BATTLE OF TURIN 1706 - Cadet (Standard-bearer) of the Piemonte Reale Cavalleria Regiment

 Following my cooperation with Kronoskaf Project WSS and my project (and unspeakable dream) to recreate all the uniforms of the Armies partecipant to the Battle of Turin in 1706 (this means also Prussians, French, Austrian, etc.) I went on with a Cadet (young noble) and Standard-bearer of the Piemonte Reale Cavalleria Regiment.

The details as usual you can find on the site Kronoskaf, with a lot of other information that are going to be collected by a bunch of people, coordinated and led by Richard.

The Piemonte Reale had as peculiarity the golden buttons. For the rest have a look on Kronoskaf.

BATTLE OF TURIN 1706 - STANDARDS OF PIEMONTE REALE CAVALLERIA & SAVOIA CAVALLERIA

 After a lonf trip - still on - in 1848 my time-machine, I went back to my other beloved period, i.e. the War of Spanish Succession. This because I am cooperating with the famous and marvellous site Krososkaf for the WSS for the Italian theather that means the Piedmontese/Savoyard Army.

In this moment we are completing the articles about the Piedmontese/Savoyard Cavalry and more specific the 2 Piedmonetese Regiment of Piemonte Reale Cavalleria and Savoia (at the epoch also written Savoja) Cavalleria, two glorious Regiments that still exist nowadays in the Italian Army.

http://kronoskaf.com/wss/index.php?title=Piemonte_Reale_Cavalleria

My last effort were the standads of these 2 Regiments, that are now published on Kronoskaf, but I also report here, specifying the genesis of them:

                                               PIEMONTE REALE CAVALLERIA 1706                                                   

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The standard of this Regiment at the epoch of the Battle of Turin (1706) had a recto with red field and a very embroided ornaments in gold all around. In the center (becase it was called "Reale" i.e. Royal) had the coat of Arms of the Duke of Savoy Vittorio Amedeo II, with a Royal Crown. On the Verso the standard had a white horse, left-oriented in white with the motto "Venustus et Audax". The white horse was present on all the cavalry Regiment of the Duchy, i.e. on the Standards of the Guadie del Corpo Regiment and of Savoia Cavalleria Regiment. It is supposed to be a recall to the pretended origin of the Savoy Family to Westfalia. (it is called "Cavallo Spaventato" i.e. scared horse"). All standards had golden fringed edges. Note that untill half of the XVIII Century there was no Colonel standard for cavalry units. This colour was hence used 1 for each of the 4 or 5 squadrons of the Regiment, held by an Officer called "Cornetta", usually a young noble cadet.

SAVOJA CAVALLERIA 1706

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The standard of this Regiment at the epoch of the Battle of Turin (1706) had a less decorated pattern with on the recto a "feared horse" like the previous regiment but right-faced, with the same meaning as above. On the verso a golden tree (sometimes also in green) with the motto "Secta et Ligata refloret" that means "the split things and the tied things reflourish"; after the Battle of Turin, due to the famous episode where a young officer of this Regiment galopped dying to the Duke to announce the victory over the French, covered in blood; when the staff of the Duke saw this cavalier they all thought he was bringing bad nesw, but the Duke said in French "Savoye, bonnes nouvelles" meaning "Savoy, good news" became the motto of this Regiment and still is nowadays; hence it was reported on the recto. 

Note that Hill in his very good book "The Army of the Duchy of Savoy 1688 -1713" represents this standard in blue, with just the tree and the coat of arms of Savoy Family. this is a mistake due to the fact that in the painting of the epoch (4 years after the battle) the Savoja Regiment's standard is clarly represented in red. Also the information about the standard dating back the very beginnign of the Regiment that it must "portare al cavallo allegro inalberato e rivolato d'argento entro scudo fiancheggiato da due stendardi con asta da torneo, senza alcun motto in fascia, sormontato da corona ducale" (Decree of Vittorio Amedeo II dating 1692 and valid during this period) (translation: "carry a happy raised and faced horse in silver, inside a  shield flanked by two standards with tournament pole, without any motto and topped with the Ducal Crown"; so it is evident that the rapresntation done by Hill is wrong in the field colour and in verso standard.

1:1 RATIO vs 10 OR MORE RATIO IN WARGAMING

 I started once with a ratio 1:20. I passed (and I thought it was a big step) to 1:10 ratio. So my battalions switched from 25 papersoldiers to 50 papersoldiers. A lot but still. One day (I remember I was in Greece with my future wife) I was arraying in the hotel's room my SYW papersoldiers, when she asked me: "why don't you switch to 1:5 ratio? and why don't you trim them totally, cutting off every single piece of paper?" It seemed to me more a provocation than a suggestion; then I started to completly trim the papersoldiers and they really look great; I started to increase the ratio to 1:5... it was a question of few months that I passed to the crazy ratio 1:1.

