--- product_id: 15901460 title: "French Guardsman vs Russian Jaeger: 1812–14 (Combat, 4)" price: "€ 42.04" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.sk/products/15901460-french-guardsman-vs-russian-jaeger-1812-14-combat-4 store_origin: SK region: Slovakia --- # French Guardsman vs Russian Jaeger: 1812–14 (Combat, 4) **Price:** € 42.04 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** French Guardsman vs Russian Jaeger: 1812–14 (Combat, 4) - **How much does it cost?** € 42.04 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.sk](https://www.desertcart.sk/products/15901460-french-guardsman-vs-russian-jaeger-1812-14-combat-4) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description After Napoleon's abandonment of Moscow on 18 October 1812, throughout the subsequent Wars of Liberation that saw most of Europe turn against the French and right up to the capitulation of Paris on 31 March 1814, it was the vast armies of Imperial Russia that bore the brunt of the fighting against forces of France and her dwindling list of allies. The Russian Jaegers - nominally skirmishers, but in reality spearhead troops tasked with a host of different and demanding battlefield roles, from storming villages to defending strongpoints - were a relatively new arm of service that gained enormously in combat experience and prestige in the bitter struggle to rid Europe of Napoleon's armies. The French Emperor's Young Guard - elite assault troops hand-picked from the best conscripts available - expanded hugely in the first months of 1813, eventually forming four divisions, and became the main strike force of the French field armies in the battles for Germany and France in 1813-14. These two forces clashed repeatedly during the period. At Krasnoe, southwest of Smolensk, the Russian forces overtook the retreating French army and threatened the invaders' road home, and so on 17 November 1812 the 1er Tirailleurs and 1er Voltigeurs of Roguet's 2nd Guard Infantry Division were ordered to take and hold the town of Uvarovo to cover the retreat of other French troops, clashing with the Tsar's Lifeguard Jaegers among others; although they held off the Russians and allowed Napoleon's decimated forces to evade capture, the two senior Young Guard regiments suffered appalling casualties. At the climactic battle of Leipzig nearly a year later the Finland Lifeguard Regiment, equipped and trained as Jaegers, took part in the Russian 2nd Lifeguard Infantry Division's successful counter-attack on the hotly contested Saxon village of Gossa on 16 October 1813, ejecting the French garrison, which included several Voltigeur regiments of Oudinot's I Infantry Corps of the Young Guard. At Craonne, near Reims, the veteran 14th Jaegers played a key role in frustrating Napoleon's plans to advance on Laon; these crack troops defended their well-sited emplacements for several hours, throwing back the Tirailleurs and Voltigeurs of Meunier and Curial's Young Guard divisions, which had attacked prematurely over difficult ground under heavy artillery fire. Featuring specially commissioned artwork, expert analysis and carefully chosen first-hand accounts, this absorbing study traces the evolving trial of strength between Russia's Jaegers and France's Young Guardsmen by examining three key clashes at unit level. Review: Trial of strength. - French Guardsman versus Russian Jaeger: 1812-14” is a volume in the Osprey Combat Series in which it’s time for the “poor bloody infantry” to take center stage, as the “Combat”-series pits history's warriors against one another. This volume provides, in 80 pages, a comparison of the Russian Jaeger against Napoleon's Young Guard during the Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815). It is written by Laurence Spring. Jäger (usually written as Jaeger in English) is a German military term from the 18th Century to describe elite light infantry, especially skirmishers. The word Jäger, which means “hunter” or "huntsman" in German, is usually translated into English as “rifleman” or “ranger”. The Jeune Garde (Young Guard) was expanded to become the main strike force of the French field armies. Young Guard was a term used to distinguish the carefully selected conscripts of the new regiments from the veterans of the ‘Old Guard’. In the introduction, the author gives his reasons for focusing, in the narrative to follow, on the battlefield performance of three of Napoleon’s Voltigeur regiments – the 1ste, 2nd and 14th – and that of the two Russian Lifeguard Jaeger units, together with the 19th Jaeger Regiment, as the sources consulted made it possible to form a much more detailed picture of their combat performance than for many other regiments. The introduction is followed by a concise comparison of the development and training of these Russian and French units in ”The Opposing Sides”, divided in “origins and combat role”, “enlistment and training”, “motivation, morale and logistics”, “leadership” and “weapons and tactics”. Two "combat"-inserts of color plates, depicting a Russian Jaeger of the 19th Jaeger Regiment and a French soldier of the 14th Voltigeurs from front and back, are also to be found in this section. The bulk of the book consists of a description of three battles that stretch over the last years of the Napoleonic Wars, and in which the decline of the Young Guard and the rise of the Russian Jaeger arm is starkly exposed. The three clashes used are: Krasnyi (17 November 1812); the Battle of Leipzig (16 October 1813) and especially the fighting near Güldengossa, south of Leipzig; and Craonne (7 March 1814). These three examples are described using first-hand accounts of these encounters, and are followed by an analysis and conclusion (from both the Russian and the French perspective) by the author, ensued by a “reckoning” in which he describes the fate of those soldiers who served in the Young Guard and the Jaeger regiments. An “unit organizations” and “orders of battle” is also added. The overall narrative is accompanied with clear, detailed