The Next GNW Russian Infantry Regiment Is........

 ..... the Butyrski Regiment!

As previewed a couple of posts back, this is another tricorn wearing regiment, dressed in red coats with yellow facings.

According to my sources, the regiment was raised in 1642 as the “2nd Moskovskiy Selective Regiment” and it was along with 1st Moskovskiy one of the two oldest regular regiments of the Russian Army.

At its creation in 1642, the regiment was one of the “new organization” (also called foreign organization) regular infantry regiments that were raised during the reign of Alexey Mikhailovich because the experience of the Russo-Polish wars and of the Thirty Years’ War indicated that the old organization in irregular and semi-feudal units was quite ineffective. The regiment was completed with picked volunteers from the Strelets regiments and counted between 52 and 60 companies, each of 100 men. These companies were converged in a few battalions for action. Nevertheless, the regiment still retained some irregular characteristics, and its peacetime effective strength was lesser.

In 1657, the regiment was settled in the suburb of Moscow – Butyrskaya sloboda (a sloboda being a kind of settlement, bigger than a village but smaller than a town).

The regiment took part in the Russo-Polish War (1654-1667). It was attached to the main army under the Tsar but saw no serious actions.

The regiment then took part in Russo-Turkish War (1676-1681). In 1677, it was attached to the army that forced the Turkish army to raise the siege of the Fortress of Chigirin. In 1678, the Russian army unsuccessfully tried to reinforce the garrison of the Fortress of Chigirin which was once more besieged by the Turks. At the end of the campaign, the garrison left the fortress, and the Turks destroyed it. Detachments of the Butýrskiy Regiment were present in the garrison of the fortress as well as in the main army. In 1679, a picked detachment of the regiment (2,338 men) was part of the Russian army that garrisoned Kiev.

From 1695 to 1697, the regiment took part in the successful Azov campaigns of Peter I.

During the Great Northern War, the Regiment was at Narva, 1700. Then in the Baltic theatre, it fought at Noteborg 1702, Nyenskans 1703 and Narva 1704. In 1705-06 under the command of A. Repnin, I. Bush and the Prince Solnzev-Zasekin  it was in Poland and Lithuania. Then, in 1709, the regiment was present at Oposchna and Poltava. It next saw action at the siege of Riga, 1710, then in 1711 in the unfortunate Pruth campaign, and in Germany, at Stettin and Wismar 1712. The final contributions of the Butyrski regiment to the Russian cause in the Great Northern War came at  Tönningen 1713 and Copenhagen 1716.

The only info I found on flag colours was from the Tacitus blog, which indicated that in 1705 they had red colours.

The same source says in 1713, they had red grenadier caps with blue facings and an embroidered eagle badge - so that's what mine got too!

I have also fixed up the order of the colours on the officers' sashes - which should be white, blue, red - thanks to Valentine for gently pointing this out last time! 

Work is already underway on the next unit, being the Sibirski Regiment, who wear a Karpus style hat and are dressed in coats of green with red facings and apparently carried yellow flags!

Thanks for dropping by again - this should be the last post for July 2023, and as always, your feedback and comments are most welcome.

A Brand New Project!

 Yes, it's happened - midway through my GNW Russian project, I had an attack of butterfly-itis! 

Our friend Rick has a very nice collection of early WWII French and British troops and vehicles. He put the collection together several years ago, anticipating our other mate Paul would do some Germans to contest the Low Countries and France, circa May-June 1940. So far, the Germans have not eventuated, and Rick has lamented their absence to me on several occasions. so......

A bit or preparatory reading, all from my book cupboard - interesting fact, the top book on German Army uniforms was purchased for 99p circa 1976 as part of a "three for 99p" introductory offer to join the Military Book Society via an ad, in Military Modelling - I still have another of the books, Tank by Ian V Hogg - not sure what the third one I chose was....it's a long time ago!

A little bit of online uniform research....

And an order was placed with a local (NZ based) supplier three weeks ago....

Then with Colonel Bills, as something of interest was in his preloved section...

(The Reivers below are a subset of the butterfly effect!)

And then with 1st Corps AND Caliver about two weeks ago.... plus, a small local purchase of 20 x 50mm round bases on Wednesday - they all arrived today!

The very nice 1st Corps figures - first time I have ever purchased from them but probably won't be the last - their postage was very reasonable too at only £8.50!

And a bunch of early war Germans from Crusader - via Dave at Caliver (his postage, of course, is even more reasonable .... £0.00!)

One of the Crusader packs

And with a Warlord kneeling officer added

Added in a couple of the 1st Corps figures for comparison.

