| Duc de Limbourg | 09 Jun 2015 2:10 p.m. PST |
Has anybody info about the field strength of a french cavalry regiment in the WAS? I think they had 4 squadrons which was changed to 2 squadrons after the war (and used in the 7YW). |
| Rod MacArthur | 10 Jun 2015 2:18 a.m. PST |
George Nafziger's Orbat for Fontenoy shows all French Cavalry with 4 sqns, apart from Carabiniers (10 sqns), Chevaux-Legers de la Garde (1 sqn), Mousketiers de la Garde (2 sqns) , Garde de Corps (8 sqns) and Grenadier a Cheval de la Garde (1 sqn). I am in Spain at present, but at home in UK have the excellent Histoire & Collections book on Fontenoy, which gives a very similar Orbat. I seem to recall that that book gives average strengths per sqn. Rod |
| Rod MacArthur | 10 Jun 2015 2:44 a.m. PST |
Just looked at some of the other Nafziger WAS French Orbats (eg Dettingen etc). A lot of cavalry is shown with only 2 or 3 sqns. I would guess that the official Orbat for line cavalry was 4 sqns, but they often reduced to 3, or even 2, in order to maintain optimum sqn strength. This was a common procedure for all armies of the 18th century and Napoleonic Wars. Rod |
| John Clements | 12 Jun 2015 1:57 p.m. PST |
There seems to have been an increase in the number of squadrons between 1740 when most had three but some had only two, and 1748 when most had 4. This would account for the difference between lists drawn up at different times. |
| Duc de Limbourg | 14 Jun 2015 6:52 a.m. PST |
Rod, thanks for the answers, but as John says, afaik the forces of the king were augmented during the WAS. This adding meant more men to companies as well as more squadrons: from 2 or 3 to 4. I don't know exactly when that happened during the war but at the end (according to the "Etat du militare de France" of 1747) a cavalry regiment had a strength of 620 men and officers in 4 squadrons (full strength).
That why i wodered if there were OOB's with not only strength in squadros but also in men.
By the way, the "Etat" (1747 and of later years can be found on the internet
gr
jan |
| Graf Bretlach | 15 Jun 2015 10:26 a.m. PST |
The ordonnances starting August through to December 1742 give the established strength of 16 companies in 4 squadrons and a full strength of 620 incl officers, an ordonnance of 1744 gives 3 German regiments a strength of 6 escadrons or 975 men incl. |
| Duc de Limbourg | 16 Jun 2015 12:06 a.m. PST |
Graf Bretlach, thanks for the info. Didn't know the official strength already was set in 1742. Are the ordonnances available on the internet? According to your mentioned 1744 strength the squadron was on average 162 men+off. Possible that squadrons of German regiments were stronger? |
| Duc de Limbourg | 16 Jun 2015 3:21 a.m. PST |
have looked at the 1747 Etat: indeed the German regiments were officially stronger 650 (off+men) for 4 squadrons or 976 (off+men) for 6 squadrons.
The 650 gives a squdron strength of 162 which is the samen as the ordonnance you mentioned. |
| Graf Bretlach | 16 Jun 2015 1:46 p.m. PST |
Hi Duc The ordonnances are scattered around, some on websites others in google books.
Does the etat of 1747 give some ordonnances, they usually have a few. 120-130 men per squadron would be a reasonable average, French companies could be 70-90% of establishment without any fighting or aggressive campaigning. |
| Duc de Limbourg | 19 Jun 2015 11:32 a.m. PST |
Hi Graf,
one version of the etat is link
it mention I think an ordonnance of april 16th 1742 (difficult to read) |
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