Crimean War Russian Cavalry in 15mm

 

 

My research and reading is steadily increasing my knowledge of how the Crimean war was actually fought.  

Captain Godman's letters were illuminating and have yet more to tell us.  At Balaclava the Russian attempted to bold cavalry strokes. Neither bore fruit.  One was stymied by Scarlett and the Heavy Brigade, the other stopped by previously unseen infantry and artillery.

In both cases the Russian cavalry withdrew in good order.  Ready for another chance.

I lack the Russian perspective to say more.  I have found an interesting French source.  The Turks present another lacuna. Of course others have been there before me.

I am reliably informed that Barry Hilton's Crimean War rules (Four Empires) are already written.  If you want thoroughly informed and fun wargame rules Barry is your man in my experience.  However his attention is currently elsewhere on other projects. I'm not complaining, two of them are right up my street.  We must wait for his Crimean War Opus.

Nolan had something to say about Turks and Cossacks.  I'll report back on that at sometime soonish.  I recall that he thought the Turkish Cavalry of his time much inferior to their forebears.

I have been busy painting.  Today, we see my Russian cavalry progress.  The figures are from Irregular and Minifigs.  All 15mm as you might expect. 

Irregular Miniatures Russian Dragoons.  These lads have their carbines at the ready.  Not often seen in the Crimean War but common enough on Russia's eastern borders.  

That said they seem to have been used by Russian Hussars against the British Heavy Brigade at Balaclava.  Godman mentions some carbines littering the ground post action. 

Russian Heavy Cavalry from Minifigs.  The flags are from Adolfo Ramos and very jolly they are too.
 

More of the same below.

Russian Hussars, again from Minifigs.

Two squadrons from Irregular below.

Minifig's Circassian Lancers here.  Nolan had nothing but good things to say about Circassian Cavalry. Adept with lance, sword and gun.  As for riding skills, move over Comanches.

Cossacks!  From Minifig's.  I nearly based these lads as irregular cavalry. I'm going to rate these as "Raw Elite" I think.

For action further East I do have some truly irregular Cossacks.

I have  two more squadrons to do but I'm nearly there.  Here are the 7th Vosnesenski Ulhans.  These, from Irregular, are modelled with open Greatcoats.  It enables us to see the colourful uniform worn beneath. 

Lord Raglan, I have read, was pre occupied with potential sweeping flank attacks by the Russian cavalry.  He made provision for that by reserving the British cavalry.  

Someone, was it Nolan? Complained "He is keeping the cavalry in a Bandbox!" An interesting detail from the period.  A bandbox was a hat box, sturdy enough to prevent damage.  You get the idea.

How to rate the Russian Cavalry?   Pretty much the same as the British for the regulars.  Use of the "Elite" suffix for some could stimulate reckless action. Not that we see that from the Russian cavalry. In fighting quality it will be "Trained" all round.

Where we see the Russian cavalry in Godman's account they are always in good order.  Even when thwarted.  They did not go to pieces under artillery fire or when they disengaged from the Heavy Brigade.  They successfully covered a retreat by their infantry on one occasion.  Trained seems a fair assessment.

It occurs to me that better use could have been made of the scouting abilities of the Cossacks.  Yet, I hesitate.  Without Russian sources I cannot take an informed view. 

The great days of cavalry were near enough over.  The officers and troopers were brave but a new reality loomed over them.  

Witness the Russian artillery strike on the Heavy Brigade that Godman recounts.  I have read subsequent that the total casualties of that strike was 83 dead or wounded.  That is for the whole of the Heavy Brigade.  

Naturally horses would have been killed and wounded too.  I do not know how many.  Replacement horses were not easily obtained.  No horse and your trooper cannot do his work.

Of course that need not stop us on the table top where the learning will be painless.  I will essay gallant charges and sweeping flank actions and report back to you.

Crimean War Russian Infantry 15mm

Look at the stirring picture above.  It is of the defence of Sebastopol.  I believe the gunners are all Sailors from the Russian Navy.  Their caps are clearly blue with a red trim.  Two of the Great Coats shown are also blue.  The other two respectively seem light brown and green to my eye.  The lad aiming the gun is wearing some sort of wrap around affair.  In a siege you wear whatever you can.

Naturally I painted a Naval unit for my Crimean War Russians.  Predictably I did the gun and crew too.  I may have painted the legend so far as coat colours go.  Russian topcoats seem to have shaded from brown to grey.  Anyhow, here they are.

The figures are from Irregular and the flag from David at Not By Appointment.  He tells me I have it upside down.  I must see to that. It looks splendid all the same.

The rest of this post is something of a Crimean War Russian Infantry parade.  The British and the French had a good opinion of the Russian infantry.

I have a fair few units so we are going to show them by brigade.  The flags are from Maverick Models.  You cannot go wrong with Maverick.

The figures are from Irregular and Minifigs.  Mostly in separate units.  Although they are mixable at a push.

There is a perception that Russian infantry did not do much shooting.  in fact they did and to some good effect too.  They were of course badly outranged by the Minié rifle and such like.

I also have some Circassian rifle armed troops.  

A couple of units.  Here I have used both Minifigs and Irregular on the same bases.

There were other rifle armed Russian troops-just not many of them.  Often found in penny packets alongside the musket armed battalions.  A bit like how the British Rifles were often deployed.  Captain Godman reports the Light Brigade coming under Minié fire.  I can only presume he was using Minié as a generic.

I may add another base to each of the grenadier battalions.  Otherwise, that is the Russian infantry done. 

 

Reds and Whites

 

You may recall my Spanish Civil War project last year.  It was an unexpected departure for me and proved to be a lot of fun.  Lightning has struck twice and I now find myself writing a set of rules for The Russian Civil War.  You could call it a steppe change. 

The game is pitched at the same level as Arriba e Non Passaran and the first draft is near complete.  I only have to factor in armoured cars and the like.

Once again it is a card driven game

Research is ongoing and toys are being painted.  I’ll have more to say soon. Although I may just show you a game.   Meantime here are my first three White units. 

Kuban Cossacks here.

Siberian Cossacks above.

White Officers Battalion with a splendid flag.  My first three Red units below.

Red cavalry at the gallop.  Some of the better Red cavalry units used the old Texas Ranger tactic ride in close and blaze away with a revolver.

Well equipped Red regulars above and, below and top of the page Red Sailors.

All the toys came from Peter Pig.  As with their Spanish Civil war range I found the figures very pleasing.  That said my various horses for dismounted cavalry are from QRF. 

They make World War 1 Russian ones which, see above, do nicely enough with Peter Pig.  The horses match better than the foot figures in my view.

Initial inspiration for this project came from Trebian's RCW games at Wargaming for Grown Ups.  Here's a link.  http://wargaming4grownups.blogspot.com/

For research I mainly relied on Mark Plant's excellent Russian Civil War site here. 

https://pygmywars.com/rcw/history/articles.html 

More on this one soon.  Should it be of interest my draft rules are called Reds and Whites.  There's imagination for you.

A final thought, if you enjoy a good historical novel try Mikhail Bulgakov’s “The White Guard.”