F.L.I. Kneeling Ready

The French infantry attack culminated in the bayonet. Napoleon's army made the charge à la baïonnette the climax of every infantry action — the moment when the column had crossed the open ground under fire, the volleys had broken the enemy formation, and the survivors closed with the bayonet to finish the work. The bayonet itself was nearly half the musket's length: a sixteen-inch triangular blade fixed to the muzzle of the Charleville, designed for the single thrust rather than the slashing action of a sword. Few infantry actions actually ended with crossed bayonets — most enemy formations broke and fled before contact — but the threat was the point. A French battalion advancing in column with bayonets fixed was a psychological weapon as much as a physical one, and the army's training emphasized the move forward with bayonet ready in preference to standing in line and shooting it out at long range. The kneeling-ready position this figure holds was the moment immediately before the order to advance — bayonet fixed, musket cradled close to the body, the soldier holding his place against cover or in formation until his officer called him forward. This King & Country figure shows a French light infantryman kneeling at the ready — right knee on the ground, left foot forward in the supporting position, the Charleville musket held vertically against the chest with the long triangular bayonet fixed and pointing up. The eyes are forward on the enemy line, waiting for the order to advance. He wears the légère regulation order: dark blue coat with red collar, cuffs, and turnbacks; red epaulettes at the shoulders; white waistcoat; white trousers with red side-stripes; black short gaiters; tall black shako with red plume, cords, and brass plate. The 1812-pattern sac with rolled greatcoat rides high on his back; the brass-mounted infantry sword (the briquet) hangs at his left hip from a yellow leather belt. He pairs naturally with the F.L.I. Kneeling Priming His Musket figure performing the previous beat of the loading drill, both kneeling against the cover of the European Walls and Gates as the company waits for the order to attack the European Farmhouse ahead. Model: NA535 / King & Country / 1/30 (60mm) scale / matte finish / 1 piece set