64 are nofuntocommand. complaints ofboringuniformstopaintandpoor qualityLandwehr militaunitsthat day at Waterloo. Portugal (savefor theRegimentdePrusseinFrench service)andtheyturneduplateinthe scores solowinthepopularitystakes? andtheBattleof Waterloo. Isitsurprising,then,thatthePrussianarmy Anglo-centric viewoftheconflictsthatperiod.For them,wargaming revolves around the Many NapoleonicwargamersintheEnglish-speakingworldhaveanunderstandably and theywere easilyrecognisable bytheir distinctiveyellowfacings Above: Silesiawas theregion thatcontributedthemost Landwehrtroops tothePrussian army commanded was not prepared to cope cope to prepared not was commanded counterparts, thewaytheywere French their for match a were soldiers Although, manforman,Prussian defeat. devastating a suffered In 1806,alongsideitsallySaxony, Historical Background greatest comebackstoryoftheage. between 1806and1813isprobablythe turn aroundinPrussianmartialfortunes forces totheircollections. After all,the period’s mostfascinatingandeffective out ontheopportunitytoaddoneof view ismis-informedandmissing Yet anybodywhosubscribestothis “Vorwärts, Building a Late NapoleonicPrussian Wargames By MartinKelly. PhotographsbyMartinKelly, andStephenMaughan The mere mentionofthelatePrussianarmytomanydrawsyawnsand meine Kinder!” meine of theNapoleonic of Prussia’s armywaslimitedtoa of Tilsit, signed9 July1807–thesize imposed onitbyNapoleoninthe Treaty occupation andhadharshlimitations Prussia quicklyfounditselfunderFrench without ashotbeingfired. many garrisonsandfortresses,often of surrender subsequent the and retreat in army the of disintegration shameful campaign forPrussia,butratherthe the lost that themselves battles the in defeat much so Yetwasn’t Prussia. it on defeats heavy two inflicted Jena at Napoleon and at Auerstadt Davout under forces French 1806, October day, 14 one In leadership. and tactics French with After all,there were noPrussianforces inSpainand Archive, www.napoleonic-archive.com eventually enablePrussiatotakeuparms implementing changesthatwereto and Gneisenau,soonsetabout movement, suchasBoyen,Clauswitz key youngfiguresinPrussia’s reform by vonScharnhorst,includedseveral The commission’s membership,led should bemodernized. recommend howthePrussianmilitary King Friedrich Wilhem IIIofPrussiato Reform Commissionwasappointedby of theseharshconstraints,theMilitary reduced byalmosthalf. Within days and thesizeofPrussianstatewas pay repartationsof100,000,000francs maximum of40,000men,Prussiahadto Army

ranks whenthetime wasright. men whocouldbe calleduptoswellthe building upalarge reserveofcapable the sizelimitimposedbyNapoleon while enabled thePrussianarmytostay below replaced bynewrecruits. This lastidea trained menrotatedoutofservice tobe the Krumpersystem,whichensured that aristocracy, andtheimplementationof officer trainingtoyoungmenoutsidethe attitude todiscipline,openingupof key changesincludedanenlightened Prussian GeneralStaff service.Other in theestablishmentofnowfamous and commandstructuresthatresulted complete reviewoftactics,organization against Napoleonin1813. There wasa Prussian armyin supportofNapoleon. motions ofmobilising therestof condemned Yorck andwentthroughthe of theFrench,KingFriedrich Wilhelm to beneutral.Stillwithintheclutches declared theforcesunderhiscommand signed theConventionof Tauroggen that Russians and,on30December1812, army inRussia, Yorck contactedthe of thefatethatbefellNapoleon’s main of revoltagainstFrance.Havingheard than theKingwholittouchpaper in Napoleon’s invasionofRussia,rather of thePrussianforcesthatparticipated right, thoughitwas Yorck, commander And bylate1812,thetimewasindeed Above: TheseCalpefigures are ReserveInfantrywearingtheSpring1813grey uniforms. decisive role. assembled , wastoplaya trained reserves,volunteersand hastily its combinationofregularsoldiers, defeat andthelatePrussianarmy, with that wouldeventuallyleadtoNapoleon’s Befreiungskriege The stagewassetforthe March 1813. Russia bydeclaringwaronFrance16 announced andPrussiaallieditselfwith to raisethelandwehrmilitiaforceswas events movedquicklyandthedeclaration to Breslau,outofreachNapoleon, But oncetheKingwasabletomoveEast orwarsofliberation

