Gentlemen. I am dismayed.
As I anticipated, I am not enjoying painting French infantry, so I thought I'd liven up the painting table with some Hesse-Darmstadt infantry (Spain, 1809).
As you know, the Gross und Erbprinz ...let's call it a regiment ... served in Spain. At the time of it's introduction into Spain, it had three battalions -two of line and one of fusiliers. The line wore blue and the fusiliers green. All good so far.
However, the Gross und Erbprinz was reorganised on French lines, 4 centre companies, one grenadier and one light, and the dirty rotten so-and-so's did it by height. Tall - Grenadier. Short - voltigeur, with the inevitable consequence that for a while the Gross und Erbprinz presented a mix of blue and green uniforms in each battalion.
This, gentlemen can not to be tolerated on my table. Therefore, I am going to constitute the Gross und Erbprinz as one battalion of fusiliers and one of line. I just hope my conscience can be salved with pleasing uniformity.
(https://www.worean.de/images/product_images/info_images/58-tafel073.jpg)
:o X_X
Why not have both.
Blue coated fusiliers in the main battalion with some green coated skirmishers out front.
Hmm. That actually sounds sensible. :-\
Thank you.
Quote from: fsn on 11 August 2024, 11:14:01 AMHmm. That actually sounds sensible. :-\
I think you've broken him.
Yes ... well, regrettably I've already done a fusilier battalion in green. :-[
(https://media.tenor.com/Z5ZpoaHgx0wAAAAM/sad-boy.gif)
OK ... so my options are ...
- Ignore DHautpol's sensible suggestion and just do the second battalion in blue
- Strip and repaint 2/3 battalion
- Ignore Nafzinger and field all three battalions (instead of the 2 I have planned)... which means buying another Hesse Darmstadt battalion
- Concede that by 1810 they all had French shakoes and sideline what I've done for ... something else
Well it's me, so obviously, I need to get that 3rd battalion.
While understanding the annoyance, I personally would repaint just enough figures to fill battalion ratios.
Stupid questions:
Does 3rd Battalion mean you can extend their operational range into other theatres?
Can you just buy enough to expand batt 1&2 to have correct ratios?
Or was third battalion a garrison force?
I did think about repainting, I'd need to repaint 4 companies, 48 figures.
Buuuttt ... I have a cunning plan.
(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ7BNxwtSqqgADSkNX3RjOGnwHtchxcM89GDrSvY_lbiaRzOzoTwry2rHg1EwIV-cB3ZEs&usqp=CAU)
My understanding is that the regiment had 3 fighting battalions - 2 line, 1 fusilier. If I model all 3 I can either play the regiment as it was originally founded or (and this is the cunning bit) I can mix and match, and swap 2 companies of the fusiliers into the other battalions and play with 3 "mixed" battalions. It may cause Nafziger a little distress, but I think it gives me options.