"French Grenadiers (Early War) Review" Topic

"The grenade as a weapon, and the grenadier trained to use it, were both firmly established in European armies by the beginning of the 18th century. The grenade was a simple hollow sphere filled with black powder and with a fuse inserted, which was then thrown after the fuse was lit. Grenadiers were chosen from tall and strong men, but there was a limit to how far a grenade could be thrown, and in an open field there was a risk the blast might injure friends as well as enemies. As a result it was almost always used in sieges, when it might be thrown into a trench, building or other confined space, ensuring any harm only came to the enemy, and also magnifying the effect by exploding in a relatively confined space. The grenadiers tasked with using such devices were the tallest, strongest and most reliable of the troops, and so quickly became recognised as an elite, frequently used to lead an assault even if grenades were not utilized.

By the start of the War of the Spanish Succession all French regiments had their companies of grenadiers, even though the use of grenades themselves was not common. This set of grenadiers has just two poses actually handling grenades, which seems about right to us as they are useful, but most of the time you would want grenadiers without the grenades. One of the grenade poses (top row) is lighting a fuse with his slow match, while the other is about to throw or bowl it. These are the two most obvious poses choices in our view, and look good…"

Full Review here
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Amicalement
Armand