#8322 7YW Austrians Marching
The Austrian Army entered the Seven Years War determined to recover the province of Silesia, which had been lost to Prussia during the earlier Silesian Wars. Under Empress Maria Theresa, the army had undergone substantial reforms in organization, training, pay and leadership, and by 1756 it had regained much of the strength and confidence lost during the previous decade.
The infantry formed the backbone of the Habsburg Army. Austrian line regiments were broadly divided into "German" and Hungarian establishments, with the term German covering troops raised from the monarchy's many non-Hungarian territories. The figures in this set represent the German infantry and can therefore be used for a very large proportion of Austria's line regiments during the Seven Years War.
Box front
The ordinary soldiers were fusiliers, who formed the main body of each regiment. They fought in disciplined close-order formations, marching and manoeuvring in long lines before delivering controlled volleys with the musket. Drill and steadiness were essential, since eighteenth-century infantry depended upon keeping its formation while advancing under fire.
Grenadiers were selected from the strongest and most experienced soldiers and formed the elite companies of the infantry. They wore the distinctive tall bearskin cap with a cloth bag hanging down the rear, while ordinary fusiliers wore the familiar three-cornered hat. Grenadiers also carried a short sabre in addition to their bayonet.
Test sprues, version 1
The Austrian infantry uniform of the period was dominated by the white coat, worn open at the front over a long waistcoat. Breeches and high gaiters completed the basic field dress, while facing colors, buttons and other details distinguished individual regiments. The relative simplicity of the basic uniform allows many different Austrian units to be represented through painting.
Austrian infantry fought in virtually every major campaign of the Seven Years War. At Kolin in 1757, Marshal Daun inflicted a major defeat on Frederick the Great and forced the Prussians to abandon their siege of Prague. Austrians later fought at Leuthen, Hochkirch, Torgau and numerous other battles as the struggle for Silesia continued.
Test sprues, version 2
The war produced both impressive victories and severe defeats, but the Austrian Army proved a far more formidable opponent than it had been during the earlier Silesian conflicts. By the end of the war, Prussia had retained Silesia, but Austria had demonstrated that its reformed army could compete with Frederick's highly regarded forces on much more equal terms.
This set contains 48 figures in three marching poses. Two poses represent ordinary fusiliers and one represents a grenadier. All carry their muskets correctly on the left shoulder, making the figures particularly suitable for formed battalions, columns on the march and troops advancing toward the battlefield.
Scanned figures
The fusiliers wear the regulation tricorn with cockade, while the grenadier wears the tall bearskin cap with its hanging cloth bag. Knapsacks, cartridge boxes, water bottles, bayonet scabbards and the grenadier's additional equipment are all represented, giving the figures the full campaign appearance of Austrian infantry during the Seven Years War.
This set is designed to complement our Seven Years War Austrians Action and Austrians Command sets. Used together, the three sets allow complete Austrian battalions to be shown marching, fighting and accompanied by officers, musicians and standards. They are suitable for campaigns from the opening of the war in 1756 through the great battles against Prussia in Bohemia, Saxony and Silesia.
All information on this page subject to change.