sahib was asked for assistance and his household troops were detailed to guard the treasury while Wheeler decided to garrison the bar-racks rather than the magazine with its large stocks of weaponry and ammunitions.

The two large barrack buildings were fortified with a parapet and gun em-placements being erected. Unfortunately the earthworks were not bullet proof and despite there being a plentiful supply of water nearby, insufficient supplies were moved in.

Wheeler's small force was sup-plemented by 84 men and 2 squadrons of irregular native cavalry sent by Sir Henry Lawrence from Lucknow. When Captain Fletcher Hayes commanding this small force arrived he found; “Since I have been in India I have never witnessed so frightful a scene of confusion, fright and bad arrange-

ment as the European barracks presented. Four guns were in position loaded, with European artillerymen in nightcaps and wide-awakes and side-arms on, hanging on to the guns in groups – looking like melodramatic buccaneers. People of all kinds of every colour, sect and profession were crowding in to the barracks. While I was there buggies, palki-gharrees, vehi-cles of all sorts, drove up and discharged cargoes of writers (clerks), tradesmen and a miscellaneous mob of every complexion from white to tawny – all in terror of the imaginary foe; ladies sitting down at rough mess tables in the barracks, women suckling infants, ayahs and children in all directions, and – officers too!..... I saw quite enough to convince me that if any insurrection took or takes place, we shall have no-one to thank but ourselves, because we have now shown the natives how very easily we can become frightened, and when frightened utterly helpless.”

On 4th June the Sepoys mutinied and the next day Wheeler’s belief that the Sepoys would make for Delhi seemed to be confirmed as they left the city by the Delhi road. Later in the day they returned with Nana Sahib and a number of his troops. The

question of the Nana’s complicity in this move is still a matter for debate but what is clear is that he notified General Wheeler via a letter that the British position would be attacked on the 6th June.

This duly took place as over the fol-lowing days did a series of other attacks, all of them beaten off. As the days progressed it became clear that the British position was impossible with neither adequate protection from shell or bullet nor the sun. There was little hope for relief with Lucknow, the near-est British garrison, also defending itself. By 24th June Wheeler had virtually given up hope. The following day hope appeared to have been revived. The Eurasian wife of one of the city merchants was sent from the Nana with a message to ‘the subjects of Her Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria’. The letter contained an offer of surrender for those within the entrenchments and safe passage to Allahabad. After much debate and with thought to the situation of the women, children and wounded the offer was accepted and details for the evacuation of the entrenchment were negotiated.

On the morning of the 27th June the convoy set off for the river. The sick,

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wounded and women were carried in palanquins, while many of the children were carried by the Sepoys who only a day or two before had been trying to kill them. Others were transported by bullock carts while the fit carrying their small arms, agreed in the negotiations, walked alongside the convoy.

There was still an air of distrust on both sides as the column made its way to the boats waiting on the Ganges. On arrival at the river the garrison started to board the boats, large clumsy vessels with thatched roofs, “looking at a distance rather like floating haystacks”. By 9 o’clock the British were almost ready to leave and the atmosphere was still tense, the native population of the city and the Sepoys were aware of the actions of a relief column under the command of James George Neill. What had started as a military mutiny had now spread to the population and the British sought to impose their rule once more on the population by means of harsh discipline and reprisals.

It was in this climate that an action occurred that was to have tragic conse-quences. Whether it was the discharge of a rifle or the desertion of the boatmen that started the event is not clear. With their nerves already on edge and expecting treachery the British began firing and this fire was immediately returned from the banks. The British had been caught without shelter and struggled to board the boats to make good an escape but as the shooting intensified the casualties mounted and the boats caught fire forcing their occupants to jump in the river. Only three boats managed to make the relative safety of the centre of the river. Those who had jumped from the burning boats were now attacked in the river by native cavalrymen, including Wheeler who was cut down. Little mercy was shown to other survivors who died from sabre and club wounds or from be-ing burnt by lighted torches thrust against their clothing.

Whether the Nana Sahib was re-sponsible for the massacre or whether the tales of British reprisals against the muti-neers and their supporters had overtaken the crowd is not clear. At least he now gave orders it must stop. Only 60 men and 125 women and children survived,

the men were killed and the women and children imprisoned in a large house built by a British officer for his native mistress and known as the Bibigarh, the Lady’s House. In time this was to be the scene of another atrocity.

Only one boat managed to get away carrying over 20 people but as it ran downstream it ran aground on a number of occasions each time being pushed off by the desperate men, who were constantly fired on from the banks by Sepoys who kept pace with it. Finally seven survivors jumped into the river in an attempt to es-cape and after a 3 hour struggle four men reached safety.

