Les Grandes Hommes Backgrounds for French Big Men in “Through the Mud and the Blood” One of the very enjoyable things about the “Sharp Practice” stable of rules from TooFatLardies is the focus on the role of the “Big Man”. Put simply, “Big Men” are the leaders of groups and, sections, platoons and units in smallscale skirmish warfare. They are the junior officers and NCOs who drive the action, rally their troops and lead the close combat assaults represented in the wargame. There is an element of roleplaying which is just beneath the surface in how Big Men are used within these rule-sets. “Through the Mud and the Blood” from TooFatLardies is no exception, and offers a great deal if you want to look more closely at the background, motivation and, just possibly, the future history of your tabletop Big Men in the Great War. The idea behind this article is to fill in some of the blanks regarding Big Men, or “Grandes Hommes” as you could call them, from the French army of the Great War in “Through the Mud and the Blood”. It’s my attempt to give a little character to some of the figures which might find their way onto your wargames table. It gives you a chance, as a graduate of the Class of ’08 from the Ecole Spéciale Militaire at Saint Cyr to finish your brandy, pull on your white gloves, and walk briskly alongside your men with the echo of the Marseillaise in your ears in the early months of the War of the Frontiers. It gives you the chance as the Chef d'Escadron of a troop of Schneider CA-1s, to narrow your eyes through the smoke and yellowing, gas-heavy air of the Chemin des Dames, wipe the oil and grime from your hands and clamber back into your thinly armoured tank, ready for the assault at Berry-au-Bac on the opening day of the Nivelle Offensive. Phlegmatic, insouciant, sometimes obtuse, but always endlessly patriotic, Les Grandes Hommes are the fulcrum on which French military history will turn. While our focus is on the individual, this is certainly not an attempt to turn “Through the Mud and the Blood” into a roleplaying game – the colour of Sergeant Volpatte’s eyes (hazel), or Sous-Lieutenant Massena’s dexterity at leaping from high walls (not the best since he was wounded at Verdun) isn’t going to matter at all. Rather, the intention is to map out some of the personality aspects which possibly, just possibly, might change the course of a platoon assault in the Champagne, a desperate rear-guard action close to the Marne, a midnight raid in the Somme valley or even a bigger moment of military history.
Will your platoon commander’s fragile health and shattered nerves hold up in close combat? Will Corporal Tournelle brave the MG08 machine gun fire to rescue that cold fish, Lieutenant Mosca, from No Man’s Land? And will Captain Volpone’s secret illness, hidden from his closest friends and masked by a phlegmatic insouciance, haunt him again in the critical hour of the German Stosstruppen assault in the Bois de Caures? Sometimes, the course of history can turn on small details like these. The other objective of this article is to take a light-hearted, but not entirely irreverent, look at where the future might take your Grandes Hommes after the guns fell silent at 11am on 11 November 1918. Will Sergeant Toulouse be reunited with his family as he returns to his house in the shattered coal fields of the Goehelle? Will Lieutenant Montparnasse eschew his family’s military traditions by becoming a Left-Bank Surrealist and painting canvases of his friends with fruit on their heads? And what of Corporal Le Tellier – will he return to the sands of the Sahara, picking up his Lebel rifle and continue fighting the Riff with the Legion Etranger? Provenance So, what exactly is the background of your Big Man? For each Big Man in your French force, roll 2D6, with the modifiers shown. French Officers “An officer newly promoted should not think himself a chief because he is obeyed under every day circumstances. This indicates only that his rank is respected. He should feel satisfied when he has patiently gained the confidence and the heart of his men, when he has acquired the certainty that they have given themselves up to him and that they will obey him even in the face of death.” French Infantry Manual, 1918 2-5
Up from the Ranks
You’ve clawed your way out of the ranks of les Poilus, with the dirt of Le Mort Homme still under your fingernails. Who would have dreamt it? If only your shift-mates from the Goehelle colliery could see you now…
6,7
Metropolitan Bourgeoisie
Perhaps you were one of the cheering crowd on the Place de la Concorde in August 1914, or one of the more sombre volunteers of the Class of 1915. Either way, you’ve come a long way from your law practice in the Marais…
8,9, 10
Reservist
Things seem so different in the real war, compared to those peacetime manoeuvres in the Vosges mountains in the idle summer of 1913.
