20mm Free French North Africa (lockdown 7)

Strelets release of a box of Free French for North Africa came at just the right time to ride the wave of N African interest triggered by the release of Battlegroup Tobruk.  Sadly, they didn't make it to the painting table before interest at the club waned following disillusionment with BG Tobruk.  Well, lockdown gave me the incentive to get them out and paint them up.

I've organised these along similar lines to an 8th Army infantry platoon, with a platoon HQ of 5 men and three 10 man sections.  I need to research whether they would have followed UK organisation or retained their French organisation.  If the French, I'll need to add some rifle grenade launchers and another handful of riflemen.

Below shows the platoon HQ, with officer waving pistol on the right and, next to him, a senior NCO beckoning troops on.  Shorts and some shirts are Iraqi sand, some shirts and socks are khaki.  One figure wears long trousers, which are painted in a mixture of khaki and English uniform.

The platoon.

The two leader figures in more detail, photo not as crisp as I'd have liked.

First section.

Second section.

Third section.

Hotchkiss HMG team.  No kneeling figures in the Strelets box, so I used an 8th Army ESCI figure for the third crewman.

Support weapons aren't supplied in the Strelets set, so I will have to use 8th Army figures for 2" and 3" mortars and ATRs.  I may have to treat myself to a Hotchkiss AT gun from First to Fight with some early French crew.  Then I'm tempted to look out some figures suitable for colonial French or Italian local levies.

Thanks for looking.