New Releases For December 2016 - The Great War 1914-1918 (1 Viewer)

[jjDesigns]

THE GREAT WAR 1914-1918
THE AMERICAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCES




GWUS-07A
THE GREAT WAR,1914-1918
THE AMERICAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCES,
TANK COMMANDER,
(1pc)










WHEELS ACROSS THE DESERT

In 1915, Egypt was the centre of the war effort in the near East. Units would strike westwards into the Sahara desert to deal with dissident tribes who were goaded into action by the Turks, or were sent northwards into Gaza to confront the Turkish army itself.
The Sennussi were a warlike Arab religious sect encouraged by the Turks to tie down as many British troops as possible. Model T Ford cars, escorted by Rolls- Royce armoured cars were used to patrol the desert, and to launch daring raids against the Sennussi.
The most important British armoured car of the first World War was undoubtedly the Rolls-Royce. In terms of the numbers built, effective design and all round quality it was unequalled, and is now taken to typify the vintage armoured car.

The Hedjaz Armoured Car Section, was an unit of three Rolls Royce armoured cars, which operated alongside the irregular forces inspired and guided by T.E Lawrence. This unit also acted independently and mounted long range raids, such as the succesful raid against the Amman railway bridge in September 1918.
The armoured cars earned Lawrence’s respect for their reliability and effectiveness, and in his “Seven Pillars of Wisdom” he mentions that “a Rolls in the desert was above rubies”.








WAD-02B
WHEELS ACROSS THE DESERT,
THE HEDJAZ ARMOURED CAR SECTION,
ROLLS ROYCE ARMOURED CAR,
Armoured Car Crew,
(1pc)


**PLEASE NOTE A THIRD ROLLS ROYCE ARMOURED CAR IS IN DEVELOPMENT, AND HOPEFULLY WILL BE AVAILABLE IN 2017**

More to follow..................................................

 

[jjDesigns]

THE FRENCH ARMY

Initially, Frances armed forces were designed to fight, fend for, and feed at a company or battalion level. This meant that soldiers who were line infantrymen might also be cooks, laborers, supply clerks and maintenance personnel, with fatigue details being assigned on a rotational basis between the non-specialists. In garrison, or on maneuvers, this worked splendidly. When the day's work was done, the cooking detail would set up the kitchen area, cook and serve the meal, and everyone was happy.
For emergency use, troops carried an emergency ration, but no one would touch that except in old Legionnaires' barroom tales of the Legion in 'wild places'.



GWF-42
THE GREAT WAR,1914-1918
FRENCH INFANTRY 1917-1918,
FRENCH “SOUP MEN”,
(2 pcs)


While the front lines were still somewhat flexible, field unit based kitchens were becoming less and less feasible. By the time the front froze at the trench line from the channel to the Swiss border, they had become impossible. Many troops would receive fresh ration supplies, but with the trench networks initially only being laid out for close-up combat, no provisions for regular cooking was made.
This meant that troops subsisted on fresh bread, fruit, wine and sausages. Iron rations were limited due to supply shortages, and generally the only warm meal happened if a section or a platoon managed to set up a makeshift kitchen to use the supplies arriving in an irregular fashion before they could spoil. Even then, the best troops could hope for was some sort of soup or stew, or a cup of coffee if they were not so lucky.
The Field ration consisting of an abbreviated menu and was the main ration type scheduled for troops. Traveling kitchens would set up in areas adjacent to the combat zone, and would prepare more-or-less edible and definitely not nutritionally balanced meals, which would then be hauled to the front lines. This detail of being a 'soup man' was considered to be a job more hazardous than combat infantryman, as you had to traverse ground generally covered by enemy pre-planned artillery fires, while carrying equipment that made it hard to seek cover, run or hide.
Food that did make it to the front was generally at least cold and of dubious quality, and often times soiled and near inedible, such as bread that was carried without wrappers of any kind, coffee (le jus) transported in open cans etc. Menus consisted of a variety of poorly prepared dishes, which include open rack roasted meats, previously salted (and mostly too salty) fish, various pâtés made of meat scraps, lard and vegetables, rice, and beans of every description, at times just cooked together in more or less edible stews. Luckily, along with these rations came (if at all possible) a serving of 'pinard', the cheap wine issued to all French forces. British troops lucky enough to get some eventually combined all French terms like pinard or vin blanc into the ubiquitous (and still current!) term 'plonk', describing any cheap wine.






**PLEASE CONTACT YOUR LOCAL DEALER FOR FURTHER INFORMATION**

 

[Old Bill]

A great addition to my Street display

 

[villagehorse]

Another fine addition to the French series, a Christmas present to myself. Robin.

 

[Artillery_crazy]

John Jenkins produces the best detailed WW1 French soldiers I have seen for a long time...now that they came out with this great 75.....to make things perfect they should provide not only a garrison pulling the gun but also one manning the gun in action.....that would be a baster of great set...
Cheers
Artillery_Crazy