65 1803-1815 66 in otherarmieswas thedivision,butit nearest equivalent toaPrussianbrigade cavalry brigade,severalsquadrons). The infantry battalions(or, inthecase ofa division andwouldtypicallycontain 4-6 those armies,abrigadewassubset ofa armies oftheperiodwouldrecognise. In those familiarwiththeBritishor French These weren’t brigadesinthesensethat several brigades. Prussian corpswasmadeupof cavalry andartilleryelements,each well ascontainingconventionalreserve wargamers isthebitinmiddle:as The partthatseemstoconfusemost the armycomprisedanumberofcorps. Similarly, atthetopofstructure, cavalry squadronsandartillerybatteries. armies oftheperiod–infantrybattalions, composed oftheelementsfamiliarinall At atacticallevel,thePrussian Army was the Prussian The Structureof One (or One three battalions - composedof One landwehrinfantr three battalions - composedof fusilier battalion battalions anda two musketeer - composedof One lineinfantr One foot Typical Prussian Brigade Structure, res

two) ca By normally (butnotalways)comprisethefollowing:

artiller Army ve infantr Autumn 1813,agenericPrussianbrigadewould

v alr y regiment y batter y Autumn 1813 y regiments regiment y regiment y Some brigadeswould alsobyaugmented depiction inthe box above. normally (butnotalways)looklike the 1813, agenericPrussianbrigade would then it’s usefultoknowthat,by Autumn If youintendtotaketheformerapproach, historical orderofbattle. typical Prussianpracticeorfollowan – constructanimaginaryonebasedon sized Prussianforceforwargaming are twochoiceswhenbuildingabrigade- further bytheinclusionofcavalry. There artillery, butthePrussianbrigadewent infantry battalionsandabatteryoffoot contain line(andsometimeslight) Divisions inotherarmieswouldtypically arms forcecapableofindependentaction. was conceivedfromtheoutsetasanall- manpower toadivisioninotherarmies,it While thePrussianbrigadewassimilarin to saythattheywerethesame. would be a disservice to Prussian doctrine

flags existence. there are eye-witnessaccountsofsuch ordered nottocarryflagsinthefieldbut Above: Officially, Landwehrinfantry were de Brigade light infantrybattalionsinthe One exampleistoadoptthesectionabout battalion tobedeployedinopenorder. ever allowalimitedpercentageof that aPrussiancommanderwouldonly rules, whilealwaysbearinginmind apply commonsenseandadjustsuch a Prussianbattalion.Isuggestthatyou how youcandeploythe“thirdrank”of seem toremainstrangelysilentabout British lightcompanies,thoughthey the Frenchvoltigeurcompaniesor how touse“elite”lightelements,like Prussians. Mostrulesareexplicitabout elegantly withskirmishingforthe Wargames rulesetsdon’t seemtocope as theygainedbattlefieldexperience. infantry becamecapableofskirmishing training. Evensomeofthelandwehr battalions whoreceivedsomerelevant from the“thirdrank”oflineandreserve Yet morelightinfantrysupportcame way wasarouteintotheofficerranks. expectation wasthatvolunteeringinthis hunting rifles. Thetrade-off forthis own uniformsandequipment,including and werethusexpectedtoprovidetheir from professionalorwealthyfamilies volunteers weretypicallyyoungmen other battalionsinthebrigade. These Freiwilliger Jagerdetachmentsof light infantrywasprovidedbythe regiment’s fusilierbattalion. Additional capability camefromthelineinfantry The bulkofabrigade’s lightinfantry the brigade. foster comradeshipandmoralewithin same region. This helped infantry wouldusuallycomefromthe line infantryregiment). And thelandwehr as itsassociated would typicallyserveinthesamebrigade region. Soeachreserveinfantryregiment brigade togetherunitsfromthesame battalion. Itwascommonpracticeto by thepresenceofalinegrenadier rules. Stammregiment

General (parent

structure ofPrussianbrigadesevolved then it’s importanttorecognizethatthe If youintendtotakethelatterapproach, 7-pounder howitzers. six 6-poundercannonsandtwo artillery batterywasusuallyarmedwith detachments. The brigade’s foot they toosometimeshadFreiwillerJager about foursquadronsbetweenthemand in abrigadeusuallyprovidedtotalof cavalry. The cavalryregiments regiment liketheLeibHussarsthroughto but couldbeanythingfromaprestigious almost alwayssomeformoflightcavalry, The cavalryelementofbrigadeswas battery No.11 foot Battalion Grenadier Silesian First regiment NEUmark Dragoon

