Tuesday 17 November 2015

45+ squadrons of Austrian SYW Cavalry thundering into attack....











Four regimens of Cuirassiers take the first line (20 squ). The second line has three Dragoon regiments or another 15 squadrons. Bringing up the rear is a further two regiments of Dragoons flanked by 5 companies of Horse Grenadiers and two companies of Carabiniers.

These are all 25/28mm SYW figures, mostly from Crusader but with some Front Rank as well. I have never photographed quite so many cavalry.

Austrian SYW Cavalry: Hessen-Darmstadt Dragoons




The last regiment of heavy Austrian cavalry for this project (hurrah, hurrah)!
I have now completed 9 regiments of Cuirassiers and Dragoons. Just a couple of small hussar units to do and a few guns and, hey presto, this vast Austrian army is finished. Before the end of the year we will revert to Prussians.

Monday 9 November 2015

Erzherzog Joseph Dragoons





Another distinguished Austrian Dragoon Regiment, this one was raised in 1688 by Hannibal! General of cavalry Gustav Hannibal count Löwenschild. The more I read about these regiment's war histories (all the way through the 18th century not just the SYW) the more I come to the view that Austrian Dragoons were of superb quality and possibly even better than their Cuirassier cousins. They can certainly run rings around their Prussian foes in the WAS and this regiment was on the successful left wing of the Austrian cavalry at Mollwitz.

Monday 2 November 2015

WAS in Italy: Piedmontese Savoia Horse




This is the second of the Piedmontese Horse regiments. There was no difference in the uniforms except one had white buttons/lace and the other yellow. The bottom picture shows both together.
Normally they appear to have been split up and brigaded with a couple of dragoon regiments each and that is what I plan to do.

Serbelloni Cuirassiers



The fourth and final Austrian Cuirassier regiment is done and I have just two Dragoon regiments to go!

This is just a small flavour of the quality of the Serbelloni Cuirassiers and comes from Kronoskaf:

"In early June 1760, the regiment formed part of the Austrian Grand Army encamped at Plauen near Dresden and was deployed in the first line of the cavalry right wing. It was attached, with Stampach Cuirassiers and Buccow Cuirassiers to Gemmingen's Division. During the following campaign, the regiment was assigned to the right wing of the main army led by Field-Marshal Daun. On November 3, at the Battle of Torgau, as the Prussian cavalry charged the Austrian infantry, the regiment along with Buccow Cuirassiers counter-charged the enemy and put them to flight. The regiment then continued to advance under heavy artillery fire. Colonel Hueber was wounded by a cannon-ball and Lieutenant-Colonel Count Tige assumed command. A Prussian infantry formation of 3 regiments and four grenadier companies then blocked the advance of the regiment. Major von Wimmersberg and Captain Count Deym at the head of two squadrons fell on the flanks of this formation while Lieutenant-Colonel Count Tige charged it frontally with the remaining squadrons. Thus surrounded, the Prussians soon routed. A great number was killed and 3 officers, 519 men, 1 gun and 12 flags were captured."