Allies on the Aisne - What’s coming in the latest 1918 Kickstarter campaign from Warfulcrum Games?

France and America are about to join the fight! Our next Kickstarter project opens on the 27th of May, bringing hundreds of incredible new miniatures to the battlefields of 1918.

Entitled Allies on the Aisne, this new supplement for 1918 introduces two complete nations to the Western Front: the French Republic (“les Poilus”) and the United States (“the Doughboys”). The release will include more than 120 new infantry and support weapon miniatures and at least five new vehicles, plus officers, orderlies, field guns and auxiliary troops. 

The French are veterans of the Great War, a formidable fighting force near its breaking point after four years of bloody, attritional trench warfare. The Americans, on the other hand, are new arrivals - green yet eager to prove themselves against the might of Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Both armies served with distinction during the Third Battle of the Aisne, which began on the 27th of May 106 years ago, with U.S. forces playing a key role in the Allied counter-attack that followed.

Let’s take a closer look at just some of what’s coming.

French Rifle Platoon

By this point in the war, the rifle platoon was the most common tactical unit on the Western Front. Every force divided its infantrymen into sections - small groups of soldiers who fought - and lived - together at the heart of any successful attack or defence.  

By 1918, the French rifle platoon was led by a Lieutenant and his deputy, the File-Closer Sergeant. It was divided into two half-platoons each led by a Sergeant and consisting of one section built around the Chauchat automatic rifle, and a second section which could flexibly employ the rifle, the bomb (including the ubiquitous Vivvien Bessiers rifle grenade launcher), and the bayonet as required. This organisation gave each half-section the freedom to manoeuvre independently, under its own local fire, following the commands of its Sergeant. The French also made use of ‘floaters’, essentially extra soldiers pulled from a company or battalion pool, who could flesh out the numbers in the sections where needed. 

Compared with the British or German rifle platoons we’ve already released, the French had a greater number of junior NCOs, more rifle grenadiers, and greater variability in section sizes, all of which will be reflected in the Kickstarter offering. 

U.S. Rifle Platoon

The U.S. Army was initially largely unprepared for the combat requirements of the Western Front; however, extensive training and preparation in 1917 and into 1918, under French and British tuition, significantly improved their readiness. The Americans borrowed most heavily from the French, combining this with their own ideas and existing force structures. However, what emerged was an unwieldy platoon of nearly 60 men. In practice, U.S. rifle platoons usually fought in two ‘half-platoons’ of around 30 men, each led by a Sergeant, and further sub-divided by function into rifle, rifle grenadier, bombing and automatic-rifle sections. 

American soldiers were quick to adapt on the fly, so various pragmatic ‘task organisations’ of these sections emerged during the fighting of summer and autumn 1918. The Americans also brought an interesting arsenal with them: they were the only nation to make (fairly) widespread use of pump-action shotguns, especially the infamous M1897 Winchester trench gun. Although it only entered frontline use in autumn 1918, the beloved Browning automatic rifle (BAR), also made an appearance in combat.    

In Kickstarter terms, this means lots (and lots) of U.S. sculpts so that no two miniatures in your force need be the same, and there will of course be stretch goals to include some models with shotguns and BARs. As the U.S. Marines were organised in the same manner as the U.S. Army in France, this also makes it straightforward to field your U.S. Rifle Platoon as a U.S. Marine platoon, in case you want to re-enact the Battle of Belleau Wood in June 1918.

The Renault FT Light Tank

The French debuted three tanks during the latter stages of the Great War - and we plan to release all three. As one of the most influential tank designs in history, the nimble Renault FT light tank was deployed in massive numbers to decisively shatter the German lines. While early armour tactics were a trial by fire, the FT achieved stunning success during its 1918 combat debuts -proving to be an unstoppable force once commanders mastered the art of mass armoured warfare. Our Kickstarter includes three variants, the Char Mitrailleur with a Hotchkiss MG, the Char Canon with a 37mm and the Char Signal, an unarmed command tank. 

More to come

We’re planning on releasing almost every unit listed in the original 1918 core rulebook, for both the Americans and French. This means trench mortars, field guns and trench guns for both armies, the French Saint-Chamond and Schneider CA1 tanks, and the Peugeot armoured car. We'll also be including the Mark V Heavy Tank that was used by the U.S. 301st Heavy Tank Battalion.

We have plenty of stretch goals planned, including several auxiliary forces of particular historical interest. The Americans brought the 369th Infantry, aka the Harlem Hellfighters - an African American unit which served with distinction under French command, owing to the policy of racial segregation in the U.S. army at the time. The Harlem Hellfighters would serve for 191 days on the frontlines - the longest of any American unit during the war, and were warmly received by the French army. These miniatures would also suit the 370th Infantry, nicknamed the "Black Devils" for their fierce record in the Argonne Forest.

Likewise, we hope to produce Senegalese Tirailleurs, African auxiliaries from French colonies, and perhaps even the Corps Francs - French free company irregulars. And if things go really well, there’s the possibility of further unique sculpts and units. There may even be space for Cher Ami, the legendary messenger pigeon which once saved a lost American battalion…

Alongside the miniatures, we’ll be producing an Allies on the Aisne companion with a detailed history of the battle, as well as new scenarios and rules for both forces. If the campaign does well enough, we’ll upgrade it from a PDF to a printed booklet. On top of that, there’ll be all the usual add-ons and upgrades you’ve come to expect from a good Kickstarter project - and most of the miniatures will be available as STLs and physical versions.

If you’re interested, sign up to our pre-launch page here - and feel free to get in touch with ideas, queries and suggestions!