As advertised in previous posts, I've been working on the stretch of road to the south of La Belle Alliance, beside the little known building of Trimotion. To accompany the building, I've painted two battalions of the Guard, one Grenadier and one Chasseur.
20mm manufacturers produce the Guard in several forms: full dress, summer campaign order and in great coats. Both these battalions have been done in summer campaign order with the blue trousers that were the signature of the Guard in the late Empire.
The Guard at Waterloo fought in quite a similar way to the British - ie, as individual battalions rather than as regiments. 1/1 Chasseurs were kept back at Le Caillou guarding the baggage. 1/2 Grenadiers and 1/2 Chasseurs were both committed to Plancenoit. This left 1/1G, 2/1G, 2/1C, 2/2G, 2/2C, 1/3G, 2/3G, 1/4G and 1/4C as the Army reserve.
I've already shown 2/1C and 1/4G so this entry shows 2/2G and 2/2C as they march down the chaussée in column of route. Each battalion consists of 360 bayonets, a band, drums and fifes platoon, pioneers, officers and Portes Aigles, in all a bit over 800 men. When added to the previous two battalions and accompanying staff and ancillary personnel there are about 2,000 figures here.
The figures are the usual mixture of metal and plastic with many conversions. 2/2G are mainly Schilling figures, which I really like - their Old Guard have a wiry, battle hardened look to them. I wonder sometimes how true this was in 1815: the acute casualty levels of 1812 and 1813 left very few veterans in Napoleon's army and most of the Guard would have been relatively young men at Waterloo.
