Dutch Guard Lancers are a type of lancer cavalry in Napoleon: Total War.
Description[]
Proud horsemen, Dutch Guard Lancers are fast moving and powerful when charging.
Trained to ride hard into battle with their lances down, these superb horsemen are ideal shock troops: the moment of impact is the moment of truth for their attack. They either break enemies, or should withdraw to charge again. Their steeds are fast moving and carry them to key points on the battlefield very quickly. Their morale is superb, but they are not suitably equipped for prolonged melee. A lancer is at a disadvantage in a close-in fight. Used against elite infantry in square their skills and lances will, of course, count for very little.
Originally formed as a hussar regiment, these men were transformed into lancers by a decree issued on the 23rd September 1810. Their first challenge was to learn how to handle the apparently unwieldy, but deadly lance. Several officers were sent to the Polish Lancers’ Chantilly barracks where they were drilled in the much-needed skills of the lance. These men then passed their new found wisdom to the rest of their regiment in Versailles. The reorganisation of the new Guard Lancers resulted in a number of uniform changes that proved extremely costly. The Minister of War had to ask Napoleon himself to provide them with more money to pay for new uniforms for the men!
General Information[]
Dutch Guard Lancers are among the best lancer cavalry in the game, with a whopping charge bonus of 42 (for comparison, Chevau-Légers Lancers, the standard French lancer cavalry and the best standard lance cavalry among all factions, have 38 charge). They only units that have a better charging bonus are the Polish Guard Lancers. The powerful charge of the Dutch Guard Lancers allow them to inflict heavy casualties on impact, in some circumstances allowing them to rout targets through the charge alone. Their melee and defensive skills are decent for lancer cavalry, but they cannot stand up to heavy cavalry in prolonged fighting, and they are very expensive to field.