The winged hussars

**~~Anthony PV~~** · 03-03-2017, 01:16 AM

Originally Posted by crazyladybutterfly

Read more: http://www.messagetoeagle.com/winged...#ixzz4aDxJqxZA
Read more: http://www.messagetoeagle.com/winged...#ixzz4aDxAqG2W
Read more: http://www.messagetoeagle.com/winged...#ixzz4aDwoih7T
Read more: http://www.messagetoeagle.com/winged...#ixzz4aDwZd5cD
Read more: http://www.messagetoeagle.com/winged...#ixzz4aDwQfcVB

Here's another useful link on the subject: https://www.kismeta.com/diGrasse/HowHussarFought.htm ← How the Polish Hussars Fought, written by Radoslaw Sikora in 2000 and translated in English by Rick Orli in 2001.

**crazyladybutterfly** · 03-03-2017, 01:21 AM

Originally Posted by Anthony PV

Who will win? The Polish winged hussars or the traditional Hungarian hussars?

← Me, trying to drive a wedge between two allied nations...

Post-scriptum: Since when does the OP has an interest for military history?

i find a lot of things as interesting , military history is one of them.. though i am not a nerd in that field.
the issue is that so many things interest me to the point that i dont "specialize" in anything

**crazyladybutterfly** · 03-03-2017, 01:24 AM

Originally Posted by Anthony PV

Here's another useful link on the subject: https://www.kismeta.com/diGrasse/HowHussarFought.htm ← How the Polish Hussars Fought, written by Radoslaw Sikora in 2000 and translated in English by Rick Orli in 2001.

thank you i was looking for something like this

okay i make a "resume"

How did the hussar banner stand? It was prepared in this period to fight in 3 or 4 ranks (though it could be deeper). Let's accept that there were 4 ranks. The distance between horses was at least the length of a horse. (Just before impact there came a very curious moment - more about that later). This distance enabled:

-About-face, so that it was possible in each moment to interrupt an advance or charge, without commotion in ranks.
-Bypass of unexpected barriers on the way, even wounded bodies, and human or equine corpses.
-Visibility made it easier to keep rank position.
-It enabled bypassing opposing cavalry (to enter the ranks) during a charge.
This distance is a 4 meter interval (3 meter open space between riders) between horses in rank (with 200 men in 4 ranks).

In the first rank, the position of honor, were the ‘comrade’ hussars, with their retainers ‘pocztów' in column behind. Of course the front rank was exposed to infantry fire the most. The rear ranks were somewhat protected from frontal fire.

typical conditions the hussars charged from about 375 m. It crossed the first 75 walking (stepie), the next 150 trotting (klusem), then a canter (cwale), breaking into a gallop. The charge is completed at a canter for the final 30 meters. Only the leading ranks galloped, the back ranks proceed only at a canter. Why did they charge this way?

It is necessary to save the horse’s strength, which is quickly lost at a gallop or fast canter (one says the horse is 'blown'), but sometimes must suffice for multiple charges, in withdrawal or on final pursuit of a defeated foe. Also, the breaking power of the banner's impact depended on its density of formation. At the walk, trot, and canter it is easier to maintain formation than at a gallop.

Sometimes the second rank moved forward to double-up with the first. What did this give? It made up for losses in the first rank but more importantly it doubled the density of the line. It gave maximum density of troopers in this moment (distance less than 1.5 meter; contemporary chronoclers say ‘knee to knee’), and that provided the greatest formation-breaking power.

In the low-density scenario, there are more than 2 or pikes per lance, but with the higher density it gets closer to 1-to-1.

The assumption in the West was that it was not possible for cavalry to fall on a pike formation. Since the pike and lance were the same length, before the knight reached the pikeman, his horse was impaled on the pike. This situation looked like bad news to the contemporary western European cavalry, who wholly abandoned the lance.

As it happens, the situation was different with the hussar. The Hussar's Lance was constructed differently than medieval lances, as its center was bored out to save weight, and it was longer than its precursors - many were even 5.5m long- but were still lighter than western lances. (Examples exist to the present day). At the same time, the tendency of the pike was to become shorter in the West. So, the hussar could hit a pikemen before the pike reached his horse.

If it happened that hussars knocked out the first rank of pike, two ranks remain to defend the musketeers. How did the hussars overcome this? Several answers are possible. First they were put in a dense formation so that they were not greatly outnumbered by the pikemen. Some hussars had intact lances after the collision, and could continue the offensive on the other lines of pikemen. Secondly, even broken lances were 2-3 meters long, and even if its hit was not mortal, it could cause considerable mutilation and elimination of the pikeman from battle. Third, the possible breakdown of the pikes on the flanks could roll up the whole formation. The final consideration is the second blow that can be delivered by the fresh rear ranks of the hussar formation.

ven if the break did not happen in first charge, the hussar could fall away from the opponent, regroup as the second rank hit, and come back to attack again the partially disrupted formation of infantry.

What damage did the fire of infantry do to attacking hussars? Could it hold them off? As it happens, the answer is no. Numerical data illustrate this question best. Maximum gunshot range was 250-300M for muskets. For the precursor of musket, the arquebus, the maximum range was only150-200m. But fire from this distance was practically a waste of powder. Accuracy was very low in contemporary firearms. the hussars were too fast for the infantry

https://www.kismeta.com/diGrasse/HowHussarFought.htm

**Peterski** · 03-03-2017, 01:25 AM

Originally Posted by Anthony PV

Here's another useful link on the subject: https://www.kismeta.com/diGrasse/HowHussarFought.htm ← How the Polish Hussars Fought, written by Radoslaw Sikora in 2000 and translated in English by Rick Orli in 2001.

Sikora has published also some books about the Winged Hussars.

But I'm not sure if something in English as well, or just in Polish.

**Colonel Frank Grimes** · 03-03-2017, 01:31 AM

Rock on, bros.

**Peterski** · 03-03-2017, 01:32 AM

PhD Radosław Sikora:

Good documentary about the battle of Klushino, but no English subs unfortunately:

**Peterski** · 03-03-2017, 01:41 AM

Combined Russian-Swedish army at Klushino included 2,000 Scottish and English mercenaries.

Among them was Henry Brereton who joined the Swedish army under King Charles IX in May 1609:

http://archive.org/details/cu31924028446072

http://ia700309.us.archive.org/10/it...4028446072.pdf