Saturday 30 July 2022

Färdiga!

According the Google translate “färdiga” means “finished”, and finished this Swedo-Finnish army is…well apart from the generals, so maybe it should be “nästan färdig” (again consulting the gospel according to  Google this means “almost finished”  - apologies to any Swedish speakers if this has an incorrect or offensive meaning). As I type this I thought I could have been really smart and said “Finnished!” I always seem to think of the smart comments after the fact.

The final unit in the Swedish Napoleonic collection is the Tavastehus Infantry Regiment. Recruited from Tavastehus County (Hämeenlinna in Finnish), an inland region immediately north of  modern day Helsinki, it could trace its ancestry back to 1626. The regiment participated in the Thirty Years' War in Pomerania, and in Charles X Gustav's Polish War in 1655. In the Great Northern War it first garrisoned Riga then Viborg, surrendering to the Russians when that fortress fell in 1710. 

The regimental colours

Reformed, the regiment operated in the southeastern section of Finland and was later involved in the Norwegian Campaign of 1718. In 1741 it was engaged with Russia in the Hats War (that although it would make an interesting background for a campaign was not fought over hats, but was named after the Swedish Hats political party who sought to recover land lost in the Great Northern War) and fought at the Battle of Lappeenranta. It fought the Russians again in Gustav III's Russian War in 1788–1790. 

In 1792 the regiment was expanded, incorporating the Uusimaa and Hämeenlinna dragoon regiments. It was heavily involved in the Finnish War of 1807-09, fighting in most of the early battles, but surrendered along with most of the Finnish Army at Kalix in March 1809. At the conclusion of the war the regiment was disbanded.

Above are the two battalions: the first on the left, the second on the right.




A full army parade will follow when time permits.


18 comments:

  1. Very nice Mark and I look forward to seeing the troops en parade.

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    1. Thanks Steve. Finding time for a parade at present is a problem.

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    1. Thanks Tony. I agree. Their flags were very much of an 17th Century style.

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  3. More fine work Mark and I like your finnished pun :) You missed a tense stoush on Friday evening - I ended up on the right side of dice rolling luck but was feeling like Rick in the middle phases of the battle!

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    1. Thanks Keith. It would have been good to attend, but there were other callings.

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  4. That is a sharp looking regiment.

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    1. Thanks. The Swedes of this period are a bit bland, but the occasional variation of facing colour, and their flags of course, provide some variety.

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  5. Beautiful stuff and it will be great to see the final parade. The Swedish uniform does look a little bland on individual figures, but looks quite smart en masse.

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    1. Yes I agree on mass they look impressive. All going well I can sort out a parade next week, when I have a day off…unless other chores are found that is!

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  6. Super work, Mark. Always astonishing how quickly you build an army. After seeing you perform this magic multiple times, the spectacle never wears off.

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    1. Thanks Jonathan. You got me thinking and I looked back at when I started this project, thinking but was early 2021, only to find over it was in November of last year…so yes it was less than a year to complete 16 infantry battalions, two cavalry regiments and nine guns.

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  7. Nice looking miniatures. Finnished would of been perfect. Oh well. There are always other Finnish armies in other wars. 😀

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    1. Thanks Stew. Maybe when the generals are made and painted I can use it!

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  8. Cracking stuff Mark…
    I really like how the flags bring alive what would otherwise be just another grey unit…

    All the best. Aly

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    1. Thanks Aly. The Swedes seem to make a lot of effort with their flags. The parade is beginning to form…

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  9. Great to see Swedish Napoleonics. Not often done. Looking great here!
    Regards, James

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    1. Just need the generals now so that they can take to the field.

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