Ejército Ruso Napoleónico, 1812

Infantry Regiments, Brigades and Divisions

Infantería Rusa Napoleónica del Regimiento Libava, 1812 Following the disastrous defeat at Austerlitz, in 1805, the Russian military administration was reorganized. The system of military disctricts, called Inspections, was maintained only in the Caucasus, Orenburg and Siberian region. In other parts of the country, 13 mixed divisions of infantry, heavy and light cavalry, light, heavy and horse artillery were formed. The new system was an improvement, but it still was no match for the French system of grouping separate and homogeneous infantry and cavalry divisions only at the corps level. The French system empowered the division commanders, allowing him to focus on his particular arm of service, leaving the combined arms operations to dedicated staff officers and aides-de-camp at the corps level. On the move, French cavalry divisions were no longer held in check by their slower infantry comrades, they scouted the operational area for likely targets and kept the enemy engaged until the infantry divisions came up and took over.

Russian General Barclay de Tolly recognized the advantages of the corps system and he introduced it in the Russian army in 1812. Infantry divisions were standardized at two infantry brigades plus one Jäger brigade of two regiments each. The two standing grenadier divisions differed in that they did not have a Jäger brigade, probably because the grenadiers could be expected to fulfill the role of skirmishing light infantry equally well. Some divisions were understrength, lacking a regiment or a Jäger regiment. The 19th and 20th division were overstrength, both had an additional 5th infantry regiment and the 20th had an additional Jäger regiment.

Regiments of a division were distinguished by differently coloured shoulder-straps: 1st regiment red, 2nd white, 3rd yellow, 4th green with red edging, 5th light blue, Jägers yellow or light blue. Red shoulder-straps were worn in the standing grenadier regiments. Converged grenadier regiments were made up of grenadier companies of the depot (2nd) battalions of the line infantry regiments, and they wore the shoulder-straps of their parent regiments. Divisional numbers were embroidered in red, or yellow on red straps.

Guard Division

Preobraschenski Life-Guard (3 battalions)
Ssemenovski Life-Guard (3 battalions)
Ismailovski Life-Guard (3 battalions)
Litovski Life-Guard (3 battalions)
Life-Guard Jägers
Finland Life-Guard Jägers

1st Infantry Division

Leib-Grenadiers
Count Araktschejew Grenadier-Regiment
Pavlov Grenadier-Regiment
Jektarinoslav Grenadier-Regiment
St. Petersburg Grenadier-Regiment
Tauride Grenadier-Regiment

2nd Infantry Division

Kiev Grenadier-Regiment
Moskau Grenadier-Regiment
Astrakhan Grenadier-Regiment
Fanagoria Grenadier-Regiment
Siberia Grenadier-Regiment
Little Russia Grenadier-Regiment

3rd Grenadier Division, 22 combined grenadier battalions

Combined Grenadier Division of 5th Corps, 26 grenadier battalions

Combined Grenadier Division of Corps Kamenski, 18 grenadier battalions

Infantry		Shoulder-straps of the Infantry Regiments					Jägers
Div.	Corps	red	white	yellow	green/red	light blue	yellow	light blue
3.	3.	Reval	Murmansk	Chernigov	Koporsk		20.	21.
4.	2.	Krementschug	Minsk	Tobolsk	Volhynia		4.	34.
5.	1.	Ssievski Gr.	Kaluga	Perm	Mohilev		23.	24.
6.	Finland	Brjansk	Nisov	Uglich	Azov		3.	35.
7.	6.	Pskov	Moscow	Libau	Sofia		11.	36.
8.	Turkey	Ukraine	Archangel	Schlüsselburg	Old-Ingermanland		7.	37.
9.	Markow	Nascheburg	Riazsk	Apsheron	Yakutsk		10.	38.
10.	Turkey	Bielostok	Crimea	Kursk	Jaroslaw		8.	39.
11.	4.	Kexholm Gr.	Pernau	Podolsk	Jelez		1.	33.
12.	7.	Smolensk	Narva	Alexopol	New-Ingermanland		6.	41.
13.	Turkey	Galitsch	Veliki-Luki	Penza	Saratov		2.	22.
14.	1.	Tula	Navaginsk	Estonia	Tenginsk			25./26.
15.	Markow	Vitebsk	Koslov	Kolyvan	Kura		13.	14.
16.		Neuschlot	Okhotsk	Kamenchatka	Mingrelia
17.	2.	Rjasan	Bjelosersk	Vilmannstrand	Brest		30.	48.
18.	Kamenski	Vladimir	Tambov	Kostroma	Dnieper		28.	32.
19.	Georgia	Kazan	Ssusdal	Bielov	Sewastopol	Vologda	16./17.
20.	Georgia	Grusinia	Chersson	Troitsk	Tiflis	Kabardinsk	9./15.	46.
21.	Finland	Petrovsk	Podolia	Neva	Lithuania		2.	44.
22.	Turkey	Vjatka	Stawropol	Olonetz	Vyburg		29.	45.
23.	4.	Riga	Ektarinburg	Seleguinsk			18.
24.	6.	Ufa	Shirvan	Boutyrk	Tomsk		19.	40.
25.	Finland	1. Marines	2. Marines	3. Marines	Woronesh		31.	47.
26.	7.	Lagoda	Poltava	Nishegorod	Orel		5.	42.
27.	8.	Odessa	Zhitomir	Vilna	Simbirsk		49.	50.

The divisions on the Turkish front were released after the 1812 peace treaty with the Ottoman Empire. Some of these formations were re-deployed against the French army, causing the enemy significant problems during the withdrawal and the crossing of the Beresina.

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Figuras Napoleónicas

– Publicado: 1996 – Actualizado: 26.01.2005
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