Well, you can reach this on large scale just with papersoldiers. I know it is in any way long to trim them, to glue them on basis and to put the magnet (see further); but the effect in comparation with the (poor, in terms of numbers) battalions you see on Internet for wargaming, is no comparation!.

I don't want to criticize the beauty of usual wargaming but when I read that you base as many figures you want on a regular basis of this fixed measurements, I think: 1) so why simply use the base without soldiers on it? faster, cheaper and same use... 2) nothing more distant from reality where the numbers of a unit varied a lot and determined very different shape and measures of the unit. Which sense has  for example to make a French Battalion of 800 men, the same as a Russian battalion of 250 men (Battle of Austerlitz, Pratzen village) the same measures?

With my papersoldiers you also have a very important pro: I don't glue tjem to the basis but I simply add a magnet, allowing me to use the basis like they were of plastic or lead, but to remove them with a simply movement of the hand.

Here I would like to provide you an example: I reproduce at 1:1 ratio the French Dragon Regiment "Dauphine" at the Battle of Turin in 1706. They fought with 3 squadrons on foot for around 270/280 men.

In the images above you can look at 1 single regiment of Dragoons. Let's see the same on a normal wargame board.

Here you have 2 battalions (i.e. around 800 men) of the same period (Battle of Blenheim 1704). It's not that one is better than the other; it's just a different way to interpretate a battle.

Here above a very beautiful picture of the battle of Blenheim, with battalions of around 16/20 figures.

Under: another example of what it means 1:1 ratio. In the pictures some (low-numbered) Russian battallions at the Battle of Austerlitz (1805); around 500 papersoldiers to represents 2 (reduced) Russian Battallions.

When I look at these men, arrayed in this way, it really gives me the atmosphere of a pitched battle; it seems to me almost to hear the noise and the voices of those men.

So the question is: what can give you more a representation of a battle at 1:1 ratio, in comparition with  a normal wargaming scaling down system? Well the answer is quite simple: it provides you the possibility to recreate in details a battle with all the particularities that made the difference; for instance:

1) if a unit is 800 men and the other 250 and both were battalions, you will recreate the difference in size, i.e. the room that the first occupies, while the second will be much reduced. Not a fix base with different values, but different  bases with different width. (so maybe you can understand how the first battallion was able to encircle the second one, otherwise impossible to understand and to reproduce in wargaming with basis with the same size).

2) having a battalion or a regiment on different squadrons or companies with - in total - around 500 men you can invent (as I did) all a different range of rules, even avoiding the use of dice. How? well for example if you have 500 men shooting at 60 meters range, you can predict with a good average the losses they provoked. And it will be much more precise than the throw of dice. 

3) the morale or the cohesion test can be done without dice; for instance at the battle of Leuthen the Wurtemburgers unit fled just seeing the advancing Prussian regiments. How to reproduce it? well I have the solution: I make it here short; summarizing,  it consists on calulating the numbers of men + number of officers/NCO/colours (called "characters"), multiply for a number; this gives you the cohesion strength. Against this cohesion strength ("forza di coesione", in Italian) there is the "shock strength" ("forza d'urto" in Italian); if the last one is bigger (2 times, 3 times or further) it gives effects on the other troop. (simplified version).

4) having so many troops, you can split a battalion even in companies and the companies in pelotons, as you wish or need (so inside a village you can split the battalion to defend every single home)

5) the visual of the battle is really as Napoleon, Federich or Eugene saw it! It means you can be the first to re-watch the battle as it was. Unique experience, I would say

6) The costs are very low: the papersoldiers are done on paper (140 mg/m2), folded and trimmed. So no need to paint it! the computer does this for you. If you are able to draw you can invent as many positions as you want and you can reproduce as many papersoldiers in the same position as you desire.

Contra

1) The only negative stuff is the dimension of the battlefield (the board); actually it should be at least 7 meters witdh, but more correctly should be 12 meters, and 4 meters deep, or better 6 meters deep, with possibility to "enter" inside it. To reproduce this hige terrain I used always paperboards. The effect is quite good, no need for painting and very cheap. The space: well I suggest an open space (indoor) or even a field outside. 

2) time: to make a wargame with 40.000 papersoldiers it will require years of costant work; I hacve people helping me to trim the papersoldiers and they work at tempo of 200 men/week; it means you can maximum have 800/1000 papersoldiers per month, i.e. 12.000 papersoldiers per year.

So whoever is interested in helping me, (I pay for it), please leave your email here; I will contact you. 

Here above: the Dragoons Dauphine Regiment split in 3 squadrons.

Here bottom: a single squadron split in 2 pelotons

As said, being in paper I stiched them to the basis with a magnet, and they hold fast.

