Military Fitness during Napoleonic Wars

Fit enough to fucking walk everywhere

>>402100

Nothing. They weren't fit at all.

All they had to do was walk, stand in a line, and shoot.

A literal basement dwelling neckbeard from today that has never even seen a gym could join the army and become a GOAT soldier.

>>402100
It depends on the time of year.

During campaign season, they stayed fit due to the fact that they walked every fucking wear while humping their kit, which was probably close to about 70lbs total. Then, when they were stationary, there'd be the fortification details, latrine digging details, and all manner of other physical labor they'd be required to do, which most modern westerners couldn't do today, because they are soft little pussies.

Hell, western militaries today are pussies compared to those dudes, due to the fact that the ONLY motherfuckers that actually hump kit consistently are airborne, and light infantry, and they make up a small minority of any given military.

The support faggots, and the whiny females in their units, couldn't do 12 miles in under 3 hours in full kit if their lives depended on it.


>>402600
>I bet you'd start crying 5 miles into a 12 mile forced march, sweetheart

>>402658
The average Westerner today, even lardasses, are fitter than the average soldier of the Napoleonic era, who was malnourished and under 1.7 metres in height.

However, they were much tougher and resistant to hardship than modern Westerners.

>>402894
well I think this just calls into question your definition of 'fitness'.

Being much tougher and resistant to hardship makes it sound like they were more 'fit' for survival, don't you think?

>>402600
Are you retarded?
They sometimes had to walk 70kms a day
You need to be kinda fit to go across Europe on foot at high speed

They were spooky scary skeletons who could carry their body weight in gear for years of campaign. They were fit but in the old sense that they could endure but were not of the physical strength of the average gym rat.

>>402600
I'd like to see that super neckbeard walking with all the stuff of that time on his back from Calais to Austerlitz, i didn't check but it's at least 1500 to 2000km, to have an exhausting battle the next day you arrive.

>>403166
>walk
Hue ive ran 30 miles at once walking 70 euro miles while carrying what is today considered a light pack would be a breeze.

>>403219
And then you spent the next day sleeping
These dudes walked for 20 hours per day during weeks

>>403253
Sounds pretty unlikely. Are you sure you're not misunderstanding the sources, like the first scouts set out around 0500 and the rearguard came in at 0100?
Forget about the men being unfit for battle, that would kill the horses making up your cavalry screen.

They were accustomed to hard physical exertion and deprivation from a young age.

With superior diet and health care, modern men grow up to be bigger and stronger, but they haven't the stamina that those men had both physically and mentally.

Most men nowadays would be in tears about the lack of food, sleep and rest whilst those guys would still be marching and whistling down the road.

>>402100
Fit enough to force march all day with only army rations to fuel your body.

>>402600
As a former basement dwelling unfit sack of shit, standing up for just 30 minutes could be extremely exhausting.

>>402894
>who was malnourished and under 1.7 metres in height.
Malnourishment doesn't necessarily mean unfit.

>>403356
this

not very "fit" at all by modern standards, but possessed a vastly higher tolerance for bullshit than the average 1st worlder today

Wait I read about that shit somewhere. Give me 10 minutes and Ill find it.

>>403842
>two hours later

>>402658
Marine pog here, can confirm. The only 12 mile hike I did was at MCT and the females were fucking dying. Ive only been in the fleet for about a month and our pt is garbage. Just a bunch of sports now which I fucking hate. We did have an 8 mile hike but they cut it short to 6.5 because we had to get back to the office...being a pog sucks

>>402600
>lol bro you just walk anyone can do it
>>402658
That's nice but who are you quoting?

>>403356
This.
I could do it physically (I'm marathon skiier), but not on their diet, while wearing their boots, for sure.

>>404237
This made me rage.

>>403356
Well, when they could eat, what did they eat?

Did the average soldier get like staple meat, or were they forced to eat non-nutritious foods?

>>405367
Foremostly bread, bread and more bread.

File: feel french soldier.png (175KB, 500x600px) Image search: [Google]

175KB, 500x600px

>>405385
>you'll never consume as many complex carbs as a Napoleonic soldier and then utilize said carbs to march across Europe

>>405415
also hardtack & water biscuits of sorts.

>>404208
Sorry anon I couldn't find the book ;_;
But it was really interesting they had stats for food rationing and average distances walked by the soldiers of the Napoleonic era.

>>405595
>>405367
>>405385
>>405415
If I remeber correctly the main food they got was bread for breakfast and dinner and soup for supper. The least diversified diet was the French one which was mainly bread and a bit of pork and onion (the figures evade me), while the most meat was consumed by dutch soldiers, which got less bread, but 2x times as much pork as the French.