NOSWORTHY'S TACTICAL STUDY SERIES

TROUPES LEGERES 1680-1763

This is the second in the Organization Series and covers French Light Troops of this period. It is clearly the product of a lot of very detailed research into contemporary French sources.

This is the period in which the French Army, like many others, was feeling its way towards the development of organised light units and their eventual incorporation into the regular forces.

Each unit is chronicled in detail with dates of formation, amalgamation and dissolution given. For each unit the multiple changes in organisation are covered thoroughly with diagrams and organisation tables down to the last man. French light units, like those of other states went through a bewildering series of changes, usually growing rapidly in periods of war and then either being cut back to a small cadre or dissolved once peace came.

What is particularly interesting is the description of the organisation of some of these light corps, with both mounted and foot elements, sometimes in the same company and the fact that some had their own light artillery and even companies of workmen. It also covers units raised for mountain warfare.

Uniform details are given for some of the units, though not all. The book concludes with a brief summary of the history of light units up to 1776 and some useful tables showing which units were in existence at particular times, useful for settling those arguments about how many light units can be deployed in a particular game. At the back is a brief glossary of French military terms.

There are one or two small slips in the production of the book, for example in one of the tables and some of the diagrams, but these are fairly obvious.

What the book does not cover is anything on the tactical use of these units or their history in combat, though it does indicate which army or theatre a particular unit served in.

Overall, to paraphrase a current TV advert this book "does exactly what it says on the cover". It is a very detailed organisational study and for someone with a close interest in this type of unit or a gamer wanting to build a particular unit perhaps for skirmish or small size games it would be ideal. For the general reader however I think it might be a little specialised. It is however a first class piece of research and I look forward to seeing others in the series. 


Jeff Fletcher

Published By Ad Signal Publications and available from Baccus 6mm

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