28mm WSS: French (Swiss) Regiment Hessy

This is a slightly controversial unit as the yellow coats may have disappeared by the WSS although they were used at the end of the 17^th century.

This regiment was raised in 1672 under the name of Pfyffer (or Pfiffer) and in 1689 it became Hessy. The regimental history then progressed right through to the revolution under different names – in the WAS it was Vigier and in the SYW it was Castellas. The yellow coat colour changed at some point( possibly in 1720, possibly earlier) to the more well-known red with blue facings or if you think Bacchus is reliable, then it's painting guide show this regiment as having blue coats faced red. The Ordonnance flags had various yellow-blue combinations that changed each time the proprietor changed but in 1753 the scheme changed to red-blue flames.

I have no idea the colour scheme for the drummers but they certainly did not use Royal Livery so the drummers wore what the colonel/proprietor wanted and reversed colours were the convention in this period.

This 3 battalion regiment would make a splendid brigade. In the WSS it fought in Flanders in 1704 and for the rest of the war it was in Spain. Hessy himself died in 1729 having reached the rank of maréchal de camp in 1702 and lieutenant général in 1704. There is no reason why you could not have him present in person commanding his brigade! I have painted the second battalion.

 

15mm Classical Indians (King Porus): Elephants (1)

 

28mm WSS: Austrian Regiment Carl Joseph Lothringen

 

Of course I had to have this regiment when I saw the dark green coat plus those flags.

This was a 2 battalion regiment raised from Carl Ignaz (Bishop of Osnabrück and Olmütz) Duke of Lorraine and Bar's Lifeguard. It was originally one battalion strong but was strengthened to two. It got around too. It served in the early war in the Army of the Rhine, then was sent to Italy and then to Catalonia. The grenadiers wore bearskins as per Austrian tradition.

28mm WSS: Dutch Regiment Pallandt

 

This Dutch regiment has rather pretty flags and yellow facings, so what's not to like. I have decided to give the Dutch a slightly darker grey than the Danes just for the sake of variety.

The flags come from Flags of War and, to quite a large extent, my choice of regiments to paint has been determined by the glory of their flags as well as the options for uniform sources on-line. The grenadier headgear is entirely speculative and I probably should have split the company into two with a grenadier figures at each end. The drummer too is a complete speculation.

15mm Classical Indians (King Porus): Cavalry (5)

 

The last two cavalry units (of 14) plus generals under their parasols.

28mm WSS: British 2nd Foot The Queen Dowager's Regiment and Danish Regiment Fynske

 

I bought some boxes of WSS plastics from Warlord Games recently and they are lovely figures, very easy to assemble. I cannot say for sure that this is the start of another project but I can say that I will paint up 4 British/Allied battalions and 4 French/Bavarian battalions to start off with and then take it from there – keep or sell depending on how I feel later.

But, so far, they are lovely to paint and here is (on the left) Catherine of Braganza's regiment (she was married to King Charles II) and after his death she became the Queen Dowager, an unusual position in British history. The regiment has startling sea-green facings and part of the joy of the WSS is that uniform details are very hazy at best so you can, within certain limits, do, more-or-less, what you want. Plus the flags are dazzling too!

These deploy in 3 ranks with my 3 rank/Platoon Firing basing, which shows them 'Locked-Up'.

On the right is the Danish Regiment Fynske (1^st BTN of three, the first served in Flanders with Marlborough while the other two served with the Imperialists). These (plus the Prussians) produce a slight basing dilema as they were either in 3 ranks PF or 4 ranks PF. Sources differ so I have based them flexibly to be able to do either. When gaming flexibility is not required (ie because they always deployed in 4 or 5 ranks, like the French or Imperialists) the pairs of figures at the back of the line will be glued to the fours in front.

I have gone here for a lighter shade of grey than that I plan to use for the Dutch. I chose this regiment because I read that it had green trousers and gaiters, which later changed to red, so it is rather fetching to my eye. The grenadier headgear is entirely speculative.

15mm Classical Indians (King Porus): Cavalry (4)

 

Three more cavalry units.

40mm WAS/SYW IR22 Roth 2nd Battalion

 

The second battalion is finished and, after posing outside the pub for its enlistment pictures, it joins the brigade and it's comrades from the 1^st battalion as well as the Regiment de Ligne.

The painter, me, makes a fleeting appearance, grey hair and all.

15mm Classical Indians (King Porus): Cavalry (3)

 

Three more cavalry units.