TRANSFORMING A PIEDMONTESE NIZZA CAVALRY INTO AUSTRIAN (HUNGARIAN) RADETZKY HUSSAR

 I have to admit, I consider my Piedmontese Cavalry as my best papersoldier ever done. They really look super in their fighting pose. So I decided to use this Piedmontese unit as sample to make an Austrian (Hungarian) Hussar of the 5th Regiment Radetzky that took part (a little to be sincere) in the Battle of Santa Lucia.

I was curious indeed  to check the possibilities of this sample as base for future units on horse.

Nizza Cavalleria - Sergeant

(Copyright Michele L. Savasta Fiore)

et voila! trasformed in Austrian ... sorry Piedmont!

Hussar Radetzky Regiment nr 5

(Copyright Michele L. Savasta Fiore)

Hussar Radetzky Regiment nr 5

(Copyright Michele L. Savasta Fiore)

For the uniforms of this very colourful unit I used the sample of the book "The Honvéd Army 1848-1849 -  A Honvédsereg 1848 - 1849 by Gyozo Somogyi, oublished by A Millenium in the Military" (just for your knowledge "Honvéd" means in Hungarian - language that I speak and I love very much Hon = Homeland (Heimat) and véd (litteraly "it defends" from the verb vedélni = to defend, so the "Defense of Homeland")

It is important to note that the 5th Hussar Regiment (included in the Hungarian Army of the Austrian Empire) remained loyal (together with just another one Hussar Regiment) to the Habsbourg Dinasty during the "Szabadsàgharc" (it means the "Fight for liberty", i.e. the Hungarian War in 1848-1849).

It is a very detailled book and a must for everyone that loves the Szabadsagharc. For this I do reccomend by the way to buy the version in Hungarian with all the needed informations on the units. The English version is just with little text. I am not crazy for the proportion of the hussar on horse but nonetheless this book is really very beautiful. 

Having in mind this uniforms I found not correct the shako as I did in my previous plate. In fact the shako until 1845 was identical to the Napoleonic period. After that date it became almost cylindrical. Here the plate with modified shako

(Copyright Michele L. Savasta Fiore)

(Copyright Michele L. Savasta Fiore)

REGIMIENTO DE INFANTERIA "NAPOLES" - 1706

 A friend of mine asked me to have a little unit form her town, Napoli, or that somehow could be conntected to that town.

I opted for the Infantry Regiment, under the orders of King Felipe V of Spain, that was at the defence of the Duchy of Lombardy in 1706 and 1707, and that defended the town of Milan (under the Spaniards) untill its surrender to the Imperial/Austrian Armies, victorious after the Battle of Turin on 6th September 1706.

This regiment was originally called Tercio de la Mar de Nàpoles.

From Kronoskaf I took this info for this unit:

SERVICE IN WSS

In 1701, at the outbreak of the war, the tercio sided for the Bourbon. On 31 August, it joined the brigade of Lombardia and, on 1 September, took part in the Battle of Chiari.

In 1702, the tercio garrisoned the Castle of Tortona. On 15 August, it took part in the Battle of Luzzara.

From 1 May to 21 July 1704, the tercio took part in the siege of Vercelli. From 2 September to 30 September, it was at the siege of Ivrea.

In 1705, the tercio was transformed into a regiment and renamed “Corona”. It served in Torralba's Division in Vendôme's Army. Its second battalion was sent under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Don Francisco Rubin de Celis to occupy the Heights of San Ossetto. On 20 May, during a combat against Imperialist grenadiers, Rubin de Celis passed to the enemy but his battalion did not follow him; on the contrary, Captain Don José de Torres stubbornly defended his position.

In 1706, the companies of Don Martin Galiano and Don José de Torres were transferred to the new Regimiento de Saboya.

In 1707, the regiment vainly defended the City of Milan against an Imperialist attack. On 1 April, it evacuated the Citadel of Milan and retired to Spain where it served at Pamplona and Valencia.

From 20 June to 10 July 1708, the regiment played an active part in the reconquest of Tortosa.

In 1709, the regiment stormed the Castle of Arenys and sustained a sanguinary combat in view of Monzon.

In 1710, the regiment joined the army commanded by King Philip V. On 20 August, it took part in the disastrous Battle of Saragossa. The remnants of the regiment then retreated to Castile.

In 1714, the regiment took part to the pacification of Catalonia and then garrisoned Cádiz.

The colours were as follows:

Colonnella

Battalion Colour

The uniform of the regiment was as follows:

Private

Drummer

Commander of the Regiment

(Copyright Michele Savasta Fiore)

Commander of the 1st Battallion

Don Claro de Costantino 

(Copyright Michele Savasta Fiore)

Standard - Bearer of the 1st Battallion

(Copyright Michele Savasta Fiore)