Austrian Grenadiers

A busy day at the painting table over the bank holiday resulted in the following joining the ranks of Marlborough's Allied army

 

They were part of Montfort's Bde at the assault on the Schellenberg. The brigade comprised 3 battalions of converged grenadiers from Austrian, Franconian & Swabian regiments.. This unit represents the battalion made up from the Austrian regiments, so the battalion includes grenadiers painted to represent the infantry regiments of Baden, Salm and Tollet. At the Schellenberg – this brigade was part of the advance guard and Count Styrum was killed while leading the formation in support of Goor's assault, while the rest of the imperial army outflanked D'Arco's position. Bit of history and reference – and there’s plenty of discussion about the how’s and when’s of these converged units – some argue that the Austrians combined and un-combined converged regiments at the drop of a hat, others say they were converged at the beginning of a campaign and stayed together to the end – the more middle view – and the one I’m taking, is that it could have been either depending on situation – my further impression is that for at least the attack on the Schellenberg it was a decision taken just before the battle/assault – so a more ad hoc arrangement..

 

Alphons Freiherr von Wrede wrote a book, “Geschichte der K. und K. Wehrmacht”, at the end of the 19th Century that details on a regiment by regiment basis from about 1618 onwards every unit of the land forces including all engagements, commanders, losses of senior officers and lineage (now that would be worth reading!). In it he states: `In times of war, at least from the time of the War of the Spanish Succession, it was the custom that the grenadier companies were taken from their parent regiments and formed into special battalions under nominated commanders and used as such on separate, important missions.” So jury is out – it was obviously common practice but no view on how permanent these converged units were.. Duffy wrote that Austrian grenadier “units” were basically more a part of their parent regiment than the Prussian grenadiers were, and they did not have a sort of permanent inhaber (commander) like the Prussians. Commanders of the Austrian grenadier battalions, when brigaded, tended to be very much more appointed on a kind of ad hoc basis. "Austrian Grenadiers… not organised, nor deployed by combined grenadier battalion, but by company and only by company. A group of companies may be given a specific task and sent off on an expedition or to another part of the battlefield, but it was entirely an ad-hoc measure (unlike Prussians for example).” In the winter, generally in winter quarters, the grenadier companies were with their parent regiments, which was not the case with the Prussian grenadier battalions. So he leans very definitely towards the ad hoc argument…

 

Figures are 15mm and by Essex (purchased at Salute this year) - good fun to paint as well - made a nice change from tricorne's to be painting bearskins! For something much more nicely painted than mine see the following from the Front Rank website.. exquisite....