"WSS Bavarian O.B." Topic

Does anyone know where I can get information on which Bavarian units fought at which battles during the War of the Sp[anish Succession and in what strength? I just want to avoid painting units which never took the field.

Iain Stanford's book Marlborough goes to War covers Blenheim. I've painted the Bavarian units. I'll let you have a list once I arrive at work.

Hi,

This is what I've painted

6 Battalions
Mercy Bavarian
1/Maffei Bavarian
2/Maffei Bavarian
Lieb Bavarian
Grenadier Bavarian
Bettendorf Bavarian

2nd Line: Beauvais's Brigade
6 Battalions
1/Kurprinz Bavarian
2/Kurprinz Bavarian
Tattenbach Bavarian
Schellenberg Bavarian
1/Lutzelburg Bavarian
2/Lutzelburg Bavarian

You can see one picture of each painted regiment on my blog here

link

Note that some of these lads have Grenadiers. Some regiments had grenadiers for their first battalion.

If you want the uniforms let me know at my painting service and I will email you.

Cheers

Neil
reinforcementsbypost.com (painting service)

The Bavarian contingent is high on my 'one of these days' list. One of the things I'm not clear on is which battalions had grenadier companies. Also, did officers and ensigns of the Leib grenadiers wear the bearski or the tricorn? TIA

From what I have read only the Leib and Kurprinz, the two most senior had grenadier companies. Does anyone know which of the Guard Cavalry regiments fielded a squadron at Blenheim?

I am sure that your opponents will not play with you if you paint a unit that didn't participate in this or that battle…

Bernhard,

Yes, that was my interpretation – there were two grenadier battalions, one attached to the Leib Regiment and the other was the "red" battalion led by the French officer (forget his name), which was attached to Kurprinz.

The "Red" grenadiers was originally a stand alone battalion, recruited form French deserters and other foreigners, and if de la Colonie (its commander) is to be believed, it was something of a set of ruffians. The original intention was that it should be the first of a 3 battalion regiment of "Foreign Guards" for the Elector. War came before the others could be recruited. It did carry colours as an independent unit, de la Colonie, describes its white colour as having the motto "Vae Spectant" on it. It missed Blenheim, but after a number of adventures it joined the Elector in Flanders. From de la Colonie's memoirs it is clear that it retained its red uniform with blue facings, even when it was incorporated into Kurprinz as its (oversized?) grenadier company. Kurprinz certainly fought at both Ramillies and Malplaquet, I am afraid I cannot recall whether it got caught up in Oudenarde.

Mollinary

de la Colonie's "Red" grenadiers missed Blenheim but they were present at the earlier battle of Donauwörth (Schellenburg), and the defence of Rain.

He gives us a superb eye witness account of the defence of the Schellenburg against "Milord Marlborough" in his memoirs "The Chronicles of an Old Campaigner" pp 175-196.

They make wonderful reading, full of details and with many eye witness accounts of the major battles, seiges and skirmishes of the WSS.

They're available as a pdf download from the Internet Archive here -

link

PDF link