Italeri 6065 British and Prussian General Staff

Contrary to the French army during the revolutionary wars (1792-1799) and the Napoleonic wars (1799-1815), many officers in the British army came from the upper classes, often from the aristocracy. This was due, inter alia, to the fact that in the infantry, and especially in the cavalry, many officer positions could be bought (this comment does not apply to artillery - both foot and horse), which, of course, could only be afforded by wealthy people. Thus, it can be assumed that the British officer corps of that time fraternized with its subordinates to a much lesser extent than it was in the French army. It was also much more difficult in the British army to get promotions on merit and it was rather difficult to say that "each soldier carried the marshal's mace in his backpack." On the other hand, the British officer corps often showed considerable professionalism and was quite well trained. The lower officers were also able to show not little personal courage, but also peace in the face of the enemy, which was a great example for their subordinates. It is also worth remembering that in the course of the Napoleonic Wars, the British army had several gifted officers, the most prominent of whom was Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, who was one of the architects of the victory over Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815.