10
L’Armée d’Afrique and the Troupes Coloniales
Your skin is permanently tanned and scoured from the sands of the Sahara and your time with L’Armee d’Afrique. France has called, and you have answered.
12
Saint Cyr
Your father was on Napoleon III’s staff at Mars-Le-Tour. You are one of the elite, a white-gloved officer trained in the technology of war from France’s premier military academy, the Ecole Spéciale Militaire at Saint Cyr. Somehow you always know how to acquire a fine Burgundy and some confit de canard.
French Cavalry Regiments: +1 to roll 1917-1918 period: -1 to roll
French Tank Commanders “de cavalier intrépide est gloriousement” Posthumous citation for Chef d’Escadron Louis Bossut, killed at Berry-au-Bac, April 1917 2
Drifter
No one in your regiment really wanted you around. They said you brought bad luck. Perhaps you can do less harm in the Artillerie Spéciale.
3-5
Up from the Ranks
Your last commander was killed on the Chemin des Dames under a hail of fire from German field artillery. Now it’s your turn to try and breakthrough the Siegfried Stellung.
6,7,8
Adventurer
You’ll try anything which gets you out of the graveyard of Verdun. You can’t make it into Les Cigognes, but a tank seems almost as romantic.
9, 10,11
Modernist
Engine oil flows through your veins and you have a knack for anything mechanical. You rode and repaired motorbikes before the war. The future is motorised. You can see the revolution in warfare coming and you want to be part of it.
12
Cavalryman
You were trained in l’attaque a outrance and grew up dreaming of Murat and Ney. You’ve swapped your horse for a tank, but the principle is the same. Breakthrough at all costs!
Cavalry Regiments: +1 to roll
French NCOs “What were we in former times, when people had a station in life, before all our destinies were buried in molehills lashed by rain and shrapnel which we must constantly rebuild?” Henri Barbusse, Under Fire “The best corporal is the one whose group cooks its food in spite of all and manages to eat it hot” French Military Manual, 1918 2,3
Banelieu
Conscripted from the slums of Paris. Whatever your past, you’re en route for the front. At least you have a new uniform, even if it doesn’t fit very well.
4,5,6,7 Peasant stock
Your family farm is not far from Alsace. You volunteered, mindful of la plaie saignante, the Wound that Always Bleeds. You just hope the farm will still be standing when you get back.
8,9
Artisan
Your father stood on the barricades in the Commune in 1871. You volunteered with the rest of your shift from the Montmartre printing works, determined that the Boche never again capture your beloved city!
10,11
L’Armée d’Afrique and the Troupes Coloniales
Another decade, another war. Fighting the Boche is not that different from fighting the Tuareg or the Riff. At least your boots are on French soil this time.
12
Old Hand
You’ve seen a lot since the summer of ’14 when you rode to battle on the Marne in a Parisian taxi cab. There are so few of your generation left now. For August 1914, roll 1D6 for an “Old Hand” – 1-3 Reservist, 4-5 Regular, 6 Foreign Legionnaire. Add an additional Status level l (to a maximum of Status III) for an Old Hand still fighting in 1916 and after.
1914 period: In August 1914, all NCOs should be “Old Hands”, with the number of such NCOs dropping dramatically as the years pass. After 1914: Between the Nivelle Offensive in April 1917 to the end of the War - one way of reflecting the disappearance of the Old Hands of “Plan XVII” and the Marne which we have used in our own games is to roll again (just the once) if you initially roll “12” for an Old Hand. This tends to make it very unlikely that one of your French Big Men in 1918 would be have ridden to battle on the Marne in a Parisian taxicab (a 1 in 1,296 chance in fact).
