HM02 WESTPHALIAN INFANTRYMAN - THE IMPERIAL ARMY IN SPAIN 1808-1810

The Kingdom of Westphalia was a completely new creation on the map of Germany in the 19th century. It was created by Napoleon in 1807 and only lasted six years - until 1813. It covered the lands of north-west Germany (including Hesse), and the king of this country was Napoleon's brother - Hieronymus Bonaparte. As if necessarily the army of the Kingdom of Westphalia was "fresh", inexperienced and lacking any training in military campaigns. In many cases, command and training also failed. The main type of armed force in the Westphalian army was, of course, the infantry. The line infantry regiment consisted of two field and one factory battalion. The line battalions consisted of 6 companies: one grenadier, one voluntary and four fusiliers. Each company consisted of 140 people. Thus, it was a battalion structure modeled on that used in the French army. The Elite Guard Grenadier Battalion consisted of 6 line companies and one company. His companies consisted of 116 men. In the case of light battalions, they were divided into 1 company of carabinieri, 1 company of vaulters and 4 companies of chaser - thus again a solution borrowed from the French army. In 1809, the Westphalian infantry consisted of a Guard Battalion, a Guard Jers' battalion, 6 line infantry regiments, and two light infantry battalions. The army of the Kingdom of Westphalia supported Napoleon in the course of the campaigns of 1809 and 1812.