Peninsular Swiss,Italian and Irish

[Haskeer]

Hi all.
I’m painting up a battalion each of Swiss line and Irish light and Italian line, initially with the thought of only to break up a sea of blue.

In Albion Triumphant, it mentions playing around with army list upgrades to represent some of the foreign units (presumably upgrading to tough fighters, veterans etc.).

I’m a bit new to French forces, so which upgrades/downgrades would you recommend for each of the 3 units?

 

Thanks in advance,

John

 

• This topic was modified 4 years ago by Haskeer.

[invisible officer]

Well,

most foreigners under Napoleons rule had been reluctant at best. Even those under direct Bonaparte rule. Like Jerome’s 1ers Chevaux-Legers from Westphalie. Raised 1808 just 390 of 500 reached the Peninsula. The others deserted on the way.

 

The Irish are often former POW, most came to escape the camps. The number of stout Catholics fighting for liberty was small compared to the older Wild Geese. From 1811 they recruited all foreigners  available.

The original Swiss units had been good but from 1810 the replacements came by force.

 

The Italians came mostly from the prisons and from conscripted peasants. The desertion rate was absurd high. The 1st Neapolitan Line lost 252 in 3 days.   First light had 130 in a month.  Replacements are marched under guard but even so half did not reach the Pyrenees.

 

 

So in fact instead  of upgrading downgrading is the historical option for mos foreigners.

 

 

 

If you want French in other Colors the Paris municipal guard is an option, green and red. True veterans. Or Chasseurs de montagne in Brown.

 

 

[Haskeer]

Thanks, IO.

I’ll certainly look into those.

I don’t mind using a few ‘weaker’ units to add a bit of jeopardy into a game, so I’ll probably have a couple of units downgraded to conscript.

 

John.

[Paul Nettle]

“The Italians came mostly from the prisons and from conscripted peasants. The desertion rate was absurd high. The 1st Neapolitan Line lost 252 in 3 days. First light had 130 in a month. Replacements are marched under guard but even so half did not reach the Pyrenees.”

In Napoleonic times Italy was split into three kingdoms: the Kingdom of Italy, the Kingdom of Naples, and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.

Neapolitan troops certainly had a terrible reputation, but those from the Kingdom of Italy had a good reputation and fought well right up to the 1813 campaign in central Germany.

The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies was, of course, allied with Britain.

[Author]

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