SilesianIfantr artiller von ZIEten’sUpper SilesianBrigade, Spring 1813 y y Regiment LEIb regiment One Battalionfrom battery No.13 foot infantry andcavalry/artilleryelementsis yet toevolve. The ratiobetweenthe in thisexample,butotheraspectsare all-arms capabilityisalreadyevident The regional feel of thebrigadesandtheir serving withBlucher’s SecondCorps. is vonZieten’s UpperSilesianBrigade orders ofbattle. An instructiveexample combat. That’s reflectedinthehistorical infantry andcavalry)weren’t readyfor and manyunits(especiallythelandwehr only juststartedmobilizingitsforces the Spring1813campaign,Prussiahad Hundred DaysCampaignin1815.During between Spring1813andtheOne

artiller hussar regiment First y Silesian Second SilesianIfantr Battalion Schutzen Silesian from the T wo Companies battery No.9 Horse artillery Calpe Miniatures. infantry beginsit’s advance.Figures by Above: A regiment ofSilesianLandwehr and garrisonduties.) carrying outobservation,blockade (There wereanothertwocorps that boasted12brigadesbetweenthem. field armywasorganized into threecorps the Autumn 1813campaign,Prussia’s re-organize thebrigades.By thestartof Prussians tobringinmoreforcesand campaign providedvaluabletimeforthe But thearmisticeatendofSpring skewed towardsthelatteratthispoint.

hussar regiment Second ilesian y Regiment

67 Napoleonic Wars 1803-1815 68 numbering under300in August 1813. it wasweakintermsofmanpower, cavalry regimentoffoursquadrons, battalions andalthoughtherewasa was composedoffour, ratherthanthree, are thatthelandwehrinfantryregiment Prussian brigade. The main differences but notperfectly, totheideaofageneric You canseehowthisconformsclosely, serving withBulow’s Third Corps,above. of abrigadeisvonKraft’s 6thBrigade and artilleryelements. A typicalexample re-organized intocorpsreserve cavalry (12-pounder) artillerybatterieshadbeen units andallthehorseheavy was moreconsistentandmanycavalry By thistimethestructureofbrigades Infantr 1st NeumarkLandwehr Colberg Infantr 9th (Colberg)Infantr Brigade, Late 1815 serving in 26th (Elbe)Infantr 1st ElbeLandwhrRegiment von 6thInfantry Krafts’s von 6thBrigade, Krafts’s VON Pirch’s Second Corps AUTUMN 1813, serving in Bulow’s Third Corps y Regiment y Regiment y Regiment y Regiment all theartillerywasmovedtocorps-level and cavalrybrigadesineachcorps was thattherewerenowseparateinfantry most significantorganizational change 1813 wereabsorbedintotheline. The regiments thathadbeenraisedduring various freicorpsandnationalcavalry together intworegimentsandthe the grenadierbattalionsweregrouped line asregimentsnumbered13to24; regiments wereincorporatedintothe had occurred. The reserveinfantry time wegetto1815,furtherchanges in Holland,BelgiumandFrance.Bythe campaign and through the 1814 campaign structure throughoutthe Autumn 1813 Brigades keptmoreorlessthesame battery No.16 foot 9th res 4th ElbeLandwrCavalry Rgt. 5th KurmarkLandwerCavalry Rgt. 4th KurmarkLandwerCavalry Rgt.

artiller VON Pirch’s Second Corps Cavalry regiment 1st PommeranianLandwehr 3rd Cavalry Brigade, ve Infantr 1815 serving in y Each brigadewouldbecommandedbya of approximatelyfourbattalionseach. division wouldoftenhavetwobrigades For example,atypicalFrenchinfantry is mirroredbyitscommandstructure. infantry divisioniseasytofollowand armies oftheperiod,structurean structure ofPrussianbrigades.Inother I suspectthisarisesfromtheunique flustered iscommandandcontrol. Again, army thatseemstogetwargamers Another aspectofthe1813-15Prussian Command and Control the changes,shownbelow. brigades fromPirch’s secondcorpstypify elements. Exampleinfantryandcavalry y Regiment

