"The Savonian sharpshooters who were the most dangerous of our enemies in this land were farmers. They lived in the wooded and swampy region called Savolax next to a vast lake called 'Kallavesi'. They wore grey trousers and a short jacket and had a round hat on their heads. Their equipment was of plain, black boot leather. In peacetime these riflemen lived in their homes, farming, fishing and hunting, and took part in military excercises for a few weeks once per year. They conserved their ammunition and rarely shot at random.. They all fought bravely and were sworn enemies of the Russians."
-Memoirs of Faddei Bulgarin, an uhlan who fought in the war.
Hot on the heels of the Savolax infantry regiment I finished my Savolax Jägers. They were established in 1770 after the lessons of the seven years' war had start to sunk in and the usefulness of light, independent troops became apparent. The Savo region was also an especially suitable home for a large number of jägers as they could act as sentries in the wilderness bordering Russia and were well suited to fighting in broken terrain.
The Savolax jägers were not part of the allotment system but were rather an enlisted unit in the Swedish army. They did not however spend their time in garrison but were also farmers in their spare time, so their level of professionalism didn't probably differ much from your average Finnish allotment soldier. They had a good reputation however and were in the thick of fighting throughout the war.
They were not just skirmishers screening the infantry battalions either. They were frequently used in raiding operations behind enemy lines (I used to live a stones' throw away from a site where the Savolax jägers ambushed a Russian supply column) as well as supporting and training civilian militias that rose up against the Russians (Especially in Karelia).
Wonderful paint jobs, very true to the historical uniforms. Be thankful not to know how Saxonian sounds! ;)
ReplyDelete