Colonel! I beg you, save the honor of France!

[Somosierra]

Colonel! I beg you, save the honor of France! – The Battle of Albuhera, May 16, 1811

It was the famous cry of despair of French Marshal Soult to a Polish colonel Konopka (the commander of the 3rd Lighthorse Lancer Regiment). Konopka did listen…

What happened next? Destruction of an English infantry square and five British standards were taken. Such disaster for Brits happened only ones during the Napoleonic Wars...

Next the Vistula Ulans were known very well. They got names (given by their enemies): “Los Picadores del infierno" or "Los Diablos Polacos".





(…) Poles advanced against the British Inf. Brigade commanded by Lieutenant Colonel John Colborne. The Poles charged in full view of "The Buffs" who were on a hill.

The Poles sped up uphill with their lance-pennons swinging in the air. As they were advancing, they lowered their lances and..... a thunderous volley greeted them. But it didn't stop the uhlans; they hit the "Buffs" , the II/48th "The Northamptonshire" Infantry Regiment, and the II/66th Infantry Regiment. Their lances pierced the belts and the red coats of the Brits. The infantrymen clapped their hands to their saber-cut faces, blood oozing. In the heat of the fight those of the Brits who signaled to surrender were killed and no mercy was shown in the beginning. The II/31st Infantry Regiment (418 men) also found themselves under assault. Numerous and scattered groups of Redcoats either surrendered (several hundred), ran for safety, or fought to their death. The confusion was riotous - whinnying horses, screaming Poles and Brits, raised lances, cracking muskets. The battlefield was a cacophony of violent sounds. Five British standards were taken (…)

(…) Polish Lancers, armed with a fearsome weapon hardly ever seen by the British and a superb killing instrument that enabled the bearer to kill with little fear to himself. It was also a weapon from which there was little escape, it being just as easy to thrust down and kill someone on the ground as it was to kill a man standing. The Polish Lancers dealt death all around them, violently and quickly, and when they withdrew just a few minutes later 1,300 out of Colborne's 1,600 men had been either killed or wounded in the carnage. (…)





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http://web2.iadfw.net/napoleon/albuhera.html

http://british-cemetery.planetaclix.pt/descrpo.htm

http://www.military-art.com/dhm025.htm

http://www.napoleon-series.org/military ... flags.html

http://web2.airmail.net/napoleon/albuhera.html

http://www.firstfusiliers.org.uk/History%20Three.htm

http://www.wargames.co.uk/Library/Obats ... raBat.html

http://www.kingsgermanlegion.org.uk/album_albuhera.htm

http://web2.iadfw.net/napoleon/duchy-lancers.html

http://wlonab.fm.interia.pl/espana/albuhera.html

http://web2.iadfw.net/napoleon/duchy-guard.html

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http://www.wargames.co.uk/Library/Obats ... lbuera.JPG
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The Battle of Albuera, from History of the War in the Peninsular by W.E.P. Napier
(Pub. Original 1835, Constable 1992)
--
* * *

[Bad Tolz]

Excellent reading,very interesting!
Thanks for sharing that.
Regards.

[Musashi]

Yes, disrupting British infantry squares by cavalry happened only once during the Napoleonic Was and it was then. So it was really outstanding.
Chris

[Karwats]

Ja nice pics.

Especially of the Totenkopf (Zieten??) Hussar.

Question ?? There is mention of the Ulan. Is the Polish term for Lancer Ulan,similar to the German Uhlan ???

Brgds

[D. von Staberg]

The "Totenkopf" hussar is probably from one of the Leib Hussaren regiments which hade changed into black uniforms by 1813.

[Musashi]

Question ?? There is mention of the Ulan. Is the Polish term for Lancer Ulan,similar to the German Uhlan ???

Yes, it was the same, but I think the word is of Polish origin. Uhlans (u³ani in Polish) were armed with sabers and (not always) with lances. They were also armed with rifles in 1939. I don't see even a comparable cavalry to them in over the world.
See this topic:
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=55507
Best regards,
Chris

[Musashi]

The "Totenkopf" hussar is probably from one of the Leib Hussaren regiments which hade changed into black uniforms by 1813.

