Thursday 11 June 2009

32nd Reichsarmee Template - Trooper of the Pfalz Kurassiere (Electoral Rhenish Circle) 2

The Palatinate Reiter Regiment Prinz Friedrich Michael von Zweibrücken consisted of 3 squadrons of 3 companies each, with 144 men in each squadron. In 1757 2 of the squadrons joined the Reichsarmee and combined with the Kurpfalz Oberrheinische Kreiseskadron to form the Pfalz Kurassiere (see below). For unit history also see Pfalz Kurassiere 1, below.

31st Reichsarmee Template - Trooper of the Pfalz Kurassiere (Electoral Rhenish Circle) 1

Re-raised 1754 as the Kurpfalz Oberrheinische Kreiseskadron. 1 squadron of 3 companies, with a strength of 172 men in 1757. With the Reichsarmee it was combined with 2 squadrons of the Prinz Friedrich Regiment to form the Pfalz Kurassiere, with a total strength of 460 men (but only 413 horses!).

The Inhaber was GFM Pfalzgraf Friedrich Michael Von Zweibrucken. Commanders were: Freiherr von Siegenhofen, 1760 von Wickenburg, General Stechinelli. Present at a number of actions including Rossbach 1757 (where it formed part of the second line of cavalry swept away by the Prussian flank attack as it was trying to form up), Leipzig, Torgau, Meissen, Dippoldiswalde, Maxen 1759, Meissen, Strehlen, Wittenberg 1760, Weida, Zwickau, Plauen, Hof 1761.

There are some disagreements about details among the sources but this seems to me the most likely SYW uniform for this contingent of the regiment. The shabraque pattern I have taken from a 1775 painting of Palatinate troops in the Anne S K Brown collection, as otherwise I have only verbal descriptions. The detailed Martin Lange material in the Pengel and Hurt "Bavaria, Saxony and Palatinate Supplement" seems to me to be the most authoritative source of material so I have relied most on that, although referring to the other P&H material, the Sturm cards and others. Note that, despite the name, Palatinate cavalry had apparently not worn the cuirass since the War of the Spanish Succession.

The next template will be of the second contingent of the Pfalz Kurassiere, the Prinz Friedrich Regiment.

Sunday 7 June 2009

18th century fortified town outlines I've drawn; a few questions


A while ago I did a number of outline drawings of 18th century fortified towns, including Prague, Mannheim, Minden and a few others, based on contemporary plans. I could make an .svg file of them available if anyone is interested in using them; they could be useful e.g. on fairly large-scale campaign maps, fictional or otherwise. If I were to do so, would people like them to show the approximate street plans and areas of building, or would they be happy to have the outline only? (They do not at the moment include the street plans so it would take me a while to add them.) They are also currently not to scale but I could spend time adding a scale and then adapting them all so they are shown at the same scale. Obviously it would be much quicker to release them as they are but I'd be happy to do the aforementioned "improvements" if that would make them more useful.

Anyway, I look forward to your comments. Thanks.

David.