28mm World War I Germans

The Great War has always fascinated me.  When I was a boy, I used to volunteer at the retirement home my church ran.  I spent most of my time there just talking with the residents, many of whom were lonely and really needed someone to talk with.  Two of the men I talked with were American soldiers in the war, and I spent many hours listening to their stories.  I vividly recall one man's description of a two day German barrage.

My own great grandfather was an American cavalryman in the war.  When his unit shipped to France, they left their horses behind and trained as infantry.  He was in the 32nd Infantry Division and fought in the Second Battle of the Marne and the Meuse Argonne Offensive.  I never knew him, but I have several photos of him looking dashing in his uniform.  I also have his M1903 Springfield, an unusual variant that had a stripped down stock for the cavalry.  It is a surprisingly accurate weapon, and I can routinely knock over soda bottles at 150 yards with just the peep sight.

I have long wanted to game World War I at the tactical level, but I have not ever found rules that worked for me.  That changed when Too Fat Lardies released their Great War Chain of Command supplement in one of their specials.  I picked up a dozen packs of Great War Miniatures' American infantry, and when I have time to paint for myself, that will be one of the first projects I tackle.

A couple of years ago I traded some painting for a LARGE haul of 28mm figures from Glenn Drover.  He had a few odds and ends of World War I figures in that lot, and these Foundry Germans are the first I have put my brush to.  I tried a couple of techniques on these that I usually save for 1/35 figures, such as oil and ink washes.  I am pretty happy with how these turned out.

These will probably be my last painted figures of 2016.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I have!