Mexican Revolution

[Rob]

I have requested this before and think now that Pendraken have increased their productivity   I'll try again.

I think the Mexican revolution would be brilliant for wargames as it mixes the old with the new, machine guns and cavalry charges. The figures can be used to fight full scale battles or for skirmishes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Bw1X1q3p9U&feature=player_embedded#t=0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6olifItvePo&feature=player_embedded#t=991

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eHTfOzveIk&feature=player_embedded#t=0

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x248a2k_villa-rides_shortfilms start at 1:21

Cheers, Rob  

[Shedman]

Other useful films are A Fistful of Dynamite and The Wild Bunch

There are a few bits you can proxy

Federales

WW1 Russians & Early war Brits
Canadian Militia
RJW Japanese

Villistas

Confederate infantry
Boers

Not everyone was obliged to wear a sombrero but they look great

[FierceKitty]

Real Mexicans don't wear sombreros!

[Leman]

...... or ponchos, play mariachi, eat chilli, put lime in their beer, lick salt with their tequila or speak Spanish. They are Aztecs etc.

[Rob]

Other useful films are A Fistful of Dynamite and The Wild Bunch

The Wild Bunch is one of my all time favourite films.  

There is very little history of the conflict readily available, at least in Leicester bookshops. It did get a book from Amazon years ago that opened my ideas to the possibilities:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/books/dp/0786710888

From this I saw that there were full scale pitch battles, but with wargame table sized forces. I also liked the way Villa used lateral thinking to solve many problems. He was not a particually good battlefield general, but recognised the value of trains and the way they could supply his army in the field. He also had a few modern artillery pieces. He used dynamite when attacking dug in positions the same way you would use grenades. One of the towns defended by Huerta's federales was softened up by sending in a "Loco-Loco", a train filled with dynamite that exploded mid town.

His main battlefield tactic was frontal cavalry charges!   Which amazingly did come off. Where as most  forces would give up after the first charge was repulsed, Villa carried on and more than once where it looked like he was defeated his last all out charge worked.

Great stuff  

[Leman]

And he looked a lot like Marlon Brando, which has got to be a plus (or was that Zapata?).

[doctorphalanx]

Wrote a little bit about this on my blog at http://doctorphalanx.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/mexican-revolution-in-10mm.html just to keep the idea alive...

[Rob]

I have read the Frank McLynn book more than once. It is one of those books that can be enjoyably read many times.

I think this would be a brilliant period for 10mm, nice to see someone else has some interest.


Cheers, Rob   

[Redstef]

Don't forget the documentary ' The Three Amigos '