"Landwehr Standing at Ease" Topic

"The Landwehr were raised in March 1813, to quickly add large numbers of troops to the then-small Prussian Army, but of course they needed to be equipped and trained. Prodigious efforts were made to achieve this, and the convenient Truce of Pläswitz (4 June to 10 August 1813) gave the Prussians time to organise and train their new recruits to a level where they could take the field against the French once hostilities recommenced. On 27 July, shortly before hostilities recommenced, the Landwehr were organised into 38 new infantry regiments, and overall the Landwehr made up about 40% of the total Prussian Army in late 1813. They soon proved their worth, and helped to arm themselves from the weapons captured from the enemy. From then on they were a major element of the Army of Prussia for the rest of the Napoleonic Wars.

Strelets have made several sets of ‘at ease' figures before this one, and all of them have included a wide range of relaxed and static poses typical of the hours or moments before battle. Here we have more of the same, with most of the men resting their musket on the ground and standing around surveying their surroundings and waiting. Some might be chatting to each other, some fiddling with their weapon or baggage, and one man is about to take a swig from his canteen. We liked every single one, as all look very natural and convincing. Needless to say any campaign required a lot of waiting around, so these poses would be a common sight, and very well done here. The single-piece poses include two more relaxed figures of no special interest, plus a drummer, flag-bearer and officer. The drummer is smoking a pipe, which is a nice touch…."

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Amicalement
Armand