Illustration bySteveNoonfrom Warrior 62-PrussianRegularInfantryman1808-15,©Osprey PublishingLtd.www.ospreypublishing.com his disposal,Borstel wasabletoselect With allthese officersandforcesat Premier-Lieutentant Magenhofer. foot artillerybatterywascommanded by command ofMajorvon Thumen, andthe brigade’s cavalryelementwasunderthe who Ihaven’t beenabletoidentify. The commander ofthelandwehrinfantry Reserve InfantryRegiment;plusa leading thethreebattalionsof2nd grenadier battalion,andvonKnobloch Reineke, commandingthePommeranian he wassupportedbytwomajors:von Pommeranian lineinfantryregiment)and von Schon(thecommanderofthe of theinfantrywasOberst-Lieutentant two adjutants. The overallcommander Borstel, aidedbytwostaff officers and was commandedbyGeneral-Major command structurewasthatthebrigade on 23 August 1813. The nominal early inthebattleofGross-Beeren attack onthevillageofKlein-Beeren let’s considerBorstel’s 6thBrigade’s flexibility ofaPrussianbrigadeinaction, As anillustrativeexampleofthe more fluidwiththePrussians. were rigidlyfollowed. Things werealot direct controlareeasytounderstandand each commanderandtheforcesunderhis to theGeneraldeDivision. The roleof General deBrigade,whointurnreported Lieutenant vonPuttkamer. and onemanseverelywounded- man dead,severallightlywounded, for thisengagementwillbeone position. The battalion’s casualties almost completedtheirmoveinto and leftwingofthebattalion,have who originallystoodattheright attack column:the1stand8th this blockadingcorps,isformingan Reserve-Bataillon garrison. The 2.Pommersches pushed backasallybytheFrench in frontofthefortressStettin On thisdaytheblockadingcorps , beingpartof Zug, Hussars andhalf abatteryofhorse four squadronsof thePommeranian Reserve InfantryRegiment,two of the out ofthethreebattalions 2nd their parentregimentsforthetask –two Thirdly, elementsweredetachedfrom force ofinfantry, cavalryandartillery. was placedincharge ofacombinedarms most senioroneinthebrigade)yethe infantry commander(andnoteventhe Secondly, MajorKnoblochwasan their commanders doing this sort of thing. the timeandtherearemanyaccountsof was bynomeansunusualforPrussiansat hoc taskforceforthejobinhand. This Borstel madethedecisiontocreateanad Prussian commandandcontrol.Firstly, demonstrates theuniquenatureof be madeaboutthisdecision,which Several interestingobservationscan HorseBatteryNo.11. • Fourcannonsfrom PommeranianHussarRegiment. • Two squadrons fromthe 2ndReserveInfantryRegiment. • 1stand2ndBattalionsofthe command ofMajorKnobloch: placed thefollowingelementsunder case oftheattackonKlein-Beeren,he a commanderforanygiventask.Inthe appropriate elementsandassignthemto

your Prussianforces. get alotmorepleasure fromcommanding reality I’vedescribedabove,then you’ll ruleset totakeaccountofthehistorical this problemandadjustyourpreferred to wargame. Iurge you to rebelagainst undeserved reputationasaboring army of whichaddfurtherweighttoPrussia’s commanding aPrussianforcearelost. All them andthefascinatingopportunitiesof often blindlyacceptwhattherulestell that Napoleonicwargaming novices armies’ divisions. The outcomebeing brigade intothemorerigidformofother command andcontrolofaPrussian attempt toshoehornthestructureand organization ofthePrussiansandinstead few, ifany, rulesetsreflecttheflexible The challengeforwargamers is that of deliberateplanning. Prussian armytheyweretheinstrument desperate) necessity;whereasinthelate occurrences weredrivenby(often though, isthatinotherarmies,these similar adhocforces. The difference, of otherarmiestheperiodforming It’s truethatyouwillfindaccounts the task. reserve, yetitwasstillmadeavailablefor rather anelementofthecorpsartillery artillery? Itwasn’t partofthebrigade,but artillery. Lastly, whataboutthathorse RESERVE-BATAILLON FORMS LINE NEAR THE VILLAGE OF AN ATTACK COLUMNFROM THE 2.POMMERSCHES GRABOW, 12MAY 1813 69 Napoleonic Wars 1803-1815 70 have afascinating andcomplexhistory, colour. The reserveinfantryregiments Hussars, amongothers,offer plentyof light blueandblackofthePommeranian of theUpperSilesianHussarsor the the LeibHussars,brownand yellow a greatplacetostart:theblackand redof Not surprisingly, thehussarregimentsare you knowwheretolook. plenty ofcolourandvarietytobefoundif - especiallyamongtheinfantry, there’s that there’s anawfullot ofblueandgrey were adowdy-lookinglot. While it’s true common misconception that the Prussians creating aPrussianforcebecauseof Sadly, alotofwargamers haveeschewed are attractedtotheNapoloenicperiod. are oneofthereasonsmanywargamers kid ourselves,theflamboyantuniforms model istobeledbyaesthetics.Let’s not Another waytochooseabrigade order ofbattle. he wishestofollowanhistorical Hessen-Homburg’s 3rdBrigadeif 1813 campaignandthatmeansgoingfor head shakoadornmentsforthe Autumn Leib Hussarswiththeirfamousdeath’s one friendwhowantstopaintupthe1st include. Forexample,Ihaveatleast particular favouriteunitsyouwantto to 1815)andwhetheryou’vegotany (for example,Spring1813asopposed model thebrigadeataspecifictime fight particularhistoricalbattlesor your choicearewhetheryouwantto main thingstoconsiderwhenmaking you’ve gottomakesomedecisions. The you wanttorecreateanhistoricalbrigade which unitsyouchoosetoinclude,butif then you’vegotfreedomofchoiceabout If yougoforagenericPrussianbrigade, artillery with12-poundercannons. with horseartilleryorcorpsreservefoot variety, addsomecorpsreservecavalry could addmorebrigadesovertimeor, for If yourambitionsstretchfurtherthenyou sensible sizedforcewouldbeabrigade. fight “bigbattalions”wargames thena fight withit.If,likeme,youintendto and whatkindsofbattlesyouwantto an armyispracticalforyoutobuild, The firstchallengeistodecidehowbig suggestions tosuittheirownpreferences. of otherapproachestomodifymy ground, whilestillenablingdevotees Hopefully that’llsatisfypopularmiddle figures buildinga1:20figureratioarmy. of acollectorandpainter28mm this challengefrommyviewpoint–that 40mm figures.SoIintendtodiscuss while othersgoforskirmishgameswith corps-level ruleswith6mmfigures, wargames army. Somewargamers prefer different waytoconstructalatePrussian this articletogointodetailaboutevery It’s impossibleinthespaceavailable Choosing Your Foces