The diorama has tried to convey the situation as the British are attacked at the river’s edge. As with the illustration there has been some artistic license used but unlike the original artist’s intention there was no attempt to show the sequence of all the events that formed the Cawnpore Massacre.

The original illustration on which the Society’s diorama is based is shown on page 6. The artist puts together two incidents that happened about two weeks apart The mutineers are shown attacking the boats while in the foreground they are

shown slaughtering the women and chil-dren and throwing them into the canopied well.

The women and children who had survived the attack at the river were imprisoned in the Bibigarh and were later joined by the survivors of Fatehgarh, in all 211 souls; 5 men and 206 women and children.

The Nana Sahib had himself pro-claimed Peshwa or ruler of the Mahrattas, but this triumph was to be short-lived. By July 15th Havelock with Neill in close attendance was within a days march of Cawnpore. The Nana now realised that the captives in the Bibigarh could implicate him in the massacre. If the captives were no longer imprisoned the Nana thought that Havelock and his troops would no longer be interested. The order was given for the hostages to be disposed of and a group of Sepoys were sent to carry out their murder. The troops failed to perform their task, shooting over the heads of the captives.

It was as a result of one of the native women, who wanted to implicate the Nana, that the second massacre took place. She employed five men from the city to carry out the murders of the captive Europeans. Of the five men, two were Muslim butchers,

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two were peasants and the fifth was one of the Nana’s bodyguards. To try and hide the slaughter the bodies were dissected and thrown into a nearby well. On the 16th July Havelock attacked Cawnpore and, despite stubborn resistance, his troops took the city. It was not until the following day that he entered the city and men of the 84th Foot under the command of Captain Henry Ayton reached the Bibigarh and saw the horrors inside. They found the walls covered in blood with fragments of human limbs, clothing, bibles and trinkets. Some of the bodies had been hung on a gibbet close by after they had been murdered.

The brutality of the massacre in the Bibigarh brought about a hardening of attitude on the part of the British and the cycle of brutality increased. A feeling of revenge became commonplace and hard-ened British soldiers now openly spoke of killing every rebel they came across, offering no mercy.

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Figures from the pages of Die Zinnfigur. All figures 30mm unless otherwise stated.

A mixed group from the latest issue of Die Zinnfigur.

To start with, a group of Indian civilians up to 1900 from Zinnfiguren Rieger.Karl-Werner Rieger,Melsdorfer Strasse 7724109 Kiel.Tel 0431/528333Email: [email protected]: www.zinnfiguren-rieger.de

Next is an Eskimo in a kayak from W. Liedke. Available from:Hannoverische ZinnfigurenE+G TobinnusMatthäikirchstrasse 5830519 Hannover.

Below, a Norman hunting party around 1070. Available from:Hans Jörg StollPrimelweg 3388662 Überlingen.

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When compiling The Compleat Kieler, I ran all the catalogue numbers in sequence to find out where there were gaps, and listed the missing numbers by epoch in an article published in the The British Flat Figure Society Journal number 78, of August 2005. In compiling The (In)Compleat Kieler (formerly available on the BFFS website) from a wider variety of sources and old Kieler catalogues I am glad to say that I was able to identify most of the missing sets and added over two hundred sets to the list.

I am currently compiling a more comprehensive edition of The (In)Com-pleat Kieler, which, when completed, will be made available on CD.

There are still some gaps in the set number sequence. Erika Ochel has told me that many molds and a number of the firm’s records were destroyed during the war, so it might never be possible to produce a complete catalogue of sets or individual figures from documentation alone. Using the context of the catalogues, as well as individual figures in the Einzeltypenlisten (reproduced in The (In)Compleat Kieler part 2) I have tried to guess what some of the missing sets might have been.

Of course, it is possible, and even likely, that many of these sets are not miss-ing at all. Some of the numbers that had variants of ‘a’ through ‘i’, for instance, seem to have had certain letters reserved

for specific countries, troop types, or regi-ments, but never had sets painted in the uniforms of those types. Other numbers that appear to be missing from the begin-ning of a sequence (e.g. P801-810 in the Pre-1914 epoch) might never have been used, for whatever reason. But since most of the missing numbers did refer to real sets, there remains the intriguing possibility that yet more sets of the old Kilia/Oki numbers might some day be re-discovered.

If you discover what one of these mystery sets is, please contact me at: 1 Northmoor Road, Oxford OX2 6UW, United Kingdom, or [email protected].

Now a couple of larger figures.

