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Uniformology Book 23
Freikorps of the Seven Years War
By Bruce Bassett-Powell
26 Pages of text and 18 color plates
The Seven Years War (1756-1763) was probably the first true World War with the conflict being waged not only in Europe, but in the Indian sub-continent, the West Indies and North America. In Europe, the armies of Austria, France, Prussia, Russia and Great Britain, not to mention a score of German kingdoms, principalities and dukedoms battled for the balance of power on the continent. For Prussia and Frederick the Great, the war was a continuation of the War of Austrian Succession (1740-1748) which contested the rights of Maria Theresa to the Hapsburg throne. Although the Prussian army was mostly made up of regulars, a large number of volunteers, soldiers of fortune and freebooters were assembled into units by, usually wealthy, soldiers of fortune who offered their services to the Prussian King. These units were known as Freikorps and proved to be of limited value militarily. However, they served as line of communications troops, scouts and, more often than not, harassing forces who put the fear of God into stragglers and the civilian population. Some of these units even changed sides and both Austria and France would employ their own Free corps or Legions. This volume examines these corps, detailing their history (where known) and describing their uniforms. Finely restored illustrations by Philip Cranz of Knötel and Marbot prints provide the color plates along with two by the author.
Uniformology Book 24
The Army of Bavaria in the Napoleonic Wars
Volume I - Infantry
By Philip Cranz
Of all Napoleon’s German allies, none was more constant and devoted than that of Bavaria. This was historically not a surprise. As fellow Catholics, Bavarian armies had fought alongside France in nearly all the wars fought in Europe since the Wars of Louis XIV. After Prussia, Bavaria fielded one of the larger German armies and their presence was felt on the battlefield from 1803 to 1812. They were also one of the last to abandon the Emperor following Leipzig. From 1815 the Bavarian army would be one of the prominent armies of Germany with their unique uniforms of cornflower blue. This volume takes a detailed look at the infantry units including their structure, campaigns and uniforms. Much material has been collected to provide this information and the illustrations of Knötel, Hoffman, Leinhart & Humbert have been remastered to bring out all the detail that make this a valuable publication for those interested in the Napoleonic Wars.
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