Continuing the theme of my cavalry unit expansions, I have managed to add a further 6 Empress’s Dragoons to the existing half dozen to turn them into a full unit. This time I was able to carry this off without any surgery to the castings other than to convert a trumpeter.
The figures are all original Hinton Hunt one-piece castings of FN/60 Empresses Dragoons (mounted) charging that I stripped and repainted. My thanks to Tony for providing the last few figures I needed via his EK collection.
And here’s a question on the correct spelling - is it Empress’s (as on the HH painting instruction sheet), Empresses (as in the HH catalogue) or Empress’? Answers on a postcard please.
23 comments:
A very Empress-ive unit indeed 😁
All the best. Aly
They're GRREAT! As Tony would say. Your Garde continues to grow apace - and increasingly I'm pretty thinking it's my turn to be French next.
BTW I go with the third option for naming but as they are the 'Régiment de dragons de l'Impératrice' perhaps they really should the Dragoon Regimant of the Empress?
Nice one Aly!
Rob, that’s the heavies done, now for the lights!
Stunners Ian! Really like the turban impression, spot on. Great job.
Lee - spot on, I like it!
So that's 4 units then? The Chasseurs á Cheval, 1er (Polish) Chevau-Legers Lanciers, 2e (Dutch) Chevau-Legers Lanciers and the Eclaireurs-Dragons? Or perhaps also some Gendarmes, Mamalukes and Gardes d'Honneur?
Rob, hmm probably not quite that many…
The official name of the unit is "regiment of dragoons of the guard", but the Empress Joséphine de Beauharnais becomes godmother of the regiment at its creation on April 15, 1806.
The name of the Empress's dragons is therefore a nickname that appears on the obverse of the guidons of the four squadrons.
These guidons were made and handed over to the regiment at the end of 1811. At this moment Napoleon had repudiated Josephine and remarried on April 2, 1810 with the Arch-Duchess Marie Louise of Austria. To be agreeable to her, he had changed the blue uniform of the trumpets (a color common to all the trumpets of the Guard cavalry) into a white outfit reminiscent of Austrian uniforms.
On February 15, 1813 the Regiment received a model 1812 standard bearing on the obverse the inscription "GARDE IMPERIALE L'EMPEREUR MAPOLEON AU REGIMENT DES DRAGONS".
Today the traditions of the Empress's dragons are preserved by the 13th regiment of parachute dragoons, one of the two regiment of the special forces brigade of the land army.
I love that the modern French army has a unit of parachute dragoons!
ROB forgets that you already have the very first cavalry regiment of the Imperial Guard: LES GRENADIERS A CHEVAL DE LA GARDE issue of the guard of the directory and the guard of the legislative corps whose first commander was Joachim Murat.
Regarding the GARDE D'HONNEUR their membership in the guard is unlikely Napoleon having experienced a failure in 1806 with the GENDARMES D'ORDONNANCE.
Regarding special forces, France has three components. one of the air force with a commado, a marine component with a group of marine commandos similar to the Navy Seals or the British marine commado and an army brigade with two regiments the 13th parachute dragon regiment and the 1st Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment which preserves the traditions of the French component of the SAS dating from the Second World War.
Lovely, Lovely, Lovely.
Best regards
WM
Thanks WM.
They look fantastic! How on earth did you manage the very convincing leopard skin turbans?
Best Regards,
Stokes
Fantastic! One of the reasons i sashayed into Napoleonics was French cavalry and they look even better in their glossy glory.
Stokes - the trick is to find very tiny leopards, no just brown dots on orange!
Jeffers, thanks for that, I’ll need to parade them soon with the Horse Grenadiers for full shiny effect!
Great work there on the Empress Dragoons IAN. Cheers. KEV.
Thanks Kev.
That unit is a thing of beauty - Bravo!
Cheers Matt, glad you like them!
Tiny leopards and Empress-ive dragoons aside, this is one stunning unit. Hope to see them in person next summer as my dear one fancies a trip to Scotland!
David, I'll have to make sure the lads are ready for inspection!
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