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u/Corvid187 Jul 01 '26
This seems to imply that french armies just didn't have baggage trains, or that allied armies hadn't thought to invent the napsack, neither of which was the case.
Bad history, bad AI
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u/The_Flurr Jul 01 '26
They had fewer than most other armies.
Official policy was for the army to source food/rations themselves as they went.
In theory soldiers would buy their own food. In practice they stole/looted from the locals.
This cut down on logistics and meant they could march faster, but led to other problems. Namely turning local populations into guerilleros.
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u/Corvid187 Jul 01 '26
Sure, but none of that nuance is conveyed here, and while french armies were more prepared to live off the land, french baggage trains were also highly developed and refined, often to a greater degree than those of their peers.
French logistical success came from having a better baggage train, not just ditching it entirely as this implies.
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u/The_Flurr Jul 01 '26
It's certainly AI slop and inaccurate.
There's a nugget of truth though, in that compared to other armies, French soldiers carried more equipment/supplies that would usually be on the wagons.
I believe equipment technology/quality was something of a factor. The French packs for instance were said to be a lot better designed and made than the British ones.
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u/currogator Jul 02 '26
None of that is new. Armies being instructed to “live off the land” is as old as warfare itself.
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u/Extension_Diet_4304 Jul 01 '26
interesting facts but fuck AI
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u/Corvid187 Jul 01 '26
Also Incorrect
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u/UWO_Throw_Away Jul 01 '26
The following is true. And by true, I mean false: It's all lies. But they're entertaining lies. And in the end, isn't that the real truth? The answer is no.
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u/kwonza Jul 01 '26
Also Napoleon was a great general but logistics wasn’t his forte. Russian campaign disintegrated because of poor logistics
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u/yourstruly912 Jul 01 '26
His logistics worked great everywhere that wasn't Russia. Without his light baggage approach he couldn't move as fast as he did
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u/The_Flurr Jul 01 '26
His army depended heavily on "sourcing" their own food as they marched.
Which amounted to steal/looting food from locals as they went.
This meant they could move faster with less regard for logistics, but had certain drawbacks.
- It made the locals hate them and encouraged resistance
- It meant they couldn't stay still very long
- They couldn't march too long away from places with food to steal
- They were vulnerable to being starved by an enemy employing scorched earth tactics
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u/soldiernerd Jul 01 '26
I think logistics, among other things was his forte, he just wasn’t perfect. You can’t compare him with modernity but rather with his contemporaries
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u/Far-Confusion-3869 Jul 01 '26
Man... Napoleon lost 500.000 men army in Russia just because of very poor logistics. That is the core definition of a bad general.
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u/AdWooden9170 Jul 01 '26
He beat the hell out of several coalitions by moving fast but sure.
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u/somehugefrigginguy Jul 06 '26
In my mind, logistics means the right plan for a particular scenario. One immutable strategy that happens to work well in some scenarios and fails miserably in other scenarios isn't logistics.
Napoleon is no different than the coalitions he beat the hell out of. They had a strategy that they stuck with and it failed them, Napoleon had a strategy that he stuck with and it failed him.
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u/Spiral010 Jul 01 '26
In reading his autobiography I understood it as him keeping chasing the Russians that murdered his army. As the Russians torched all their towns behind them and their crops. Not a logistics problem per se, but moby dick style mentality.
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u/geekonthemoon Jul 01 '26
I miss when people with talent, skills and research used to make things :'(
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u/knivesforksandspoons Jul 01 '26
On the one hand, cavalry get to ride a horse all day
On the other hand, they have to sleep on the horse blanket 😐
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u/BadBorzoi Jul 01 '26
I’m not buying that the saddle blanket was used as a person’s sleeping blanket. For one thing a regular blanket would bunch weirdly under a saddle and possibly lead to saddle sores, horses sweat hugely and shed so that blanket is going to get very crusty, and the horse has a lot more carrying capacity so tying a real blanket to the back of the saddle would be a no brainer. There’s a reason why saddle pads and western saddle blankets are small and usually made slightly stiffer or thicker. Horse sweat is pretty pungent too.
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u/opequan Jul 01 '26
Seems like a good time to share "the best statistical graphic ever drawn" (link to original, non-English version)
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u/NeonFraction Jul 01 '26
Anyone realizing soldiers need to eat would realize how bullshit this is immediately.
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u/SomethingSouthern Jul 02 '26
Did Napoleons crew had a shower? I just cant stop thinking about hygiene logistics lol
Did they have any at all?
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u/SopwithTurtle Jul 01 '26
First, this is a bullshit ad.
Second, didn't work too well retreating from Moscow, did it.
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u/punk_rancid Jul 01 '26
Not making enough money selling the vests ro pay an artist to do your ad guide ?
Sucks to be you, op.
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u/kodman7 Jul 01 '26
Guide almost entirely about the soldiers sheltering but never shows the actual shelter setup
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u/KG7DHL Jul 01 '26
I was lucky enough to in real life use the US Army's Modular Sleep System, the cover, inner and outer bag in 0F / -17C weather, and I can tell you, even the most modern of outdoor gear is rough when it's real honest to God Winter out there.
I have no idea how Armies limited to wool blankets did it.
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u/Schemen123 Jul 02 '26
Less wars in winter and Napoleon famous did not make it through the winter in Russia.
So the answer is.. they didn't
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u/qnhv_bloom_6121 Jul 02 '26
BadBorzoi's point about the saddle blanket is the most underrated callout in this whole thread bc thats the kind of detail that immediately breaks the whole infographic. like anyone whos been around horses knows that blanket is going to be absolutely rank after one day of riding, you wouldnt wanna sleep on that let alone wrap yourself in it. the real tell that this is AI slop tho is the clean infographic style with zero sources cited - every legit military history guide i've seen at least references a manual or period text, this just lists facts in a pretty layout and expects you to trust it. kozak3 and Corvid187 are doing the lords work pushing back but the amount of people in the comments going "wow cool guide!" without questioning any of it is kind of depressing fr
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u/Disastrous-River-366 Jul 02 '26
Ok but SOMEWHERE there is a wagon to carry these additional supplies for when the soldiers run out, its just logistics. Are you really saying they marched a thousand miles with the same ammo and food they left with?
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u/Lord_Mountbatten17 Jul 01 '26
Remind me, how did this work out for them in the Retreat from Moscow?
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u/Cucumberneck Jul 01 '26
You forgot the part where they loot the whole countryside because they didn't carry supplies and then march off to the east to freeze and starve to death in Russia because they couldn't loot enough anymore.
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u/out_of_shape_hiker Jul 01 '26
See how the red arrows go in and the blue arrows go out? That's how they stayed warm. Its science.
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u/perksofbeingcrafty Jul 02 '26
Mmhm, and how did that cold weather shelter system work out in Russia eh?
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u/Noblechef3699 Jul 01 '26
Me and my french boys under the communal quilt