WWI HaT

HaT Industry WWI US Infantry.

This set has been around for many years.  When it was being designed I suggested four crew served weapons and one tripod since the tripod took up a lot of room on the sprue and the weapons did not.  Also the troops would typically have only used one of these machine guns in any given unit.  The Marlin / Colt Potato Digger was replaced by the French Hotchkiss or the Colt / Maxim type machine gun as supplies became available.  The one pounder gun was only fielded in small units of three guns.

I also requested the BAR, the shotgun, and the Lewis gun.  My thoughts were that since Airfix already made rather generic WWI American Infantry it might be good to have very specific American troops with weapons the US used in large numbers or like the shotgun and BAR were used almost exclusively by the Americans.  The grenadier was there because each platoon has men specifically assigned as grenadiers. And the 8 inch Newton mortar was a nice change from the typical 81mm Stokes type mortar as many sets have those.

HaT was kind enough to take most of my suggestions and I am very pleased they did.  I have been buying these off and on since they first came out.  Now they are available in a new color of plastic, a brighter green.  If you don't paint your figures you could use them as USMC as they fought in the trenches of WWI alongside American Army units.

 The two sets together, in their two colors.  My plan is to mix these with Airfix WWI Americans, and the Strelets Early War US Army troops and a few others to make three regiments of infantry, in my organization that will require nearly 6,000 troops.  I am pretty close and hope to be finished by the end of next year.