Retreat from Moscow - Crossing the Berezina - Engineers & Pontoniers

 

No Retreat from Moscow collection can be complete without some Engineers and Pontoniers?

"All eyes rested on the River Berezina, which ran down the map from Wittgenstein's outposts in the north to join the Dnieper, east of the marches. Here was a natural obstacle in the path of the retreating French.

At Minsk, Napoleon heard the news that Minsk had been taken, he knew he had to hurry for the Berezina, three Russian armies where converging on the river. At Borisov there was a bridge on the road leading to Vilna, it was essential to reach it before any of the Russian armies. In trying to clear the town of Borisov the bridge was fired and destroyed, a new crossing had to be found fast.

Luckily local peasants informed Oudinot, there was a possible crossing at Studenka, 7 miles north, a French reconnaissance party was sent out to discover if pontoon bridges could be erected at Studenka for the retreating columns, who were only a day and a half's march away.

Napoleon and most of units of the Grande Armee arrived on the left bank of the river in the early hours of the 25th November. The Russians thought the French would cross 20 miles south and set up for battle, this gave the French a little breathing space and allowed its Engineers and pontoniers to build 2 bridges at Studenka, despite fire from the Russian advance guard. Most of the army were able to cross the Berezina between the afternoon of the 26th November and the night of the 28th-29th, but on the last day there were terrible scenes as the stragglers fought to cross the bridge before they were destroyed by the French rearguard. Its estimated that 15,000 people remained on the eastern bank, huddled beside camp fires until the Cossack lances bought a cruel end to their misery."

From Russia in War and Peace by Alan Palmer

All the figures are from Perry Miniatures , Here we have an Imperial Guard Engineer Officer, his ACD and Pontonier Officer.

The Pontoniers hard at work.

For these 5 Pontonier figures I decided to base them on clear bases, so when we get a river, they would look better standing in the water. Nearly all of the Pontoniers who entered the water to fix the pontoon bridge, never made it out of the water, those who did died soon after.

The wagon

I bought another Pontoon pack, you know? Just incase?

And here's another Pontoon bridge. I must have bought this 20 odd years ago, from I don't know who and after all that time, I'll finally get to use it.

The clear bases really work with these figures.

All the pontoon pieces together.