Below a 60mm figure: "School's Out" designed and engraved by Rieger.Available from:Christine Strüfing,24106 Kiel,Jacobystrasse 56Tel 0431-54 99 31Email: [email protected]

And finally, a 54mm figure of Kurfürst Max II Emanuel, der Blaue Kurfürst.Editor Dr.Peter Fuhrmann, Designed by Dr. U. Lehnart and engraved by Regina Sonntag.Available from:Zinnfigurenfreunde Koblenz,c/o Wolfram FuhrmeisterVon-Stauffenberg-Strasse 2556567 Neuwied.

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Epoch Missing set numbersMiddle Ages P119b-21b Huguenot sets to match French sets 119a-121a?

P126-9 Schweizer?30 Years War P2201-11 Still missing

P2212b-c Ligisten/Spanier Musketiere fechtend?P2213b-c Ligisten/Spanier Pikeniere fechtend?P2321 Pikeniere?P2335 schwere Reiter?

1680-1700 P301c Brandenburger/? Musketiere im Feuer?P302b-c Pikeniere in Abwehrkampf?P304c-d Kursachsen/? Reiter/Dragoner anreitend?P304f-h Hessesn/? Reiter/Dragoner anreitend?

7 Years War P424 Still missingP425b-e Husaren abgesessen Feuergefecht (different countries/regts)?P426b-d Husaren abgesessen Feuergefecht (different countries/regts)?P441-6 Still missingP450 Husaren im Angriff?P455 Husaren fechtend?P461 Kürassiere im Angriff?P465-6 Kürassiere im Angriff/fechtend?P470 Kürassiere/Musketiere?P473-4 Musketiere?P1429 Dragoner im AngriffP1459 Preussen schwere Reiter?P2406 Oesterreicher?P3404 Russen Grenadiere?P3407 Russen/Oesterreicher?

Napoleonic P503b Franzosen Junge Garde?P505-7 Franzosen Alte Garde?P509-11 Franzosen infanterie?P515b Franzossen?P524b Preussen?P525b-g Schlessier/Pommersche/? Husaren i. Feuergefecht?P526b-g Schlessier/Pommersche/? Husaren im AngriffP530b Franzosen Chevaulegers-Lanciers ? Regt. haltendP531b Franzosen Chevaulegers-Lanciers ? Regt. im AngriffP532b Franzosen Chevaulegers-Lanciers ? Regt. in ReserveP537b Österreicher-Ungarn Jäger zu Fuss im Feuergefecht?P538 Österreicher?P548-9 Russen/Österreicher-Deutsche?P584 Preussen?P1505-7 Franzosen?P1510/11 Franzosen/England?P1520-2 Franzosen/England?P1529-31 Hannoversche/Franzosen?

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Epoch Missing set numbersP1543 Preussen Reserve-Infanterie?P1574 Franzosen?P1581 Franzosen leichte Füsiliere im Mantel?P1583 Franzosen leichte Füsiliere ohne Mantel?P2512-14 Franzosen/Sachsen?P217-21 Bayern/England?P3528 Franzosen/Russen?

1870-71 P602b Preussen Garde-Infanterie im Sturm?P617b Preussen Husaren Leibgarde im Feuergefecht?P622b Preussen Garde-Infanerie im Feuer?P628b Still missingP634 Bayern/Preussen?P668-70 Sachsen Reiter/Bayern Ulanen?P1611 Franzosen?

Colonial P711 Cowboys auf Vorposten?ACW/Colonial P768-9 Still missingPre-1914 War P801-10 Still missing

P842 Griechen Reiter halted (1900-13)?World War I P906 Deutsche/Engländer?

P934 Deutsche Stahlhelm?P936 Deutsche/Franzosen Stahlhelm?P940b Franzosen Infanterie Jäger Tote und Fallende?P943 Engländer Infanterie mit Stahlhelm?P944 Engländer Infanterie mit Stahlhelm/Reiter mit Mütze?P956-7 Engländer Inf. mit Mütze/Deutsche Stahlhelm?P981-2 Deutsche Stahlhelm?P994-5 Deutsche Stahlhelm?P1903-4 Franzosen/Engländer Stahlhelm?P1906 Engländer Infanterie mit Stahlhelm?P1908 Engländer Infanterie mit Stahlhelm?P1910 Engländer Infanterie mit Stahlhelm/Russen?P1926-9 Deutsche Infanterie 1914/Stahlehm?P1935-6 Deutsche/Franzosen Stahlhelm?P1950 Deutsche Infanterie 1914/Stahlhelm?