units pictured inthisarticleweareitheryellow(Silesia)orwhite(Pommerania). Above: Facingcolorswere usedtoshow theregional originofPrussiantroops. Mostofthe Jagers andtheSilesian Schutzenas specialist unitslike theEastPrussian Finally, don’t ignoresomeofthe artistic licence. trousers andthere’s thescopeforsome non-standard itemslikeblanketrolls and and green(Westphalia). Couple thatwith (Pommerania), lightblue(Elbeand Berg) (West Prussia),yellow(Silesia),white Prussia, NeumarkandKurmark),black included variousshadesofred(East colours usedoncollarsandcuffs imaginative painting.Regionalfacing Even thelandwehroffer scope for wore adifferent uniform! regiments, eachofthethreebattalions In fact,insomePrussianreserveinfantry the Portuguesearmyorriflebattalions. Britain thatwereoriginallyintendedfor reserves receivedsurplusuniformsfrom times inthespaceoftwoyears.Many with someunitschanginguniformthree forces willcomplement eachothernicely. brigade fromthe samecorps–soour one ofmyfriendsispaintingup another supplied uniforms.Italsohelpsthat Infantry Regiment,whichworeBritish- Pommerian Hussarsandthe2nd Reserve gives methecolourfullightblue ofthe with redfacings,thisbrigadealso Kurmark landwehrinfantrybattalions regiment withwhitefacingsandfour including thePommerianlineinfantry with Bulow’s Third Corps. As wellas settled onBorstel’s 5th Brigade,serving both thosefactorsinmind,Ieventually interest inthelongpaintingperiod). With least, toprovidecontinuingvarietyand a fairdegreeofuniformvariation(not from the Autumn 1813campaignwith to combinemydesirefightactions When Imademyselection,wanted cavalry regiments. Jager unitsattachedtobothinfantryand well asthehollygreen-cladFreiwillger following page. painting guideonthe AB range,suppliedbyEureka forour The modelsshownbeloware from the 24 figures). unit packs(aninfantrypackcontains eight figures,forexample)orbettervalue smallish packs(infantrycontain excellently-sculpted posesandissoldin could needandoffers agood varietyof range coversallthetrooptypesyou 15s (www.fighting15sshop.co.uk), the com) butalsoavailablefromFighting com.au, intheUSatwww.eurekaminusa. Miniatures in Australia (www.eurekamin. Anthony Barton.NowownedbyEureka army is AB Figures’ rangesculptedby starting pointforan1813-15Prussian 15mm Napoleonicarmies,thebest As itisforsomanycollectorsofother 28mm scale. for byfiguremakersinboth15mmand Napoleonic wars,Prussiaiswellcatered As oneofthemajornations can starttoplanoutyourfigurebuying. Once you’vemadeyourdecision,you Prussian Miniatures www.napoleon-series.org/military/organization/c_resinf.html research, butstill ausefulgrounding. 1970s. Somematerialsuperceded bymorerecent Napoleonic Association pamphletwritteninthelate • PrussianReserveInfantry: www.dhm.de/ENGLISH/ situated intheoldPrussianarmoury inBerlin. • GermanHistoricalMuseum,thenationalmuseum Useful Websites

