Project Württemberg - part 3

There's nothing quite like a deadline to get one's creative juices flowing. Last weekend we gamed the Battle of Borodino, which prompted me to finally finish the Württemberg infantry that had been standing on my desk for months. I'll provide a full AAR of the battle later, but for now, I give you Generalmajor von Koch's 2nd brigade of the 25th (Württemberg) infantry division. The brigade consists of two battalions of Württemberg's 2nd line regiment "Herzog Wilhelm" and two battalions of 6th line regiment "Kronprinz".

The 2nd brigade

Generalmajor von Koch

2nd regiment "Herzog Wilhelm"

6th regiment "Kronprinz"

I still have some Württemburg artillery and light cavalry to paint, but that's the last of the infantry (at least for now - I might paint some skirmishers for the battalions). These have been fun to paint: the miniatures from AB are awesome and it's nice to have named regiments that are distinguished by their flags and uniforms.

Project Württemberg - part 2

I managed to paint up more Württembergers for our recent Smolensk and Loubino games. This second group is the (3rd) Light Brigade of the Royal Army of Württemberg, commanded by Generalmajor Felix von Brüsselle in 1812.

The Light Brigade was an elite formation, which had won great renown in the 1807 and 1809 campaigns and would continue on a path of glory during 1812. The Brigade comprised of two light infantry battalions and two jäger battalions, who were lavishly equipped with rifled muskets and rifled carbines. The brigade was well led, highly motivated and experienced, which is why it was used for numerous tough light infantry missions such as clearing enemy from difficult terrain, conducting river crossings, outflanking the enemy, and acting as flank security / rearguards. Because of these special missions, the brigade was frequently teamed up with Württemberg light cavalry and horse artillery for a truly mobile, elite and hard hitting task force.

The 3rd Light Brigade

Generalmajor von Brüsselle - I don't know what kind of uniform the general actually wore, but I chose to go with green to tie him better with the troops he leads

The 1st and 2nd Light Infantry Battalions

The 1st and 2nd Foot Jäger Battalions

The miniatures are once again from AB. I ordered too few and may end up painting some more to field the jäger battalions as 6 bases and to have some light infantry bases with skirmishers so that they can be fielded in skirmish formation also.

Project Württemberg

Our 1812 campaign is set to continue this week, which has inspired me to paint further additions to the Grande Armée. Reading through campaign narratives and looking at OOBs, I realized that nobody in our gaming group has painted any Württembergers, which comprised a full infantry division and roughly half the cavalry in Marshal Ney's III Corps. And so, I present to you, the 1st Brigade of the 25th (Württemberg) Infantry Division: 4 line infantry battalions from two regiments under the command of Generalmajor von Hügel.

The miniatures are from AB. I am a huge fan of the AB range which are a pure joy to paint. My only complaint is the limited number of poses, which comes across especially with these " minor nations' " forces.

1st Württemberg Line Infantry Regiment (Prinz Paul):

4th Württemberg Line Infantry Regiment (von Franquemont):

Generalmajor von Hügel:

The Württemberg contingent is a great modelling project for our Napoleonic campaigns. It was some 12.000 strong (plus additional home guard units) and took part in Napoleon's 1807, 1809, 1812 and 1813 campaigns. In 1813, during the battle of Leipzig, the Württembergers switched sides and were on the anti-French side in 1814.

The contingent remained pretty much unchanged in terms of its composition or size during this period and, although there was some change in uniforms, this was pretty minor (the front of their vests had the regimental colours prior to 1812 and the caterpillar helmets were exchanged for shakos in 1813). The contingent was the third largest force in the Confederation of the Rhine, yet unlike many of the other forces in the Confederation, the Württembergers had a very good reputation and were constantly used as front line troops. The light infantry and cavalry in particular were considered as elite units by contemporaries.

I have used this book plus internet sources to research the Württemberg contingent. Though only covering 1809, most of the stuff in the book still holds true for 1812

King Friedrich of Württemberg took great pride and devoted much attention to his army, which was organized along French lines and employed French tactics early on. The commanders were more-or-less chosen by merit and the king ensured that the force had good equipment and ample supply (outstripping French units in these regards at least in 1809). Though under French command, king Friedrich never let anyone forget whose force this was and managed to keep his men together as an operational unit. This competent force served as a power chip for Friedrich to gain the favour of Napoleon and, at the same time, secure Friedrich's power at home.