Popularity Perhaps you find that, despite the misery and death in the trenches, some solace in the companionship of your fellow soldiers. Do you lead the singing of “La Marseillaise” as the enemy’s shells fall? Or are you introverted and silent, forever cursing your black luck? Roll a D6 and find out. D6 roll
Popularity
1
Little better than a Toad ! Your men are stuck with you – perhaps you feel the same away about them.
2
Un poisson froid: You keep yourself to yourself. Making friends quickly leads to bitter grief in the trenches
3,4,5
Likeable enough: You are generous with the parcels of cheese from home, and you’re generous with the Pinard (when it arrives) – there’s a lot worse than you along the Line
6
Popular and Personable – You could almost be mistaken for another Lannes or Ney. Your men have accepted you, whatever your background. You’re respected, and that means a lot to you.
For a badly-wounded man, his popularity could make a difference in being rescued from no Man’s Land, or left to die: When a Big Man is badly wounded and rolls 1D6 (see page 21 of the rules), +1 for a Big Man who is “Likeable Enough” or “Popular”, -1 for a “Little Better than a Toad”
Physical Stature Are you a boy soldier, a walking skeleton or a Gascon bull of a man? Find out by rolling 2D6. 2
You hid a secret illness from the recruiting officers. Roll 2D6 again 2 - You’re an asthmatic: if the unit you are attached to is caught in gas attack or gas pocket and subject to a “Poor Gas Discipline Card”, treat as a light wound (page 21 of the “Mud & Blood” rules). Add a “Poor Gas Discipline” Card to the “Mud & Blood” deck whenever gas is used. If the “Poor Gas Discipline” card is drawn, the next group or weapons team (of either side) which is deployed in the gas barrage or gas pocket suffers 1D3 additional wounds (counting no cover) – let’s hope you’re not in the middle of it!
3 to 11 - various embarrassing ailments, but nothing impairing military efficiency. 12 - You suffer from panic attacks, and they’re getting worse while you’re in the Trenches: Drop your Health (see below: Health) by 2 points at the start of the game 3
"Pardon? Dix-huit. Non, pas possible!!" You’re a boy soldier, underage by at least two years – you volunteered before your Class was called up. You have lots of spirit, but it’s a man’s war. Minus 1 dice in close combat.
4
Gourmand – you’ve always lived to eat, and you can always tell a good local wine. Perhaps it’s the fine food of the Dordogne you were accustomed to before the war started. At night you dream of foie gras and plump ducks from the Haute Garonne. You try not to think to hard of when Les Hommes Soupes will finally arrive.
5-9
Average – Slim, but of average build. Nothing that the regimental cook can’t fix.
10,11
Athletic – You’re fit and healthy and love running, especially when you’re being shot at. Plus 1 pip to any dice roll when moving alone.
12
Giant – You’re a giant of a man, with hands the size of a Limoges piglet. Plus 1 dice when engaged in close combat.
Foreign Legionnaire, Tirailleurs Sénégalais or trench raiding party: plus 1 to roll
Health Fighting on the Western Front took a terrible toll on those who fought there. The pressures of leadership exacerbated the tension for junior officers. Like the British Army, French soldiers suffering shellshock (la confusion mentale de la guerre) could not be medically discharged. As an option for junior officers who may have been in the front line, under fire or enemy attacks for a considerable time, you may like to use the following Health system. In a number of playtest games, we’ve always used the Health system sparingly. Generally, we have used it in in circumstances where, viewed objectively, one of the Big Men would be at risk of succumbing to combat stress during the battle. These circumstances would be rare, but are documented in accounts by contemporaries. In addition to providing an insight (however small) into the terrifying experience of junior commanders of all sides on the Western Front, the use of the rule creates significant challenges for player controlling a Big Man in a critical position under extreme pressures.