maps and some outstanding split-screen artwork showing key moments from both sides' perspective. The artwork is done by illustrator Marc Stacey, and especially his “death in the snow at Krasnyi” is superb, showing the appalling weather conditions in which this battle took place. Many other illustrations enliven the narrative. A great read on this subject! The strength of the Osprey format is also its weakness: at 80 pages, there’s no room for anything more than a “Reader’s Digest”-type coverage of the topic, always leaving you with just a taste of what’s to offer but not the full meal. This is compensated with an abundance of pictures and/or illustrations, maps and full-color artwork you (usually) won’t find in a regular history book. For further reading on the Napoleonic Wars, I recommend: “1812: Napoleon's Fatal March on Moscow” by Adam Zamoyski and “Russia Against Napoleon: The Battle for Europe, 1807 to 1814” by Dominic Lieven. Review: Great reference! - The 3D head to head art really makes w this series shine. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #1,932,261 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #366 in Military Regiment History #1,687 in Military History Pictorials #2,442 in Conventional Weapons & Warfare History (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.7 out of 5 stars 34 Reviews | ## Images ![French Guardsman vs Russian Jaeger: 1812–14 (Combat, 4) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91q4BgWwRnL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Trial of strength. *by D***Z on November 24, 2013* French Guardsman versus Russian Jaeger: 1812-14” is a volume in the Osprey Combat Series in which it’s time for the “poor bloody infantry” to take center stage, as the “Combat”-series pits history's warriors against one another. This volume provides, in 80 pages, a comparison of the Russian Jaeger against Napoleon's Young Guard during the Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815). It is written by Laurence Spring. Jäger (usually written as Jaeger in English) is a German military term from the 18th Century to describe elite light infantry, especially skirmishers. The word Jäger, which means “hunter” or "huntsman" in German, is usually translated into English as “rifleman” or “ranger”. The Jeune Garde (Young Guard) was expanded to become the main strike force of the French field armies. Young Guard was a term used to distinguish the carefully selected conscripts of the new regiments from the veterans of the ‘Old Guard’. In the introduction, the author gives his reasons for focusing, in the narrative to follow, on the battlefield performance of three of Napoleon’s Voltigeur regiments – the 1ste, 2nd and 14th – and that of the two Russian Lifeguard Jaeger units, together with the 19th Jaeger Regiment, as the sources consulted made it possible to form a much more detailed picture of their combat performance than for many other regiments. The introduction is followed by a concise comparison of the development and training of these Russian and French units in ”The Opposing Sides”, divided in “origins and combat role”, “enlistment and training”, “motivation, morale and logistics”, “leadership” and “weapons and tactics”. Two "combat"-inserts of color plates, depicting a Russian Jaeger of the 19th Jaeger Regiment and a French soldier of the 14th Voltigeurs from front and back, are also to be found in this section. The bulk of the book consists of a description of three battles that stretch over the last years of the Napoleonic Wars, and in which the decline of the Young Guard and the rise of the Russian Jaeger arm is starkly exposed. The three clashes used are: Krasnyi (17 November 1812); the Battle of Leipzig (16 October 1813) and especially the fighting near Güldengossa, south of Leipzig; and Craonne (7 March 1814). These three examples are described using first-hand accounts of these encounters, and are followed by an analysis and conclusion (from both the Russian and the French perspective) by the author, ensued by a “reckoning” in which he describes the fate of those soldiers who served in the Young Guard and the Jaeger regiments. An “unit organizations” and “orders of battle” is also added. The overall narrative is accompanied with clear, detailed maps and some outstanding split-screen artwork showing key moments from both sides' perspective. The artwork is done by illustrator Marc Stacey, and especially his “death in the snow at Krasnyi” is superb, showing the appalling weather conditions in which this battle took place. Many other illustrations enliven the narrative. A great read on this subject! The strength of the Osprey format is also its weakness: at 80 pages, there’s no room for anything more than a “Reader’s Digest”-type coverage of the topic, always leaving you with just a taste of what’s to offer but not the full meal. This is compensated with an abundance of pictures and/or illustrations, maps and full-color artwork you (usually) won’t find in a regular history book. For further reading on the Napoleonic Wars, I recommend: “1812: Napoleon's Fatal March on Moscow” by Adam Zamoyski and “Russia Against Napoleon: The Battle for Europe, 1807 to 1814” by Dominic Lieven. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great reference! *by G***I on January 11, 2026* The 3D head to head art really makes w this series shine. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Enjoyed reading the comparative details of both elite Napoleonic French ... *by G***S on January 6, 2015* Enjoyed reading the comparative details of both elite Napoleonic French and Tsar Alexander's Russian soldiers during the Napoleonic invasion of Russia in 1812. The illustrations were clear to read. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.sk/products/15901460-french-guardsman-vs-russian-jaeger-1812-14-combat-4](https://www.desertcart.sk/products/15901460-french-guardsman-vs-russian-jaeger-1812-14-combat-4) --- *Product available on Desertcart Slovakia* *Store origin: SK* *Last updated: 2026-09-18*