 

Moreover, it is possible to eliminate the single man that you lose durin a battle (even just 1, by substituting a base of 3 papersoldier with a basis with 2 papersoldiers).

1848 PROJECT: Brigade Aosta 1:1 Ratio

I saw a lot of very impressive and beautiful blogs on the Internet, dealing with wargame art. I saw that a lot of people makes projects: a single well defined project and they carry it on untill they achieve their goal. Well I do envy them for their constance.

So I summarize my (all halfway or even less) projects:

1) Battle of Leuthen 1757 1:1 Ratio

2) Battle of Turin (zone of Castle of Lucento) 1:1 Ratio

3) Battle of Santa Lucia 1848 (the attack on the village/cementry) 1:1 Ratio

4) Battle of Tarnow (part) december 1914, 1:1 Ratio

5) Battle of Austerlitz (the attack on the village of Pratzen; 1:1 Ratio

6) Battle of Halmstad 1676; 1:1 ratio (almost competed)

7) Battle of Zama (or Makedonian Wars) 1:1 ratio

So I think that in total it should make around 300.000 papersoldiers and around 5 of my lives and a lot of money.

So here I reduce my project: a 1:1 ratio rebuilding of the Aosta Brigade (on 2 regiments, the 5th and 6th) at the Battle of Santa Lucia. 

Forces:

Brigata Aosta

5th Regiment: Officers :57 - Men: 2390 - not armed men 92: TOT: 2539 men

6th Regiment: Officers: 63 . Men 2359 - not armed men 81: TOT 2503 men

NB: according to the numbers given by a General in the Piedmontese General Staff this Brigade had only 4383 men.

This numbers give some problems of interpretation: if every regiment was on 3 battalions and every battalion had 4 companies of around 200 men, this means that 1 battalion had at full strengh 800 men, x 3 battalinon: 2.400 men per regiment. It works only if we keep outside this the cooks, the General Staff of the Regiment (around 20 men).

It seams to me that this numbers must be interpretated. The first numbers are from an official report and - probably - they consider also the 4th battalion (deposit), or if we add to the normal numbers the General staff of every regiment.

I would consider just the fighting troops of the 2 regiments, so 2390 men (5th Regiment) and 2359 (6th Regiment), for a total of 4749 men i.e. 366 men more than what the General stated for the battle (4383 men). This can happen because the General that wrote the orders for the Battle of Santa Lucia had the exact numbers of the available men for that day; so which number must be considered more correct?

I will opt for the second numbers of 4383 men for the following reasons:

1) the numbers are from a General that gave the order, the other I don't know from where.

2) the total amount of a regiment accordin to the source should be of 2400 men (3 battalions x 800 men); it is normal that after 2 months of campaign the units lost around 10% of the effective (illness, disertions, even if little, some men out for other duties etc.).

So I will reproduce the AOSTA Brigade as follows:

5th Regiment 2212 men on 3 battalions 

    a) first Battalion: 751 men (officers, colour, NCO, drummers)

                    Battalion General Staff: 1 Major; 1 Captain 3 Aides

                1) Company Fucilieri 190 men (1 cap.; 1 Lieutenant; 2 Second Lieutenant; 6 NCO; 12                                  caporals; 1 colours; 2 drummers; 165 privates)    

                2) Company Fucilieri 186 men (1 cap; 1 Lieutenant; 3 Second Lieutenant; 5 NCO; 14                                  caporals; 2 drummers;  160 privates)   

                3) Company Fucilieri: 182 men (1 captain; 2 Lieutenant; 2 Second Lieutenant; 6 NCO 13                             Caporals; 2 drummers; 156 privates)

                4) Company Granatieri: 188 men (1 captain; 1 Lieutenant; 3 Second Lieutenant; 5 NCO 11                          Caporals; 2 drummers;  165 privates)

    b) second Battalion: 730 men (officers, colour, NCO, drummers)

                1) Company Fucilieri

                2) Company Fucilieri

                3) Company Fucilieri

                4) Company Granatieri

    c) third Battalion: 721 men  (officers, colour, NCO, drummers) 

                1) Company Cacciatori

                2) Company Cacciatori

                3) Company Cacciatori

                4) Company Cacciatori

    d) Regimental General Staff 10 men (officers and Aides)

6th Regiment 2171 men

1848 BATTLE OF SANTA LUCIA. The Church of Santa Lucia Extra

A thing that is quite curious is how many battles were fought around a church. It is true that Europe is dotted with churches everywhere, Catholic, Protestant or Othodox, but it's curious that the bloodiest fightings happened close to where it was (and is) preached to love each other.

The battle of Santa Lucia fought on 6th May 1848 does not make any exeption to that and saw a very hard fighting around the Church and the usual graveyard close to the church. 

