1909 to 1927 was a period of continual fighting, from the Spanish disaster of Barranco del Lobo (Wolf's Cliff) near Melilla in 1909, passing through the disaster of Annual in 1921 (Abd-el-Krim's troops routed General Silvestre's column) to the final of the campaign against Abd-el-Krim in 1927.

Most of my references are in Spanish. I don't know if you can speak or understand Spanish. I don't have many references in English about the Spanish Foreign Legion (SFL) and the Campaigns in Morocco. These are the few ones that I have heard of or that I have at home:

1) THOMPSON, LEROY-Mac SWAN, KEN, "Uniforms of the Soldiers of Fortune", Blandford Press, UK, 1985. Here appears 3 plates about the SFL from the 1920s to the campaigns in Spanish Sahara in 1975. It is an old book and I don't know if it is still published.

2) OSPREY'S, "Spanish Foreign Legion", Men-At-Arms Series Issue 161. I haven't got this book. I don't know if you have this book. I suppose that it is one of the most famous references in English about this subject but nowadays and since long it isn't available. If you haven't got it, I suppose that using the Internet and speaking to Osprey or other way you will have the opportunity to get it.

3) HERBERT, EDWING, "Small Wars and Skirmishes 1902-1918", Foundry Books, UK, 2003. Have you got this book? It is very interesting but it is also expensive. I pay for it 54.50 Euros, but in my opinion these Foundry Books are really masterpieces and it is worth paying for it such an amount. Nowadays, I think that it costs more or less 75 if you buy it in Foundry. There is an article about the Expedition to the River Kert, next to Melilla, from 1911 to 1912 (pages 163 to 169). There will be also a second part, from 1919 to 1939, that will cover the campaigns against Abd-el-Krim.

4) And for Wargaming if you don't have any figure in plastic of the SLF, there is a new box of 1/72 plastic miniatures (36 legionaries, uniformed for the campaigns in Spanish Morocco in 1920s, with Flags and Posters). They are grey and the modelling is of good quality. The company is BARCELONA UNIVERSAL MODELS (BUM). Its web is: www.bumslot.com And its e-mail is: bum@bumslot.com

I have bought it in a shop, called Guinea Hobbies, in the town where I live. There are still some other boxes available in this shop. It costs 11.60.

Campaign

The campaign or battle to fight could be the Battle of Alhucemas in 1925. Why it could be interesting? It is the beginning of the end of Abd-el-Krim. When he decided to attack the French and the Spanish in the same time, he surely knew that suddenly both nations could join their forces to fight a common enemy, creating an invincible force; and so happened in the Campaign of Alhucemas.

The first stage of the campaign was the disembarkation in the Bay of Alhucemas to the West of Melilla. It was a place with beaches and rocky low hills with some vegetation. The Spanish commander was Primo de Rivera, the dictator that ruled Spain and the uncle of the creator of "La Falange" (the Spanish Fascist Party). The French commander was Petain. It was huge display of people and supplies, with very modern armament. Apart from armoured cars, both armies used tanks. The principal tank was the French Renault FT-17. This one is another interesting matter to cover this campaign. But, Abd-el-Krim's troops weren't just a bunch of rabble. It was a real army with discipline and a degree of tactical skill. They used modern artillery and machine guns. They got them from their enemies or by trading. And they also got mercenaries and deserters that put to good use their military knowledge.

The SFL

It was an idea of the Lieutenant Colonel Millán Astray. He wanted to create a "force de choc" like the French Foreign Legion and originally with Spanish and Foreigners. It was a time of decline and crisis and the Spanish army needed a unit of volunteers ready to fight in the vanguard against Abd-el-Krim's troops. Initially they were dressed with the 1914 model khaki green uniform, but soon, as an elite force that it was, they needed a new uniform of grey green colour with some changes in the design like the falling collar. There were 2 headgears. One was the "gorrillo isabelino" or tasselled sidecap and the other one was the summer headwear, called "chambergo", a very modern floppy hat some years before Vietnam (other branches of the army used the same headgear with khaki green colour).

Recently both headgears with some changes have been used in Iraq and not only for parade duties. The webbing was British Mills and their feet were fitted with "botas alpargatas" or canvas boots. They liked to fight in shirtsleeves. The shirt had a different colour it was light green but it was such a light hue that it seemed white.

These are just a few remarks about the Spanish Foreign Legion and I'll send you a file with information about some Spanish Moroccan troops, as well. The uniforms are the ones used in the Spanish Civil War but in the Morocco of 1920s were used similar uniforms. The "Tiradores de Ifni" didn't fight in that campaign because the Territory of Ifni, in South Western Morocco was occupied during the Second Republic in the 1930s. Some of the information comes from OSPREY'S Men-at-Arms issue about the Spanish Civil War.

