After a delay, Swedish Light Cavalry units
I have recently picked up an assignment to teach full time
at the local high school, in the field I am certified in the state. This means an increase in hours spent as lesson
preparation, student assessment and grading are now of my duties. O, and the pay is better, at least until the
end of June.
So that's my excuse for recently being quiet, but now the
article on the Swedish Napoleonic light cavalry units can begin. The units are again, those from the 1813
campaign in Germany.
The three units mentioned were with the Army of the North.
The West Gotha Dragoons are outfitted in a dark blue coat
faced red on collars and cuffs with a white piping around the front seams of
the jacket. brown pants with black books complete the uniform. The headgear topped is a helmet of black leather with brass
reinforcements, with a black peak and a white plume and white horsehair crest .
The horse furniture is dark blue saddle blanket, pistol
covers and valise, all with a broad
yellow band.
The Smalands Light Dragoons had dark blue jackets, yellow
cuffs and collars, buff belts and trousers. The headgear was a peakless shako,
slightly wider at top than at bottom. There was a white plume and cord
finishing up the shako.
The horse furniture consisted of a dark blue saddle blanket,
pistol covers and valise, all these items again had a broad yellow stripe and
the pistol covers and saddle blanket had three crowns on the back corners.
Both the West Gotha and the
Smalands regiments are Minifig 25mm
troops, done back in the early 1980's.
The final unit of light cavalry is the Morenska Hussars, one
of two hussar units in Northern Germany in 1813, but the
only Swedish hussar regiment with the Army of the North.
These figures sport the buff pants, dark blue pelisse and
dolman with yellow braiding and buff belting. Yellow cuffs and collars finish
off the coats, the boots were black. The headgear is the tall mirliton similar
to hussar units in other Continental armies with a white plume and red cords. There was a tail
(my term) of yellow material which hung loose from the back of the hat down the the middle of the back. A black
cartridge box was worn on the back.
A dark blue saddle
blanket, sabertache of the same color both trimmed with a yellow band were
complemented by a white sheepskin cover over the pistols.These fellows are Minifig 25mm but I believe were in the catalog as Spanish cavalry. Well, a hussar is a hussar, after all, and they fit the description in the Courier article.
Well, there you have it, these fellows and the heavy regiments have been excellent performers for nearly 30 years on the table. Next post will feature the artillery.
Comments
I think 7YW Prusian Huissars will also work for the von Monerska Hussars - I just have one figure on my command stand with Bernadotte (aka Kronprinz Karl-Johann). The "tail" on the Mirliton head dress is termed a "flamme", I think.
Will we be seeing these chaps at the 1813 "campaign in a Day" in 2 weeks?
Peter