Santa Lucia in 1848 was a very small village just outside the bastions of Verona, and it was a church and graveyard, a school next to the church and some farms more or less big. 

So for wargaming it is quite simple. I checked on google.map out it looks like today the church, and it remained the same as then. Just the rest of the farms were incorporated in the current town of Verona.

Santa Lucia Extra's Church now

On the left (West), there is the graveyard and the side from where the Piedmontese attacked the village; on the right (East) the town of Verona. So the church is with its back on the street that now like then was leading to the town. The bell-tower is quite high. while all the buildings on the right are after the battle. The front of the churc is is baroque style, while the rest with old bricks.

At the beginning I did some mistake and I did all the church in a baroque style. First I did the facade, and I glued it to a (baby-milk) box, that I covered with walls like the façade. Wrong!

I know, it seems like I didn't have a great enthusiasm for this church. But then I started to study it and I added 4 buttresses and started the first (yes I am going to do more transformations!).

Here the fisrt results:

As you can see I also did (mistake!) some long windows, that are totally not correct.

Then I proceeded to add the posterior part of the church (I should have done longer, by the way, and maybe I will do); but keeping in this way (maybe in 1848 was in this way) I can re-use this Italian style church also for the Battle of Turin (1706) where close to Castle of Lucento there was in fact a church, similar to this one.

Here the back-adding:

I then added the roof and linked it with the buttresses

From this point on the Church started to match with my wargame-taste, and made me make some major efforts on it. I covered all the sides and back of the church of bricks (the first versione of bricks were too big, so I had to recover the walls a second time with the correct size of bricks)

I covered the roof with typical Italian "tegole" 

I finished it with the yard around made of stones

I proceeded then with the towerbell, but maybe its proportions are not correct, above all it is too short. So other works to be done and corrections to do.

Yes! Defenitly I will increase tge height of the towerbell; it has to grow around 5 cm, and I have to had the watch.

But how my little paper armies look like next to this church? Here the effect, hoping you will enjoyed it.

Important PS: I just read on wikipedia that the church in 1898 had a total breakdown while they were building some enlargement to the church. So it means that the current vision with long tail (that in fact doesn't match with the proportions) was added. So I will keep the church in ths way, without any building around it, but the belltower. Good news, less work!

1848 AUSTRIAN ARMY: JAEGER - 10th Battalion "Koppal"

 The Jaeger Regiment were organized like the normal Infantry. They were supposed to fight like skirmishing, but at the very end they foight like Infantry. The defense of the cementry at the Battle of Santa Lucia (6th May 1848) gives you a very clear idea of it.

Coming back to my project (the Battle of Santa Lucia at 1:1 Ratio) I drew this time a Jaeger of the 10th Feldjaeger Battalion called "Koppal" from the Major that commanded it.

They were on 6 companies.

Each company had:

1 Kaptaen (captain)

1 Oberleutenenat (Lieutenant)

2 Unterleutenant (Second Leutenants)

2 Oberjaeger

12 Unterjaeger

20 Patrouillefuehrer

2 Trumpets

1 Pionieer

180 Soldiers

4 Aides for officers

Here I present a picture of their Corsican hat, with plumes, and the badge (a trumpet) of the 10th Battalion, i.e. "Koppal"Battalion

And here I present a figure of Jaeger with and without the coat around his shoulders.

10th Feldjaegerbattalion "Koppal"

Battle of Santa Lucia 6th May 1848

10th Feldjaegerbattalion "Koppal"

Battle of Santa Lucia 6th May 1848

- second version - 

This particular Corsican hat and above all the style of wearing feathers was adopted by the Bersaglieri Corp of the Piedmontese Army (funded 18.6.1833), because at the epoch the Piedmontese Army was still following the Austrian style.

Here a Bersagliere in 1848 uniform:

1848 Bersagliere

1848 PIEDMONTESE ARMY (ARMATA SARDA). Nizza Cavalleria

 This is one of the most historical regiments of all the Piedmontese/Italian history, still existing and with long and glorious tradition.

Contrary to other countries the best uniforms were during the Risorgimento (and now still used in cerimony).

As far as I know there are quite few representation on Internet of this uniforms. I thought it is time to cover this mistake and give glory to the superb Piedmontese Cavalry.

I started with a Lancer (they all wore lance and sword) of the NIZZA CAVALLERIA Regiment in 1848.

1848 - Nizza Cavalleria.

(Copyright Michele L. SAVASTA FIORE)

and hereafter in a second plastic pose:

1848 - Nizza Cavalleria.

(Copyright Michele L. SAVASTA FIORE)

1848 - Nizza Cavalleria.

(Copyright Michele L. SAVASTA FIORE)

The result of this papersoldiers, once cut, trimmed and glues is as follows:

They are 2 pelotons of the first Squadron of the Nizza Cavalleria, i.e. 50 men