1813-15,reproductionofa

the topofthispage. fantastic Leib Infantry Regiment shown at seen throughout thisarticle,includingthe Examples from CalpeMiniatures canbe individually ratherthaninpacks. cuiraissiers. Figuresarecurrentlysold need; theonlyomissionatpresentbeing covers virtuallyeverytrooptypeyou’ll and historicalaccuracy. The range 30mm scale)aswellsheerquality physical terms(thefiguresarereally head andshouldersabovetherestin (www.calpeminiatures.co.uk) rangeis 28mm figuresthentheCalpeMiniatures issue. Ifyou’renotbotheredbylarger existing collectionsbecomesmoreofan means thatfigurecompatibilitywithyour meaning of“28mm”atthelarger scale The varietyofinterpretationsthe comprehensive asthefourabove. but they tend not to be as consistent or as There are also several other 15mm ranges, price perfigure. that bothoffer bettervaluein termsof “battalion bags”and“divisionboxes” figures intheinfantrypack)butalso figures areavailableinsmallpacks(eight offers goodcoverageoftroop typesand warmodelling.com). Again, therange formerly knownasFantassin(www. 15mm rangecomesfrom WarModelling, infantry packs). The otherwell-regarded large packs(typically50figuresinthe cover manytrooptypesbutaresoldin Old Glory15mmline. Again, theseboth the oldBattleHonoursrangeand Century Miniatures(oldglory15s.com): Two more15mmrangesaresoldby19th

befreiungskriege.wordpress.com building 1813wargames armiesandaddyour owncomments. • Befreiungskriege1813-15,feel freetofollowmyblogabout www.grosser-generalstab.de/tafeln/knoetel.htm by thecelebratedfatherandson team. • KnötelPlates,scansofuniform platesdrawn www.napoleon-online.de/html/preussen_juegelwolf1810.html contemporary uniformplatesfromtheperiod. • Jugel/Wolf 1813-17PrussianUniformPlates, Dragoons from EliteMiniatures. The modelsshownbeloware Prussian purchases oflarger numbers. pack), buttherearediscountsfor packs (fourfiguresineachinfantry landwehr cavalry. Figuresaresoldin covered withtheglaringexceptionof Again, thebasictrooptypesare in favourofhighlyanimatedposes. range whichsacrificesdetailedsculpting Miniatures (www.eliteminiatures.co.uk) Another optionistheidiosyncraticElite including “collections”and“armydeals”. various discountsforlarger purchases figures perinfantrypack),butthereare artillery. Figuresaresoldinpacks(eight the biggestomissionislackofhorse types andfigureposesisalittlelimited– Napoleonics andthevarietyoftroop and compatiblewithotherFoundry own business. The figuresaresmaller Perry twinsbeforetheylefttosetuptheir 1813-15 rangewhichwassculptedbythe Foundry (www.wargamesfoundry.com) Almost inevitably, there’s a Wargames

71 Napoleonic Wars 1803-1815 72 Vallejo Flamesof War range. Game Colorrangeorthe All paintsarefromthe Vallejo members oftheLeibRegiment. (www.eurekamin.com.au) as courtesy ofEurekaMiniatures Prussians fromthe AB range, We paintedupsome15mm Base -FlatRed(957) Collar andcuffs: Base -BeastyBrown (72043) Muskets: White (951) 2nd Highlight-Khaki(72061)/ 1st Highlight-Khaki(72061) Base -Earth(72062)/Khaki(72061) Bedrolls andbackpacks: Highlight -Tan (72066) Base -Terracotta (72065) Leather: Khaki (72061) 2nd Highlight-Earth(72062)/ 1st Highlight-Earth(72062) Earth (72062) Base -BlackGrey (862)/ Trousers: (72050) Highlight -BlackGrey/Cold Grey Base -BlackGrey (862) Jackets andGaiters: Highlight -DwarfSkin(72041) Base -Tan (72066) Flesh: Base -ChainmailSilver(72053) Barrel andbayonet: Painting your Prussians