Hey, your phrase (Leib Hussaren) is German and this hussar was British.
Cheers,
Chris

[D. von Staberg]

The "Totenkopf" hussar is probably from one of the Leib Hussaren regiments which hade changed into black uniforms by 1813.

Hey, your phrase (Leib Hussaren) is German and this hussar was British.
Cheers,
Chris

Actulay the hussar is a prussian, why?

1:The Polish cavalryman is a trooper of the 1st or Polish regiment of light lancers in Napoleons Imperial Guard (which were not present at the battle of Albuera). This can been seen on the scarlet-red distictions on his czapka and kurtka which was only worn by the lancers of the guard. The Vistula lancers which did the charge had yellow as their distictive colour on their dark blue kurtka and had dark blue czapka in 1811.

2:The painting is by Wojciech Kossak and is titled

Szwoleżer polski w starciu z huzarem pruskim.

. Now my polish is limited but pruskim is prussian unless I'm very much mistaken

3:The prussian hussars only wore the shako headgear seen in the painting by the 1813 war (or later). And the Prussian 1st and 2nd Leib hussar regiments wore black dolmas and pelisse aswell as a black shako with the deaths head on it.


That is why I called the hussar a prussian of the Leib regiments.

Cheers
Daniel

[Musashi]

Thanks Daniel.
So I don't know why Somosierra published this image.
"Pruski" means prussian of course so don't try to be funny asking about it
Regards,
Chris

[D. von Staberg]

There is another unique charge in which a Polish regiment took part during the Napoleonic wars which is not as well know as Somosierra or Albuera.

At the battle of Borodino the 14th Polish Cuirassier regiment, the only cuirassier regiment in the Polish army took part in the charge of Major-General Thielmans brigade which captured the much fought over "Great Redoubt"
Thielmans brigade consisted of the Saxon cuirassier regiments "Gard du Corps" and "Zastrow" as well as the Polish 14th Cuirassier regiment. The Gard du Corps charged in the Redoubt at the front together with one squadrons of the Zastrow cuirassiers while remainder of the Zastrow curiassiers and the Polish cuirassier charged into the Redoubt from the flank and the rear. Inside they were emt by the massed bayonets of the Russian ifantry and a ferocious, bloody and chaotic combat ensued. Finaly the Russians who had resisted all attacks could no longer endure the fury of the Poles and Saxosn and retreaed fromt eh Redoubt dragging with them 6 of their cannon, leaving 13 behind.

The carnage inside the Redoubt was incredible with thousands of bodies in and around it.
Later the Poles and Saxons helped defen the Redoubt against Russian counter attacks and during one of these atatcks the Polish 14th Cuirassiers sacrificed themselves to save the flank of their division by making an almost suicidal charge against the 5-6 times large Russian Horse Guards as they were perparing to charge into the flank of the Saxon Guard du Corps.

[yerbamatt]

Question ?? There is mention of the Ulan. Is the Polish term for Lancer Ulan,similar to the German Uhlan ???

Yes, it was the same, but I think the word is of Polish origin. Uhlans (u³ani in Polish) were armed with sabers and (not always) with lances. They were also armed with rifles in 1939. I don't see even a comparable cavalry to them in over the world.
See this topic:
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=55507
Best regards,
Chris

Well, actually both Polish ulan and German uhlan (you gladly may add a Hungarian ulanus to the club) originated from a Turkish "oghlan" (a youth)...

http://www.etymonline.com/u1etym.htm

Regards...

[Englander]

Nice bit of spin going on here, or in English, being economical with the truth.

