"French Napoleonic Infantry 1807 - 1812 (Victrix) 28mm" Topic
10 Posts
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JamesR1988 | 06 Mar 2016 2:34 p.m. PST |
Hi everyone, just wanted to share the latest update to my blog, some 28mm French infantry from Victrix! Comments always welcome! JR link |
wrgmr1 | 06 Mar 2016 2:54 p.m. PST |
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Hafen von Schlockenberg | 06 Mar 2016 3:11 p.m. PST |
I'll do the obligatory mea culpas if it becomes necessary, but my admittedly limited reading leads me to believe that troops clung to their "elite" trappings for as long as possible. Oman,for instance,cites British soldiers at Fuentes D'Onoro(May 1811) claiming they'd faced the Guard because of the bearskins on line grenadiers. As late as 1813,I don't know. |
JamesR1988 | 06 Mar 2016 3:23 p.m. PST |
Thanks wrgmr1! I agree Hafen, I've found reference to the 46th keeping bearskins until 1814, but other than that it looks like I just got it wrong. I imagine most companies who kept them would have been forced to change eventually, just because of wear and tear. |
robert piepenbrink | 06 Mar 2016 3:57 p.m. PST |
If memory serves, the official lifespan of a Napoleonic French bearskin was seven years, and I never heard tell of any special effort to get them turned in out of cycle. I've dealt with a few supply points, and My guess is that they were pretty common throughout the Peninsular War, and you'd still see them in the low-numbered battalions marching into Russia in 1812--but not universal, because you couldn't get replacements for combat losses, and newly-made grenadiers wouldn't have been issued one. So probably none in Germany in 1813 or northern France 1814, But some of the Peninsular regiments might have had some even as late as 1815. New uniform regulations are cheap, but out of cycle uniform issues cost real money. Remember those KGL light dragoon regiments at Waterloo? Still wearing KGL heavy dragoon stable jackets on the day because three years after the official conversion, there had been NO uniform issue, and (outside the Guard) the French were even cheaper about such things. Getting rid of an old uniform still isn't easy. I was issued a green field jacket a good year after the Army went to BDUs, and in my Air Force days, I watched an old warrant officer point-blank refuse to swap out his "summer sun tans" for the new blue Class B uniform. |
Gonsalvo | 06 Mar 2016 3:58 p.m. PST |
Very nicely done. I have no issue with the grenadiers in bearskin at all! |
deadhead | 06 Mar 2016 4:39 p.m. PST |
"Remember those KGL light dragoon regiments at Waterloo? Still wearing KGL heavy dragoon stable jackets on the day because three years after the official conversion, there had been NO uniform issue," No never heard of such a thing and absolutely fascinated. I know there is a suggestion of some conflict with this Boney chap before the Hundred Days Campaign, but I have to confess to being obsessed with that skirmish in "Belgium". Is there any reference to this? |
JamesR1988 | 06 Mar 2016 5:05 p.m. PST |
Haha thanks guys,I've come up with a solution, I'm going to finish off an additional company of grenadiers with just shakos so I can change them as and when! I did read a fascinating book by Andrew Roberts about Napoleon, it had a great section about the armies of 1813-1814/15 saying that the vast majority of new recruits were sent to the field with just a greatcoat and forage cap. Considering the speed the French army was going through recruits it's really not surprising. Deadhead do you mean that argument they had because Boney came back from Elba because he forgot his glasses? |
wrgmr1 | 06 Mar 2016 11:21 p.m. PST |
If you are using the Mont St. Jean website as a reference then there is no doubt you would relinquish the bearskin. I daresay that after the 1812 retreat many bearskins would have been lost along with those who wore them. Many battalions would have been in new uniforms after the terrible beating taken by Napoleons troops. Most would be new recruits with a cadre of NCO's and officers from the retreat or depot. Although the depots were scoured for troops for the invasion of Russia. Really I would not worry about it if you are playing battles in 1813-1815, Still very nice paintwork! |
jwebster | 06 Mar 2016 11:28 p.m. PST |
I have come to the conclusion that however much research I do, there is likely to be some small detail that isn't right. I also think that wargamers (and sculptors) have some up with a number of conventions that may not be accurate. The desire to have units wearing trousers (campaign uniform) seems reasonable but I have read somewhere that the big plumes only ever came out on parades anyway. Not even sure they wore the company pom poms. Before a battle, troops were lined up and shuffled around to make the companies even in size, so neat alignment of pompons seems unikely to me. So I wargame for myself, and however I want to put a unit together is my prerogative. This does mean that I don't have the right to criticise anyone else's unit. I see absolutely no reason for you to paint more figures just to get this unit "right" I agree with your Victrix experiences, except that I found them easy to assemble using the instructions and body part marking on sprue. I did have a lot of difficulty getting sabres off the sprue in one piece. I was getting back into the hobby after a 30 year break and Victrix plastics seemed a natural upgrade from my old Airfix figures. I decided in the end that 15mm suited me better You did ask for comments, so I was going to write some intense constructive criticism on your painting technique, but after looking closely, can't think of anything to say, except great painting. The only things that stood out were minor uniform details that I just said wasn't worth talking about John |
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