Reply To: Up the Poles!

[OotKust]

Another side-step appears– as if a second-hand confirmation gives a new anecdote to the uniform/ not uniformity debates [OR concerns if not actual debates…]

Now I guess in my search for the truth, this will appear just a bit hypocritical, as in having found ‘a truth’ from a contemporary and first hand source, and then fail to apply the knowledge… (ie Legion du Nord).

What am I on about?
The Emperors deployment of select regiments of the NEW Polish Army [DoW ] to Spain. Most model manufacturers create single figure types under the usual themes, and thus as modellers we are stuck with what is a ‘fait accompli’ [ergo my collusion above] and ‘my’ Minifigs are no exception.
Except that, I’ve always been confused by the apparently two series types made, similar but not the same under DoW banner and then the French underlings.

A separate acknowledgement thus:

Re: Polish infantry uniforms in Spain-
A lttle bit more:

When the 4th, 7th and 9th Infantry Regiments went to Spain in August 1808, their uniforms were so ragged that they were issued some french uniform articles.

French shakos were issued to many who lacked head gear.

Despite the issuance of uniforms cut in the french style, they continued to wear the basic polish colors.

This changed with the issuance of the Imperial decrees of 19 January and 17 February 1812, which assigned them the new French “habit court*”, shakos with the tricolor cockade, and eliminated the last vestiges of their Polish uniforms.

However, the 4th regiment wore its 1807 divisional dress until 1813.

From: The Poles and Saxons during the Napoleonic Wars (Nafziger & Wesolowski & Devoe)
_Found on N-S Forum Archives_

If correct, then gamers of the popular Iberian wars should deploy fanciful Poles in their semi original uniforms and a scattering of French attributes. At least until the cut-off of 1812 appears.

I’m conjecturing that, apart from repair and replacement motives, many of the Poles were still wearing their original 1808 issued clothing and must have been the archetypal ‘horde’ when viewed by someone who cared?

*Was this an allusion to those Bardin regulations?
Probably not, as apparently mass-production of them wasn’t even ordered until 1813, so more likely the accountants  (ie Min of War) ‘shortened tails’ 1810 variants of habits and discontinued frippery of the high times, reducing uniform costs overall.

Maybe I need to find the Nafziger book- although not perfect in all his works, maybe there is more unearthed information there?

regards
dave

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[2319hrs Addendum]–
Another paragraph notation from a book cites:

“In the text that explains the image, it is said that they arrived at the Peninsula with both kurtka and czapka. Due to lack of supplies, they were replaced soon [?] by French coats and shakos.
The new uniforms kept national elements like yellow facing and white cockades. It also states that in 1812 they received complete French uniforms, “losing every vestige of national identity”.

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