Bavarian Commanders

 

The uniform of Bavarian Generals is pretty immediately recognizable. It was instituted in 1799 to replace the much disliked earlier Rumsford uniform designs.

The coats were conflower blue with red facings on the cuffs, collar, lapels, and turnbacks. White pants were worn, although later in the era, some officers adopted cornflower blue pants instead, especially for field wear. 

The collars, cuffs, and lapels were all heavily decorated with silver lace in a palm leaf pattern. As with all Bavarian officers, a sash of silver mixed with cornflower blue was worn about the waist. 

The officers shabraques were red with heavy silver lace borders. These are once again Piano Wargames figures by Lucas Luber; the figure on the left is meant to represent General Bernhard Erasmus von Deroy, and on the right we have General Carl Philpp von Wrede, accompanied by an infantry officer. 

Bavarian "Horse Artillery" and Train

 

"Bavarian Horse Artillery" is somewhat of a misnomer. The first thing approaching this was a 2 gun section composed of the of Reitende Artillerie Kompanie in 1800. The horse battery was separated from the Artillerie-Regiment in May 1801, and the following year was reformed as an independent, 8 gun company. In March of 1804, the Horse company was disbanded and incorporated in to the Foot Artillery battalions. 

    From W. J. Rawkins, The Army of The Kingdom of Bavaria, 1792 – 1814  "Following the French occupation of Vienna Napoleon invited Maximillian Josef to accompany him to the Vienna Arsenal and presented him with Austrian guns, limbers, caissons and ancillary wagons and harnesses to fully equip two complete 6pdr horse artillery companies (Artillerie zu Pferd). This equipment with ‘wurst seats’ fitted to the gun trails was issued to two of the existing foot artillery battery converting them to horse artillery. The gunners rode on the wurst seats and the limber and the non-commissioned-officers were mounted on horse obtained fully trained from the cavalry who also provided to trained trumpeters for each company. 

    These new companies were initially organized in the same manner as the Austrian ‘wurst artillery’ but this was found unsatisfactory to Manson (the chief of the Bavarian Artillery arm), who disliked the weight that the wurst seat added to the light 6 pdr field guns which prevented the gun being laid by a single gunner. In 1806 the horse batteries were re-organised and began to be issued with new equipment specially designed by Manson and the companies ceased to be known as Artillerie zu

Pferd and were styled as ‘Leichte-Artillerie’, or ‘Mobile-Artillerie’.  

    The wurst seats were removed from the cannon trails in 1807 and replaced with Manson’s design for ammunition and tool caissons with a wurst seat on which the light artillery crews could ride. This system remained in use with the light companies until 1817."

The uniforms of these troops were the same as the foot artillery, except with a white plume on the Raupenhelm in place of the red of the Foot Artillery. 

Gunner's shabraques were dark blue with a deep yellow border, piped red. Officers shabraques were red with a broad gold border, piped red. A spare Bavarian Dragoon figure has been pressed into service as a mounted artillerist. These figures are all by Lucas Luber and Piano Wargames.  

In September 1806 the Bavsrian Artillery Train came under full military control as the ‘Führwesen-Bataillon’’. The new battalion was composed of eight companies, each divided into two "half-companies,  with one such assigned to each of the field artillery companies.

The limber and crew are by Lancashire Games, one of the few manufacturers I know of who do Bavarian limbers and train figures. I have no idea if the unusual seat atop the limber is correct; I am inclined to doubt it! 

As of 1806, the train uniform was a light grey jacket with cornflower blue collar, cuffs, and lapels, and grey facings piped light blue. White metal buttons and shoulder scales were worn. The breeches were light grey.  An artillery Raupenhelm was worn without a plume. 

As with the artillery carriages, the Bavarian limbers, caissons, and wagons were painted light blue with the metal fittings painted black. 

Bavarian Foot Artillery of the Napoleonic Wars

 In 1799, the new Elector of  Bavaria, Maximillian-Joseph, ordered a reorganization of the Bavarian Artillery arm. In 1800, the Bavarian artillery consisted of a 10 company regiment, organized in to three companies each of Bombardier-Kanonier-Kompanienl; a single small  Reitende-Artillerie-Kompanie (nascent Horse Artillery). The book strength of the Artillery companies was 100, serving 8 guns. 

For the 1809 campaign, the strength of the Bavarian Artillery had risen to 13 companies. 1 mobile company served in the Tyrol, and the remainder was organized into 3 field divisions, each consisting of

one Leichte-Artillerie-Kompanie of six 6pdr field guns and two 7pdr howitzers, two Artillerie zu Fuß Kompanien each of six 6pdr field guns and two 7pdr howitzers , and one Reserveartillerie zu Fuß Kompanie of six 12pdr guns and two 7pdr howitzers.

In 1811, the Artillery was expanded again, and now consisted of 4 artillery battalions, each having the same organization as the 1809 field divisions, with the addition of a third Artillerie zu Fuß Kompanie. Thus, there were now 20 companies in total. 

The uniform coat was change from the traditional Bavarian scheme of grey with cornflower blue facings to dark blue with black facings in 1791. The Raupenhelm was introduced for the Artillery in 1800, and that time. The uniform was updated in 1804, and did not change significantly thereafter over the course of the Napoleonic Wars. 