Health at start of game “When they raised their heads, their faces showed a depth of sorrow one had never seen before. Their dusty features seemed frozen and taut with suffering, as if they screamed out something terrifying, the incredible horror of their martyrdom” Georges Gaudy “Souvenirs d’un Poilu de 57e Regimenet d’Infanterie” (1922) 1
Le Cafard (“the Cockroach” – “a crisis of black melancholy”)
2
Exhausted
3
Battle-ragged
4,5
Worn
6
Still fresh
For each wound suffered in any previous game (whether lightly or badly wounded – see page 21 of the “Mud and Blood” rules): -1 For each Disfiguring Wound in any previous game: -1 Gassed in immediately preceding game (being within a unit suffering “shock” from a gas attack): -1 Suffers from Panic Attacks: Drop your Health (see below) by 2 points at the start of the game (see Physical Stature above) Roll 1D6 and ascertain the Big Man’s Health on the above table at the start of the game. Track the Big Man’s Health on the table below, starting with the Health score as shown at the start of the game. Then, during the game, reduce the starting Health score by one point each time one or more Shock points are inflicted on any unit with which the Big Man is attached to (even if that Shock is later removed). On reaching 5 Shellshock points, reduce the Big Man’s status by one status level in the game. On reaching 0 Shellshock points, treat the Big Man as badly wounded (see rule 9.5.1 on page 21 of the “Mud & Blood” rules). He will have no further influence on the game, but the owning player must attempt to remove him from the field of battle (no roll is needed for this). Removal to a French regimental aid post takes two stretcher bearers if available (four in bad or abysmal terrain), and two men from the unit the Big Man is attached to if not.
Shellshock Points 0
1
3
4
5
6
7
Treat as Badly Wounded 4
Drop one status
Le Cafard
8
9
10
11
Exhausted
Battle-ragged
Worn
Still Fresh
Grandes Hommes Character Traits
I like to try to add a little more colour to Big Men through the following table. Many of these have no effect on the game (although it is surprising how often these are referred to when playing). However, traits marked in blue (positive) or red (negative) will have an effect on the game of “Through the Mud and the Blood” or the “Winter Sports” trench-raiding supplement (see TooFatLardies’ Christmas Special 2010)
Character Traits for Les Grandes Hommes 1
2
3
4
5
6
1
Grim
Stealthy
Charismatic
Gaunt
Reckless
Short-sighted
2
Gascon
Iron Constitution
Alcoholic
Glory Hunter
Sweet-tooth
Phlegmatic
3
Heavy Smoker
Mercurial
Linguist
Legionnaire Determined Devoutly Religious
4
“Embusqués”
Homesick
Chivalrous
Vengeful
Sharp Eyed
Confident
Fatalistic
Insouciant
Patriotic
Dreyfusard
Sardonic
Suave
Hollow-eyed
Socialist
Loyal
Unlucky
(a Dug-Out)
5 Trophy Collector
6
“Energetic”
French Character Traits Alcoholic all tasks take 50% longer owing to indulging in frequent snifters from the Pinard ration
Linguist Add another Wir Sind Freunde card (or equivalent) in Winter Sports to a trench raid (up to 3 Wir Sind Freunde cards allowed in total)
Charismatic +1 to Popularity
Loyal - Will always attempt to rescue a wounded Big Man of his own regiment or battalion, regardless of the danger
Determined Always adds 1 pip per dice of movement
Patriotic – will always sing La Marseillaise loudly on attacking into close combat. Double any shock inflicted in
the first round of any close combat for any group or formation containing the Big Man. Dreyfusard – a supporter of Captain Dreyfus, and prone to argue bitterly about the rights and wrongs of L’Affaire a decade later.
Reckless – roll 1d6: 1-4 reckless: may only make one spotting attempt at each separate target (once attempted, can’t repeat same target). 5-6 foolhardy: as “reckless”, but may not add his initiative to any spotting attempts
Devoutly Religious: never without a crucifix. +1 to Health if a Chaplain is nearby (within 24 inches)
Sharp-eyed +1 on all spotting rolls
Embusqués – needs to expend an extra initiative to enter close combat
Short-sighted minus 1 to all spotting rolls
Energetic - No initiative point needed to enter close combat
Socialist – roll 1D6: Roll of 1-3 : minus 1 to popularity for constantly complaining and blaming “the capitalists and bankers for this mess” and bemoaning the death of Jean Jaurès; Roll of 4-6: add one to popularity for persuading others than a better future is possible after the war.