Modern Times PN1-2 SA/Stahlhelmer Bund?PN4-8 Italian Fascists/Italian infantry/Fire Brigade/Boy Scouts/Civilians?PN16-17 Deutsche Alpencorps/Musik?PN19-20 Deutsche Infanterie?PN25-31 Deutsche Infanterie?PN36-40 Deutsche Infanterie?PN73 Polen?PN80 Polen?PN82 Polen?

Sundry PN49 Still missing

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General notes about painting.

After having examined the events that led to the conflict and the actual conflict itself of the Greek Wars of Independence, I will provide a brief painting guide that can be used for Dr Dangschat’s Hellas 1821 set or any other similar figures available (if they exist at all). Also, at the end of the article you will find a list of actual people that took part in the conflict. As I find more interesting to “personalise” my figures, I tried to make each figure correspond to an important rebel. This is for my own pleasure but you may also like to name your figures when displayed so here it is. For more detailed painting instructions of each individual figure I suggest you have a look at Society’s forum even if you’re not computer experts during the following couple of months. The only thing that is needed is a switched on computer in the online address of our forum and simple clicks with that weird evil device called mouse. Go have a try; you will be surprised by the treasure of information that is daily exchanged there…

First let me say that this colouring chart is merely a guide based on contempo-rary illustrations and paintings from various museums, books and internet sites. I really hope you like painting white, because this set will be full of it. Good news is that you will have practiced nearly every tone that is available. Most of the clothes like kilts, shirts, socks were of white wool.

Most if not all of the kilts must be painted white but the good news is that it can be very much varied adding red, blue, black, green, purple, ochres and every colour someone can think of so that the tones and temperature of the whites will be different thus there won’t be a same white in any figure. Kilts were made from wool so a glossy, even appearance must be avoided. If you like, you can add vari-ous weathering effects, stains, dirt or even patches of rags sewn on for repairs. People

were really poor and basic materials were quite hard to find. Also there weren’t any uniform regulations until the formation of the first post-revolutionary Greek state. For these reasons appearance can be varied according to each individual taste. Grey, ochre, light blue (drab not turquoise) can be used for a couple of kilts too but not for more since it was rather rare.

Capes were made from animal pelts, mostly domestic such as goat hide and can be painted accordingly. Plenty of variation here. Rarely, and this applies to the most rich, well known or from important families rebels, fur could be wolf or bear but in no case leopard or tiger.

Fezs usually were red with a black cord and a pompom hanging freely from the top of the fez. Again here, reds can be varied but follow the drab tones and avoid bright reds. Rare alternatives can be black or blue. In some figures where turbans are used, choices are more varied from white, to any earthy colour, many times striped with

thick or thin repeating lines (longitudinally or diagonally running down the turban).

Shirts were of any colour, white predominantly but light yellow, ochre, light blue or similar light, bleached from sun, can be used. These were also woollen for most of the people and silk for the “elite” so treat the “shining” accordingly.

Some of the figures are wearing a vest like cloth, very common to the outfit of the era. Long or short sleeved, these were of various earthly colours, crimson, or various reds. They were richly embroidered with floral patterns mainly along their seam lines and on the sleeves. Golden or silver coloured thread, sometimes white on red background was the rule.

Felahia (singular felahi) were much embroidered, broad belts, made of leather or toughened cloth that besides holding the kilts and the shirts in the kilts they were also used as pistol holsters, usually for 2 pistols and for one or two knives and

Statue of Kolokotronis in Athens

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swords. Any kind of ochre or brown can be used. Sometimes light blue or crimson sashes were also used.

Tsarouhia (singular tsarouhi) were the only shoes available. Usually red and rarely brown, black or coloured (blue, green, only for the very few since they were very expensive imports) were made of curved wood with a large knot, black pompom on the tip. They were very heavy and very awkward type of shoes. Another variety was made from leather in brown colours sometimes covering the ankle of the calf. White or tan coloured socks or gaiters were also used with them. Rarely and in higher ranks brass knee protectors can be seen.

Muskets (kariofilia) and pistols (koumpoures) were crude made weapons made from wood with brass or iron fittings and slings. Swords were those of the light cavalry, with curved blades about 1 metre long and along with knives had usually extremely decorated grips and pommels.

In fact, even today, in some Greek cities they still produce such kind of weapons that are more like a work of art mainly for the collectors or museums. Scabbards were black or silver. One interesting story is about the home made bullets (volia) that were used for these weapons. Legend says that they were made from lead taken from the inside skeleton structure of the various ancient columns that were in abundance scattered all over the country.

