Author: lukegl

Includes two Rifle Half Platoons each containing one Browing Pistol team, five Springfield rifle teams, two VB rifle Grenade teams, two Chauchat MG teams. one Flame-thrower team, one 37mm mle 1916 team, four Hotchkiss HMG teams, two 76mm Stokes mortar teams, one 75mm mle 1897 guns, one Char Saint Chamond tank, two Renault FT-17 tanks and one Sniper team.

When the Untied Stated finally went to war in April of 1917 its Army was not prepared to meet the challenges that awaited it on the battlefields of Europe. What America did have, which the rest of their allies lacked, was a source of manpower that seemed inexhaustible. Under the command of General John ‘Black Jack’ Pershing, the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) raised an army of over 4 million men and was able to get half of that number sent to France by the time the war ended. The lack of suitable materiel was solved by borrowing heavy weapons and artillery from the French and British, who also trained their new allies in the ways of modern trench warfare.

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The Americans finally got into the fight in October of 1917 seeing action all over the Western Front, and notably helped stop the final German offensive from reaching Paris in the battles of Château-Thierry and Belleau Wood in the summer of 1918. After the success of the Americans in these battles, Pershing lobbied hard for the AEF to be an independent American command in the field as opposed to being broken up and given piecemeal to the French and British armies as manpower to bolster worn out units already in the front line.

The Browning Pistol Team

The Springfield Rifle Team

The VB Rifle Grenade Team

The Chauchat MG Team 

The Flame-thrower Team 

The 37mm mle 1916 Team

The Hotchkiss HMG Team

The 76mm Stokes Mortar Team

The 75mm mle 1897 Gun

The Renault FT-17 Tank

The Char Saint Chamond Tank

The Sniper Team

The Brett’s Brawlers Army Deal in Great War
Unit cards for Brett’s Brawlers Army Deal are contained in the Great War American Unit Card pack (GUS901)…

Includes two Fusiliers Sections containing one Lebel pistol team (Formation HQ), four berthier rifle teams, two VB rifle grenade teams, two Chauchat MG teams, one Flame-thrower team and one 37mm mle 1916 team. Four Hotchkiss HMG teams, two 76mm Stokes trench mortar teams, one 75mm mle 1897 gun, one Saint Chamond tank, one Schneider CA.1 tank, one White AM 1915/18 armoured car and one Sniper team.

At the start of the war, the French Army was a huge organisation with a large standing army and three classes of reservists that could be called to the colours. This large manpower pool became necessary as the fighting of 1914-1917 took its toll and caused the French to draft men up to the age of 45 and look to its colonies for help. While the French army was organised much like the other armies of Europe, it had some distinct differences such as the makeup of the men who filled its ranks.

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At the start of the war, most of the active units and mobilised reservists were from Metropolitan France, which is limited to mainland France and the islands nearby such as Corsica. France, like many other European nations, had mandatory conscription under which 21 year old men would be called to serve for a period of three years. Once finished with their active service commitment, the draftees would stay in the Reserve or Territorial Army until the age of 48.

The Poilu of 1918 was tired and weary of war, but in their hearts they knew that they had to carry on the fight against the Germans and expel them from their homeland.

The Lebel Pistol Team

The Berthier Rifle Team

The VB Rifle Grenade Team

The Flame-thrower Team 

The 37mm mle 1916 Team

The Chauchat MG Team

The 76mm Stokes Mortar Team

The 75mm mle 1897 Gun

The Char Saint Chamond Tank

The Schneider CA.1 Tank

The White AM 1915/1918 Armoured Car

The Sniper Team

The Fusiliers Platoon in Great War
Unit cards for the Fusiliers Platoon are contained in the Great War French Unit Card pack (GFR901)…

Includes two Rifle Platoons which contain: one Webley Pistol Team (Formation HQ), three SMLE Rifle Teams, one Hales Rifle Grenade Team, one Lewis MG Team. Four Vickers HMG teams, four 3″ Stokes trench mortar teams, two OQF 18pdr Field guns, one Mark V male or female tank, one Mark IV male or female tank, one Mark A Whippet tank and one Sniper Team.

The British started the war with a small but professional army. Great Britain’s initial response to the invasion of Belgium was to send the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) to France. By the end of 1914 it had grown to two Armies (the First and Second) drawn from the British regular army. However, the heavy fighting of the battles of Mons, Le Cateau, the Aisne, and the First Ypres had taken a heavy toll on the manpower of the regulars of the BEF. The arrival of the volunteers of Kitchener’s ‘New Army’, the Canadians, and then the Australians and New Zealanders after Gallipoli, went someway to filling the void.

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As the war progressed it became clear that the British high command preferred particular divisions to lead its attacks and the same divisions were used again and again in offensive operations. This practice meant these divisions were able to spend more time training out of the frontline, absorbing new tactics and learning the new weapons. This cycle of training and offensives led to these divisions naturally being the first choice to lead the next offensive. They were often lead by proactive commanders and officers who ensured the training standards of their units was high and up to date with the latest fighting methods.

The Formation HQ Team

The SMLE Rifle Team

The Hales Rifle Grenade Team

The Lewis MG Team

The Vickers HMG team

The 3″ Stokes Mortar Team

The OQF 18 pdr Guns

The Mark V Tank

The Mark IV Tank

The Mark IV Tank

The Sniper Team

The Rifle Platoon in Great War
Unit cards for the Rifle Platoon are contained in the Great War British Unit Card pack (GBR901)…

Includes two Stoss Platoons each with Stosskompanie HQ team, Seven Mauser pistols, one MG 08/15 teams, one Flame-thrower team, four Maxim MG 08 HMG teams, one 7.6cm Minenwefer, two 7.62cm Infantry guns, two 7.7cm  FK96 n.A. guns, two A7V tanks and one Sniper team.

Developed as a response to trench warfare, Stosstruppen (Assault Troops) were trained in the use of infiltration tactics combined with speed and mobility in order to move past enemy strongpoints and attack rear areas such as supply dumps, headquarters, and artillery emplacements. While the Stoss may be most identified with the German offensives made in 1918, the concept was developed much earlier in the war.

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In an attack, the Stosskompanie would move out in front of the main body of troops and bypass enemy strong points that were left for regular troops to contend with. Once in the enemy’s rear area, Stosstruppen would create mayhem, disrupting communications and preventing the enemy from mounting a counterattack.

The Formation Command Mauser Pistol Team

The Mauser Pistol Team

The MG 08/15 Team

The Flame Thrower Team

The Maxim MG 08 HMG team

The 7.6cm Minenwerfer Team

The 7.62cm Infantry Guns

The 7.7cm Artillery Guns

The A7V Tank

The Sniper Team

The Steiner’s Strosstruppen Army Deal in Great War
Unit cards for the Steiner’s Strosstruppen Army Deal are contained in the Great War German Unit Card pack (GGE901)…

Includes four 76mm Stokes or 58mm Type 2 mortar teams.

Both our allies have provided us with trench mortars to deal with enemy pillboxes, nests, or strongpoints. The British 3” Stokes mortar can advance with our troops, while the heavier French 58mm Type 2 mortar can stay in the rear, knocking out any points of resistance we may face.

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Designed by Evan Allen
Painted by Aaron Mathie

The 58mm Type 2 Mortar Team

The 76mm Stokes Mortar Team

The Machine-gun Platoon in Great War
Unit cards for the Machine-gun Platoon are contained in the Great War American Unit Card pack (GUS901)…