Voltiguers (NTW Unit)
| Voltiguers (NTW Unit) | |
|---|---|
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| Class | Light Infantry |
| Unit Size | |
| Weaponry | |
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| Melee Attack | |
| Ranged Attack | |
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| Accuracy | |
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| Ammunition | |
| Region | Europe |
| Recruitment Cost | 410 |
| Upkeep Cost | 110 |
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Overview
Skirmishers fight two battles: one against the enemy’s skirmishers to prevent them from doing their worst, and the second to harass the main body of the enemy army. Voltigeurs are excellent shots, even with their smoothbore muskets, and can whittle down the numbers of enemies they face very quickly. They are also well trained in using every scrap of cover and every fold in the landscape to hide. This makes them hard to spot and worse, hard to kill.
At the start of the Napoleonic period, most armies thought of light troops as auxiliaries to the line infantry. Part of Napoleon’s genius lay in taking existing ideas and making them work really well: he got the proportions of light and line troops right for his armies, and made sure that his attacking columns were well supported by swarms of skirmishers, including voltigeurs. Originally, the name had come about because they were expected to jump onto enemy cavalry horses and attack the riders that way! This was nonsense, but the voltigeurs did prove excellent soldiers. They were also given additional tasks, such as aiding pontonniers in building bridges; they could not only work hard, but also fight effectively to defend the bridge if necessary.
