With the recent release of the awesome new plastic French infantry boxed set for Bolt Action, it’s been all systems French here at Warlord Games HQ – I’ve even been persuaded to tear myself away from tinkering with my beloved Soviet tournament army to paint up some Chasseurs à Pied – and we’ve seen some awesome work from Warlord staffers as they get their teeth into new French armies and really show off the possibilities of the sprue (some of which we’ve shown – ed.). One of the aspects of wargaming the French in Bolt Action that’s really gripped me for many years (I really must get on and do a French force one of these days!) is their widespread use of ‘colonial’ units. These men, recruited from the French Empire’s overseas possessions, had a long and proud history of excellent service, and continued this into the Second World War, despite frequently atrocious treatment by their own officers and comrades, and being despised by their enemies. Really, their feats deserve to be far better known, and in games of Bolt Action they make for a fantastically characterful army on the tabletop – and they aren’t bad units, to boot!
We’ll briefly touch on the Tirailleurs Sénégalais, available in their own metal boxed set. These Black African troops (many from countries other than Senegal) fought with courage and skill in Europe and elsewhere, and had a fearsome reputation for close fighting with their large traditional coup-coup knives. On the tabletop they count as Regular Tough Fighters, which is a combination I absolutely adore, and the models are cracking as well!
The plastic French infantry boxed set includes head options with checia hats, allowing you to build them as Colonial Troops, adding some fantastic flavour to your army. There were a vast number of individual colonial units in French (and Vichy) service, and they require far more study and depth to properly enumerate than we can provide here, but in brief the heads included are suitable for Algerian, Moroccan, or Tunisian troops (who would also have been issued with and worn helmets, being sensible chaps!), who can be represented with a number of unit profiles in games of Bolt Action. There’s also a force which I’ll touch on at the end of this article, which are just a little bit… different!
The first way to represent your colonial troops is actually simply by using the Inexperienced or Regular Infantry Section rules. Given that they were equipped by and large exactly like Metropolitan French troops, led by French officers, and part of the French military system, the ‘standard’ profiles work just fine! This is a great way to have a ‘normal’ French army, with all the advantages that brings, while giving it a fantastic degree of flavour and uniqueness that’s sure to turn heads at painting contests! Naturally, the new plastic heads can also, with a little quick conversion work, be added to your weapons teams to really unify your force under a single theme. A force built this way is great for representing the Troupes Coloniales who saw service all across the French Empire, and also to a lesser degree in Europe!
The second way to use these troops is with the Moroccan Goumier profile, giving you units of rock ‘ard Veteran Tough Fighters to bring to the fray. These units represented auxiliaries recruited from the Berber tribesmen of Morocco, who saw extensive service in Italy, and were equipped with an interesting mixture of traditional gear alongside French, British, and American equipment. There are images of some in full French uniform, but the new sprue also provides a ton of awesome conversion bits to make your Goumiers completely unique, which is a great challenge for modellers and painters, particularly those looking for an Italian campaign force with a twist!
Finally, while I was doing some research for my Chasseurs à Pied, I came across the Army of the Levant, a French force in the region that served the Vichy French cause. These troops wore a mixture of headgear and uniform, and had unique purple-red collar patches and facing colours, making them a really visually interesting army on the tabletop. With a wide variety of local troops included, they’re a fascinating option for a force that uses both the new French sprue alongside the British Commonwealth sprue to create an army unlike any other. One of the great joys of a French army is just how diverse it can be – no need for an endless sea of greatcoats and Adrian helmets! The new plastic French infantry boxed set allows you to field your Frenchmen (and overseas troops) in a wide variety of ways – the sky really is the limit.
Pour la France! Pour l’Empire! Pour la gloire!