As a side note, it is worth mention-ing that cavalry and artillery were virtually nonexistent for Greek forces in the wars of 1821-26. Actually, besides a few battles, more fights were of the hit and run tactic, much like the guerrilla warfare of other nations like for e.g. in Spain during the French occupation.

As always, if someone would like some additional information about history or have any specific painting question, my e-mail is at our forum and our beloved editor can provide my address.

Statue of Mpoumpoulina in Spetse

Glossary

Fesi=Greek fezFoustanella=Greek kiltTsarouhi=Traditional shoeFelahi=Embroidered beltKariofili=Greek musketKoumpoura=PistolVoli=Bullet

Selection of Greek rebels

He 1 Mpotsaris Markos He 2 Maurokordatos AlexandrosHe 3 Petmezas Anagnostis He 4 Panourgias He 5 Lontos Antreas He 6 Koletis Ioannis He 7 Papaflessas “Dikaios” Grigoris He 8 Stamatelopoulos “Nikitaras” Nikitas He 9 Maurogenous MantoHe 10 Lord George Byron He 11 Diakos Athanasios He 12 General Kolokotronis Theodoros He 13 Kanaris Konstantinos He 14 Nikodimos Konstantinos He 15 DelfoiHe 16 Brig “Hraklis”He 17 Tompazis Iakovos He 17A Mpoumpoulina Laskarina He 18 Tzavelas Kitsos He 19 Mauromixalis PetrompeisHe 20 Plapoutas DimitriosHe 21 Deligiannis Kanellos He 22 Androutsos Odysseas He 23/24 Tsamiko danceHe 25 Karaiskakis Georgios He 26 Zaimis Andreas He 27 Miaoulis Andreas He 28 Dorian entranceBR 117 Kountouriotis Georgios BR 128 Fort Mpourtzi, NauplioBR 463 General Makrugiannis Ioannis BR 464 Olumpios Georgakis BR 465 Anagnostaras Xristos

The Hellas 1821 set is available from:Dr Peter Dangschat,Schaferteich 4a38302 Wolfenbuttel-SaldahlumGermany

Tel. (0 53 31) 7 70 40.

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The New Year brings with it a veritable squadron of new aircraft from the Western Miniatures Aero-factory. Dick Jenkins and his engravers must have been working flat out!! (Please excuse the dreadful pun!) Anyway, there are no less than seven new planes to be reviewed. They all belong to the Second World War period.

There are three British types. The Supermarine Stranraer twin-engined flying boat, designed for general purpose coastal reconnaissance work is an attractive look-ing aircraft. The prototype first flew in 1935. The RAF took delivery of a few but by the summer of 1940 two squadrons using them were reequipped with Sunderlands and Lerwicks. On the other hand rather more Stranraers were built under licence by Canadian Vickers, and were employed on anti-submarine patrols along the west coast of Canada until 1944 by the Royal Canadian Air Force.

The Supermarine Sea Otter was intended to replace the Walrus. With its all metal hull, cleaner lines, more powerful engine and greater lifting power it proved to be a successful small flying boat, par-ticularly suited to air sea rescue work. It was used during the later stages of the War with Coastal Command Stations around the British coast, first coming into service in July 1943. It has the distinction of being

the very last biplane ordered by the RAF. The number of Sea Otters produced was not much in excess of 300.

Now Dick Jenkins is somewhat unpredictable in his choice of aircraft to turn into flats. There’s really no knowing what he is going to do next. In response to my query, why did he choose to do such and such an aeroplane he just says “Well I liked the look of it.” There’s no answer to that! But strangely he has selected three Supermarine flying boats, these two and of course the Walrus. I like sets of things and it seems to me this “family” of sea planes would look well together as a group.

The third British aeroplane is the poor old Fairey Battle. I always think of it as a rather sad aircraft, in that it was ranged against a far superior enemy. Deeds of great bravery were carried out by the crews who flew Battles trying to halt the Blitzkrieg in France in May 1940. But alas they were just shot out of the skies. Their defensive armament was totally inadequate, and I have read very little in praise of this misfit of an aircraft. Withdrawn very rap-idly from front line service it was used in non-combatant duties such as operational training in Britain, Australia, Canada and South Africa in fairly large numbers. I was surprised to discover that over 2000 Fairey Battles were produced! They were

finally withdrawn from service in 1949! One redeeming feature is that as a flat it paints up really well. I have painted mine and it looks quite pleasing.

