Russian 1812 combined Cuirassier Regt

[Ambiorix]

Hi,

I am trying to create a valid army list for the 1st Russian (Independent) Army Corps - 1812; this army corps had a single combined Cuirassier Regt (from the reserve squadrons of the 1st and 2nd cuirassier div) as part of the 9th Cav Div under gen Nikolai Repnin; This regt participated in many battles, a.o. the battles of Polotzk;

However there are no cuirassiers in the russian list of Army of the West; If I take an extra cav div from the Russian Cav Corps, their special rules state "Cuirassiers must be in separate divisions which may not contain any other cav types"; but according to page 158 a div must contain at least 3 units (and only 1 artillery); If I try to include the cuirassiers from the Russian Guard Corps and mix these with (reserve) grenadiers of the same list, this could be a historical alternative, but again the special rule here states "mixed divisions" may not be used;

So how can I include this single 4sq Cuirassier regt, without being forced to field min. 2 Cuirassier units, the latter would be unhistorical and too costly (in points, price and painting time) !

Thx for your tips how to field this colorfull regt(or correction of some of the 'restrictions');

rgds,
Martin

[hazelbark]

The authors say historical battles and OBs may violate lists.

4 squadrons field strength is less than a small unit. I would suggest in "game terms" they would be combined with a dragoon regiment and you can have a mixed unit that acts like a Heavy.

[Ambiorix]

I believe 4sq- 500 men justifies a small unit.

However your suggestion of Dragoons made me thinking : this combined regt. fought mainly without cuirass (only issued to them end of 1812). In the list 'Army of the West' I can have an 'upgraded' Drag regt - Veteran. May be I will go that way. Not sure (haven't played a game yet) how much better Veteran fight better opposed to Drilled dragoons and how important is 'Shock' status ?

What if I take a extra cav div from the Cav Corps, can I or must I take the min core cav of the basic list as well ?

rgds,
Martin

[BrettPT]

INot sure (haven't played a game yet) how much better Veteran fight better opposed to Drilled dragoons and how important is 'Shock' status ?

Veteran cavalry do not 'fight' any better than drilled, so in a combat they have no advantage.
However they are more likely to pass CMTs (2nd moves, charging home, holding pursuers) and, most crucially, they recover cohesion losses better.

Shock cavalry has a small edge against heavy cavalry, not enough to be decisive, but it does have a major advantage over light cavalry.

It also gets a bonus against foot who are not in square. It is sometimes a tricky decision for an infantry commander when charged by cavalry, whether to form square or stand and shoot with good quality steady foot. I have found that charging with cuirassiers or lancers often swings the decision of the opposing infantry commander to play it safe and form square. Not sure if this dynamic counts as a adavantage or a disadvantage for shock cavalry!

One of the most important features of shock cavalry IMO is that it does not need to CMT to charge when spent or disordered. There are plenty of times when a spent cavalry unit in a perfect position lets you down by refusing to charge - shock don't have this problem.

Over I think shock are pretty well points balanced.

Cheers
Brertt