Bavarian artillery carriages, limbers, etc, were painted light blue. The crew and gun figures are once more by Lucas Luber and Piano Wargames. 

Bavarian Dragoon Regiment #1 Minucci

At the beginning of the Revolutionary Wars, the Bavarian cavalry arm was in very poor shape. Multiple reorganizations followed. In March of 1804, the last of the Cuirassier regiments was converted into Dragoons. 

The two Dragoon regiments had identical uniforms, save only for the color of their buttons and conta-epaulettes: Silver/pewter for the first, and brass for the second. 

Both regiments had scarlet lapels, cuffs, and collars, with white turnbacks edged in red. 

A red cummerbund was worn by both regiments. 

Known uniform variants for the trumpeters include reversed colors, i.e., a red jacket with white facings. 

These are once again the great Piano Wargames figures by Lucas Luber. I am hoping the next Kickstarter will include the Chevauxlegers, of which there were 4 regiments (six in 1811, after the two Dragoon regiments were converted to Chevauxlegers). 

Bavarian Light Infantry Battalion #1

 

The first Bavarian Leichte-Infanterie Bataillone were formed from the earlier Feldjägers. There were 4 such battalions in 1801, rising to six in 1803 and 7 in 1808. The sculpts for this battalion in "skirmishing" poses is once again by Lucas Luber of Piano Wargames in Germany. 

Each battalion had 4 Fusilier companies and one Jäger company, nominally of  about 140 men in peacetime, rising to 200 men per company in wartime. 

The battalions were generally known by the name of their commander. As these changed often, this could be confusing. For example, this battalion was known as "Metzen" from 1801 - 1807, "Habermann" from 1807 - 1809, "Gedoni" 1809 - 1811, "Hertling" 1811- 1812, and finally "Fick" from 1812 - 1814!

The uniforms of the 7 battalions were the same aside from the collars and the colors of the buttons. All units had dark green jackets with  black lapels and cuffs, both piped red, green shoulder straps piped red, and red turnbacks. 

The light battalions had both drummers and hornists. These were distinguished by added lace in the button color (white or red), with green plumes for the hornists (and red, drooping plumes for the Sappers, or "Zimmerman")

Commissioned Officers wore the traditional silver and blue sashes common the Bavarian officer corps at all levels. In 1811, the battalions were reorganized along the French model, having six companies, one of which was the Jäger company (Green plumes, and about 40 of the men carrying rifles), and one the Carabinier company (red plumes). 

Battalion Distinctions, Bavarian Light Infantry, 1804 - 1809

Battalion #	Collar	Buttons
1	Red	Brass
2	Red	Pewter
3	Black piped Red	Pewter
4	Black Piped Red	Brass
5	Yellow piped Red	Pewter
6	Yellow piped Red	Brass
7	Light Blue	Pewter

Bavarian I.R. #7 Lowenstein

The last of the four new Bavarian line infantry units musters out!

This is I.R. #7, Lowenstein, with rose pink facings and brass buttons.

After I had finished painting all four units, and had flocked the bases, I bumped the tray they were resting on, and they all showered down onto the concrete floor of the basement below!

Many were knocked off their bases, bayonets were bent, and these particular sculpts by Lucas have separate heads, so a half dozen or so were decapitated. Ugh! 

Fortunately, crawling around on the floor for a while lead to finding all the missing heads, the bayonets were largely successfully straightened, and the heads restored to the appropriate bodies. Note to self; do NOT do THAT again!

Bavarian I.R. #4 Salern

The 3rd of 4 new Bavarian infantry regiments to muster out, this is I.R. #4, "Salern"

This regiment has yellow facings piped in red, white metal buttons.

The sapper ("Zimmerman") has a red feathery plume and epaulettes, but the elite companies have no epaulettes.

The NCO (pointing) has his cane. 

The sappers also carried marker flags in a Bavarian pattern, Lozengy azure and argent. 

Bavarian I.R. #14

This particular regiment was unnamed (no inhaber), and at times was the 13th regiment when one of the lower numbered regiments was disbanded. 

The black facings piped in red (red collars and turnbacks) make for a dramatic show, almost making one think of artillerymen!

The drummer's lace is in the button color (yellow/brass). 

I used Delta Ceramcoat "Blue Lagoon" for the jackets. 

The flag is once again from the Piano Wargames site. 

Speaking of that, the next Kickstarter for Lucas amazing miniatures opens Monday September 19th; The Danube Campaign, part 1.  

Bavarian I.R. #6 Herzog Wilhelm

The first of four new regiments of Bavarian Infantry musters off the painting table, in time for next months Snappy Nappy Campaign in a Day, based upon the events of April 1809, in Bavaria. 

This regiment has red facings with white piping and white metal buttons. The lace on the jacket of the drummer is in the button color (so white here). 

The green plumes are for the Schutzen, while then red plumes are for the Grenadiers. Neither wore epaulettes. 

These figures are all part of the ones I got in the "Alps Aflame" Kickstarter by Piano Wargames and Lucas Luber in Germany. 

In addition to their bread sacks and canteens, some of the men have cooking pans and cups strapped to their packs.