"Wurttemberg Chevauxleger Rgt .1" Topic

Hello all,

I am the panic stage of the don't panic, do the horses first, have a think, have a review on what I've got, have another think… Panic!
The Wurttemberg 1st Chevauxleger rgt. Lovely. AB figures. Double lovely. Nafziger says (pg 40 of the wurttemberg army book), "in 1811 the regiment abandoned the old helmet and adopted a helmet similar to that worn by the Austrian Chevauxleger".
Fine. The AB figues show it. This bang on.
Then look here:
link
1812, old style helmet! F**king hell! Whats all that about? Then I've seen another source backing up that picture post 1812! I can't find it, but I've seen it! So, here is the thing…
1) Are the AB figures pre 1812?
2) Is Nafziger wrong?
3) Does it really matter?

lots of love,
Swiss Gamer.

apologies all, finger trouble. Should have gone on the napoleonics painting not modern painting, where its been crossposted.

That'll learn me!

If the new helmet was authorized in 1811, it could be up to 2 years before the whole unit got them. In fact, it could be well over a year before anybody got them – authorized is one thing, manufactured and issued is another.

From your list, I'd pick option 3

From memory (so probably wrong), the AB figures with the horsehair plume are indeed pre 1812. If you are doing the Regts for the 1812 campaign then they 'officially' wore helms similar to Regt No 2. There's actually little difference figure wise between all four Regts in 1812 apart from the cummerbund worn by the Chevauxleger Regts.

Does it matter?

Well not really as few players actually know and who's to say the troopers didn't retain the old helm for as long as possible (ie look to the elite sqns of the French Dragoon Regts that keep wearing there bearskins long after they were phased out).

The No 1 Regt helm I think comes from the labelling in the old Funken plates, and wargamers have been painting that Regt with the old helm for years.

After 1813 they wore a infantry pattern shako anyway.

The old Glory 15mm troops match in pretty well with the ABs, although these all have the 'cummerbund'. Not sure if the ABs feature this or not (if not would do as the two Mtd Jager Regts).

But I'm probably wrong in my recollection.

Thanks guys. Looks like I've dropped a right gannet here! I suppose I will have to paint them as Jager zu Pferd now. Oh well, at least the horses are the only things done so far, and I know they are right!

Unless of course horse colours changed by rgt!

Difficult to say Hans Brauer states in his uniform plate that it is not clear if in 1812 the new helmet war worn.

Nope the Mtd Jager Rgts were wearing the helm with the comb (re Chevauxleger No 2) long before No 1 switched over.

Best way is paint em up as Chevauxleger No 1, put em on the table and paint the other Wurtemburg troops first. Then at the end if it still 'niggles' you, buy another Chevauxleger Regt No2 (by the AB listings) and paint it as No 1. Then you keep your orginal No1 Regt for pre-1811 campaigns (as these were the only Cav Regt to change helms).

cheers useless, thats pretty much what I am going to do. Use them as is then get an additional unit and have one in each style of helmet. Oh how sad is that?

Not as sad as fielding the Wurrtemburg Guard units (who never fought) :)

Even in the twentieth century and today it takes at least 6 months to a year or more to get soldiers the latest uniforms based on regulations why would the 19th century be any better probably worse. What they actually wore on the field was more than likely a mixture. New issues to new guys and old veterans returning keeping their old ones till lost or worn out.

The figures were based on the sketches of Faber du Four, a Wuerttemberg army officer in Russia, who sketched them from life.

Faber du Faur shows the Prinz Albrecht with horsehair tails while the officers seem already to wear the helmet with a comb, at plate 30 – Vorwärts von Krasnoi