The Carabiniers a Cheval formed 2 regiments of Napoleons heavy cavalry. Whilst regarded as an elite formation, their combat record was mixed. At Friedland in 1807 the 1st Carabiners were defeated by the Russian Life Guard Cossacks, and in 1809 at Wagram they suffered at the hands of Austrian Cuirassiers. They performed well at Borodino but suffered terrible losses along with he rest of the Grande Armee during the retreat from Moscow. With their ranks filled by young recruits the Carabiniers were a shadow of their former selves by 1813 and at Leipzig they were routed by Hungarian Hussars. The brigade of Carabiniers fought at Waterloo and took part in Ney's massed cavalry attacks against Wellington's infantry squares, suffering heavy casualties.
Despite their uneven record their appearance was very striking, and since a big part of the appeal of Napoleonic wargaming (I think) is being able to play with some very pretty toys, I was determined to include the Carabiniers when I found them in the big pile of unpainted plastic at the back of the cupboard.
These figures are from Italeri, and are very nicely sculpted indeed, though this is not shown to its best advantage due to my inferior skills with a paintbrush. Hopefully their performance on the tabletop will exceed what they achieved on the battlefield!
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