"Assault formations" Topic

Hello,

I'm not trying to rehash the old line vs column debate.
But rather trying to figure out the formation an assault column would assume when closing to contact at battalion level.

Would the Battalions when deployed in assault column go one after the other?

Would they go in echelon?

What if there were 3 battalions (ie a regimental assault column)?

Or would all these be dependant on terrain, opponent, or other circumstances?

thanks

Specifically what period and army (ies) are you referring to?

Your not specific enough in your question. Your talking about a battalion column yes? In this case by assault column you could mean either a column of divions or perhaps a mass column most probably.

how a group of battalion columns move together is going to be dependant on many factors. Id expect they would usually move in line with reserves behind them if we had to take the most common scenario. They would be spaced at least 150 yards apart also.

Again though the question is a little meaningless without specifics.

Ok,

Lets try again. I'm refering to 1800's European warfare.

How would a two battalion Regiment of the Napoleonic era look when attempting to carry out an assault? Not the individual companies per se, but the battalion mass.

Attempting to design something where the moving units are:
a. 1/2 battalion size bases – "Wings?" (ie 2 bases = 1 battalion)
b. smaller company strength bases (Basically 1/4 the size of the above)

Figures (15mm in this case) denote rough strength of battalion/company.

So, with the above, if I wanted to have my Battalion (two bases strong) attempt to assault in column, how would it "look"?

Would the "wings", if indeed I can even attempt to illustrate it thusly, go in side-by-side, or would they attempt to mass one behind the other.

Thanks.

Vietmeyer had a system in the 1960's that used 36 figures for a French battalion, mounted two deep. There were six companies of six figures, 3x3. It was possible to mount an attack column one company wide: Some of us mounted six voltigeurs as separate figures, to deploye at will in skirmish order, followed by the Grenadier company 3 wide, two deep, and then by the four center companies, each 3 wide, 2 deep. This was the formation used by two battalions at Albuera at the head of a 9 battalion division. Inside them were two battalions 18 wide, two deep – in line. The center battalion was in a two company wide assault column – six wide, six deep, with the grenadiers and voltiguers leading the column. The remaining four battalions of the division were behind the center column, each three companies wide and three deep – six figures by six figures. This formed a "T" shaped division formation.

I believe the French called this two company wide formation a "column of divisions." At times both the voltigeur and grenadier companies could be sent forward as skirmishers. Some of us mounted the grenadiers two and one per stand, so the company was two stands of 2 and 2 of 1 figure.

The British with their 10-company battalions were mounted on 10 stands of 3 for a battalion of 30 figures. Some of us went to battalions of 40, each company two wide, two deep. The British has an attack column of "divisions" of two companies – 4 figures wide and 10 figures deep.

Frankly, I focused on the Peninsular War, and developed only French, British, Spanish and Portuguese units. In those days, all our Spanish (Willie Prussia, Russian, Bavarian figures converted) and Poruguese (British for the late war, French for earlier) were conversions. The French were all converted from Grenadiers of the Guard and Line Voltigeurs by Stadden – wonderful figures. The French hussar head transferred to the Grenadier made a great voltigeur figure. We then cut off hair-brush epaulettes, short sword and bayonet, the belt for them, and mounted a piece of wire next to the bullet pouch for the fusilier figure. How sad that Stadden would not do this with his original figures.

As I remember, Prussians were in Grenadier and Musketeer battalions of 32 figures – four companies of 8 figures, 4x4. The Fusiliers were in four companies of 6 figures each.

The Austrians were huge – 50% bigger than the French at 36! I think they recommended six companies of 8 figures (48 for the battalion), all mounted two deep. Grenzers and jagers were different.

Hello,

Good information Garde de Paris, however, move figure intensive than what I'm after.

I was planning on:
a. 18 figures for the British with 2x8-figure "wings" (center companies 1-8 @ 2 figures each), 1x2-figure light, 1x2-figure grenadier
b. 16 figures for the French with 2x6 figure "wings" (companies 1-4 @ 3 figures each)

etc, etc…

then 2-3 battalions per British regiment, 4-5 per French etc. etc….

So when I try to envision how this will work on the ground lead me to wonder about the way it looked during an assault. Would the regiment go forward two battalions wide with one in reserve (most likely). But what about if at a localized center, would a battalion on its own attack in an assault formation with one behind the other?

thanks.

French battalions usually moved in a checkerboard arrangement, I believe, so as to give each battalion room to form line and for cavalry, skirmishers, etc, to move thru without disrupting formations.

As for your stands representing battalions in attack column, if I understand you correctly, you'd have two primary stands per battalion plus 2 smaller stands for the elites? For a French attack column, put the two main stands 1 in front of the other and the 2 elites stands would form a third row (Grenadiers on the right). I'm not sure where other nations put their elites when in column.

Why not give your battalions a number of figures that is relavent to the number of companies they had? For instance, British battalions had 10 companies, so why not 20 figures instead of 18? Most French (after c. 1805) had 6 companies, so why not 18 figures? (Same number would work with earlier 9-company battalions.) French Guard had 8 or 4 companies, so 16 figures. Etc. Etc.

Hello Don,

Actually I mistyped earlier. The British have 20 – 2x8 wings, 1x2 Grenadier, 1x2 lights. I did this for the exact reasons you give. Same with the French. 2x6 wings, 1x2 Grenadiers, 1x2 voltigers.

Thanks for the insight on how a battalion marched to contact. That was what I was looking for.

Madcam.