Polish Winged Hussars

In the whole history of combat, no one matches to the military formation of the polish winged hussars of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Polish winged hussars were the elite of the Polish Cavalry and the most fearsome soldiers in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. They were a uniquely Polish cavalry comprised of a great unit of soldiers with exceptional skills, carefully designed lances and uniquely devised tactics making them the most efficient group. This cavalry ruled Europe in the whole of the 17th century with creative ideas and decorative art, including the spectacular uniform made of feathers and leopard skin. The army has been described as the most effective cavalry in the whole world because of the remarkable victories they recorded in battle. 1 This paper seeks to explore and explain the polish winged hussars and why they are regarded as the most successful formation in the history of combat. 

While it was the most influential state in Eastern Europe at its time, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was beset by a plethora of enemies from aggressive neighbors. The country faced numerous attacks from empires seeking to extend their territories and cement their domination. 2 However, it was defined by the dangerous winged hussars who celebrated much success under the leadership of Jan Sobieski as king of Poland. King Sobieski is known for his victory against the Ottomans and saving Europe from the advancing tide of Islam under the Turks. 

The genesis of the hussars is in the 16th century, but their heyday was experienced in the 17th century where they won a majority of their battles. Although they are a unique Polish phenomenon, the hussars are said to have roots from Serbia after the battle of Kosovo when Serbia suffered defeat in the hands of Ottoman army which made them seek vengeance on the Turks by moving to Poland. 3 The unit adopted its uniquely Polish form after Stefan Batory became king of Poland in 1576 and earned a transition to heavy cavalry. The Hussars started as light cavalry during the beginning of the 16th century before transforming into elite heavy cavalry units that were central to the Polish forces. Stephen Bathory reorganized the troops into elite, bulky units that were better trained and equipped with unique tactics to fight. This elite cavalry became famous as the winged cavalry because of their method of fighting and their dressing. They had wings on their backs that would produce a vibrating sound of feathers during the battle to frighten enemies and their horses. 

The Polish Hussars fought for 125 years from 1500 to 1625 without losing a single battle due to being able to consistently get a breakthrough and annihilate superior numbers of enemy troops. 4 These troops could face enemies in situations where they were outnumbered, but their fighting skills and military tactics would make them destroy the enemy cavalry. This cavalry recorded some heroic battles that are baffling and have been the subjects of folklore. The hussars are unique for preferring to use melee weapons during the era when most European armies were relying more on firearms. Additionally, the unit’s trademark attack was using the charge that involved charging enemy soldiers by impaling them on deadly and intricately designed lances even when it was becoming a standard to employ infantry and riders to shoot. 

Some heroic battles 

Battle of Lubieszow (1577) 

The first valiant battle of the Polish-Lithuanian winged hussars was at Lubieszow where about 1300 hussars defeated an army of 10,000 from Germany. The enemy comprised of the famed Landsknechts with cannons, cavalry, and other militiamen. During this battle, the hussars killed 4500 Danzig’s forces with only 88 men of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth losing their lives. 

Battle of Kircholm (1605) 

The fight that is considered to have the greatest cavalry charges happened at Kircholm in 1605 when the winged hussars defeated the Swedish within 20 minutes of the battle. They used a devastating indictment that followed a feigned retreat luring the Swedish cavalry from their strategic high ground. As the Swedes pursued them, they were counterattacked by the Poles and hussars who were hiding in the hill. Despite the Swedish having more troops compared to the hussars, the surprising short charge from the winged hussars made them retreat leading to the death of their 8000 men. 5 This battle ended with a spectacular victory for the Polish forces comprising mainly of the winged hussars. 

Battle of Kluszyn (1610) 

Another of the great win by the winged hussars was the bloody battle at Kluszyn which involved Russian and Swedish cavalries allying to fight the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth. The winged hussars were outnumbered in a ratio of 1:5. While the Swedish-Russian forces comprised of 35000 men, the winged hussars had less than 7000 men in battle. This bloody battle lasted for five hours with the hussars using repeated charges, resulting to a win with the death of more than 5000 of Swedish-Russian forces and Polish-Lithuanian troops losing 400 men. 6 

Battle of Vienna (1663) 

This battle of Vienna is considered the most important in the history of Polish Winged Hussars because of being the most massive cavalry battle in human history and also because it resulted in stopping Turkish expansion into Christian Europe. This battle was the turning point in history as it ended the Ottoman Turks from being a menace to the Christian world. 7 It took place at the gates of Vienna and involved more than 23000 polish soldiers led by chief commander Jan Sobieski. 