I committed an error when I told you that the webbing was Mills style. Actually, it was inspired in the British 1908 pattern, made of canvas and it was white. In 1925, for the Campaign of Alhucemas it changed to hazelnut coloured leather, but in the same style. The canvas boots were white. The officers used low leather boots and sometimes leather gaiters. Both soldiers and officers used Jodhpur breeches and sometimes with grey-green puttees.

Errata: I say that I committed an error when I told you that Spanish Foreign Legion’s webbing was British Mills. But this is another name used to refer to the British 1908 pattern webbing. So both of them are denominations for the same item. --AZ (from Dispatches H # 145)

To combat the chill of the Rif, they used the grey green "capote-manta" (cape-blanket or poncho) For OR the piping and the tassel of the side cap was red. For the Officers the piping was mostly gold, but the tassel red. The officers wore a British First World War style uniform but in the grey green colour, with the tie in the same colour of the shirt (light grey green). When the officers went in shirtsleeves, they didn't wear tie. The officers used Sam Browne webbing or the British 1908 pattern. The armament of the soldiers was the Spanish 1893 pattern Mauser, with bayonet. The officers used Spanish revolvers or semi automatic pistols.

I have been asking to the owner of one of the best modeling shop in Spain about this matter. It is in Algorta. It is called Hobbies Guineas. Its web site is www.hobbiesguinea.com. It is also in English. I wanted to know if he knew any modelling company that produces 28mm lead models or models ranging from 25 mm to 30 mm about this matter. He told me that he had never heard of so small lead models on Spanish Morocco. Someone told him in Bilbao that Mark Copplestone wanted to undertake this subject, but he thinks that it isn't likely. No Spanish company has covered this subject.

He only has heard of very old 28mm lead figures of the Spanish Civil War. The company was FAA. But they were created a long time ago and nowadays they are not available any more. I'll give you some ideas to have your 28mm lead legionaries. You could use WWI British, Anzacs or Americans (with Montana hats) with some changes. The principal change must be the headgear. If you use Anzacs or Americans, you will have to suppress the pagris, in the case of the Anzacs, and bend a bit the brims of the hats, in both cases. If you use the British you will have to change the headgear, using tasseled side caps or floppy hats.

Bueno is a prolific author in Spanish Military History. He is also the author of the plates of his works but they are not artistically very good, but most of his books are very complete. The reference of 1971 is: BUENO, JOSÉ MARÍA, "Uniformes Militares de la Guerra Civil Española", Almena Ediciones, Madrid, 1997. Its original edition is of 1971, but this one of 1997 is a revised edition. This is the book I told you about in the e-mail of 17 June. It has captions in English about the plates. It has 106 colour plates (285 figures, including flags). Although the plates are not artistically very good, it covers the different uniforms of Spanish Civil War, from the Basque Nationalist Militias, "Gudaris", to all the colonial uniforms (Legion, Regulares, Mehal-la Jalifiana, Saharianos, Spanish Guinea's colonial troops.). It cost me last year 24.00 Euros.

Politically, I don't agree with him; he treats Franco as "S. E. EL GENERALÍSIMO" (His Excellency The Generalissimo) and he speaks of "ALZAMIENTO NACIONAL" (National Raising, more or less) and things like these.

The article's address is:
http://www.balagan.org.uk/war/1936/painting_moroccans.htm.
The owner of the web site is British. His name is Steven Thomas. His web site is:
http://www.balagan.org.uk/.
And his wargaming address is:
http://www.balagan.org.uk/war/index.htm.
And other addresses in the same web site are
http://www.balagan.org.uk/war/1909/index.htm
(a complete Chronology of the War in Morocco, with photos; for instance, you can see legionaries in the same photo with side caps and floppy hats).
http://www.balagan.org.uk/war/1909/org.htm
(the Spanish Battle Order in the Battle of Alhucemas)
http://www.balagan.org.uk/war/1909/biographies.htm
(Biographies of Spanish and Moroccan personages)
http://www.balagan.org.uk/war/1909/sources.htm
(Complete Bibliography in Spanish and English about the War in Morocco). The book you have mentioned is the first reference that appears in this address.
http://www.balagan.org.uk/war/1936/painting_nationalist.htm#La_Legion
(SFL and other Nationalist Armies' uniforms during the Spanish Civil War).

Best regards to you and I'll hope that these remarks will be helpful to you and to your readers.

I only know of one company, Editions Brokaw/Historical Products, 2225 South Gulfwater Pt., Crystal River, FL 34429, pccondray@xtalwind.net that produces 20mm, the same scale as available plastic figures, Spanish Civil War figures that includes the Spanish Foreign Legion.  I have seen the figures and vehicles Pat makes and they are very good.  The range covers all, or most all, of the various factions in the war.