This is why I bought plastic bases - makes attaching the Warlord figures a simpler prospect - Rick already has his collection based this way so I thought I should match his style!

A comparison with the 1st Corps figs....

....and with Crusader privates and 1st Corps officer.

I reckon once they are painted up, these various different ranges will work really well together, and I probably have as much as I need in the way of infantry tanks and vehicles although no artillery at present and I might add an armoured car (SdKfz 222) and Kubelwagon to the mix...plus I would like to do a motorcycle unit, so am considering 3D printed options for that....

However, apart from possibly painting up a couple of sample figures to see how they look, its back to the GNW Russians for my painting desk - I need to get them done before starting on the Wehrmacht!

Thanks for dropping in and taking a look at my latest insanity - words of encouragement will be gratefully accepted in lieu of a psychiatric assessment of my condition!

GNW Russian Infantry Regiment Ingermanlandski

 These guys have been painted for a while - sharp eyed readers may have spotted them in the last solo mini scenario, defending one of the redoubts! - but I am only now getting around to posting them.

Not a huge amount to say about them really, The Ingermanlandski Regiment was raised in Ingria, the area of Russia that Peter the Great took from the Swedes and build St. Petersburg in. The Ingermanlandski Regiment consisted of three battalions. They were a high-profile regiment, being paid to the same level as the Guard Regiments. Just like them, Ingermanlandski also retained their grenadiers even after the creation of separate grenadier regiments. They might have had cavalry boots instead of shoes when they, together with the guard regiments, became mounted 1707-08.

The regiment fought in the following battles of the Great Northern War:

Dorpat 1704, Narva 1704, Mitau 1705, Grodno 1706, Holowczyn 1708, Lesnaya 1708, Poltava 1709, Riga 1710, Prut 1711, Pomerania 1712, Hangö udd (Gangut) 1714, Stäket 1719.

They are of course the very nice Ebor 28mm figures, sculpted by Paul Hicks. Flags were sourced online and the colour (green) chosen on the advice of my Russian expert, Valentine - thank you for the helpful comment in a previous post, my friend!

Thanks for the visit and for any comments you are kind enough to leave! Work is well advanced on my third Ebor regiment as below....

20mm WWII Parade!

 This post is primarily at the request of Kev - KEV's - HOBBY Site. (dwarfenrealm.blogspot.com) - an Australian blogger who has recently commenced a 20mm WWII project, but after my recent game report on our Iron Cross encounter, it may be of more general interest - if not, feel free to give this one a miss!

Valiant British Infantry - there are around 4-6 of each pose.

Likewise, the figures above and below.

Altogether there are around 60 hard plastic figures per box.

Plastic Soldier Company M5 halftrack - I have three

Pre painted Churchill infantry tank

Armourfast Sherman Firefly - packs of two

Armourfast Achilles and...

..... ditto Cromwell tank

I had a few extra figures and lots of spare peaked caps, so I made five MP's in classic "Red Caps", two each of the right and centre figure, plus the one with the Sten.

Russians next - this is a Zvezda ZIS 76mm gun and crew.

As Valiant do not make Russians, I had to use Plastic Soldier Company - slightly different style and certainly more genuinely 20mm figures!

There are again around 4-6 of each of the poses in a single box of hard plastic figures.

The above and two below are hard plastic 1/72 snipers by Zvezda.

Including the inevitable "Lady of Death!"

Armoufarst T34/85 with tank riders by AB Miniatures and a couple of PSC infantry for scale

I have two of these models.

Top layer of my 20mm storage box - British and Russian infantry

German infantry from two sets by Valiant - Classic German Infantry and also 1944 Normandy Grenadiers

A veritable Airfix Panther with tank riders again by AB Miniatures

A metal Kubelwagon

PzKfw IV - an Italaeri 1/72 kit

Metal and resin Opel Blitz truck

SdKfz 251 from PSC - I have three of these too.

75mm Infantry Gun by Zvezda

Another pre painted vehicle - I think its a Marder III 

The recently assembled and painted Zvezda 88mm Flak 38

The German infantry plus most of the vehicles in the bottom half of the storage box.

A comparison of the "20mm" figures - Valiant British and German, PSC Russian and an unknown metal 20mm figure I have had for about 30 years!

Thought I might as well add this recently completed BMW staff car - its actually intended for the SCW collection and came with the recent ish order from Panzer Garage in Spain -a solid metal casting.

And just for interest, here is one of the magazines that Julian bought to get a few of his pre painted items - they were on sale here in NZ a few years back for $19.95 - about £10 - and you got one of these very nice hard plastic pre painted models with each issue - very good value indeed!

Thats my lot for this evening - take care wherever you are and have fun with your wargaming and figures!