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| Fusilier, Lubeck Fusiliers 1866 |
Notes
In general, vehicles used by the armies discussed above were identical
in color to those of the gun carriages. There were always variations, and
captured guns were used in a number of instances. Claims that some of
the Austrian guns were still painted in the Hungarian tricolor (having
been captured from the Honved in 1849) are highly unlikely. Perhaps
this was someone's excuse for painting colorful gun carriages, but this
little tale is utter hogwash.
It has proven difficult to get a straight answer regarding the color of
Italian gun carriages. I would appreciate any assistance in this regard.
Battlefield accounts, however, note that the guns were not "blued" or
"blackened" in some cases, some of them actually being left their
natural metal colors. This may reflect the Italian lack of experience and
expertise in this regard.
As for the Prussian allies, information has been equally difficult. If
nothing else, it was common at the time to soak gun carriages in a
mixture of tar and water, giving them a rather dirty brown look. This would
certainly work, in a pinch. If anyone has access to the armories of
Lubeck, Bremen, etc.. and can give more information I'd be more than
happy to pass it along here.
Those who follow such things might be interested to note that none of
the armies of 1866 went to war armed completely with steel weapons.
Most were in a state of transition. Austria's artillery was the most modern
in Europe at the time, but about 10% was fairly antiquated; most of the
other powers, including Prussia, made use of a wide variety of weapons,
many of them Napoleonic vintage. Notably, most of the Hanoverian
artillery was muzzle loading, Hanoverian artillery having learned from the
British example that breech-loading weaponry was of questionable value
at the time.
Undoubtedly, the finest artillery in Europe by the time of 1866 war was
that of Austria, whose guns consistently performed at an above-average
level. Saxon and Hessian artillery were also extremely impressive.
Prussian artillery was notably deficient, so much so that it was a non
factor in a number of key engagements. Overall, however, the impact of
artillery during the campaign was only moderate. In a number of
engagements, guns engaged in counter-battery fire rather than directing
their firepower at enemy troop formations, wasting a great deal of lead
(and potential) in the process.
By 1870, the majority of the powers surviving the preceding years were
using bronze or steel breech-loading weapons. Bavaria, however,
maintained a few of the old 25 pound monsters for use in siege work,
and Bavarian artillery came into high demand during the war against
France.
In general, vehicles used by the armies discussed above were identical
in color to those of the gun carriages. There were always variations, and
captured guns were used in a number of instances. Claims that some of
the Austrian guns were still painted in the Hungarian tricolor (having
been captured from the Honved in 1849) are highly unlikely. Perhaps
this was someone's excuse for painting colorful gun carriages, but this
little tale is utter hogwash.
It has proven difficult to get a straight answer regarding the color of
Italian gun carriages. I would appreciate any assistance in this regard.
Battlefield accounts, however, note that the guns were not "blued" or
"blackened" in some cases, some of them actually being left their
natural metal colors. This may reflect the Italian lack of experience and
expertise in this regard.
As for the Prussian allies, information has been equally difficult. If
nothing else, it was common at the time to soak gun carriages in a
mixture of tar and water, giving them a rather dirty brown look. This would
certainly work, in a pinch. If anyone has access to the armories of
Lubeck, Bremen, etc.. and can give more information I'd be more than
happy to pass it along here.
Those who follow such things might be interested to note that none of
the armies of 1866 went to war armed completely with steel weapons.
Most were in a state of transition. Austria's artillery was the most modern
in Europe at the time, but about 10% was fairly antiquated; most of the
other powers, including Prussia, made use of a wide variety of weapons,
many of them Napoleonic vintage. Notably, most of the Hanoverian
artillery was muzzle loading, Hanoverian artillery having learned from the
British example that breech-loading weaponry was of questionable value
at the time.
Undoubtedly, the finest artillery in Europe by the time of 1866 war was
that of Austria, whose guns consistently performed at an above-average
level. Saxon and Hessian artillery were also extremely impressive.
Prussian artillery was notably deficient, so much so that it was a non
factor in a number of key engagements. Overall, however, the impact of
artillery during the campaign was only moderate. In a number of
engagements, guns engaged in counter-battery fire rather than directing
their firepower at enemy troop formations, wasting a great deal of lead
(and potential) in the process.
By 1870, the majority of the powers surviving the preceding years were
using bronze or steel breech-loading weapons. Bavaria, however,
maintained a few of the old 25 pound monsters for use in siege work,
and Bavarian artillery came into high demand during the war against
France.
Austro-Prussian War Artillery: Limber and Metalwork Colors
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