been hankeringafter. a militarymuseum orthatbookyou’ve a dayoutatwargames show, avisit to chart completelycolouredin–perhaps or rewardsforgettingsectionsof the it furtherbyallowingyourselftreats psychology andyoucanborrow from chores. This ideamakesuseofthesame can beformotivatingthekidstodo you willknowhoweffective “starcharts” block onthechart. The parents among each base,colourinthecorresponding for eachfigurebase. Asyoucomplete chart ofyourplannedarmywithablock That bringsmeontomythirdtip:makea later orevenindividualbasesoffigures. understrength unitsthatcanbereinforced easier targets couldbecommandfigures, suit everybody’s circumstances.Smaller, and that’s notalwayseasyanddoesn’t doesn’t havetobeawholeunit, though, already completed! An achievabletarget table toseeunitsontheshelfthatare inspired likelookingupfromthepainting Nothing spursyouonandkeeps boost andalsohelpsbuildupmomentum. completion ofaunitprovidesmorale next one. The reasonthisworks isthat finishing oneunitbeforestartingthe I recommendtheself-disciplineof cavalry squadronorartillerybattery. whether it’s aninfantrybattalion, means focussingononeunitatatime, target atatime.Formostpeople that Secondly, concentrateononeachievable extensive timetocarefulbrushwork. in acabinetthen,byallmeans,devote aspire tosomethingthatyoucandisplay colours, dry-brushinganddips.Ifyou painting techniqueslikesimpleblock a gamer, thenfeelfreetogoforspeed- way thatsuitsyou.Ifyou’reprimarily hobby andyouhavearighttoenjoyitthe this areaisbetruetoyourself.It’s your so theonlyspecificadviceI’lloffer in armies. Bothapproachesareequallyvalid that they’lltakelongertocompletetheir they’re preparedtoacceptthetrade-off the creationoflittleworksartand part ofenjoymentthehobbyliesin of figurepainting.Forothers,abig emphasis onthequalityandaccuracy to achievethat,theyplacemuchless their armyasquicklypossible.Inorder people wanttobeablefieldanduse painter versusgamerquestion.Some decision. This isessentiallytheperennial Firstly, makeaqualityversusquantity I’ve founduseful. to offer severalmotivationaltricksthat see thetaskthroughtoend,soI’dlike level ofcommitmentanddedicationto one biteatatime.Itcertainlytakeshigh goes, thebestwaytoeatanelephantis army inoneproject.But,asthesaying task ofpaintingallthefiguresforour Few ofuscancontemplatethedaunting The P ainting Challenge pace likethiscan beasgoodarest! or library. Don’t forget thatachangeof through theshelvesoflocalbookshop reading now, andevenjustbrowsing wargaming magazinesliketheoneyou’re is RidleyScott’s filmTheDuellists), watching DVDs(oneofmyfavourites include museumvisits,wargames shows, Great waystorecharge thebatteries of inspirationintherealworldtoo! Of course,therearemanygoodsources computer asasourceofinspiration. off orsetthemasthebackgroundonmy now. Ioftenrefertothese,printthem museums andprivatecollectionsonline materials frombooks,magazines, societies, wargames showsandarchival number ofuniformprints,re-enactment tips andresources. There are anamazing and sparerooms,pickupinvaluable fought inpeoples’ garages,basements painted figures,readaccountsofbattles you canseepicturesofbeautifully plenty ofreallyinspiringwebsiteswhere your ownworkonthe Web, thereare You don’t havetogoasfarexposing friends andregularcorrespondents. and someofwhomhavebecomegood challenges totheonesI’vesetmyself, of whomarewrestlingwithsimilar from peopleallovertheworld,many loads ofpositive,encouragingfeedback tried. What Igetinreturnis loads and equipment IuseandthetechniquesI’ve write aboutthepaints,brushesandother pictures ofmywork-in-progress,and Napoleonic wargames miniatures. Ipost write ablogaboutcollectingandpainting my ownPrussianarmy. Ialsohappen to my enthusiasmfortheslowprogresson this article is that it serves to help keep up admit thatoneofthereasonsI’mwriting where everyoucanfindit.I’mhappyto Finally, searchoutandtakeinspiration friendly rivalry. encourage eachotherwithabitof go morequicklyandsmoothlyasyou same projectcanreallyhelpthings Having severalofyouworkingonthe their ownorplantopainttheopposition. interested inbuildaPrussianarmyof you’ll findlike-mindedfolkwhoare critiques ofyourfigures.Ifyou’relucky and askfortheiradviceconstructive members whosecollectionsyouadmire as asocialpaintingsession,seekout keep yougoing:makeuseofaclubnight use opportunitieswithfellowmembersto you’re amemberofwargaming club, assistance offriendsinthehobby. If Make useofthesupportandpractical is torememberthatyou’renotalone. My fourthtiptohelpyoukeepgoing well, IhopeI’vechangedyourmind! turned uplatefor Waterloo, anyway– interesting tocommandonthetableand discharge oftheirownmuskets,aren’t that wouldrunawayatthesoundof uniforms, fullofpoorqualitymilitiaunits Prussians weredowdylookingwithdull for wargamers. Ifyouthoughtthatthe Prussian armyoffers littlepotential popular misconceptionthatthelate I hopethatI’vemanagedtodispelthe Conclusion Autumn 1813. Press, 2002):agreat descriptionofthecampaign inPrussia • NapoleonandBerlin (Osprey, 2003):anexcellentaccountbyarespectedexpert. • PrussianRegularInfantryman1808–15 byOliverSchmidt No. 381: No. 192: No. 172: No. 152: No. 149: five listedherearebyPeterHofschröer. what toexpectfromthesegoodvalueintroductorytitles. All • OspreyPublishing’s Men-at-Armsseries:everybodyknows the Landwehrforces. this bookstillprovidesthebestvolumeoffactualdataabout to findsecondhandcopies.Despitebeingover20yearsold, Hofschröer (RAFM,1984):outofprint,butit’s stillpossible • PrussianLandwehrandLandsturm1813-1815 interpretation ofprimarysourcematerials. written byGerman-speakingauthorsusuallyoffer thebest older onestendtocontainmoreinaccuraciesandnewer published aboutthePrussianarmyanditscampaigns. The Over theyears,manyEnglish-languagebookshavebeen Book Recommendations Prussian StaffandSpecialist Troops 1791-1815 Irregular Troops 1806-15 Prussian Reserve,Militia and Napoleonic Wars 21807-1815 Prussian Cavalryofthe Prussian LineInfantry1972-1815 Prussian LightInfantry1792-1815 byMichaelLeggiere(TheHistory

