Thursday 3 April 2014

WIP Tercio Sahariano circa 1958

The Ifni War was fought in Spanish Sahara during the late 1950s, basically an uprising by Moroccan natives against Spanish rule. The conflict spilt over into Algeria and the French were eventually drawn into it too.

The Spanish formed light armoured desert columns to patrol and act as flying columns. These columns made up of M24 tanks, M8 armoured cars and 4x4 and 6x6 light vehicles manned by elements of the Foreign Legion. The Spanish also employed Canadian WW2 surplus C15T armoured trucks, called "Trumphy"s in Spanish service. The unit looked like this and this is what i`m going to try and replicate -
 
 
M24 Chaffee 
(Matchbox kit with added stowage and an ex-Africa Korps commander) 

S&S Model C15T with lots of added stowage and heavily converted plastic driver
 
This one armed with an MG3


The first of my Legionnaires (Platoon20 figure converted with a head-swap and new G3)
(there will be 2 x 7 man squads, each with an MG3 all head-swapped and slightly converted )

  

4 comments:

  1. I wonder if the French used any ex-panther tanks in this war?

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  2. As far as I`m aware those were never used in combat?

    Various french units involved -
    Legion paras, Troupes de Marine, Saharienne portee, Chasseurs d`Afrique

    The Spanish used Ju52s as transport aircraft and for para drops and He111 bombers :-)

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  3. I'm a little confused. The Foreign Legion you refer to - is this the French or Spanish Foreign Legion? The French units you list in the previous answer - were they fighting in Spanish Sahara?

    Love the models, particularly the C15T, one of my favourite vehicles of WWII

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  4. Tercio de Sahariano are a Spanish unit so therefore its the Spanish Foreign Legion.

    The Ifni up-rising spread into Algeria, so eventually the French & Spanish governments collaborated to put down the rebellion, with French columns adding their weight to the Spanish forces trapping the rebels or raiding their strongholds along the Algerian/Moroccan borders.

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