Beginning Imperial Forces for the Siege of Vienna

The Allied forces that defended Vienna and then relieved the siege at the Battle of the Kahlenberg in 1683 were exceedingly varied.  The Imperial Austrian troops retained the same basic structure introduced by the great Montecuccoli in the 1660s.  Normally, an infantry company would consist of 48 pikemen, 88 matchlockmen (the flintlock came into common service only in 1699), and 8 shieldmen.  Uniforms were evolving, but still very civilian in appearance.  Uniform coats were described as being buff, cream-colored or light grey, with the cuffs being of different colors.  First is a section of Imperial infantry on the march.  So far, all of my Imperial troops are from the truly excellent Zvezda set of Austrian Musketeers and Pikemen for the 30YW.  Equipment had not changed dramatically since the 30YW, so these figures are armed well enough.  However, these figures do not have the proper clothing.  The coats should be longer, almost knee-length, with large cuffs.  Also, it is unlikely that pikemen still wore armor, although contemporary prints indicate that they sometimes still wore helmets.  As it is, these were the figures I had, so I figured I could use them as a citizens' militia.  To create a uniform appearance (but not too uniform) I painted cockades, epaulettes and gloves the same shade of blue.  The majority of jackets and trousers are buff or grey, with a smattering of red and brown for variety.

These Austrian pikemen from the same set are also far too armored.  Also, I should most likely trim the cockades from their helmets. 

Next are a few photos of the Polish Winged Hussars I've painted up so far.  The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth's army was probably the least advanced of the armies involved in this war.  It was a curious mixture of eastern and western styles of arms and armor.  Far and away, however, the most magnificent troops in the entire campaign were the Polish Winged Hussars.  These companies were a complicated, partially-feudal cavalry force.  They were certainly not the majority of Polish cavalry, being a rather elite corps, but they were very fun to paint, and will look absolutely superb when they are completed and smashing the left wing of the Ottoman Army at Vienna.  These are from two sets.  The one with the larger pennant with a cross blazoned on it is from Zvezda's superb set, while the other three are from Orion's set.  Red seems to have been the typical color for most Polish cavalry, so that's the theme I went with here.  Being so feudal, most of the winged hussars would have had considerable variety in uniform, reflecting personal taste as well as the tastes of the company commander.  The schemes for the pennants were painted to reflect the uniform scheme, although some evidence exists which indicates that the Royal Hussar Company would have borne pennants of yellow and black, the colors of the Commonwealth.

 And here are two close-ups:

There are many, many explanations for the "wings" on the lancers.  I think my favorite is that the fluttering of hundreds of wings startled and frightened enemy troops and horses.  However, it is more likely that they were simply for decoration.  There is also some disagreement on whether the wings would have been worn on campaign.  However, most contemporary sources seem to indicate that the Polish Winged Hussars were in full regalia at the Kahlenberg.  Even if this were not the case, I prefer to paint them with the wings.  On the whole, I am satisfied with my Poles, but not my Austrians.  My Austrian infantry as shown are likely to be of little use in Vienna or at the Kahlenberg.  I'm not sure why I didn't convert them first; I guess they were just such excellent figures I wanted to paint them as is.  I'll most likely use Revell 7YW figures for the remainder of my Imperial army.