Friday, April 7, 2023

I'd Walk A Mile For A Camel

And these lads may have to if those Irregular camels don't get here by mid-May.

Dismounted camel corps, dismounted as an escort for the horse artillery.
The figures are slightly modified from Prince August's SYW Austrian Pandours with my own bicorne heads.

I've long had a 'thing' for camel corps. My 15mm Napoleon in Egypt force included a couple of packs but their timing was bad. I picked them up shortly before I got hooked on 40mm and they never got painted.

Initially I was planning to avoid any Egypt only French units, so no camel corps, but I've been thinking about that Turkish camel battery. I've never seen any pictures or description of it, just that unlikely drawing of a Persian one with a swivel popgun. Text sources lead me to believe that the Persian camel guns were probably like jingals, wall guns or similar, heavy muskets if you will. Looking at my Persian crew with a mule bourne mountain gun it struck me that their camel battery might have been the same but using camels instead of mules. That might explain how the French cavalry pursuit rode over them without a shot being fired. They may not have deployed yet. So I decided to go that route with the gun in action and kneeling camel in the rear, waiting for the order to pack up and go.


But.....this would leave me with a spare kneeling camel and a need for some infantry to support the French horse artillery......Ahha! 

Finally, a camel corps unit!

Ps apologies to those too young or sheltered to recognize the advertisement catch phrase.


14 comments:

  1. I got the reference. I'm old enough to have been sent to the corner store by my dad to by his smokes. Those are delightful figures, love the bicrones and the uniforms.

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    1. During their short life, these guys seem to have gone through about 1/2 dozen uniforms getting every more Turkish looking but I like this one best.

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  2. I do like these fellows , l hope they don’t take the hump if they lose?
    Alan Tradgardland

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  3. Very pretty fellows indeed.
    All the best. Aly

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  4. That is a very engaging photo - enjoyed, thanks.

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  5. Very smart looking force. Was it an Ad for Camel Cigarettes? I can't think of anything else with Camels on other than perhaps boxes of dates perhaps

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    1. It was indeed the slogan for Camel cigs, tv ads etc. When we were teens we used to twist the meaning somewhat.

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  6. The title of this post did give me a jolt of nostalgia; and seeing a kneeling camel on the table would conjure up memories of the famous logo. Ah, me...if only I were too young (or sheltered).

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