"The French Army of the WAS" Topic

Looking for something else, I came across this article in a French academic journal. It focuses on the experience of the Gardes Francaises at Dettingen in 1743, but also discusses the regiment and the French army as a whole in the WAS, with contemporary sourcing from French senior officers and others.

Several interesting socio-political and military cultural insights are contained therein. But for wargamers, two notable ones are that the Gardes suffered much heavier casualties (at least among officers) at Dettingen before breaking than they did in than in their celebrated losing firefight against the British Guards at Fontenoy, and more generally the difficulty the French infantry of the period found facing British musketry compared to other opponents such as the Austrians. The author is a French academic and is quite frank in addressing this.

link

I will try to post what will be a grotesquely amateurish translation when I get the chance- though I have a lot of painting to do, so it won't be immediately. It's a pretty accessible read in French even to a poor linguist like me, but if any TMPers who are better translators want to render it into English before I get the chance to have a go- please feel free- you would probably save me severe embarrassment.