Dick’s next flight of fancy took him to the Far East. The Nakajima Navy Type 96 Carrier Attack Torpedo Bomber was the result. Allied intelligence expected that these aircraft would be used in the first line of attack by Japan. In fact they were not and indeed were never encountered by Allied aeroplanes. Apparently they were withdrawn to be replaced by superior ma-chines. However, the aircraft was given the codename Jean (after the wife of General McArthur). The catalyst of wartime cer-tainly energised aircraft design and often seemingly promising planes were classed as obsolete in two or three years. I have only one black and white photograph of type 96. I get the impression that it would be painted in dark green with underparts some very light colour.

(By the way, the superior replace-ment was the Nakajima type 97 codenamed Kate. This plane was used in large numbers as a torpedo bomber and standard level bomber in the infamous attack on Pearl Harbour, December 1941.)

Three German aircraft complete this quarters’ list. The Arado 95 was a two-seater biplane fitted with floats to be used as a coastal patrol aircraft. The prototype first flew in 1937. It seems only a few were made and I have been hard pressed to find out much information about this plane. (One was shot down during the Battle of Britain on 12th October 1940 – Ed)

I especially liked the Heinkel He115K2 Float Plane. This to my mind is a really mean looking Warplane. Prior to Christmas I hadn’t picked up a paint brush for many weeks but somehow I had to get to work on this one and it looks really good. The first prototype was flown in 1936. In 1938 it won several awards for seaplane

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speed records. It served in the Luftwaffe throughout the War, in several capacities. One of the most important perhaps was mine-laying. Magnetic mines caused considerable loss to Allied shipping in the early years of the War. About 400 Heinkel 115 seaplanes were produced.

For the seventh contribution to the muster roll I hand over my pen to our edi-tor. He’s really “genned up” on aeroplanes without propellers so I will leave him to wax lyrical on the Messerschmitt Me163b Komet.

Ah, yes – the Komet. An amazing, fast, advanced and thoroughly danger-ous warplane to friend and foe alike. My interest in this remarkable little aircraft is in part to do with the designer, a brilliant engineer called Alexander Lippisch. In the 1930’s Lippisch had been much involved with gliders and tailless aircraft. In 1937 one of his gliders flown by Heini Dittmar won a number of soaring records and the World Soaring Championships. He also participated in several experiments involv-ing strapping rockets on to gliders for the car manufacturer Fritz von Opel.

He developed a small aircraft, the DFS 40 Delta V, far in advance of its time with enclosed cabin, smooth lines and much use of transparent panels. He then moved on to the DFS194, the forerunner of the Me163, originally intended to be powered by a conventional engine. Lippisch wanted to move into the main aircraft industry to improve his facilities and further his design work and at the end of 1938 he and his small team moved to the Messerschmitt factory at Augsburg where work began

on the Me163.Work was suddenly halted in 1940

when Hitler ordered that many develop-ment projects were to cease. Lippisch managed to keep things going by starting to incorporate the Walter rocket engine into the DFS194. The aircraft was taken to Peenemunde where its performance was said to be excellent.

Work then continued on the Me163. It was often flown as a glider and on one such occasion Dittmar achieved a top speed of 528mph in a dive and on another occa-sion when Ernst Udet, Director General of Luftwaffe Equipment, was visiting, Dittmar overflew the airfield at 400mph and pulled up in a steep climb before making several turns to get his speed down before land-ing. Udet would not believe the aircraft had no engine until he had inspected it for himself.

In service the aircraft had mixed fortunes. It was tricky to get off the ground, the undercarriage had to be jettisoned at just the right moment; too late and the aircraft would stall, too early and the undercarriage would bounce up and hit the aircraft. It landed on a skid and was helpless in the middle of the airfield until picked up and transported to safety.

When attacking bomber formations the pilot would climb rapidly to height (40,000 feet in 3 minutes), cut the engine and glide while preparing his attack. He would then ignite the engine, make his attack and outrun any pursuing fighters. However, the fuel did not allow much powered flight (7.5 minutes) and with the engine off the Me163 was vulnerable. Once cut, the pilot had to wait for two minutes

before igniting the engine again.By all accounts it was an exhilarat-

ing aircraft to fly. But there was always danger: the fuel was a lethal mix of Hydro-gen peroxide (T stoff) and a complex mix of chemicals call C stoff. The tiniest mix of the two would result in an explosion. Each had to be loaded on its own with water flowing over the ground under the aircraft. Landing with any fuel left in the tanks was extremely dangerous, a crash landing would result in explosion and fire and the T stoff would dissolve the pilot if any got on him.

