“Coming down they turned the tide.”

 This post looks at the latest unit from my painting table … yes, it’s Polish ‘Winged’ Hussars again!

28mm Polish Winged Hussars 

“Then the winged hussars arrived

Coming down the mountainside

Then the winged hussars arrived

Coming down they turned the tide.”

From ‘Winged Hussars’ by Sabaton

It is now more than three years since I started my Polish project, and this unit arrives ‘at the turning of the tide’ indeed, with the end of the project in sight. You can read about the start of my investigation in to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth hussars of this period in this post here: https://theviaregia.blogspot.com/2020/05/husaria.html.

This unit uses the fabulous 28mm figures from Warlord Games, with just a couple of additions to make up the unit numbers. There are two horses from TAG , one TAG rider and one Foundry rider.  The Warlord figures are probably better suited to a slightly later period than my 1620s army, but I have decided to use another unit of them because I like the figures so much.  

I have added wings, despite the doubt of them being used in battle, as they are just too iconic, in my mind, to leave off. The wings are adjusted to be the simpler, straight design attached to rear of the saddle (rather than to the rider’s back) which are thought to be from this earlier period.

To finish off the unit has a colour and lance pennons from Wargames Designs.  Wargames Designs offer a variety of different colour options.  My choice was based on having something different from my existing units. 

I have been trying to find a suitable Hussar casualty figure to use on a ‘casualty marker’ base.  I’m still searching, but I did find a fabulous falling horse as part of a vignette from Reconquer Designs (a designer who produces 3D printer designs).  To go with the horse I modified a Foundry hussar that fitted the horse remarkably well. I tried to give the impression of a rider being thrown unexpectedly forward as his horse is brought down in some way. I decided to have the hussar’s lance broken on the base to make the casualty figure easier to store and easier to use on the table.  The ‘casualty marker’ base is from Charle Foxtrot.

There will be one more unit of hussars before the project is finished, but up next on the painting table is some terrain for the Dirschau/Tczew battlefield. 

Until next time!

Andy from The Friends of General Haig.