"Russian Battery" Topic

I just finished a project I've been working on for some time, a 28mm 1812 Russian heavy battery that I've based at 1:300 ground scale, and 1:2 vehicles/guns. The limbers are on two bases, and the ropes are not attached between halves--I preferred to have the flexibility and an easier time moving them about.

The first picture is at 1:300. The tail is a little long, according to regulations, but I can double-up the limbers if things get tight.

Next is at 1:56 ground scale (1:1 vehicles/guns) Farther back would be two more caissons per gun; the wagons and the rest of the battery's equipment. I threw a couple of my SAGA thatched huts on there for reference. I wish I had enough artillerymen to give an accurate portrait of how busy that space would be.

Turned out to be quite a bit more work than I'd expected, but I think it provides an interesting contrast to the usual one gun with crew running about the tabletop.

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Wow! They certainly have a commanding presence on the table top.

Very nice work!

Very nice and they demonstrate the amount of space artillery took up on the battlefield.

Agreed. What always strikes me is just how deeply they extended, layer upon layer of support and ammo. Vehicles loaded with some very dangerous cargo and horses densely packed (If even one of the team goes down all are scuppered until sorted out).

What a target they seem, first second bounce sure to hit something.

But then we hear counter battery fire was discouraged and relatively ineffective!

The caissons here are 15 paces closer than they would be for a light (6#) battery because the heavy limber doesn't have an ammunition box, while the light version does. The Zhmodikovs' "Tactics of the Russian Army…" has a very interested section on artillery usage in general, and counter-battery fire in Volume 2. Probably worth buying it for that alone.

Nice work! It's amazing how much space they take up on a road. That would certainly need to be calculated in a campaign game.

Thanks! Yeah, that was six out of some 600 Russian cannon, and even then it's missing 12 caissons and wagons full of spare carriage parts, and the forge.

That is a lot of work and more limbers and light caissons than I have for over 400 Russian guns. Very impressive.

Yeah, with the 1805 reforms, the Russians felt their roads needed a better horsepower to weight ratio, and they moved to the troika caisson.

Great work and certainly illustrates numerous points very well. Cheers!

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