Capitaine Conan (1996)

Wiki on this movie by Tavernier here. Set in the Balkans in 1918 it's a different kind of Great War movie. I've seen it but without subtitles so it was a little confusing.

Les Croix de Bois (1931) battle scene

Wooden crosses. Reckoned by some to be the French 'All Quiet on the Western Front'. Imdb says
War, war in all its ugliness and yet humanity surviving it... The book, based on Roland Dorgeles life during the Great War is one of the best of its kind. Pathetic scenes, occasionally humour, mud and rats and schrapnell and the revolting odor of death.

This movie like the book has been made with guts and feelings. It aims at showing what was then believed to have been the "very last war of all times".

Verdun, thunder and lightnings, Hell. Difficult to match in horror but we are only in 1932 and the 3rd Reich will soon not be watching the same kind of cinema.

I have seen very old men crying in front of their TV screen watching "les croix de bois", watching their lives...40, 50, 60, 70 years before...

'A very long engagement' part 1 (English subs)

Movie wiki. I thought it might be interesting to have a brief season of French films about the Great War. I am sure you have all seen this one but if you haven't maybe it's a good one to start with. Anyone who has any suggestions - please chip in. I really looked forward to this when it came out - I had high expectations from the team doing it - I wasn't disappointed - it was a good movie. See 'Films de France - best French war films'.

Berdan rifle

Some Russian units in the Russo-Turkish war were armed with the Berdan rifle - developed by Hiram Berdan.

Bulgarians celebrate Shipka's 133rd

News item about the famous Russo-Turkish battle that launched a famous Soviet movie.

Patrick's illustrious ancestors

Had these photos from Patrick of his relatives around the time of the Great War. I wish I had photos like these of my ancestors. Patrick says

Two others photos of the great uncle in Zouaves

- 1st is from January 1st 1917 in winter uniform

- 2nd just after the war in 1919 with his two brothers , Louis (in the navy) and Charles (chasseurs à pieds)

hope you enjoy ...

Patrick

A Bushwhacker pistol

Read the story behind this Colt 1860 Army pistol here

Jayhawkers and Redlegs blog

Unusual to see a blog focussing on the Union forces in Kansas. See it here
Interesting post for me was 'Where did the red leggings come from?'

Bloody Dawn: The Lawrence Massacre trailer

Today in 1863 was this famous event in the Civil War.
This is a teaser trailer for the latest film from Lone Chimney Films. One Bloody Friday (c) Jed Marum 2007. Buy the film at here

D'homme a Hommes 1870 sequences

Thanks to Patrick of CCFFPA's channel for these scenes set in 1870 for the 1948 movie about the founder of the Red Cross. It is surprisingly good for 1948 combining a realism that is quite ahead of its time.

Perrry Miniatures 28mm Carlist Wars

You have to hand it to the Perry's - when they get into a period they go for it producing a demand through their enthusiasm and their 'selling' of the period through their figures and uniform guides. Visit their website and see if you get bitten by the Carlist bug.
Carlist wars wiki

Searching for old books on Google books

You may already know this trick but if you are looking for books from say 1830s, 1860s etc then do your search terms but modify if by 'full view'. It is mostly books from the 19th century that are in full view so it filters out all the modern 'snippet view' rubbish.
For example I put in Legion Etrangere and the first book on full view is this book

Campagnes et travaux de la légion étrangère, depuis 1831, en Espagne et en Algerie...By H. Delevingne 1855

Foreign Legion 1857

I guess this must be the Swiss regiment that Charles mentions in his comments below.

Pendraken 10mm

There seems to be a pretty good range for the 19thc in this scale. !860s Hanoverians, Bavarians and Saxons is a good sign. No photos though. Anyone out there bought any?

D'homme à hommes de Christian-Jaque (1948)

Some stills from this film about the battle of Solferino and the Red Cross.

Spicheren 140th anniversary film

News item in French about the event

Spicheren 1870

French news article about the filming of an event at Spicheren. Probably (my French is bad) a film about Gravelotte by Patrick Basso. « L’histoire se déroule après la bataille, en fait. Deux hommes décident de déserter. Sur le chemin, l’un d’entre eux rencontre une femme et en tombe amoureux. » An 1870 love story - excellent.

Annuaire officiel de l'armee francaise

These yearly books on the French army are up on Google books. This is one for 1856 but other years are there. It might not suit you to see lists of officers and so on but there is some useful stuff there - here's what it says about the Foreign Legion

Unifobm. Tunique en drap vert-clair, boulonnant droit sur la poitrine. Collet droit jonquille ; parements et passe - poils garance. Épaulletes écartâtes pour les grenadiers, jonquilles pour les voltigeurs, vertes avec tournantes écartâtes pour les compagnies du centre. Boutons jaunes. Schako couvert en drap vert-clair, avec pourtour supérieur en galon jonquille ; plaque en cuivre à aigle couronnée, au centre de laquelle est placé le numéro du régiment; jugulaires à écailles de cuivre.

Alphonse Tissie by Bazille

As it's the 140th anniversary of Gravelotte (thanks Charles for confirming) I thought this painting by Bazille (see below) is symbolic of the terrible waste of young lives industrial war could be.

