| FELDGRAU | 17 Mar 2010 10:49 a.m. PST |
Did the Austrian Ulans carry lances during the WW1? What were their weapons? I know there was a Polish cavalry Legion on the Imperial army, did they carry lances? |
| Plynkes | 17 Mar 2010 11:09 a.m. PST |
I think not. Ulans, Dragoons and Hussars were all armed with carbines, pistols and sabres. I think the above also applies to the Polish Ulans, but I'm not 100% on that. One in a colour plate I have has a carbine and a sabre, no lance. All this according to Osprey. |
| GoodBye | 17 Mar 2010 1:49 p.m. PST |
I seem to recall reading that all of the German Cav carried lances and none of the Austrian Cav carried lances. I also seem to recall reading that very early on almost 99% of the Austrian cav was dismounted which supports the idea of no lances. |
79thPA  | 17 Mar 2010 6:45 p.m. PST |
The Austrian Uhlans were armed with a lance at the very beginning of the war. As noted above, they were quickly turned into dismounted troops and obviously would have abandoned the lance as they did their colorful uniform. |
| Plynkes | 18 Mar 2010 2:21 a.m. PST |
Interesting. What's your source for that, 79thPA? Osprey says no lances at all (I'm not saying Osprey is the be-all and end-all – far from it, but it would be nice to know if they are mistaken in this case or not). There's a photo of some Ulans still with their horses and in their fancy pre-war get-up too, and not a lance in sight. |
| 79thPA | 18 Mar 2010 12:19 p.m. PST |
All of my books are currently in storage, so I can't quote anything for you. While it is certainly not proof, Avalanche Press released "Franz Josef's Army" by Mike Bennighoff and the Austrian Uhlans in that are listed as having lances. I also have a thought to throw out at you: The Austro-Hungarian army was not a great innovator, so why would it abandon the lance when its ally (Germany) and its enemy (Russia) still used the lance? |
| huevans | 20 Mar 2010 5:59 a.m. PST |
I have always understood that NO Austrian cavalry carried lances, including (ironically) their "lancers". |
| FELDGRAU | 25 Mar 2010 3:58 a.m. PST |
Thanks to you all for your commentaries but have does not anyone anything more definitive, for example a battle report or a biographical tale of a trooper? Really, what it is of more interest for me is if the lance was actually used in battle. |
| cambo furoncl | 19 Aug 2010 7:56 a.m. PST |
Die Lanzen wurden 1884 bei der gesamten Mannschaft abgeschafft, und diese mit Karabinern bewaffnet.
means:
the men had given up their lances by 1884 to be armed with carbines ((about Uhlanen) in link
who usually know what they talk about.
jc |
adds an infantry platoon to his WWI Brits.
