Napoleonic Commanders and British Hussars

I have been working away in the background on the Peninsular Napoleonics to try and keep the growing ‘lead pile’ under control. Here are the fruits of my labour 

French officer, he will play most likely as a General de Brigade, think he is a Warlord figure

Uxbridge, but will most likely play as a Cavalry Brigade commander or perhaps army commander in smaller battles, he is Perry

A Portuguese brigade commander, Warlord figure I quite like the fact that the British have only given him a tiny horse presumably making him the butt of British jokes ?

…and some British light cavalry 18th Hussars I think. Did they ever really wear 14” hats on campaign probably not but they look splendid. They came second hand from a show with the bits removed from the sprues, and it was only when I came to put them together I realised they didn’t have their carbines. So don’t look too closely at the cut down muskets they have.

Day three of our Sicily trip

Capo Murro di Porco

Now a protected nature reserve but in WW2 these were I believe Italian army quarters.

Perhaps of more interest this is the site of the Lamba Doria gun battery which was captured by the British SAS under Paddy Maine on day one of the Sicily invasion

Crumbling a bit now fairly overgrown (and slightly unnerving as I had seen quite a large snake in the nature reserve)

But you can still make out the main structures and climb down if you wish 

On the drive back to Syracuse we stopped at the Ponte Grande bridge, replaced by a newer bridge but a small plaque commemorates the location. Captured by British glider troops again on day one of the invasion although later lost I think.

One of two trips into Syracuse itself the Temple of Apollo on Ortigia, which was an island back in 400 BC but now linked by two bridges. The whole Ortigia area was preferably to the rest of the city which was very impressive

…and at the end of the promontory Castello Maniace, although it was shut for some reason we didn’t really have time to visit anyway but a very impressive structure, the main structure built by Frederick II in around 1240 to protect the port of Syracuse.

More stuff to come of the Napoleonic production line soonish 

Thanks as always

Matt