BBC's The Impressionists (2006)

Imdb An unlikely place to have a sequence on the Franco-Prussian war but if you go to 4:36 you will see a small action that resulted in the death of Bazille in 1870. A lot of poetic licence in this clip - according to the wiki he was in the Zouaves and he was killed at the battle of Beaune-la-Rolande. The French impressionist painter Frédéric Bazille, serving as an enlisted man in the 3rd Zouaves, was killed in action at Beaune-la-Rolande whilst leading his unit in the first attack, his officer having been injured.^[6] Alexander Siemens, the German electrical engineer who would later found the Society of Telegraph Engineers and Electricians, also fought in the battle as a private but in the Prussian army, received a wound and was awarded the Iron Cross for courage.^[7]
If you are trying to get your wife or girlfriend into reenacting the 2nd Empire you could get her to watch this series.

Gravelotte

Maybe this was on the 16th August - but anyway...

Timecast buildings

While looking for pictures of Gravelotte I came across this site with some lovely buildings based on Gravelotte in 10mm scale.

Gravelotte

This battle of the Franco-Prussian war took place today in 1870. Looking on the web it seems that there is a museum planned for the battle and the war in general. Let's hope they plan to use reenactments to mark the day. If you speak French and are interested in this go here to see video presentations on the subject.

Bavarians in 1866 continued

More great images from Uwe of History in 1/72 - these are of course Bavarians in the Deutscher Krieg or the Austro-Prussian war as it is erroneously called in England.

World War One Zouaves

Had some interesting photos from Patrick of his illustrious relative

the first photo is from family's album , great grand uncle, Léon Barral, 4th Zouaves, just before the WW1

the second is some of his comrades in fatigue uniforms at Tunis (Tunisia) , caserne (quarters) "Saussier" at the same period

the 4th zouaves was formed in October 1870 and very active during WW1

Thanks Patrick

Bavarians in battle 1866

Not sure what action these represent - maybe they are generic for the 1866 war.

Battle of Ridgeway 1866

Images from a reenactment earlier this year
Another army of 1866 was the Fenian (Irish Republican) army that invaded Canada and fought at the battle of Ridgeway. Apparently made up from Civil War veterans. And of course the Canadian force that met them.
See here for more information on the Fenian forces.
Watch a video of a reenactment
Fenian raids wiki

Bavarian uniform 1866

Thanks to Bavarian Uwe of History in 1/72 for this picture of a Bavarian uniform of 1866. The shako is Austrian. Cheers mate!

Photo of French troops

Here's an interesting photo sent by Patrick who incidentally has a great Youtube channel - it's of French troops 2nd Empire but other than that I don't know. Maybe some of you might know?

In nome del popolo sovrane (1990)

Thanks again to Patrick for this clip - its about the French intervention against Rome's revolution in 1849. Wiki here

Le Hussard sur le Toit (1995) trailer

English title 'Horseman on the roof'. Not a war film but a romantic adventure set in 1832 during a cholera epidemic. Contains some military - the period covered in the Paco Fait le Zouave blog - worth watching if you haven't seen it. Wiki here

1866 photos at Anne S K Brown

Interesting selection of photos of the period


Description says

German photographic scrapbook pages, c. 1866; Württemberg, Hessen Hamburg, Nassau

1866

Set of 28 scrapbook pages containing small portrait (albumen or carbon print) photographs of German military officers and soldiers, c. 1866; pages include handwritten descriptive notes, in black ink on the photographs themselves, and white ink on the scrapbook pages

There is a quite extensive selection of Wuertemburg troops in the collection captured in 1866.

American Conquest Divided Nation

Couple of posts on digital games. Real time strategy seems an ideal medium for the shocking attrition in the Civil War. This game by CDV is part of a series that started with Cossacks: European wars. This is gameplay so you get some idea of what it's like. Haven't played it but the earlier incarnations I have and they are based played online with real opponents. Wiki says

American Conquest: Divided Nation is the second stand-alone expansion to American Conquest. It features four new nations in a new timeline: The Union, The Confederacy, The Republic of Texas and Mexico, and more than 120 new units. Old factions cannot fight new ones. The game also brings a host of new features to the game, such as horse artillery, field fortifications, tents, and generals. Players can experience battles entirely new to the RTS Genre, from the Battle of Alamo to Battle of Gettysburg.

Modification: The most significant modification for American Conquest: Divided Nation is the Hawks' Divided Nation Mod (HDN) which features realistic multiplayer battles with extensive changes to the combat simulation and an extension to the game engine.

