"French Pom Pom colours" Topic

Hi all

I have a myriad of conflicting pictures and plates and cannot for the life of me work out the shako pom colours for Napoleonic French Light Infantry centre (Chasseur) companies.

I know Line are blue, green, orange and voilet but some sources say the Lights were the same and others have them all as green.

Anyone know for sure?

David
wardepot.blogspot.com
6to20painting.blogspot.com

David:

They should be the same as for the Line Fusilier companies. The Carabiniers' red and Voltigeurs yellow or green or combinations of yellow/green. Dean

Thats what I was leaning towards.

Thanks Dean

David
wardepot.blogspot.com
6to20painting.blogspot.com

Hi David

the Line and Light Infantry share the same colours:
1st co: Green
2nd co: Blue
3rd co: aurore ( kind of pinky orange)
4th co: violet
Carabiniers: almost always red ( sometimes green/red)
Voltigeurs: yellow/green combinations but you may find red/yellow sometimes or totally green or yellow: in fact it depends on the regiment; I can remember you have a good list for colours and types of headgears in Osprey's books

of course this is only valid of the 1808 organsiation – any suggestions for 1791 to 1808?

Let me set some people at each other's throats.

I've heard that companies were just adminstrative units and were parcelled out to give the battle tactical units (peletons?) equal numbers so that the manevuers would be balanced.

I've heard that pom-poms were definately set up by XXXXXX so men standing in line of battle could look up and then sideways and see the same colour above the hats.

Which is right?

No fangs required, it was definitive that the companies were administrative but a battalion took the field in platoons.

For Imperial Napoleonic French, however, basically one company equalled one platoon. Such that even contemporary military tended to mix the terms company and platoon as interchangeable in use.

The battalion major supposedly posted the platoon commanders and NCOs, equally along the front, but unless there were big differences in company sizes from recent events no doubt he didnt bother and they plain fought in companies. Even when there was a shift it would have just been a few of files different anyway, not a complete mix up.

For other troops during 1792-1815 there wa greater variety, 4 companies = 8 platoons; 5 companies = 8 platoons, 10 companies = 20 platoons, and so on. So unless speaking just of French Imperial Line infantry its important to remember the difference.