Hat 8015 Austrian Cuirassiers

When the wars with revolutionary France broke out (1792-1799), the Austrian army was perceived as one of the largest and strongest in Europe. It is true that she suffered a number of defeats during the War of the Austrian Succession (1740-1748), but during the Seven Years' War (1756-1763) she was able to keep the field of the great Prussian army, and even (though rarely) deal defeats - as in the Battle of Kolin in 1757. The Austrian army also performed well during the War of the Bavarian Succession (1778-1779). However, despite the reforms carried out during the reign of Maria Theresa (1740-1780) and Joseph II (1780-1790), the Austrian army turned out to be inferior in the field to the troops of revolutionary and Napoleonic France, which was clearly demonstrated by the Italian campaign of 1796-1797 and such battles as Austerlitz (1805) or Wagram (1809). Considering the above, it is not surprising that during the Napoleonic Wars (1799-1815) the Austrian army underwent reforms (similarly to the Prussian army after 1806), and these changes also applied to the Austrian cavalry. For a long time, the elite of this cavalry was considered to be cuirassiers, who were perceived as typical heavy cavalry, intended for charge on the battlefield. In 1809 there were 8 cuirassier regiments, each of which numbered about 975 people and was divided into 6 squadrons. In the years 1812-1813 the number of squadrons was reduced to four, and a single squadron had 144 people. Thus, the regiment numbered about 580 people. The basic armament of the Austrian cuirassier was a broadsword and a pair of cavalry pistols in olders. It is worth adding that it also had a cuirass as a defensive weapon. Each squadron also had 16 soldiers armed with M1798 rifles (weight 2.65 kg) or cavalry rifles. Cuirassiers wore white uniforms, with cavalry boots reaching the knees. They wore helmets on their heads.