Although the Me163 achieved some success it was never present in enough num-bers to make any real impression and the lack of fuel often kept them grounded

At the end of the war Lippisch was working on a radical new design for an aircraft to be powered by a ramjet fuelled by crushed coal. It was to be a delta wing with a large triangular fin running the full length of the aircraft and including the cockpit. Lippisch built a small unpowered test glider, which was captured by the Americans and taken to the USA (see title picture). It was parked on Wright field for some time and its futuristic appearance made it popular with 'alien conspiracy' theorists who believed it to be of extra-terrestrial origin even though it wa made of unpainted plywood.Dick's aircraft are vailable from:

Western Miniatures123 Henacre Road Lawrence Weston Bristol B11 OHB

Price £3 each plus £1.50 p&p per order.

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For this Journal we turn to the catalogue of Michael Knoll. This catalogue is a must for Napoleonic buffs featuring as it does the old Thiel moulds, engraved by Frank, Sixtus Maier and Frauendorf.

The figures are all French Napo-leonic and feature many aspects of a soldiers life. Not just marching and fighting but stable duty, relaxing in camp and watering horses in a river.

There are many fine figures here. Particularly impressive are the set of Music of the Chasseurs of the Imperial Guard. These must look really good when painted.

There are several other music bands, both cavalry and foot.

There is a whole page of horses, unsaddled and picketed.

The Polish General Staff are another interesting set.

Naturally there is a good selection of the Old Guard marching, attacking, cheer-ing and so on, but also a good selection of Line Infantry.

Most cavalry arms are represented: Guard cavalry including Chasseurs, Lanc-ers, Elite Gendarmes and Dragoons and Line Chasseurs, Cuirassiers, Lancers, Hussars and Dragoons. There is quite a nice set of Hussars in camp.

There does not seem to be much artillery in the catalogue but there is a set

of Guard Foot Artillery with some kind of large siege mortar.

Other branches of service are in-cluded. There is a set of medics and stretcher bearers, a set of the various coachmen and servants who looked after Napoleons transport.

And of course a number of figures of Napoleon and his entourage.

Michael Knoll can be contacted at:Michael Knoll,Stauffenbergstrasse 13,16761 Hennigsdorf b. Berlin,Germany.

There is no website or email for Michael Knoll as far as I am aware.

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In 1672 King Louis XIV of France, frustrated by the Dutch, who were threatening his designs against the Spanish Netherlands, declared war. He led his 150,000-strong army through the Bishopric of Liège and into Gelderland, bypassing the strong fortress of Maastricht. However, Louis could not leave it in his rear, so he returned in 1673 to lay siege to it.

Maastricht's defences had been con-stantly upgraded by the Spanish and later the Dutch since the 16th century. By 1673 they presented a formidable obstacle to any besieging force, comprising 5 hornworks, a flooded ditch and many demi-lunes. The garrison consisted of 6000 men. The French engineer Vauban was to command the siegeworks, this being the first major siege of many he was to lead.

Engraving of the siege in 1673

45,000 French troops arrived before Maastricht on June 11th. They pressed 7,000 local peasants into service and set them to work digging the lines of circumvallation

and contravallation encircling the town, which were completed on June 14th.

Vauban decided to drive his attack towards a hornwork in the south-west sec-tion of the defences, slightly to the south of where the Dutch made their two approaches in the siege of 1632. The trenches were opened on the night of 17th-18th June.

Vauban used a new system of his own divising for the first time at Maastricht - the system of parallels. First a trench was dug parallel to the defences at maximum cannon-range and batteries emplaced there, then zig-zag trenches were dug forward from this first trench closer to the fortifica-tions. Here another parallel was dug and batteries placed, and so on. This allowed the attackers to gradually move closer to the fortifications in relative safety, and regularised the placement of batteries (see the siege warfare page for more details).

Louis XIV was eager to be in pos-session of the town by June 24th (the fes-tival of John the Baptist), so that he could

attend mass in Maastricht's cathedral. For this reason he impatiently ordered an early assault on a triangular outwork which was to become the scene of heavy fighting. A force led by the famous musketeer d'Artagnan launched a night assault against the work, but met with fierce opposition.

The attack was initially success-

ful but a counterattack drove most of the French out of the work, with the exception of 30 men who held out until morning. The garrison was then able to recapture it without much difficulty. A small English contingent commanded by the Duke of Monmouth was present with Louis' forces and it displayed much bravery in attempt to take a section of the covered way, but was forced back with the loss of 300 men. Monmouth rallied his troops for a second assault, but this also failed, costing the life of *d'Artagnan, who was shot in the throat.

Vauban was also in the thick of the action during this fight, prompting Louvois to write to his superior (Vauban)

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with the pointed comment "You will be aware of His Majesty's displeasure should anything untoward happen to the Sieur de Vauban...".

