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Author Topic: Befreiungskriege - Commemorative Publication  (Read 2257 times)

Offline Gangleri

  • Scientist
  • Posts: 342
Befreiungskriege - Commemorative Publication
« on: January 28, 2015, 11:46:12 PM »
I was going through some old books with my father a few days ago, and I came across a book published by the city of Vienna in 1913 to commemorate Austrian and Allied victories over the French 100 years earlier.  The book was evidently distributed to Viennese children (including my father's brother, a young and impressionable boy at the time) in the hope of evoking an interest in History and strengthening their patriotic ardor.  The book is itself quite interesting, but it contained a number of images I had not seen before that may be of interest to the Napoleonic wargamer.  Of particular worth are the pictures of various Viennese volunteer and civic units, which may prove useful to anyone who wants to represent them in miniature.

"Dedication to the children of Vienna:
The community of Vienna gives you, beloved children of Vienna, this book into your hands.  It is an honor-book of your Home.  It concerns praiseworthy deeds of your forefathers, your forbears from a hundred years ago.  It concerns exemplary bravery, unmatchable loyalty to the Austrian Home, to the beloved Fatherland, to the dear Mother-city, for home and hearth, for Right and Duty, for Emperor and Realm, for God, and for the German people and the German way.  They were unheard-of sufferings, those that your great-grandfathers endured; unheard-of sacrifices, those who gave themselves forth; they in the fullest sense offered up their property and blood without reserve; but thereby they also attained unheard-of triumphs.
This honor-book of your Home should you more mature ones, whose younger minds have already been awoken to the awareness of such Glory, read with happy pride, since all that is dealt with herein is your best inheritance.  You other, smaller ones, you who have not yet ripened to such an awareness, you should present this little book with its lovely pictures to your elders and relatives, so that they too take heart and sureness from the great feats of their ancestors for their own deeds, should Fate demand such things of them; and beg them, that they explain this honor-book to you, that they read it to you, or keep it for you until a riper time as a lasting memento of the centennial celebration of those hero-deeds.  Vienna sends you, beloved children, as messengers, as heralds, as angels of the Home, out to all folkspeople, to all families of Vienna, to invite them to the loveliest celebration, to the celebration of their own worth, and to lead them to a life worthy of their great home, worthy of their great ancestors."




The first volunteer-drafts in ’97; for this occasion volunteers swore their oaths on the famed banners carried during the siege of Vienna in 1683 and the Empress herself stitched and embroidered the tassels for the new flags. Note the mixture of military and civilian dress in the background and the cockades in the hats.


The Viennese Bombardier Corps parading on the Glacis, 1797.


Officers and enlisted men of Bombardier Corps in 1808; uniform seems to be dark green faced in yellow (compare to the whitish uniform in the previous image).


Ferdinand Geramb, French émigré of dubious background, all-around man of mystery, and colonel of the Empress' Freikorps at Austerlitz.  Note the elaborate, cockaded, and heavily plumed hat. Never seen anything like it in Austrian uniforms of the time.  Presumably his unit, the Kaiserin-Maria-Theresia-Freikorps, wore a simpler version of this get-up.


Viennese Buergerkorps in 1808; private, hussar, two officers, and NCO.


"Assault on Aspern by the Regiment Benjowsky: Six times on 21st May was Aspern stormed by the Austrians, six times retaken by the French.  Massena, the French marshal, coordinated the defense under the tall linden of the churchyard. The seventh assault of the Austrians forced him into retreat.  It was contested over every house, over every garden. The whole town was in flames."


"Bombardment of Vienna by the French: One sees the French military on the Glacis camping between the inner city and the suburbs.  Behind the very open, only-with-tree-allées-occupied Glacis  the Karlskirche rises forcefully up."


"Departure of the Landwehrmann"


"Scene from the Befreiungskriege: This oath of the three sons departing for the fighting at the sickbed of their father is a fine example of the pictorial art of that time of revolution and wars of independence.  One sees the influence of the French paint J.L. David. The pathos-filled style stands at the junction of classicism and romanticism."


"Awarding of the Iron Cross"


"The Victory at Leipzig: Prince Schwarzenberg, the Generalissimo, comes leaping on the mold [soil] and informs the three monarchs of the victory.  Emperor Francis, in white uniform, stands between the Tsar and the King of Prussia.  In the left background the towers of Leipzig. In the foreground Austrian soldiers."  Note the wearing of greatcoats in action and the unusual cap sported by the soldier on the left; artistic license, or did the large mobilization mean some men weren't issued with full uniforms?

Hope you find these interesting.  The scanner at work isn't the best; perhaps one day I'll get these (and more) done properly somewhere.
Now what is this whole life of mortals but a sort of comedy, in which the various actors, disguised by various costumes and masks, walk on and play each one his part, until the manager waves them off the stage?

http://stokefield.blogspot.com/

http://wellrallyonceagain.blogspot.com/

Offline von Lucky

  • Galactic Brain
  • Posts: 8796
  • Melbourne, Australia
    • Donner und Blitzen Wargaming
Re: Befreiungskriege - Commemorative Publication
« Reply #1 on: January 29, 2015, 09:33:32 AM »
A nice collection of little gems - thanks for sharing.
- Karsten

"Imagination is the only weapon in the war against reality."
- Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

Blog: Donner und Blitzen

Offline IronDuke596

  • Librarian
  • Posts: 149
Re: Befreiungskriege - Commemorative Publication
« Reply #2 on: January 29, 2015, 07:06:46 PM »
Yes indeed some rare insights into period. Many thanks for sharing them.

Offline PAULSPENCE

  • Scientist
  • Posts: 366
Re: Befreiungskriege - Commemorative Publication
« Reply #3 on: January 30, 2015, 04:21:55 PM »
Hi,

Very splendid and different!

I especially like the view of Vienna under bombardment.

Thanks for sharing.

Cheers,

Paul

 

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