Requêté is a French word meaning a hunting call. It was also the name of the soldiers who have fought for the Spanish Carlist movement since the First Carlist War of 1839.
The Carlists were a very traditional ultra-conservative Catholic Party and to some degree they were the shock troops of Catholicism. Priests accompanied requêté battalions into combat in the Sanish Civil War. The requêté were relatively well trained by SCW standards and formed the assault groups of the Nationalist armies. Eventually the Requêté were subsumed into the fascist Falange and their leaders driven into exile.
As a militia they wore a variety of costumes but were distinguished by a red beret with yellow tassle and their brightly coloured Navarre (a region of central northern Spain) blankets.
Carlism died out in 1975 when Spain became a modern South European country.
These figures were sculpted by Paul Hicks for Anglian Miniatures and are now marketed by Empress.
Great miniatures beautifully painted John.
ReplyDeleteThank you Steve.
DeleteNice John. I have some of these - they're very nice figures
ReplyDeleteFancy a game some time?
DeleteThat sounds like a splendid idea!
DeleteI have converted my garage to a playing room.
DeleteHow's that in the winter? I managed to negotiate one of the attic rooms as my games room when we bought the new house a couple of years ago - I can get a 6x8' table in now.
DeleteWonderful painting there
ReplyDeleteThanks Panzer.
DeleteI have two SCW armies as well, but not this scale. Yours look lovely.
ReplyDeleteI do like the 28mm scale.
DeleteGreat paintjob, very nice looking figures!
ReplyDeleteThey're good figures.
DeleteNicely painted John!
ReplyDeleteThanks Paul.
DeleteGood work John!
ReplyDeleteThanks Francis
DeleteHi John,
ReplyDeletegrat paint job, but if you accept an advice from a spanish wargamer, I think that the next time is better to take a Spanish or Latin motto for the banner (I really think that very few requetes spoke English :-) ).
Some examples here:
http://www.requetes.com/banderas.html
Note that this page probably is not historically or ideologically neutral, but maybe a good graphic source for painting.
Reagards
PS Have you noticed how all Dr Who monsters speak BBC-English?
DeleteOf course!
Deletesomething similar is for ALL martians that try to conquer USA :-D
Well yes, the modern Spanish still mostly don't speak English but I do and I just liked the banner.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I can see that this would jar with a Spanish wargamer - :) - but think of it as artistic licence.
I will probably also use these troops for an English Catholic Army if you want a rationalisation but thanks for the useful link.
Yes, not to speak English is a big problam to us, and the worst of it is that many spanish do not see it :( (by the way, sorry for my bad English)
DeleteAs a regular reader of your blog, I will keep an eye to see that troops fighting in England. I will be very happy to see "La Cruz de San Andres" fighting in British territory :)
Regards
Please, your English is very good. I have no Spanish and a little French. English is the European language. French is the official language but only the French and Belgium's actually speak it. :)
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