At about 10.30am Colborne's brigade, consisting of the 1/3rd, 2/31st, 2/48th and 2/66th Regiments, stood in the firing line, pouring out a withering fire into the left flank of the attacking French columns. Five minutes later most of them lay dead, dying or wounded following an attack of deadly efficiency by some of the most feared cavalry in Europe. As Colborne's men stood blazing away a thunderstorm that had threatened all morning finally broke, the inky-black skies opening up with sheets of rain that swept over the battlefield. The British infantrymen's muskets were quickly rendered useless and as the rain lashed down into their faces the soaked redcoats failed to see two regiments of enemy cavalry that were bearing down on them, using the sudden downpour as a screen. Caught in line and unable to form square the infantry were an easy target for the cavalry who happened to be Polish Lancers, armed with a fearsome weapon hardly ever seen by the British and a superb killing instrument that enabled the bearer to kill with little fear to himself. It was also a weapon from which there was little escape, it being just as easy to thrust down and kill someone on the ground as it was to kill a man standing.

Btw, your cut and paste job was written by a Polish writer..Show me ONE link where the British square was broken!

[Musashi]

Btw, your cut and paste job was written by a Polish writer..Show me ONE link where the British square was broken!

This topic was created by Somosierra. He is a former member of this forum.
If your question was addressed to me here you have a link to a Polish site
http://wlonab.fm.interia.pl/espana/albuhera.html
The bold text is the answer for your question.

U³ani Legii pod dowództwem pu³kownika Konopki, których s³awa zawar³a siê w hiszpañskim przydomku los infernos picadores (piekielni lansjerzy), dokonali 16 maja 1811 r. pod Albuher± jedynego w wojnach napoleoñskich rozbicia czworoboków angielskiej piechoty i zdobyli jedyne utracone przez Brytyjczyków sztandary.
Albuhera to wie¶ w zachodniej Hiszpanii (Estremadura), nad rzek± Albuer±, gdzie 16 maja 1811 roku dosz³o do krwawej batalii miêdzy Armi± Po³udnia Hiszpanii marsza³ka Soulta a angielsk± armi± genera³a Beresforda. Soult podj±³ marsz z p³d. Hiszpanii ku twierdzy Badajoz, obleganej przez Anglików, Hiszpanów i Portugalczyków. Beresford oczekiwa³ go na pozycjach pod Albuhera, maj±c 24 ty¶. ¿o³nierzy i 48 dzia³. Soult uderzy³ dywizj± Girarda i lekk± kawaleri± na prawe skrzyd³o przeciwnika, uzyskuj±c szybko przewagê. Beresford kierowa³ na prawe skrzyd³o kolejne oddzia³y, ale by³y one rozbijane przez polskich u³anów nadwi¶lañskich i francusk± piechotê. Polacy w znakomitej szar¿y rozgromili angielsk± brygadê piechoty Colborne'a. Sytuacja Beresforda stawa³a siê coraz trudniejsza i niewiele brakowa³o, aby dosz³o do przegranej. Wszystko to dzia³o siê w strugach ulewnego deszczu, który uniemo¿liwia³ angielskiej piechocie u¿ycie broni palnej. Po dwóch godzinach deszcz przesta³ padaæ. Genera³ Cole z w³asnej inicjatywy poprowadzi³ do boju 4 dywizjê piechoty W ogniu angielskich piechurów Polacy i Francuzi zaczêli siê cofaæ. Straty Beresforda to 6 ty¶. zabitych i rannych, Soulta - 8 ty¶. Bitwa by³a taktycznie nie rozstrzygniêta, ale w sensie operacyjnym Anglicy odnie¶li sukces, Soult bowiem zaprzesta³ marszu ku Badajoz. Anglicy mogli wznowiæ oblê¿enie twierdzy.

[lukeo]

It may not be exavly on the topic. Whenever I think about Poles during the Napoleonic era, I always remember, that their great sacrifice was in vain. Poles aided Napoleon, because they thought, that he will help them to restore their country. But Napoleon always treated Poles instrumentally - as a high-quality cannon fodder. He never seriously thought about restoring Poland, even during war with Russia in 1812.

[Karwats]

Thanks for the info guys

Staberg,Mushashi and yerbamat.

Now I need to wade through all the sites and brush up on my cavalry