Osprey Warrior 24 : Austrian Grenadiers and Infantry 1788-1816

Austrian troops played a part in almost every major campaign of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars. In addition, Austria always had to look south as well as west to face the Ottoman Turks. The Turks relied on more mounted mobile troops, requiring a different military approach from that taken when fighting West European armies and Austrian troops had to deal with both types of warfare. The troops were recruited from territories as diverse as modern Belgium, the Czech Republic, central Romania and northern Italy, along with volunteers from southern Germany and a sprinkling of Irishmen. The average soldier could have found himself fighting anywhere across an area bounded by Belgrade, Kiev, Brussels and Milan during this period, and in terrain as diverse as the Po valley and the Swiss mountains. Dave Hollins looks at the life and experiences of both the ordinary infantry and the veteran elite of the Grenadier battalions, covering everything from their basic training and equipment to the tactics and horror of the battlefield. His examination is comprehensive and carefully detailed, and uses previously unpublished material from Germany, Austria and Hungary not only allows the author to provide a convincing analysis, but also brings the reader closer to the experience of the Austrian grenadiers and infantrymen, as voices from the past themselves recount their experiences. Illustrations by Jeffrey Burn.

Contents

• Chronology 1788-1816
• The Raw Material
• In Garrison
• Training
• Flags
• Leadership
• Reward and Punishment
• On Campaign
• Tactics
• Outposts and Patrols
• Into Battle
• Casualties and POWs
• Aftermath
• Bibliography