1848 PIEDMONTESE INFANTRY REGIMENT - ORGANIZATION

 In my project to reproduce  at 1:1 ratio  (at least) a Piedmontese Brigade for my scenario, I went through the problem to understand how was the organization of a Piedmontese Infantry Regiment in 1848 at war.

Each Line Brigade, which had the name of the recruiting district (a fashion that lasted untill 2WW in the Italian Army) was composed of 2 Line Regiments.

Every Regiment had - after a lot of changes in the previous years - the following composition:

The theoretical force was of 2768 men, but no unit ever reached this numbers.

Every Regiment had a General Staff of 23 officers with additional 62 men; all battalions were on 4 companies, as detailled in the scheme, with the composition of men described.

The Battalion staff numbered 15, and each company 225 men.

Problem was to understand how a company was composed. In fact 200 men (as average) is a quite huge number as basic component. For this purpose I did not find any source; after long researches I found on the super detailled book "L'Armata Sarda e le Riforme Albertine" , published by the Stato Maggiore dell'Esercito Italiano, this picture (for a regiment in 1834)

It is possible to note that a company was on 6 pelotons, that should have a force of around 30 men, a number long preserved in the Italian Army.

It is also to suppose that each pelon was under the orders of the 2 Second Lieutenant and of 4 NCO. This was still the structure of a Company when I was in the Army, when as Second Lieutenant I commanded 1 peloton of around 20 men (divided in squads). Inside the peloton, under the direct command of the commanders of pelotons there were the Corporals.

As a fighting force - considering that my scenario would be in May 1848, hence after almost 2 months of war - I will downscale every company from 220 (theoretical), to a real 200 men in March 1848 to a loss of around 10% (sick, deserters etc.) to 185 men per company so 30 or 31 men per peloton.

1805 BATTLE OF AUSTERLITZ - RUSSIAN ATTACK ON VILLAGE DEFENDED BY FRENCH

 It was time I switch to Napoleonic theme. I know it is one of the favourite by the most. Here I wanted to give an idea how it would appear an attack on a village, held by 4 (downgraded) Russian battalions. As usual, the ratio 1:1 provides a spectacular effect; I used around (just) 700/1000 papersoldiers.

Attacking musketeers

Musketeers with old mitre

Pavlograd Hussars

French defending the village

Officers

General view

1706 - SIEGE OF TURIN. FRENCH DRAGOONS REGIMENT HAUTEFORT

 I prepared another 3 squadrons Dragoons Regiment of the French Army at the Battle & Siege of Turin in Summer 1706. They fought at the Battle on foot. This unit has very little number of musicians but 4 Aides de Camps. They look very elegant in their green-red lining uniforms.

Régiment Dragons HAUTEFORT - 271 men

1 Colonel

1 Lieutenant Colonel

4 Aides de Camps

3 Oboists

6 Drummers

10 Captains

3 Guidons-bearers

10 Lieutenants 

5 Cornettes

26 NCO

199 Dragons

Visually, they the Regiment looks this way:

Here above che General Staff of this Regiment. With white sash the Commander of the 1st squadron and behind the Aide de Camps

The colours:

and the guidons verso and recto

1706 SIEGE OF TURIN - FRENCH DRAGOONS REGIMENT BOZELLI

 

The Bozelli Dragons Regiment was the only Regiment of Dragoons on 2 squadrons at the Battle of Turin. The cornette (flag) I did is from the Bozelli Family of Bergamo, where this unit was originally raised. The distinctive colours of this Regiment was possible to achieve thanks to the fact that in 1707 it went to Spain and I got info about their uniforms.

Fot my 1:1 Ratio unit I opted hence for: 

165 Papersoldiers (so men) on 2 squadrons:

1 Colonel

1 Lieutenant Coloneld

2 Aides de Camps

8 Drummers

3 Oboists

2 Commanders of Squadron

5 Captains

2 Stendard-bearers

6 Lieutenant

(No cornette)

20 NCO

117 dragoons

1706 - Bozelli Dragons Régiment

Standard - bearer

1706 - Bozelli Dragons Régiment

Commander of Squadron

                                                1706 - Bozelli Dragons Régiment - Colonel

FROM PIEDMONTESE ARMY TO ITALIAN ARMY 1848 - 1940

  I liked to try to transform a Piedmontese standard bearer dating back to 1848 to an Italian standard bearer dating back to 1940.

The uniforms changed and this is my first time I go for a period I don't like:WWII.

In any way, I am going to prepare a 1940 parade, just to have a look for these uniforms. I do like the system in 1940 was used to mark the officers.

On the left a standard bearer (Lieutenant) of the 6th Infantry Regiment of the Brigade "Aosta"; on the right a standard bearer (Lieutenant) of the 2nd Regiment Granatieri di Sardegna.

And I knew I could not resist to modify the standard bearer in a marching officer:

3 RANKS vs 4 RANKS - FRENCH DRAGOONS

 I was wondering whether the French Dragoons that fought on foot (above all and by sure 100% at the Battle of Turin in 1706) were arrayed on 3 or 4 ranks

I put this topic on TMP and I've gotten interesting answers:

Dragoons of the WSS period were used to patrol the area around the main army body. Ride ahead to control key transit passages, disrupt enemy scouting, block enemy probes, secure food and sup[plies, act as a gendarmerie force on occasion, and then act as fill in formations on the battle line while not mounted. That how we use them in our campaign and tabletop battles. But most of the time they stood behind or within their main army cavalry lines and joined in the success or defeat just like the normal cavalry regiments.

The idea is that the Dragoons could fighto on 3 or 4 ranks according to theird need to extend or reduce the front. 

So I tried to simulate this 2 different formation; the 4 ranks deep regiment has a 35 cm wide front

Thanks to my "magnetic system" it is possible to switch the same formation into a 3 deep ranks formation:

In the last example the 3 ranks deep formation has a front of 53 cm; I think both can fit the fighting for the Castle of Lucento.

LUIS XIV'S DRAGONS ON FOOT: 3 RANKS vs 4 RANKS

 It is sure and demontrated that the French Dragons (more than all the rest of Europe) used to fight on foot, above all when it was matter of siege; these units - along with grenadiers - were considered the most valuable for trying to enter a fortress, due to their capacity also to fight in a sort of skirmishing and their professionalism.

It is also sure they fought on foot with bayonets and "as infantry", this is in deep ranks formations. Now the question is whether they fought on 3 or 4 ranks like the French Infantry. This questions arises because the numbers of a Dragons' squadron were quite limited, (around 100 men at full) and so their extended front (on 4 ranks) would have been quite narrow.

4 RANKS ARRAY

3 RANKS ARRAY

Here an example from the Languedoc I Dragon Regiment.

This unit at the battle of Turin fought on 3 squadrons:

1 Colonel

1 Lieutenent Colonel

2 Aides de Camps

3 Commanders of Squadrons

3 Oboists

10 Drummers

3 Guidons

4 Cornets

10 Captains

9 Lieutenants

28 NCO

203 Dragons