In this post, dear readers, we cycle back to our Oct 29 WIP post "To Arms, To Arms!" in order to shew the completion of a unit found there: the Prussian 10th (Magdeburg) Hussars.
Having added the Northstar Prussian Leib Hussars to my collection earlier, when I saw that Northstar had expanded their 1866 hussar line to include figs for other (non-totenkopf) units, I decided that I had to add another unit of these figures. I was originally thinking of the ever popular brown-and yellow Silesian Hussars (Hussar Rgt 4), but I already have those among my Napoleonics. I therefore decided to instead go with the less represented 1oth (Magdeburg) Hussars, an equally colorful unit in their distinctive dark green uniforms with yellow details. I particularly liked the combination of the yellow "wolves teeth" and red border on the saddle furniture (challenging though it was to render).
The 10th Hussar Regiment does not have the lineage of the first five Prussian hussar regiments that stretch back to Frederick the Great, but it has an impressive resume stemming from the Befreiungskriege (1813/14) onwards--so it is very much a distinguished unit of the wars of the mid-century. It began as the Elbe National Cavalry Regiment and participated in the Waterloo campaign with the IV Prussian Armeekorps (being engaged at Wavre). It was then incorporated into the regular Prussian Army as the 10th (Magdeburg) Hussars and participated in all the major wars and campaigns up to and including the Great War. Interestingly, it was represented among the German East Asian Expeditionary Corps during the Boxer Rebellion. Here is my study of how I rendered this unit (as usual, you may clix pix for BIG PIX):
These figures are in coveralls whereas the Northstar Leib Hussars are in boots: a minor difference (other than the headgear: these have the bandeu as opposed to the Totenkopf badge)
When doing the earlier Leib Hussars, I cracked the code on the detailed strapping and equipment on these sculpts (fore-warned is fore-armed).
The Magdeburg Hussars take their place next to the Leib Hussars.
Given the time of year that they were completed and the green and red color combination, I think these will be nicknamed the "Christmas Tree Hussars"!✨
Excelsior!
Beautiful hussars you've got there!
ReplyDeleteBest Regards,
Stokes
Thankee, Stokes. I'll have to get my Prussians on the table again to see them in action.
DeleteGotta love the hussar uniforms .
ReplyDeleteAlthough always a dandy bit of kit, cavalry uniforms (hussars in particular) reached their most dandy in the post-Napoleonic era (pre khaki)--almost in inverse proportion to their actual effectiveness on the battlefield :)
DeleteGorgeous hussars, Ed! The green and yellow combination is striking.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jonathan: Yellow and green, also the colors of my Green Bay Packers (a classic, indeed).
ReplyDeleteVery nicely done!! I hope that I can do half as well with my 3rd "Zieten" (Brandenburg) and 16th Schleswig-Holstein Hussars of the 15th Cavalry Brigade, 1870.
ReplyDeleteJim
Thanks, Jim: if I hadn't already done the "crab red" 5th (Blucher) hussars (Foundry figs: done before Northstar came out with their hussars), I certainly would have jumped on the Zietens: looking forward to seeing those when they're done!
DeleteLovely looking hussars, very dashing!
ReplyDeleteBest Iain
Thanks, Iain: can hardly go wrong with hussars for color!
DeleteAnother nice unit. I agree the yellow-on-red coloring of the horse blanket details is striking.
ReplyDeleteThanks, AJ: this was a unit that gave a nice "return on investment" for the effort involved.
DeletePretty cool Ed. Nicely painted.
ReplyDeleteNow continue my education and tell me what exactly a hussar is, bc I confess I’m not very sure...😀
Thanks, Stew. From Wikipedia: "Hussars were a class of light cavalry, originating in Central Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries. The title and distinctive dress of these horsemen were subsequently widely adopted by light cavalry regiments in European armies."
DeleteIn other words, a subset of light cavalry in very expensive (and colorful) uniforms: generally considered higher status or elite in most armies.
...still slogging along with my Battle of Nachod project, but was diverted by 9 units of Hanoverians. These are very, very nice Ed. Those shabraques, no matter the figure manufacturer, are a stinker to paint. Nice work!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Dave; glad you dropped by! I may need to check out Neil Thomas' book on 19th C warfare (as mentioned on your blog). You might want to check out the "Hypenated Wars Gaming Resources" link among the "Wargaming & Hobby Links" on the left side of my blog (if you haven't already found it yourself).
Delete...I' not sure if your on Facebook Ed, but there is a very active page dedicated to Thomas" rules, You mat think about joining if your on FB.
ReplyDeleteI really need to get back to blogging.....ahh... a New Year's resoution!
Thanks for the tip, Dave. I’m not a Facebooker, but this sounds like an incentive to think about it
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