League Of Augsburg - Fighting Talk

Happy New Years Everybody,

For Christmas my Wife gave to me 'The Great Northern War Compendium' and interestly in the article on the Swedish Army there is reference to a French Grenadier Battalion.

The Battalion was captured at Blenheim and the Grand Alliance transferred the troops to Saxon service. They were captured at Fraustadt by the Swedes, joining Swedish service but recaptured by the Saxons at Kalisz.

It gets crazier,

Under the terms of the Treaty at Altranstadt they went back to Swedish service as Horse Grenadiers! There was also a brief period when they fought with Hungarian rebels against Austrians? In 1715 after Rugen the remaining soldiers joined Prussian service.

I wonder if this French Grenadier Battalion was a converged unit at Blenheim. I don't recall the French having any standing Grenadier battalions at that time.

It never ceases to amaze me this period of 1660-1721.

Cheers,

Edward

PS: The Article also briefly mentions a Swiss Regiment in Swedish service also.

Know that's a good Christmas present, I have owned the books for a while and I find something new everytime I did into them
Happy New Year to one and all
Mark

Know that's a good Christmas present, I have owned the books for a while and I find something new everytime I did into them
Happy New Year to one and all
Mark

I think that the refence may be to the French grenadiers in Bavarian service commanded by de la Colonie at the Schellenberg.

This unit appears in the Pike and Shot Computer game... in the Kalisz scenario I think..
Alas I was just as unsuccessful with them!

In Dan Schorr's "Notes on the Saxon Army" those Grenadiers are termed like this:
24. 1703 Martinière (Joyeuse)(French grenadier battalion?) (T 1703/4)
Campaign in Poland, 1706
*Battle of Fraustadt, February
Broken-up in 1706 with personnel incorporated in IR Wackerbarth (#13)

25. 1703 Malleraques (Swiss) (T 1703/5)
Campaign in Poland, 1706
*Battle of Fraustadt, February
Broken-up in 1706 with personnel incorportated in IR Wackerbarth (#13)


Within Schuster&Francke "The History of the Saxon Army" the arrivel of French Prisoniers form the Western Wars is noted "1703 Chevalier de la Martiniere 1 Regiment of 4 Battalions, also 1 Regiment Swiss and French Malleraques"

>>This unit appears in the Pike and Shot Computer game... in the Kalisz scenario I think..

Excellent game - particularly good value at the moment as it is half price... I'm currently working my way through the huge list of downloadable historical scenarios. I would recommend Staffarda - really interesting battle and one of the few I've managed to win...


The wandering French Grenadiers - a good demonstration of the complexities of service in the C17th & C18th !

I did find a reference in Tessin to a Regiment "1706/4 Bretholtz zu Fuss (Fremlingar Frz) 1710+". 'Fremlingar Frz' refers, I think, to Foreigner, French]. When I searched Google for any further information, it came up with a very interesting site :

http://hhogman.se/regiments_enlisted_eng.htm

This gives lots of information about "Swedish Regiments during the days of the Allotment System" and includes reference to the French Battalion together with a number of similar Swiss, German and Saxon Battalions.

Worth a look perhaps.


Phil

Always amazes me this period as things that went on would seem crazy this day in warfare... imagine regiments of say Germans or Japanese in WWIIi fighting once captured for the allies!... its as if once you were a soldier you fought for who you were told to and and top brass would sign your life away in a behind closed doors treaties and not fight as in a national sense interesting to know if the soldiers actually were happy with the deals and their fates!!

Lee

That's because the concept of nationalism needed the nineteenth century to be invented...

wholeheartedly agree with that pov Ben. Just written almost those exact words in the introduction to the 'Wargamers Guide to the Williamite Army at Aughrim'. Finally finished it over Christmas. Hope to get it to you all soon...

PS.. I was totting up the scenarios I have been able to win on Pike and Shot. I am doing not bad:

WON (once or more)
Poltava
Walcourt
Killiecrankie
Aughrim
The Boyne
Klissow
The Dunes
Blenheim
Malplaquet
Culloden
Rocroi
Lutzen
Landen 1,2,3

CANNOT GET A WIN
Fraustadt
Jakobstaden?
Warsaw
Nordlingen
Ancrum Moor
Tannenberg
Steenkirk (ugh)
Staffarda
And about 10 others

good fun though