M-Model 32061 Austrian Wachtmeister, 4 th Hussars c.1805

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. One of the basic units of the light cavalry were the hussar regiments, of which there were 11 in 1809 - each of them numbered approx. 1,480 men, divided into 8 squadrons, approx. 185 men each. The basic weapon of the hussar after 1805 was the Model 1803 saber with a blade length of 84 centimeters. The additional armament was a Model 1798 cavalry rifle, 85 cm long and weighing 2.45 kg. Hussar regiments in the Austrian army were recruited almost exclusively from Hungarians. They were known as great light cavalry, and the Austrian hussars were known for their perfect mastery of the arcana of horsemanship. They were also able to fight in the open field, which was clearly proved by the Battle of Leipzig in 1813.