Napoleonic Austria - The 1805 Campaign

Last Update 15th October 2002

Line Infantry

Uniformity, and everybody just like everybody else. The hallmark of a good Austrian regiment.

Organisation

The reforms for 1805 introduced 4 companies per battalion, with 6 battalions to the regiment. This replaced the earlier 6 companies per battalion, 4 battalions per regiment. The first battalion was the grenadier battalion, which was usually combined into a new formation with grenadiers from other regiments. The sixth battalion was the depot battalion, some of which saw service at Austerlitz. Of note for the grenadiers is that 2 companies were the old grenadiers, wearing the grenadier cap, while the 2 new young grenadier companies still wore the German helmet, but carried a grenadier sabre. To make a multi period army, it may be preferable to make your grenadier battalion with all grenadier caps. Also, 1805 was the only campaign in which the grenadiers carried the white Leibfahne as they were nominally the 1st battalion. In other campaigns the white flag would revert to the 1st fusilier battalion and the grenadiers would carry the yellow flag. For the majority of the campaign battalion guns were also assigned to line regiments, of 3lb or 6lb size. This did not always apply, and historical Orders of Battle should be confirmed for refights. For generic army lists, a corps of infantry regiments may or may not have battalion guns. Either way, they will not have corps batteries attached except for reserve batteries.

Infantry were raised from three distinct areas. Hungary, Galicia, and the rest of the empire. Galician troops were new formations, raised to replace the regiments which were raised in lands lost in the 1801 war, and generally did not perform as well as the more established German and Hungarian regiments. The recruiting area and troop quality is summarised in the table in the painting section.

While opponents may deride the Austrians, the infantry and cavalry were excellent soldiers and exceptionally brave.

Generic Battalion Makeup

German & Hungarian & Grenadier Battalions - 10 figures composed of (paper strength 804, campaign strength varied 400-500, usually 500 men)

Painting Your Austrian Line Infantry

All Austrian figures (foot/cavalry/artillery/officers) have a sprig tucked into their helmet. Paint it plant green. For painting the artillery men, refer the artillery section.

German Line Infantry

Soldier -

  • Facing - details listed per regiment descriptions below to turnbacks, cuffs, collars
  • Coat & Breeches - white
  • Boots - black
  • German helmet, brass front piece and peak edging, black over yellow crest
  • Great coat roll - grey
  • Pack - cowhide brown, white strapping
  • Scabbard - black with iron trim for bayonet
  • Cartridge Box - black
  • Canteen - wood with leather reinforcing straps, suspended on a white strap

    • Officer - as per soldier except the turnbacks are white, plus sash of black and yellow, and crest support of gold with gold crest with black over. Some officers may also be sculpted with a bicorne instead of the helmet. In this case, black bicorne with black over yellow plume. Black over yellow rosette, with gold to the bicorne edges. Some officers are also sculpted wearing their great coat (oberrock). It varied in colour from dark grey to black, with regimental coloured cuffs and collar, with buttons of the regimental colour.

    Mounted Officer - as per foot officer. Shabraque red with gold trim and imperial cypher. White sheepskin.

    Standard Bearer - as per soldier. Yellow ordinarfahne flag

    Drummer - As per soldier plus drums were black and yellow bands to top and bottom edge, white cordage amd strapping, sandy yellow drum body, swallow nests facing colour with white lace edging

    Regimental Variations -

    Regiment Number

    Recruiting Region

    Unit Rating

    Facing Colour

    All grenadier Battalions

     

    Class 5

    per regiment

    1- Kaiser Franz II

    Moravia

    Class 4

    Pompadour (Dark red)

    3 Erzherzog Karl

    Austria

    Class 4

    Sky Blue

    4 Hoch und Deutchmeister

    Austria

    Class 5

    Sky Blue

    5 First Garrison

     

    Garrison troops. Did not see action

    Dark Blue

    6 Second Garrison

     

