"28mm Peninsula War British Division - help required?" Topic

I plan to recreate an historical British Napoleonic Division for Peninsula War in 28mm.

It is not going to be a massive project, I am simply aiming for a couple of brigades of infantry with a little bit of cavalry and artillery support.

Could any of the Napoleonic "wise owls" please offer some advice on interesting historical formations that may be fun to paint and game on the tabletop?

Raglan

The Light Division would be good for the Peninsular War.
Bear in mind that that in the British army of the Napoleonic Wars, the cavalry were brigaded separately in a cavalry division. An infantry division did not have any integral cavalry.

But certainly no one would object if you added the 1st KGL Hussars and a unit of Light Dragoons, to the Light Division as some basic cavalry support.

I'm building Picton's 3rd Division from 1812. 2 bdes of British, one of Portuguese, cacadores, 60th Rifles etc. They are supported by a lt cavalry bde with KGL Hussars and light dragoons (British). There is a battery of foot and a battery of horse artillery. Not a bad wee package.

I'll say 1st Div if you value Guards and KGL foot units, no Portugueses

or 4th Div 1811, with Myers Brigade of Fuzileers (1/7th, 2/7th, 1/23rd)

7th Division if you'r in search of unusual units (Chasseurs Brittaniques, Brünswick Oels, etc…)

You may also want to look at the east coast 1813, with very mixed units, some british Battalions plus Italian levies, Roll-Dillon Swiss, Calabrianb free Corp, Sicilian "Estero" Regiment, 4th&6th KGL and 2 Spanish divisions under British officers (Roche & Wittingham)

perhaps not very efficient (depends of your games rules) but very fun to paint!

It's not the same without the Portuguese!

Mine is based on pictons 3rd division. English, Irish and Scots. A portuguese brigade. I've chosen a light dragoon brigade. 14th and 16th light dragoons.

Any of the British divisions #2 through #7 had two brigades of British infantry (total of 6 to 8 battalions), a brigade of Portuguese infantry (normally 4 line in 2 regiments plus one battalion of cacadore light infantry), a battery or two of British and/or Portuguese artillery, and a company or two of 60th Rifles and/or Brunswick-Oels jagers. You can add a cavalry brigade of two light regiments or one light and one heavy regiment.

Jim

Sorry about the deletion. The system showed is as sent, and then showed a duplicate waiting to be sent. I deleted the message, and both disappeared.

But that allows for a shorter message.

I started in the 1960's-70's collecting 30mm Staddens for French and British at Waterloo, and over time converted some to the Peninsular era, and British to Portuguese.

I like doing multiple-facinged units: 5th (gosling); 45th (dark Green) and 88th (yellow) served in 3rd Division under Picton, and all were good line units.

7th foot (all with elite wings, dark blue facings, but cylindrical shako); 23rd (Royal Welch/Welsh Fusiliers – same); 40th and 27th (both Buff) were the "hard core" of Lowry Cole's 4th Division.

The 2nd Division of the served away from Wellington under "Daddy" Hill, but had some varied colors, and good line units. 50th (black)' 71st (buff – highland light infantry); 3rd (Old Buffs); 57th (Die hards with Yellow); 28th (yellow. some or allwith French packs, and the back number for Egypt).

For the Portuguese "brigade" I would favor the 2nd (white cuffs, red edging); 4th(red cuffs, white edging); 10th (sky blue cuffs, white edging); and probably add the 8th (yellow cuffs, red edging) because of their timely charge at Busaco.

Mix and match is my preference.

My French have 1804-07 in white uniform 9-company battalions – with shakos; in blue with bicorns; up through Waterloo. some in field uniform with uniform coa; one in white vests, brown locally-made overalls instead; most in dress uniform, 1809 era; and some for 1813 and for Waterloo.

GdeP

Hey GdeP
What's with "because of their timely charge at Busaco."? Didn't you once say, "Victory goes to the best dressed Army"?

thanks Garde de Paris

your suggestion sounds good

raglan

Go the Mongrels- 7th Division….KGL Lights (before they were shifted), British redcoats, Brunswickers, Chasseur Brittaniques and Portuguese…

I plan on playing Talavera when I get home from Iraq – whenever that will be. 28MM. I'll have to scale down the armies however by 50%. I play General de Brigade. Right now I've put together Hill's 2nd Division, but posess another 9 British battalions from various Divisions. Just fell out that way.

Typically Division components were shifted with dizzying frequency. Wellington constantly moved Regiments (both infantry and Cavalry) between Divisions. Source material is readily available on the internet, so if you select a battle in 1809, a Division present at that time will have many different units in 1810, 11, etc..

So I wouldn't get too hung up on precise units. If the Division called for a Portugese Brigade (usually 5 battalions) and 2 British Brigades (6 – 8 battalions), plus attached Rifles (5/60th or Brunswick Oels) you'll be just fine. The only exception is the 1st Division always had the Foot Guards, and when the Light Division was formed, it was always 43rd, 52nd, 95th and 1st and 3rd Cacadores. I've seen other references that added Portugese Line Regiments for a short spell also.

So again, don't make yourself nuts over this. If you select early 1810, realize that by 1812 the Division will proably look different.