White cossacks from Neumann (Belgium)

This white army cossack composite figure was produced by a Belgian manufacture - Neumann in 30s. Neumann made composite figures for a quite limited time period in the middle of 30s. The company released nice sets of mountain troops : Alpine hunters (Chasseurs Alpins) and Ardennes hunters(Chasseurs Ardennais). Neumann also made soldiers inspired by the Italian-Abyssianian conflict of 1935. The soldiers had the oval base with broken corners and stamped with the inscription "Fabrication Belge". The similar inscription was also used by Michel Klimov (1905 - 2004) for his early famous Durso soldiers also produced in Liege.The cossacks soldiers were one of the most popular themes in the Neumann toy soldiers product line. Jean-Louis Boussart in his book "Le jouet a Liege de la Belle Epoque aux annes 50" recalls his conversation with Michel Klimov, the Durso company founder (known also as monsieur Durso), about Neumann soldiers. Klimov told him that the pre-war Neumann cossacks were the fruit of the work of Russian White Army immigrants, Neumann workers, living in Liege.The Cossack theme was really dear to them.