The Ottoman army had besieged Vienna with a plan to invade, and the holy Roan empower before the Polish relief forces arrived. The Ottomans attacked early at four am before the polish infantry had arrived with the Hussars coming in the evening. During this battle, the winged hussars began the charge at 6 pm despite the struggle starting in the morning. The charge lasted for half an hour, sending the Ottoman army into a panic that made them run away from the battlefield and out of the city gates. Sobieski led an army of 3000 winged hussars and 15000 horses to fight the ottomans with the victory marking the end of their European invasion. During this battle, the Turkish lost about 40,000 men while. The conflict has since been immortalized in folklore, poems, and paintings such as establishing the first Vienna café with coffee recovered from the Turkish troops after the battle. 8 

Why the Hussar was a formidable force 

The polish winged hussars were formidable because of many reasons. The main reason why they have such an excellent reputation is that of the number of battles they won compared to the lost fighting even when they were highly outnumbered. This makes them the best massive cavalry force in human history. Managing to mitigate and avoid many battle losses was significant to their existence since training cavalry units always take a lot of time, money and resources. In the medieval era, horses were the most important resource and avoiding their loss was significant to evade the costs of minting the cavalry. Some of the reason for their great victories includes adaptation tactics, magnificent formations, well-trained horses and all-powerful weapons. 

Adaptation tactics 

The hussars were known for conducting numerous repeated charges drawn over hours as a tactic to win a battle. Their tactic consisted of a particular charge that proved to be decisive in most actions won. This tactic entailed starting open and uncoordinated before focusing down to a sharp point at the last crucial moment where they would crush the enemy by breaking their lines while managing to change the formation and direction within a short period. 9 The cavalry leaders would start the charge by scanning the enemy ranks and pointing out their weaknesses before choosing to target the most breaking point. 

The winged hussars used to modify their combat tactics based on the size and ability of the opponent. For example, they would use firearms rather than lances when fighting the Tatars because of being fast paced but with a poorly armored cavalry, making them prone to fire pistols. On the other hand, lances would be used when fighting with the Swedish army that comprised mostly of infantry, allowing them to use maximum power of their destruction charge. Usually, a charge would cause complete destruction of the opponent’s forces. They won most of their battles whenever the enemy allowed them to operate in suitable conditions. 

Riders discipline and morale 

The strength of the winged hussars was also based on the high confidence and insatiable courage of soldiers serving in the units. Their fighting reflected a knightly spirit where they valued honor, bravery, and sacrifice over any other thing. Most of the hussars comprised of individuals who fought because they wanted to and not because they were forced to become a unit. This voluntary service made their morale at famously high and is partly the reason why they would win even when outnumbered by the enemies. 10 The hussars gained their reputation because they were an elite unit that involved in a lot of military training. Attaining their elite level of fighting requires hard work and a series of preparation for the job, with the fighting education starting at a younger age. Retired soldiers had the responsibility of administering this training to the young soldiers before they would join the winged horsemen. 

Secondly, their great preparedness and stamina were crucial to their battle wins. Their most important victory against the Ottoman army was attributed to their formation that entailed being in a loose structure for the better part of the approach, waiting to tighten their ranks just before reaching the enemy. In this formation, each rider constituted a single fast-moving target, making it hard to hit the horsemen using firearms of the day. The most important part of this army was remaining offensive even when other cavalry reduced themselves to skirmishing. This aggressive spirit gave them a superb punch on the battlefield, especially when facing less organized armies such as the Ottomans and Russians. For example, when most of the European cavalry could not charge, the winged hussars charged straight in the battle with lances and sabers 

Hussars comprise of well-equipped and fearsome warriors from the best families with high degrees of skill. They were all professional soldiers who gave them an advantage over their enemies. The hussars were well equipped with superb horses and good armors, using long-range musket balls that could bounce off in battle. They had incredible horseback riding skills and gear during the first two centuries of their existence that was pivotal to their fight wins against most enemies while sustaining minimal casualties. 11 They were used to riding horses at full speed allowing them to break through everything in front of them. By combining speed and mobility with string formations, the hussars were able to win both the eastern and western armed forces. 

Hussar horses 

The Hussars had invested in their horses as the most important resource for battle. They used horses that were bred and specially trained for the aim of fighting with a lot of stamina and staying power. The training aimed at shaping the condition of the horses as well as their obedience and courage on the battlefield. For example, they would put them through a turning exercise where the horse accelerates 25 meters and makes a quick turn, giving them the ability to maneuver quickly within a squad. The training of the horses would take up to six years before they become ready for battle. They used a mixture of Polish and Tatar blood horses that could run at high speeds, maneuver through huddles, as well as recover very fast. 12 

Weapons and armor 

Their main arms of the winged hussar were a lance of different lengths depending on the enemy, a stabbing sword, a pistol, carbine and a bow. However, the most dangerous weapon was a lance which was a productive and destructive weapon used for charges. Its size gave the hussars an advantage over enemies such as the pikemen. Unlike other medieval knights who would use lance and move to swords and hammers, the winged hussars would go back to the supply of wagons and get more supply of the lances before repeating the charge. 

