"King's German Legion during the 100 Days" Topic

I am currently working on the 2nd KGL brigade for Blucher, but am having some trouble with how to base the battalions. The unit consists of two line battalions and two light battalions. As far as I am aware the two light battalions were sometimes deployed as skirmishers ala the 95th Rifles.

However, I have also been informed that they would fight in line as well (a Hanoverian doctrine?).

So my question is, which would be better? Four formed battalions or two line battalions formed and the light battalions as skirmishers?

I know that one of the light battalions was at La Haye Sainte, but as this is for the overall campaign rather than Waterloo specifically, I can ignore that detail and Brigade the units together.

I get what you mean. I'd do the Line battalions in line and the Light battalions with some companies out skirmishing and the rest as a formed reserve.

What ever you do, I look forward to seeing it.

Thanks for that Footslogger, that sounds like a happy medium!

Thanks for the compliments!

It may not be relevant to the Blucher basing system (which I am not familiar with) but all of the KGL infantry in the Waterloo campaign were organised on a 6 company basis, due to reduced numbers having discharged their non-Hanoverians after the Peninsular War. The spare officers and NCOs from the four disbanded companies were attached to the Hanoverian landwehr.

Rod

Thanks Rod, in my basing I am representing the battalions with 16 figures, most Brigades appear to be made of four battalions (give or take). So in this case, as two of the battalions would have been used in a skirmish capacity I was just wondering whether or not to have them formed as a battalion or just as skirmishers.

Well in real life, light battalions only deployed a maximum of half of their strength as skirmishers, keeping the rest as close order supports, but I do not know whether that is possible in the Blucher rules. The drill for achieving this was for each company to split into two platoons, one deploying forward into a skirmish line whilst the other remained formed in close order.

Personally I base my light battalions with half of the companies as close order, and the other half as individual figures. I then have the option of using the entire battalion in close order or spreading up to half of them out as a skirmish line. Most of the major rules sets, such as Black Powder, General de Brigade or Republic to Empire, can accommodate such historically accurate basing, or be easily modified to do so.

Rod

Abwehrschlacht,

One thing which I am confused about is the size of your units for Blucher. I have electronic copies of Maurice and Lasalle and have played a game (only one) of the latter.

It is my understanding that Lasalle is a tactical game, with units as battalions, capable of being deployed in line, column or square, which is the level I always play at. I do not have Blucher, but understand that it is a Grand Tactical, or Operational level game, where the units represent Brigades, so I do not understand why you would represent a Brigade as four battalions, each of 16 figures. I would have thought that in Blucher a Brigade would just be a single unit, perhaps of four bases.

I would also have thought that skirmishers are even more abstracted than they are in Lasalle, where they are just one or two figures added on to a battalion, so on a Grand Tactical or Operational game I am surprised that they are portrayed at all.

Rod

Blucher has each brigade as a separate unit. He is talking about what looks best with 6mm figures on a 3 inch square base.

Thanks for the info Rod, that clears up the confusion for me about the use of skirmishers.

As vtsaogames says, I base my Blucher units as Vignettes, rather than as 'actual' units. The vignettes are based on the units in the Brigade. However, this is purely aesthetic and has no impact on the game at all.

For example here is my take on Halkett's 5th Brigade, with the 30th, 33rd, 69th and 73rd (Highland) Foot regiments all represented on the base (plus some skirmishers).