Saturday, November 18, 2023

Wurttemberg I.R #1, "Prinz Paul"

 

In 1807, the line infantry of the Kingdom of Wurttemberg replaced the previous Rumford style helmets with a new Raupenhelm.

The Grenadier companies had an unusual version with the raupe transverse, in some ways resembling the earlier Miters of the 7 Years War and early Prussian and Russian Napoleonic armies. Here, the Grenadier company is in the front, on the right side of the line. 


Infanterie Regiment #1 had yellow facings with white piping, and white metal buttons. These are once again Piano Wargamer figures by Lucas Luber. 

King Frederick of Wurttemberg devoted a lot of time and money to the army of his Kingdom, and expected them to perform well on campaign and in battle. 

The Army of Wurttemberg formed a small Corps in 1809, under the command of General de Division Dominique-Joseph René Vandamme. Vandamme was born in Cassel and was fluent in German. He had a nasty disposition that alienated his colleagues, and he also publicly criticized Napoleon. A talented commander otherwise, those character features were doubtless why Napoleon never appointed him to the Marshalate!

Note the rear view of the Grenadier helmets here. During the 1809 campaign, the Wurttembergers fought at Abensberg, Eckmuhl, and Landshut. 

20 comments:

  1. The Napoleonic Germans are all very tempting Peter - and these Piano figures are certainly up to the sculptors' usual high standards - they look great.

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    1. The armies of the minor states forming the Confederation of the Rhine are one of the major attractions for the Napoleonic era... IMHO, at least. :-)

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  2. Beautifully painted figures, Peter. The sculpting is also superb.

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    1. Thanks, Dean. I'd say the painting is OK, myself, but the figures are superb.

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    1. Glad you like them. By the way, the flags are all available as free downloads from Lucas' site/store.

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  4. Great work, the sculpts are wonderful. Piano miniatures certainly has been a great addition for Napoleonic collections.

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    1. Thanks, Joe; it has certainly caused unplanned additions to my collection! :-)

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  5. A very smart looking unit! Were time and money limitless, I'd use similar figures to form the infantry contingent of a small fictitious Germanic territory, circa 1830 or so. Your figures and their flag are striking.

    Kind Regards,

    Stokes

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    1. Thanks, Stokes. Time and money are surely constraints on almost all of our activities!

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  6. I can now recognise Lucas's figures on sight. Great job on some lovely sculpts Peter.

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    1. Thanks, Lawrence. His style is somewhat distinctive, I'd agree. Still one more Line unit, the Footguards, Guard cavalry, and High Command to paint... and one more painted unit to p[ot later in the month.
      I still have a few Bavarians and Austrians/Tirolese from the last KS, and the loot from the Danube Campaign will likely be on me before that!

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    1. Thanks, Chris! I was happy with how they came out, although superb is probably a bit too generous! :-)

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    2. It wasn't flattery Peter, I strive (as I am sure most of us do) to do the best we can and these look great. I will confess that like Iain below, I have a 'soft spot' for the Confederation of the Rhine armies.

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    3. Oh, no worries at all; I appreciate a compliment as much as anyone. :-)
      There are some amazing painters out there for sure. There's a limit to how far I am willing to go in terms of time and eye strain, (and talent) and I am well satisficed with painting at this level and speed!

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  8. Splendid looking figures, both sculpting and painting and a lovely flag too, hurrah for confederation of the Rhine troops!
    Best Iain

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    1. Thanks Iain; I love the various armies of the Rheinbund!

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