During the Napoleonic Wars, many Bashkirs served as mercenaries in the Russian army to defend from the French invaders during Napoleon's invasion of Russia. Subsequently, the Bashkir battalions were the most notable fighters during the Napoleonic wars on the north German and Dutch plateau. The Dutch and the Germans called the Bashkirs "Northern Amurs", probably because the population was not aware of who the Bashkirs actually were or where they came from, therefore the usage of "Amurs" in the name may be associated to a reference of something or someone coming from far away; these battalions were considered as the liberators from the French, however modern Russian military sources do not give credit to the Bashkirs for these accomplishments. These regiments also served in Battle of Paris and the subsequent occupation of France by the coalition forces.