Our esteemed editor has asked me for information on the artillery limber and carriage colors for the various countries that participated in the Franco-Prussian War. Operating on the theory that if one person asks the question then there must be at least 10 people who would be interested in the answer, I thought it would make for an interesting MWAN article (a point to remember Hal, if no one is interested in the article, it's your fault).
The following chart shows the color of both the gun barrel and the gun carriage for the various states involved in the war.
| State | Limber and Gun Carriage | Gun Barrel |
|---|---|---|
| Baden | Olive Green | ??? |
| Bavaria | Grey-Blue | ??? |
| Brunswick | Light Grey | Bronze |
| France | Bottle Green* | Bronze** |
| Hesse-Darmstadt | Steel Grey | Steel |
| Prussia @ | Steel Grey | Steel |
| Saxony | Light Grey | Steel |
| Wurtemburg | Olive Green | ??? |
| * Bottle Green is a deep green with olive tones. | ||
| ** The gun barrels on the French Mitraillcuses were steel. | ||
| @ Mark Strachan states that the Prussian gun carriage was "middle blue". Stuart Sutherland states that the Prussian carriages and limbers were "light grey". However, Nigel Smith (the Historical Advisor for THEY DIED FOR GLORY) states that the Prussian gun carriages were steel grey (which may be the same color as light grey). Wargames Foundry's Painting Guide depicts the Prussian gun carriage and barrel as light grey. The Mecklenburge colors are the same as the Prussian colors. | ||
The metal work on all the German guns was blackened steel. On the French guns the metal work was blackened bronze. Although I was unable to find information on the color of the gun barrels for Baden, Bavaria, and Wurtemburg, wargamers could probably paint their gun barrels steel since most of the German states had steel guns.
Lastly, if anyone has any questions about my Franco-Prussian rules, "They Died For Glory", they can contact me at: 4726 Appaloosa Court, Antioch, CA 94509.
Bibliography:
Smith, Nigel: "The Franco-Prussian War, Part 1, The French Army".
"The Franco-Prussian War, Part 2, The German Armies".
Strachan, Mark G: "The Uniforms and Organizations of the Armies of the Franco-
Prussian War.
Sutherland, Stuart: Series of articles on the Franco-Prussian War, Airfix Magazine,
January 1977 through December 1977.
Wargames Foundry: "A Guide to Figure Painting".
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© Copyright 1999 Hal Thinglum
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