soon becamebattle-hardenedandwell- militia mayhavestartedpoorly, butthey and re-useofoldresources;thelandwehr personal clothing,suppliesfromBritain variety ofuniformscompiledfrom army sointeresting:therewasagreat very problemsthatmakethePrussian of equipment.Inmanyways,it’s these 1813, despiteseverelimitationsandlack in 1806tofightwithpatrioticfervour period andbouncedbackfromignominy one ofthemostfascinatingwhole The lateNapoleonicPrussianarmyis byPeter of errors,butit’s stilluseful. occasionally turn up.Newerresearchhasthrown uparange 1972): thisSeventiesclassicisout ofprint,butcopies • ThePrussian Army, 1808-1815byDavidNash(Almark, The GermanVictory 1815: TheWaterloo Campaign.Volume 2: Battles ofLignyandQuatre Bras Wellington, HisGerman Allies andthe 1815: TheWaterloo Campaign.Volume 1: perspective. PublishedbyGreenhillBooksin1998and1999: controversial, butessentialreadingforaGermanic • PeterHofschröer’s twovolumesaboutthe1815campaign: Napoleon atLeipzig:TheBattleofNations1813 Napoleon atDresden: TheBattlesof1813 Lutzen andBautzen:Napoleon’s SpringCampaignof1813 and 1996: in exceptional.PublishedbyEmperor’s Pressbetween1993 the prosestyleleavesalottobedesired,butlevelofdetail • George Nafziger’s threevolumesaboutthe1813campaigns: Reserve, Freikorps &NewRegiments1813-1840 Prussian Regular&Guard Infantry1808-1840Vol 2:Jäger, and Guard 1808-1814 Prussian Regular&Guard Infantry1808-1840Vol 1:Line detailed references,PublishedbyCavalierin2009: infantry are,whilenoteasyreads,thoroughlyresearchedand • StephenSummerfield’s twovolumesaboutthePrussian from thecollectionofPeterFitzgerald. Below: PommeranianLandwehrCavalry rallying cryof“Vorwärts, meineKinder!” men, thenI’dliketospuryouonwitha your ownPrussianarmyoflittlemetal So ifyoufancybeingaBlücherfor and farbeyondforthenextcentury. 1806 weretobeinfluentialinGermany system introducedbythereformsafter arms. And theofficertrainingandstaff regarded bytheirregularcomradesin

73 Napoleonic Wars 1803-1815