I found it difficult find 28mm artillery pack horses or mules. I was resigned to scratch building a couple, one for my Australians and the other for my Japanese armies. That is until onde day I was browsing on the Empress Miniatures site (always a dangerous thing for the wallet to do) and found their WW1 Mountain Gun Pack Mule team. With eight mules with various mountain gun bits and pieces as loads I had enough fro the two teams I wanted.

Although WW1 miniatures they would be more than adequate for what I was after.

Hundreds of Pack Mules were brought to New Guinea for pack duties. These animals had not been tried out in New Guinea, but were extremely effective with the British and American Armies in Sicily.

They are sure footed and can go into places where it is impossible to go with a Jeep. They can be easily used for carrying supplies, guns and the wounded.

One of the peculiarities of the mule is that they will always follow a mare. When a Pack Train goes out a mare is always taken in front with a bell around its neck. This keeps the herd in line.

Unfortunately, the battle of Kokoda was fought over a very confined area and the bell would have alerted the Japanese of an approaching mule train .

From a games perspective I am only interested in the mules for use as a form of an artillery limber as it provides a cheap alternative to move your artillery on the table. However, mules and horses were used for a variety of tasks over the Kokoda track.

Most mules were used for the transportation of supplies and ammunition, but some were used and trained by the Medical Detachment. Captain Calvin E Gantenbein had devised a litter to carry the wounded over the rugged terrain.

Mules can carry weights of up to three and fifty pounds, or nearly 160 kilograms, and could go for six days without food.

Except for the two Universal Carriers that I am waiting on the Australian Jungle Division is NOW BLOODY finished!!!!