Grande Armee: The Austrian Advance Guard from Wagram 1809 in 6mm

So, its been a little while since I have posted a painting blog but thats not to say that haven't been slaving away over paints and brushes.

Im neck deep in getting some Dropzone Commander UCM assets ready for presentation BUT as it has been a while since I posted I thought I would let you all in on what I had finished off in preparation for moving onto Dropzone Commander.

So, I procured for myself John H. Gill's seminal masterpiece trilogy 1809: Thunder on the Danube which gives the complete history of Napoleons absolute pfisting of the Habsburg monarchy!

I don't know about the rest of you but when I choose an army I usually go for the underdogs and/or losers and most especially if they look dapper in their clobber!

Thats the main reason I chose the Austrians (as I already own French and Spanish armies of the period in 15mm. This is my first 6mm Napoleonic Army). The Austrian army of this period (1809) was commanded by Archduke Charles who is one of the only people to have ever defeated Napoleon using an army of his own, with no allied contingents. For me this was reason enough to choose the army.

I have to say however that by the end of the first volume of Gills trilogy I was well and truly disavowed of my erroneous notion that the Austrians were probably capable but unlucky. Bravery was certainly not missing in the Austrian ranks of 1809 and the fact that they could keep troops in the field following a relentless series of kickings the French and Confederation troops doled out to them in the first month of the campaign says a lot about their personal qualities BUT, and here is the caveat, these poor troops deserved a military hierarchy that could do more than polish their epaulettes!!! I have never in my life read about such a collection of puddings! All collected in one military establishment... at the same time AND unlucky enough to face somebody of Napoleons character, let alone Davout, Lannes, Montbrun, Bessieres, Wrede and so on! They never stood a chance. Its small surprise that only one of the Austrian corp commanders saw active service after the campaign was over!!!

The Advance Guard commanders however were another kettle of fish entirely. Schuttermayer! What a man!!!!

Anyway, having read deeply into this developing disaster and having witnessed photos of Jim's Frogs marching around the corner I felt a sudden rush of panic and realised that just the one corp wouldn't be enough... so I decided that at the very least my army would need to field the army's Advance Guard led by the capable FML Armand Nordman who was actually killed at Wagram along with 3 other Austrian generals.

The Austrian Hauptarmee Advance Guard

FML Armand von Nordmann

The Hessen-Homburg Hussars

IR4 & 6th Vienna Woods Landwehr

IR44 & 1st Vienna Woods Landwehr

Palatinal Hussars & 1st Jager Battalion

Stipsicz Hussars & 13th Grenzer

The Advance Guards attached Horse Artillery Battery

... and of course an army that is fielding two separate corp at least will need the custodianship of a senior general of which Austria had only one that was worth talking bout...and that was Archduke Charles himself!