RUSSIAN GUARD INFANTRY: RTW ERA

Detail of the "Command" Stand of the Russian Guard Battalion (Outpost Wargame Figures).

 

In this post, dear readers, we return to the continuing saga of the Russian Army of the Russo Turkish War era project. This stage was a modest one: the production of two stands of Russian Guard Infantry--which will provide either a battalion (if playing a lower level version of rules) or two battalions (at one stand each) of a higher level game. Given the recent unpleasantness with my neck, et al, which interrupted progress, it was well that this was a single unit. In this post, as usual, you may clix pix for BIG PIX.

Russian Guard (most likely) pictured during the Russo Turkish War: you can just make out the guard litzen on some of the cuffs. Note the all-white furashkas.

 

The Russian Imperial Guard Corps was not initially mobilized for the RTW, but was later sent to reinforce the effort.  As such, it consisted of three infantry divisions, a rifle brigade, and a cavalry division.  The Guard Infantry Regiments were organized on the four battalion model, and each division consisted of two brigades of two regiments. Anyone interested in organizational information can find more in my previous Russian Line Infantry Post.  Technically speaking, if you wanted to show Russian Guard on the game table, you would be plunking down an entire division and/or corps: wall to wall guards, in other words.  However, for my gaming purposes, I only need to show a Guard battalion (or maybe a regiment).  So that's all I did (it's good to play with toy soldiers--and call the shots).

 

Guard uniform Details: Brandenburg Cuffs, White Guard Litzen, Red Distinctions with White Piping.

 

 The Outpost Russian Guard Infantry figures nicely reflect the distinctive brandenburg cuffs and guards litzen. Additionally, they wear the furashka as opposed to the kepi of the line infantry, a further visual distinction that I wanted to employ.

 

I mount my guard infantry with four figures per stand as opposed to three.  For my Russian Guard, I went with summer white trousers as opposed to the green of the Russian Line--which further sets them apart. (Something I also did for my Prussian Guards.)  

The officer and drummer have "Swedish Cuffs" as opposed to Brandenburg Cuffs and did not have litzen, but they were easily added (and consistent with images of drummers and officers who had the Swedish cuff and litzen combination).  The Guard Infantry figures also featured the same size differentiation within the set that the Russian Line Infantry had (being the same figures, basically, with different headgear), but they mixed together quite nicely.

 

Finished Guard Battalion with screen of single figures.

 

Next up, the Russian Artillery.

 

Excelsior!