Civil War FPS

I don't suppose any of you play First Person shooters but I feel I have to include it - it was a brave move to try this - it was funded by the History Channel, but I don't think it was ever that popular. Based on the Call of Duty 2 engine which I have played - this game was never released in the UK or I expect my son and I would have had a go at it. A bit old hat nowadays, but an interesting barometer of how popular the Civil War is. Activision state in the blurb
The game casts players in the role of a Confederate or Union soldier battling through 12 of the most famous battles in U.S. history. Each mission is introduced with a documentary video describing the historic moments in a battle, movements of armies, local fights, historical photos and battle statistics. Gamers experience the intense conflicts of the Civil War in famous locations like Little Round Top and Lookout Mountain to the diverse landscapes of train yards, saw mills and military forts while using bayonets, sabers, the butt of a gun and even their fists to take down the enemy. A wide arsenal of rifles, multiple types of grenades, exploding artillery, revolvers, muskets and more are at the soldier's disposal to set charges, place explosives, sabotage enemy lines, destroy buildings and more to complete mission objectives. [Activision]

15mm figs for the 19th century wars

Large battles make this a popular option particularly using Grand Tactical type rules - see below.
Here is a fairly comprehensive list of manufacturers.

Austro-Hungarian 1866

More 1866 Germans

At the battle of Langensalza. Presumably on the Prussian side.

Mecklenburg-Schwerin

All I know about this state is that it sided with Prussia in the war of 1866. Uniform looks like Wuerttemburg's (see below)

Wuerttemburg in 1864

Also a Reiter from 1860

Viva L'italia part 5 1961

The battle of Calatafimi in the conquest of Sicily is in this clip from a film about Garibaldi.

Solferino

Thanks to Patrick for this - if you think you've seen this there's some different sequences, more battle action at the end.

Bavarians in 1866

Presumably the Raupenhelm wasn't worn in this conflict?

Saxons of 1866

Still raiding the NYPL arcchives for images of Saxons. Resorted to Preben Kannik's classic to get to grips with the subject.
1849 army formed in brigades. Austrian style shako worn. Service colour changed in 1862 from Green to Blue. Collar cuffs and piping according to brigade colours - red for the first, yellow 2nd, black for the 3rd and white for the 4th, all with red edging. Leatherwork black in the Prussian style after 1849. Presumably the Jagers (see below) were in dark green. Uniform changed in 1867 when they joined the North German Confederation to a Prussian style helmet with a dark blue coat.

Saxons in 1866

Still trying to find out more about this army in the Deutscher Krieg.

Bad Kissingen 1866

On July 10, 1866 in Mainfeldzug, Kissingen was the site of fierce battle between Bavarian and Prussian troops.

Tauberbischofsheim 1866

Image from here where there is more in English on this battle.

1857 Wurttembergischen - Mauser

Not sure whether this musket was used in 1866 but Pedersoli do a repro of this gun. Details from Cherry's Pedersoli page
Faithful reproduction of a military rifle, which in the past Century it was manufactured by the Gewehrfabrik in Oberndorf from 1857 to 1866. The infantry Württembergisch “Vereinsgewehr” 1857 model: with percussion lock and rifled barrel 13,9 mm (.547) caliber, was adopted in the States of Württemberg, Baden and Great Axia dukedom. An extremely accurate rifle reproduced to be a contender in the “Minié” 100 meters target shooting specialty. Equipped with a rear sight on a squared high base, adjustable for windage and elevation. It is a rifle which has to be carefully observed to appreciate the details, both technical and aesthetical ones. The barrel is 38 3/16 inches long. Weight: 9.48 lbs.

S290-54 .54 caliber percussion
$1,430.00 (Special Order Only)
(call for shipping and handling)

Württemberg in 1866

(Image is of infantry in 1870) From the wiki
In 1866 Württemberg took up arms on behalf of Austria in the Austro-Prussian War, but three weeks after the Battle of Königgratz (3 July 1866) her troops suffered a comprehensive defeat at Tauberbischofsheim, and the country lay at the mercy of Prussia. The Prussians occupied the northern part of Württemberg and negotiated a peace in August 1866; by this Württemberg paid an indemnity of 8,000,000 gulden, but she at once concluded a secret offensive and defensive treaty with her conqueror. Württemberg was a party to the St Petersburg Declaration of 1868.
German account of the battle here

Grand tactical rules

This set of rules look interesting. Rules for 1859, 1866 and 1870. Have a look.
They say

We currently offer three rule sets for miniatures gaming: "1870", which covers the Franco-Prussian War. "1859", which covers both the 1859 Second Italian War of Independence and the 1864 Second Schleswig War, and "1866" which covers the Austro-Prussian Wars.

The rules were designed specifically for large-scale battles of several divisions to several corps on each side, ideally with 6, 10, and 15mm figures. The rule system has variants enabling the detailed fighting of much smaller engagements as well.

• Besides the rules, 80 percent of each book is devoted to detailed historical notes, background information, orders of battle, and an extensive annotated bibliography.
  
  
• Fourteen exhaustively-researched historical battle scenarios are included in each book; these cover both the Imperial and Republican phases of the war in "1870", and seven Italian and seven Danish scenarios in "1859". Eight battles in Bohemia, five in Germany, and one in Italy are featured in “1866”.
  
  
• All three books are extensively illustrated in color throughout, and contain ample diagrams and examples of play.
  
  
• Each booklet includes a four-page cardstock "cheat sheet" that neatly summarizes everything gamers need to have to run a game, without having to refer to the rules booklet.

Sächsische infantry 1866

I am a little confused as to what the standard line infantry in the Saxon army wore in 1866. The uniforms below are more specialist. Anyone know?
Maybe I ought to buy this book.