    Garrison troops. Did not see action

    Black

    7 Karl Schroder

    Moravia

    Class 2

    Dark Blue

    8 Erzherzog Ludwig Josef

    Moravia

    Class 2

    Poppy red

    9 Czartorisky-Saggusco

    Galicia

    Class 2

    Apple Green

    10 Anspach-Bayreuth

    Bohemia

    Class 2

    Parrot Green

    11 Erzherzog Rainer

    Bohemia

    Class 4

    Rose Pink

    12 Manfredini

    Moravia

    Class 2

    Dark Brown

    13 Reisky

    Austria

    Class 2

    Grass Green

    14 Klebek

    Austria

    Class 3

    Black

    15 Karl Reise

    Bohemia

    Class 2

    Dark yellow

    16 Erzherzog Johan Joseph

    Styria

    Class 2

    Violet

    17 Reuss Plauen

    Bohemia

    Class 2

    Light Brown

    18 Stuart

    Bohemia

    Class 2

    Dark Red

    20 Kaunitz-Rietberg

    Moravia

    Class 2

    Crab Red

    21 Gemmingas-Hornberg

    Bohemia

    Class 2

    Sea Green

    22 Koburg

    Moravia

    Class 2

    Dark Yellow

    23 Salzburg

    Austria

    Class 2

    Poppy Red

    24 Auersperg

    Galicia

    Class 2

    Dark Blue

    25 Spork

    Bohemia

    Class 2

    Sea Green

    26 Hohenloe-Bartenstein

    Austria

    Class 2

    Parrot Green

    27 Stassaldo

    Austria

    Class 2

    Dark Yellow

    28 Frohlich

    Bohemia

    Class 2

    Grass Green

    29 Lindenau

    Moravia

    Class 2

    Medium Blue

    30 de Ligne

    Galicia

    Class 2

    Light Grey

    35 Erzherzog Maximilien

    Bohemia

    Class 2

    Crab Red

    36 Kolowrat-Krakowsky

    Bohemia

    Class 2

    Pale Red

    38 Wurttemberg

    Galicia

    Class 2

    Rose

    40 Josef Mittrowsky

    Moravia

    Class 2

    Crimson

    41 Sachsen-Hildburghausen

    Galicia

    Class 2

    Yellow

    42 Erbach

    Bohemia

    Class 2

    Orange

    43 Valsassina

    Austria

    Class 2

    Yellow

    44 Bellegarde

    Galicia

    Class 2

    Dark Yellow

    45 Latterman

    Styria

    Class 2

    Crimson

    46 Neugebauer

    Tyrol

    Class 3

    Dark Blue

    47 Vogelsang or Kinsky

    Bohemia

    Class 2

    Grey Green

    49 Kerpen

    Austria

    Class 2

    Light Grey

    50 Stain

    Austria

    Class 2

    Violet

    54 Froon

    Bohemia

    Class 2

    Apple Green

    55 Reuss-Greitz

    Galicia

    Class 2

    Medium Blue

    56 Wenzel Coloredo

    Moravia

    Class 2

    Grey Green

    57 Josef Coloredo

    Bohemia

    Class 4

    Pale Red

    58 Beaulieu

    Galicia

    Class 2

    Black

    59 Jordis

    Austria

    Class 3

    Orange

    63 Erzherzog Josef Franz

    Galicia

    Class 2

    Light Brown
     

    Hungarian Line Infantry

    Soldier -

  • Facing - details listed per regiment descriptions below to turnbacks, cuffs, collars
  • Coat - white
  • Breeches - light blue with yellow/black lace knot and seam for Hungarian & Croat, no idea for Walloon
  • Boots - black
  • German helmet, brass front piece and peak edging, black over yellow crest
  • Great coat roll - grey
  • Pack - cowhide brown, white strapping
  • Scabbard - black with iron trim for bayonet
  • Cartridge Box - black
  • Canteen - wood with leather reinforcing straps, suspended on a white strap

    • Officer - as per soldier plus sash black and yellow

    Mounted Officer - as per soldier plus sash black and yellow. Grey greatcoat if worn. Black bicorne with black on yellow cocade, and gold lace, or german helmet as per soldier. Shabraque red with gold trim and imperial cypher. White sheepskin.

    Standard Bearer - as per soldier. Yellow ordinarfahne flag

    Drummer - As per soldier plus drums were black and yellow bands to top and bottom edge, white cordage amd strapping, sandy yellow drum body, swallow nests facing colour with white lace edging

    Regimental Variations -

    Regiment Number

    Unit Rating

    Facing Colour

    All grenadier battalions

    Class 5

    per regiment

    2 - Erzherzog Ferdinand

    Class 2

    Dark Yellow

    19 Alvinezy

    Class 3

    Sky Blue

    31 Benjowsky

    Class 2

    Dark Yellow

    32 Esterhazy

    Class 2

    Sky Blue

    33 Sztarrai

    Class 2

    Dark Blue

    34 Davidovich

    Class 2

    Crab red

    37 deVins/Auffenburg

    Class 2

    Poppy Red

    39 Duka

    Class 3

    Poppy Red

    48 Vukassovich

    Class 2

    Grey Green

    51 Splenyi

    Class 2

    Dark Blue

    52 Erzherzog Franz Karl

    Class 2

    Pompadour (Dark Red)

    53 Johann-Jellacic

    Class 2

    Pompadour (Dark Red)

    60 Gyulai

    Class 2

    Grey Green

    61 St Julien

    Class 2

    Grass Green

    62 Franz Jellacic

    Class 2

    Grass Green

    German Fusiliers

    Here we have two bases of German fusiliers, command to the left and soldiers to the right [Front Rank minitures] Hungarians look the same except for the light blue breeches with yellow braiding. [Spot the mistake? The officer should have black over gold crest, not black over yellow]

    Grenadiers

    Soldier -

  • Facing - details listed per regiment descriptions to turnbacks, cuffs, collars
  • Coat - white
  • Breeches - white for German, light blue with yellow/black lace knot and seam for Hungarian & Croat, no idea for Walloon
  • Boots - black
  • Old Grenadier Companies - Austrian grenadier cap in black bearskin, white lace inserts to cap top. This lace was set over a cloth base of regimental facing colour. The pom pom was black on yellow.
  • Young Grenadier Companies - German helmet, brass front piece and peak edging, black over yellow crest
  • Great coat roll - grey
  • Pack - cowhide brown, white strapping
  • Scabbard - black or leather with iron trim for bayonet, sword brass hilt.
  • Cartridge Box - black, with brass grenade badge
  • Canteen - wood with leather reinforcing straps, suspended on a white strap

    • Officer - as per soldier plus sash black and yellow. Overcoat as per line infantry officer.

    Mounted Officer - as per corresponding mounted line officer

    Standard Bearer - as per soldier. The grenadiers carried the white Liebfahne in this campaign.

    Drummer - As per soldier plus drums were black and yellow bands to top and bottom edge, white cordage and strapping, sandy yellow drum body, swallow nests facing colour with white lace edging

    Regimental Variations - Facing colours as per the Line Infantry regiment they were formed from.

     German GrenadiersHere we have two bases of German Grenadiers [Front Rank miniatures], command to the left, soldiers to the right. Note the white flag, and the officers rather pale overcoat, which should be a much darker grey. Being no great painter, I have left the insert patch of the grenadiers cap as white, rather than facing colour with white lace circles. [Spot the mistake? The canteens below the soldiers pack has white straps instead of the proper black.