receives a gift from his wife…
The two great pivotal wars of the mid 18th Century (The War of Austrian Succession 1741-48 and The Seven Years War 1756-73) at one time or another involved just about every state and principality in Europe. The many subtleties and differences in the uniforms of all these nations can make things difficult for collectors wanting to represent some of the period's lesser-known armies. Now, thanks to sculptor Alan Marsh, Eureka can now offer a range of 28mm Dutch troops to cover their participation in The War of Austrian Succession.
The War of Austrian Succession was initially confined to Eastern and Central Europe as first Prussia, and then Bavaria and France sought to exploit perceived Austrian weakness and challenge the validity of Maria Theresa's recent succession to the Austrian throne. However it was almost inevitable that the conflict would spread further afield as England, Holland, Hanover, and other German ally states sought to redress the balance of power by announcing their support for Austria. Military assistance from Maria Theresa's western allies was slow in coming as fighting raged across Silesia, Bohemia, and Southern Germany, but by the spring of 1743 George I of England had finally assembled a large multinational army on the lower Rhine with the intention of marching down the Rhine valley and disrupting French and Bavarian operations.
The Dutch were to form a principal component of George's army, but political divisions in Holland meant that the Dutch army arrived too late for the initial campaign and the Battle of Dettingen. Even so, the Anglo-Dutch involvement brought about a predictable shift in French attentions to her northern frontiers. It was not long before Dutch forces were embroiled along with their British, Hanoverian, and Austrian allies in trying to stop a French invasion of the Austrian Netherlands (Belgium). The Dutch army saw plenty of action against the French, forming a significant part of the allied army at the Battle of Fontenoy (1745) for example, until the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748) finally brought hostilities to a close.
For the most part the Dutch infantry uniform displays the familiar 18th Century outline of tricorne hat and long-tailed coat - so typical of all armies of this period - but the devil is often in the detail. There were close to 30 different uniform styles worn by the Dutch at this time, featuring multiple combinations of lapels, collars, aigulettes, cuffs, and pocket styles. This made our task rather difficult when these figures were commissioned as part of the Eureka 100 Club custom miniatures service. Providing every possible uniform variation was not going to be economically viable, and so after careful consultation with the range's 100 Club subscribers, we opted to produce the two most common uniform types worn. Customers can therefore choose between Dutch musketeers wearing coats with cuffs, lapels, but no collars - or the plainer version of the coat with just the cuffs. This allows an accurate representation of eighteen different Dutch regiments and, between the two figure styles and skillful use of paint and perhaps a little conversion, should cover almost every type of Dutch uniform required. Mitre-adorned grenadiers complete the infantry, together with infantry command figures which include mounted officers. Battalion artillery is also provided with crew, and a full compliment of Dutch cavalry. In keeping with the military fashions of the day, all the cavalry figures are supplied with a choice of separate horse tail - tied up or free flowing - to be attached according to taste.
Fans of 18th Century armies and model soldiers might like to note that Eureka will be releasing a comprehensive range of 28mm Seven Years War Saxons in the not-too-distant future - also sculpted by Alan Marsh.
Here are the catalogue details for all the above new miniatures:
NEW 28mm Dutch 1743-48 (Austrian War of Succession)
Sculpted by Alan Marsh
100AOR50 - Dutch Musketeer, march-attack, coat with cuffs and lapels (1)
100AOR51 - Dutch Officer, march-attack, coat with cuffs and lapels (1)
100AOR52 - Dutch NCO, march-attack, coat with cuffs and lapels (1)
100AOR53 - Dutch Drummer, march-attack, coat with cuffs and lapels (1)
100AOR54 - Dutch Standard Bearer, marching, coat with cuffs and lapels (1)
100AOR55 - Dutch Musketeer, march-attack, coat with cuffs only (1)
100AOR56 - Dutch Officer, march-attack, coat with cuffs only (1)
100AOR57 - Dutch NCO, march-attack, coat with cuffs only (1)
100AOR58 - Dutch Drummer, marching, coat with cuffs only (1)
100AOR59 - Dutch Standard Bearer, marching, coat with cuffs only (1)
100AOR60 - Dutch Grenadier, march-attack, coat with cuffs and lapels (1)
100AOR61 - Dutch Grenadier Officer, march-attack, coat with cuffs and lapels (1)
100AOR62 - Dutch Grenadier Drummer, marching, coat with cuffs and lapels (1)
100AOR63 - Dutch Grenadier Standard Bearer, marching, coat with cuffs and lapels (1)
100AOR64 - Dutch Mounted Officer (2)
100AOR65 - 3pdr Battalion Gun (1)
100AOR66 - Dutch Battalion Artillery crewman (4)
100AOR67 - Dutch cavalryman (4)
100AOR68 - Dutch cavalry officer (1)
100AOR69 - Dutch cavalry NCO (1)
100AOR70 - Dutch cavalry drummer (1)
100AOR71 - Dutch cavalry trumpeter (1)
100AOR72 - Dutch cavalry guidon bearer (1)
All these miniatures can also be ordered in the U.K. from Fighting 15s, and in the U.S.A. from Eureka Miniatures U.S.A.