After these bloody and ineffec-tual assaults, Louis yielded to Vauban's maxim "the more powder we burn, the less blood we lose" and allowed the bat-teries to continue their work. The garrison capitulated less than a week later on June 30th. The siege of Maastricht had been a triumph for both Louis XIV and Vauban. The French king had dismissed his great commanders before the siege, so that the glory fell on him personally, strengthening his position at home. Vauban's system of parallels became widely accepted as the standard method for attacking a fortified place and was used right up until the early 19th century. Maastricht was returned to the Dutch by the Treaty of Nijmegen in 1678, but France gained other important concessions for its return.

Siege of Maastricht, captured in flats by Glorious Empires.

Jacques Vullinghs of Glorious Empires, a southern Dutchman living in Maastricht, has decided to edit a large 4 part set depicting this siege of Maastricht.

He recently released part 1 of 4 called ”surrounding the city” (designs Rousselot, Bombled and Gagelmann after Leliepvre, engraving Jahn)

While in Paris recently he found

the original Rousselot 30 mm double-sided designs for a General Staff of Louis 14th. The designs still needed the last details to put them in the pre-1700 period or after 1700: (soft wide brimmed hats or tricorns, the wide cloth sword belts or the leather, the rich horse-furniture or the more simple and so on).

Some of these designs were used for the Louis 14 Staff set by Gottstein, others by earlier set from Ochel, others, like these ones, were never used.

He will use them for part 2 of the Maastricht set called “Opening the first parallel” and might add some old unused Bombled designs.

He also obtained very old designs

by Eugene Leliepvre for the early (1673) artillery, enough to make an extensive artillery in action set, this will be part 3 of the Maastricht set, called “The bombard-ment”

Part 4 will be “ the attack on the

Tongres gate” (where d’Artagnan was killed), he is collecting designs by Bombled for this now.

When all 4 sub-sets are done, it will

be a set made from designs by top designers, from the 1920’s and 1930’s. (Rousselot, Bombled and Leliepvre with additions by Gagelmann).

The engraving, as always, will be by the best 30 mm engravers available today.

This should guarantee a set of the highest quality rarely found today.

I have this set 1 myself, and I must say it's a “painter’s set", very delicately engraved, with a good eye for details, in a good quality metal, the castings were sharp and almost perfect. The accompa-nying pictures of painted figures are not painted by me, but kindly supplied by mr. Vullinghs, upon my request. The colours used, I believe, are taken from the painting by Eugene Leliepvre, and can be used as a painting guide for anyone wanting to paint these nice figures. My problem now is, can I wait for the release of the next sub-sets, before I decide to do a small diorama, which I believe these figures shurely deserve.

Set 18, 21.00 euro + postage, set 1, consists of 14 figures, 12 different with the 2 troopers double.

The range of Glorious Empires now comprises 1062 of his own figures, from 30 mm, over 40 mm to 54 mm and vignettes, and surely is becoming more and more impressive.

(*D'Artagnan, one of the Three Musketeers made famous by Alexander Dumas, was a Maastricht nobleman killed during the siege of 1673. He was said to have been killed after spending the night in Andre's castle, and then slain on the castle grounds. A statue in his honor stands in the small Waldeck Park outside the city walls.)

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Above: new Pilipili resin Flatz inspired by Raphaël's La Muta (1507). Pilipili's Flatz are available from Historex Agents at £10.45 each.Pilipili website is:www.pilipili-miniatures.com/

The latest figures from Fredericus-Rex: The Saljuqs of Rum, 13th century, 54mm, engraved by D. Lepeltier. This group of figures is taken from the Osprey book Saladin and the Saracens. The cost is £14.00.The Girl with the Pearl Earring, engraved by A. Trost and the cost is £6.60.Leopold Von Dessau and his Annaliese. This is 54mm and is in three parts. It is engraved by D.Lepeltier and costs £23.50.

These figures are available from:John Russell2 Marcus CrescentAberdeen, AB21 0SZemail [email protected] Postage is additional.

Also available from Fredericus Rex are the following Mohr sets:The Funeral Procession of Gustavus Adolphus

The Burgundian Wedding1001 NightsAugust the Strong 1716-1719One Night in VeniceNapoleon at the PyramidsPope Julius visits Apoll BelvedereRobber Knights circa.1300Prices for the above can be obtained from the Fredericus-Rex website or by contacting John.

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St George and the Dragon.

Figure by Vladimir Nuzhdin.

Painted by Gianfranco Speranza

journal - international flat figure societyintflatfigures.org/bffs/themes/bffs-mods/journals/bffs...

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