The lance was the most important arm as it was used in making the charge possible. The lance was hollow to make it lighter than the traditional one and reduce the chances of breaking easily. 13 The design of lances to be hollow allowed for its length to be extended without jeopardizing the weight, making it a lethal weapon of battle. A single blow could impale more than six footmen from the enemy’s army. They also had a breastplate about 4 mm thick on the front and 1 mm thick on the sides allowing them to withstand a close shot from a firearm. On the back, they used animal leathers of either leopard or tiger to protect the warrior from back cuts. They also wore helmets with a moving nose shield safeguard their forearms 

Power of the name 

Just like the Mongols, the name Winged Hussar was powerful enough to strike terror in the most experienced enemies. There is a firm belief that their wings caused psychological effects on the enemy from the frightening horses and riders. The sight of the wings that riders fastened to their backs would scare off enemy horses. They would flap their Ostrich wings rhythmically to create intimidating imagery with 17 feet lances which would impale and disband the enemy formations. 

Fall of the winged hussars 

Despite the many battles won by the all-powerful army, the hussars were not superhuman and lost some battles, mainly when the terrain was unfavorable for the horsed units, and the military forces to combat. An example of a fight lost was the Battle of Gniew which was fought against the Swedish opponents between 1626 and 1629. This battle resulted to victory to the Swedish by lifting the Polish siege of Gniew and Polish withdraw from the field and marked the first battle that the Swedish stood ground against the winged hussar. 

The end of this elite cavalry came after the enemies learned and copied fighting skills and military tactics. For example, the enemies started using Frisian horses that would completely block any possibility of the hussar to make a successful charge as demonstrated by the battle of Kilszow in 1702. The Uhlans also started using lighter cavalry, lances, and pistols while imitating the hussar’s fighting tactics while the Swedish opponents were using new and fast-shooting muskets that were more lethal than the winged hussars. They eventually lost this battle, and this killed their attitude and morale of fighting again. 14 The loss also destroyed their reputation in the eyes of the enemies. 

Conclusion 

In conclusion, the Polish Winged Hussars were among the best cavalry forces in the history of humanity. They were considered the most effective military in Europe during 167th century by registering victories in many battles, remaining undefeated for 125 years. Some of the famous battle victories include Vienna (1663), Kluszyn (1610), Kircholm (1605) and Lubieszow (1577). Their primary weapon was using a lance that was considered the most dangerous weapon at that time before the arrival of modern firearms. Hussars were also famous for their tactics and formation, including applying a charge to destroy the enemies and register victory. However, the era came to an end in the defeat against lighter Uhlans in 1776 that copied their method of fighting and applied these tactics. However, despite their fall, their legendary fearsomeness and unique, innovative design have continued to sustain their reputation as the most elite cavalries in human history. 

Bibliography 

Brzezinski, Richard.  Polish Winged Hussar 1576-1775 . Vol. 94. Osprey Publishing, 2006. 

Frost, Robert I. "The Northern Wars: War."  State and Society in Northeastern Europe  1558 (2000): 1721. 

Kepa, Marek. "Poland's Winged Knights: From Invincible Glory To Obsolescence." Culture.pl., 2017. https://culture.pl/en/article/polands-winged-knights-from-invincible-glory-to-obsolescence . 

Kladzyk, Pamela. "Land of the Winged Horsemen: Art in Poland 1572-1764." (2000): 153-156. 

Lloyd, Ellen. "Winged Hussars: Facts And History About The Polish Warriors, Their Armor And Military Tactics." Ancient Pages. 2017. http://www.ancientpages.com/2016/02/14/winged-hussars-facts-and-history-about-the-polish-warriors-their-armor-and-military-tactics/ . 

Millar, Simon.  Vienna 1683: Christian Europe Repels the Ottomans . Vol. 191. Osprey Publishing, 2008. 

Vdovin, Mikhail S. "The features of choosing an institutional development trajectory in Eastern Europe in the 16 th-17 th centuries: Moscovy and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth."  Baltic Region  3, no. 4 (2011): 90-99. 

Zechenter, Katarzyna. "Land of the winged horseman: Art in Poland, 1572-1764." (2000): 147-149. 

1 Richard Brzezinski. Polish Winged Hussar 1576-1775 Vol 94 (Osprey Publishing, 2006) 

2 Kzyna Zatarechenter. Land of the winged horseman: Art in Poland, 1572-1764 (2000): 147-149. 

3 Ellen Lloyd. Winged Hussars: Facts And History About The Polish Warriors, Their Armor And Military Tactics (Ancient Pages, 2017) 

4 Pamela Kladzyk. Land of the Winged Horsemen: Art in Poland 1572-1764 (2000): 153-156. 

5 Robert Frost . The Northern Wars: War  ( State and Society in Northeastern Europe , 2000): 1721 . 

6 Brzezinski, 2006 

7 Simon Millar.  Vienna 1683: Christian Europe Repels the Ottomans . Vol. 191 (Osprey Publishing, 2008) 

8 Frost, 2000 

9 Lloyd, 2017) 

10 Mikhail Vdovin. The features of choosing an institutional development trajectory in Eastern Europe in the 16 th-17 th centuries: Moscovy and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth  ( Baltic Region , 2011): 90-99. 

11 Vdovin, 2011 

12 Kladzyk, 2000. 

13 Marek Kepa. Poland's Winged Knights: From Invincible Glory To Obsolescence (Culture, 2017) 

14 Kepa, 2017)