Fatalistic - overly cautious - remove 1 pip per dice of movement
Stealthy always +1 to D6 roll attacking a sentry (Winter Sports)
Gascon – may possess a large nose, although mainly hidden by an even larger moustache
Sweet-tooth – lover of viennoiserie and patisserie in all its forms. There are few things you’d not do for an almond croissant or a gourmandise chocolat. Sometimes you lie no the iron hard ground and dream of a shop window full of sugary treats….only to wake up to week-old stale baguette.
Iron Constitution ignores first light wound (page 21 of “Through the Mud and the Blood” rules)
Trophy Collector +1 to any souvenir collecting or looting rolls in enemy trenches
Legionnaire – Foreign Legion Officer or NCO equipped with some impressive weapon from darkest Africa – a coupe-coupe, tribal club or Bedouin sword: always counts as being a trench cleaner.
Unlucky – Unable to use a “Viene de Pendu” (“The Devil’s Luck”) card *
*French tank commanders will find the absence of a “Devil’s Luck” card very disadvantageous (see a forthcoming
guide for using French tanks in “Through the Mud and the Blood”).
Apres le Deluge “Yet Verdun will be born from its ashes. The destroyed and deserted villages will rise afresh from their ruins; too long exiled, their inhabitants will come back to their rebuilt homes; under the protection of a victorious peace, the ravaged countryside will recover the laughing face it wore in happy times” Raymond Poincaré, President of France (1919) I also like to find out what might happen to the Big Men after the War, should they survive. It’s not meant to be particularly serious but could, at the end of a game or campaign of “Through the Mud and the Blood”, add some suggestions on where you might find your Grandes Hommes reappearing in your Inter-War games. First, and most importantly, find whether the Big Man survived the War and lived to the moment when the guns finally fell silent. For those surviving, civilian life beckons. And for a few, the fighting continues on … Roll 2D6 for each Big Man used in the game. Then, for the survivors, follow the relevant Exit and roll 1D6. Bonne Chance!
Roll 2D6
Did you survive to hear the guns fall silent?
2-5
In Proud and Glorious Memory
You died for France. “Mourir pour Le Patrie est le sort le plus beau” (To die for one’s country is the most beautiful of fates)
6,7
Wounded
Survived, but wounded. A piece of shrapnel in your shoulder always makes you wince when the weather’s cold and wet. You are a Civilian.
8-11
Survived
You survived La Grande Guerre, and leave the army on being demobilised. You are a Civilian.
12
Survived
You survived La Grande Guerre, but stay in uniform. You remain a Soldier.
French Civilian Exits: The “Broken Faces” “Our Moral ascendancy, exerting itself from one end of the country to the other, will regenerate order. If the weakness of the public powers fetters its advent, our vibrant, organised mass will know how to impose it” Colonel François de la Rocque, leader of the Croix de Feu formed in 1927 1
Disfigurement and reconstructive surgery: You struggle to recover from the War. You are one of the gueules cassées – the broken faces. You find help in the Parisian hospital Val de Grâce, the main maxillofacial surgery centre in France. Your face is repaired through remarkably skilful surgery, but piecing your mind back together will be even harder.
2
Penniless: The Peace breaks you in a way the War never did. You hang by the gates of Versailles and call for your elected politicians to extract even greater reparations from Germany. You listen to the communists and the anarchists – maybe they have the answers.
3-5
An “ordinary” life: You return to the life you led before the war. The café in the square is very much the same. You still fish by the bridge in the summer. You keep your Médaille Militaire hidden in your bedroom.
