Garrison Regiment von Beck Reporting For Duty

Garrison Regiment No. 1, von Beck

The first four companies of the Garrison Regiment No. 1 von Beck were completed over the weekend and partially based. I have to dry brush the stands with a light tan and then add Silfor Tufts and Static Grass to complete the basing.

The von Beck regiment is the seventh Hesse Seewald regiment that I have painted so far (eight, if I count the von Arnim regiment which is actually a Faux Russian regiment).

There will be an announcement soon about a treaty between Hesse Seewald and Hanover, in which the latter has agreed to provide several regiments of mercenaries to the Hesse Seewald army. There will be a stipulation that the Hanoverians may only serve in Hesse Seewald and may not be used in any territory outside of Hesse Seewald. As such, the Hanoverian mercenaries will be used primarily to provide protection for the Homeland while the regular army is out on campaign.

Garrison Regiment No. 1, von Beck, is now forming.

PRESS RELEASE:  from the Ministry of Defense


DATE:  15 April, 1750


SUBJECT: Formation of Garrison Regiment No. 1

(Gotha) The Ministry of Defense announces the formation of a new regiment that will provide for the town garrison of Gotha. The new regiment, titled Garrison Regiment Number One, will replace the ad hoc rotation of regular army companies detached from their parent units to serve as the garrison for the town of Gotha. It's numerical designation shall be "GR1" (or Garrison Regiment Number 1).

Uniforms, currently in production at the establishment of Herr Haberdasher of Savilestrasse, will be entirely of dark green wool cloth (coat, waistcoat, breeches) with red turnbacks and collars on the coats. The green lapels on the coats will be piped in red and provide a pleasant contrast to the dark Elven Green color.

The Grenadier company will have a similar uniform, save for their silver plate mitre caps with red bag and green base.

The regiment's flags are currently being stitched together by GMB Designs, Ltd., a very reputable firm in the Royal Kingdom of Britannia.

Quaratermaster General Ernst von Jung reports that two of the center companies are outfitted with all of their kit and that the grenadier company will be completed within another day. The reminder of the regiment should have its uniforms by the end of this week.

Sketch drawings will be posted in the Gotha Times in time for publication in its weekend edition.

HS Army Organization - Update

I have finished 30 Prinz Heinrich IR5 fusiliers for the HS army and only have to paint 6 grenadiers to complete the regiment, The grenadiers are permanently detached from the regiment and will be converged with the to-be-painted IR6, IR7, IR8 and Garrison Regiment 1 grenadiers to form the Uchlander Grenadiers.

I did a couple of test figures for proposed new regiments last night ( sorry, no pix) :

IR6 Royal Foresters - green coats, light green facings and waistcoat, buff breeches
IR7 von Arnim Musketeers - green coats, white facings, buff waistcoat and breeches

IR8 -name  to be determined
GR1 - Garrison Regiment No. 1 - von Beck: dark green coat, waistcoat and breeches, red facings or maybe dark green facings so that they are similar to Prussian Garrison Regiment uniforms, except in dark green rather than dark blue, with red turnbacks. I might use the tighter Prussian cuffs instead of the larger Swedish cuffs on the Garrison regiments to further differentiate them from the line regiments.

Once all of the above are completed, I will have 8 line regiments ( single battalion), 2 converged grenadier regiments, and 1 Guard regiment. I will probably add some Jagers to give me a twelfth regiment. That would make my Hesse Seewald infantry component the same size as my Prussian infantry establishment.

I'm really lacking in cavalry so far, having only done the Guides Light Dragoons regiment and 3 test Garde du Corps figures. I plan to "borrow" the Austrian de Ligne Dragoon regiment for use in the HS army, since they wear green coats. I'm thinking that a small nation would economize and have a minimal cavalry establishment of 1-2 heavy cavalry, 1 dragoons and 1 light cavalry regiment.