A French OPFOR for the Peninsula War

 With my own army on it's way from Stonewall Figures, I need a French army in Spain to act as my OPFOR for my inevitable solo games and maybe campaign.

A French Corps in Spain 1809

It started as a rough version from the French VI Corps at Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro. 

And then became more ... story based.

 

I decided to change it quite a lot based on what I want to see in a French army. Polish Lancers! A unit of the False King and incompetent and bumbling brother of the Emperor, Joseph!  French Corps level artillery batteries! German Confederation of the Rhine troops! The rest are required or are needed to fit it at 800 points.

The idea is the Veteran Division is the centre. They can hold the enemy in place quite a while and are good at shooting and can stand being shot at for some time. Their general is the best one in the army but not recognized or appreciated by Joseph so gets all the crappy jobs and NONE of the Loot or the Glory. In my Sharpe novel they would be the ones who hold off Wellington when the rest of the army collapses, as a gallant but doomed rearguard who sacrifice their lives to allow Joseph to flee for his life to try again next time. 

The King's Division gets all the guns and all the glory. The Large French Line brigade acts as a meatshield  and the Guard get the glory while the corps artillery reserve gives support fire and blasts a hole while looking good for the camera's (because every Napoleonic movie needs masses of artillery shooting something off screen without generating any recoil).  

The so called "German" Division gets told to sit in the back and not cause any problems. It's a reserve unit but can get thrown forward if and when the situation is desperate enough (though always before the Guard get committed). Or get charged and routed by the British Cavalry and the Light Division causing Joseph's plans to CONQUER SPAIN to come to ruin in the least opportune way possible while be shouted at for foiling his latest plan to help his brother TRY TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD.

The Cavalry Division guards a flank. The Polish Lancers are the real star of the show here and make the British wish they too had some Polish cavalry on their side. They tend to lurk in reserve and rout British Cavalry that has blown and spent their horses after always charging and pursuing a brigade too far. 

 

That's the theory at any rate. 

Ordering the army from https://www.stonewallfigures.co.uk/ (not including bases, LOC, Generals or ADC's would cost 307 pounds, or about $550 Australian. So total about $625 total or so an d I only need to get some 20 figures or so from Eureka AB figures https://abfigures.com/.