6
City of Lights: The war changed you. And it drew you to Paris. Roll 1D6: “Night came on, the lamps were lighted, the tables near him found occupants, and Paris began to wear that peculiar evening look of hers which seems to say, in the flare of windows and theatre-doors, and the muffled rumble of swift-rolling carriages, that this is no world for you unless you have your pockets lined and your scruples drugged.” 1 The revolution is coming, comrades! As the Comintern announces permanent revolution, you unite with the workers, ferment strikes and agitate against the Government. You watch the stain of fascism slowly spreading across Europe, and secretly meet with Soviet agents by the Bois de Boulogne. 2 You join the Surrealist revolution sweeping Paris, rubbing shoulders with Andre Breton and sleeping with Picasso’s wife. Your painting are a remarkable success, filled with melting watches and the empty, hollow faces of Parisian prostitutes. 3 You become a writer, endlessly churning out paperbacks from your garret on the Left Bank of the Seine, endlessly scribbling implausible tales of espionage and exotic adventures which yellow and fade a day after their printing. 4 You are elected as a representative in the Chamber of Deputies: You stagger through a seemingly endless succession of weak governments, ill or decrepit Ministers and corruption scandals. You slowly begin to realise that the Third Republic is doomed. Your only question is what will sweep it away. 5 You sell anything on the Black Market, for a price. You evade taxes and your shady friends persuade you to start forging Government Bonds. 6 You join de la Rocque’s Croix de Feu, religiously read Le Flambeau and march with others demanding “national reconciliation”. You are past caring whether you’re a Bonapartist, a Nationalist or a Fascist. You simply want a demagogue to take order and return France to Glory.
You are a Wounded Civilian: -1 You suffered a Disfiguring Wound in the War: -2 (if badly wounded in a game, roll 1D6 at the end of the game. On a roll of 1, it is a Disfiguring Wound)
French Soldiers’ Exits: The Snarling Peace “My life hatred has been for Germany because of what she has done to France” Georges Clemenceau 1
The Riff Wars: You return to the 2e Estranger d`Infanterie, your regiment in the Foreign Legion and fight against the Riff in Morocco and North Africa. The fighting is almost as hard as on the Chemin des Dames, although now it is the sun and the dust-storms, and not the poison gas, which is blinding you.
2
Poland and Russia: Your formation fights in Poland and Russia in bitter, nasty civil wars. And to think, a few short years ago, these were your allies …
3
Rhineland and Ruhr: You occupy the Rhineland and the Ruhr, commanding a regiment of Tirailleurs Sénégalais and specialise in terrifying the German population. You smile coldly as the Boche civilians protest against your casual brutality, oblivious to the cycle of hatred you are perpetuating.
4, 5
The Maginot Line: You become a disciple of André Maginot and support his call for greater security for France. The mistakes of the last war will not be repeated. You place your faith on concrete fortifications. You arrange, through your political connections, for your regiment to garrison a Maginot Line fort. This is clearly the way to win the next war!
6
Division Légère Mechanique: You rise through the ranks and help build the French armoured and mechanised formations in the 1920s and 1930s. You study the intelligence reports from Germany and know the next war cannot be far away.
You were an NCO, were an officer “Up from the Ranks” or “Colonial”: -1 You were a trench raider: -1 You were a tank commander: +1
Notes I hope you find these Backgrounds helpful and fun in your games. While I’ve written them with the “Through the Mud and the Blood” wargames rules in mind, you should be able to adapt them fairly easily to other rule-sets. Huge thanks are owed to both Richard Clarke, for talking through the things a former Poilu might get up to in post-War Paris, and Joe Legan, whose “Platoon Forward” supplement was one of the starting points for these Backgrounds. For those interested in further reading, I’d recommend the following books which give more insight into the world of Le Poilu and junior French officers in the Great War: “The Road to Verdun” – Ian Ousby (1999) “La chair et l'acier: L'armée française et l'invention de la guerre moderne (1914-1918)” - Michel Goya (2004) “French Trench Warfare 1917-1918” (An infantry manual from 1918) *** Sidney Roundwood, January 2014
