Wednesday 10 August 2022

Some "Moor" Painted SCW - with acknowledgement to J Freitag, Esq

 This is Jon's pun from my previous post about completed Nationalist Moroccan infantry, hence the acknowledgement above!

Not a lot else to say really - I think this is all the Minairons SCW completed now, bar some artillery and mortar crews. I impressed myself with my discipline, continuing to paint these guys when I was itching to have a look at the recently arrived figures from Brigade Games! Now they are done though, I think a change in era and scale is on the cards for a bit 😁

Desert appropriate uniform with red Cummer band, blue/grey puttees and either white turban or red fez as headgear. Equipment as per most of the other regulars of both sides - brown boots and red/brown leather webbing and ammo pouches







The first six together as a group









And the second batch together




The Fuerzas Regulares Indígenas ("Indigenous Regular Forces"), known simply as the Regulares (Regulars), were volunteer infantry units of the Spanish Army, largely recruited in the cities of Ceuta and Melilla. Consisting of indigenous infantry and cavalry recruited in Spanish Morocco, forming part of the Army of Africa and officered by Spaniards, these troops played a significant role in the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939).

In 1936 the Spanish "Army of Africa" (totaling 30,000 in the Legion and Moroccan Regulares regiments) formed part of the rebellion led by General Franco against the Republican Government in Madrid. In the crucial initial phase of the Spanish Civil War, the rebels were able to airlift a significant number of Moroccan troops plus legionnaires across the Straits of Gibraltar, with German and Italian assistance, in order to become the shock troops of the Nationalist armies. The professionalism and brutality of the Army of Africa played a major part in early Nationalist successes. As the war continued five more grupos of Regulares infantry were raised plus two of cavalry (the 1st Cavalry Group based in Teutan and the 2nd Cavalry Group in Melilla).

The Regulares with their experience of North African warfare proved to be excellent combatants in the open countryside while advancing from Seville to Madrid during August - November 1936. However, they subsequently proved less adept at street fighting in unfamiliar urban environments. With the raising of substantial Nationalist forces in mainland Spain the role of the Regulares diminished but they retained a key function as shock troops until the end of the Civil War. Conspicuous in Franco's victory parade in Madrid in 1939, the Regulares were the most decorated units of the Nationalist forces. The numbers of the Army of Africa doubled in the course of the war to about 60,000.

30 comments:

  1. More excellent additions. The Moors were definitely some of the best Nationalist troops

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    1. Thanks Scotty. Yes, that seems to be generally acknowledged although they are also accused of brutality, looting, rape etc - but I wonder if they were actually any worse than any of the other forces involved, or whether that reputation owes more to European racism about black soldiers...?

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    2. Think both sides were as bad as each other

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    3. Yes, civil wars tend to be the most brutal......

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  2. You show better discipline than I! When I receive an order, I usually pop some of the figures straight into the painting queue overcome with anticipation.

    Interesting history of the Regulares and fine brushwork too.

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    1. Thanks Jon - after waiting 13 months for the Brigade order to arrive, I might have been forgiven for a bit of queue jumping, but I am trying to be good and get things finished before I start something else!

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  3. Great looking troops Keith and a great history lesson as well.

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    1. Cheers Ray...short history of Los Regulares brought to you by our friends at Wikipedia 😀

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  4. Smashing looking lads. There’s no way I could resist the arrival of a new order. What’ve you got from Brigade then?

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    1. Thanks JBM...haven't you been paying attention, I have been moaning about that Brigade order for nine months! You will just have to be patient until all is revealed !

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  5. More splendid colonial infantry, excellent finish!
    Best Iain

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  6. They always cut a certain dashing look when on the table, rather like Zouaves of an earlier era.

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    1. Thanks Steve, I wish a few more had the Fez rather than turban but they do look rather dapper!

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  7. I was also thinking what a smart uniform it is. Lovely work again Keith.

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  8. Excellent work there Keith! And a great potted history. I have never read anything on the SCW so it is good to get an idea of who is who.

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    1. Thanks Ben, the SCW is a bit of a hodge podge of different factions....it's not as bad as the Wars of the Roses because at least they have different names and are not all called Edward, Henry, Percy or Stanley, but it's still pretty messy EG the Civil Guards ie police with the funny tricorn hats, were basically on both sides, something like 43% Republican and 57% Nationalist....I guess they just went with whoever was in charge in their region!

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  9. Great looking figure.
    BTW read the history you recommend. I can now see the fascination with the period.

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    1. To me, it's a particularly tragic war, because the wrong side won Mark, but I am sure many people to the right of politics, and I don't just mean nazis and fascists but just standard "conservatives" in general, would have been happy Franco won....

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  10. Great job! It’s nice when a project gets completed so can move onto other projects…course it’s your hobby so can paint whatever you want and you’ve got the history of cranking out the miniatures. 😀

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    1. Cheers Stew....I need to keep some degree of focus or nothing will ever get finished and onto the table!

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    2. You need a plan Keith…if you need one I can give you a template…

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    3. No.....I don't want to be that organised Mark, that's too much like work..actually, I am not that organised at work either!

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  11. Nicely done, just enough colour to make them stand out. I am trying hard not to create another poor pun 👍

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    1. Thanks Matt....and I am sure we all appreciate your restraint!

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  12. Great work Keith. You must have quite a collection by now.

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    1. Thanks Richard, yes, it is getting there! My friend Andrew has managed to assemble the two Ukranian made T26 tanks that I gave up on after assembling the wheel bogeys of one side of the first model, so I will pick them up this weekend too.

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