I will tell you several interesting things about the Winged Hussary, that you wont read in history books. Maybe only in polish ones.
Forgive me for alle the mistakes, I am not native English speaker.
Amor patriae nostra lex - Hussary motto in Latin.
The Love to the homeland is our Law.
First of all there were several tacticts and advantages used by the Winged Hussars, that let them not to lose ANY battle over the 125 years.
Someone has already told about the spreading of the Hussars on the battlefield during the charge. And that they rejoin in a close line just before the charge reached the enemy units. Thats true. Whats a more, Hussars were trained to come REALLY close to each other. This way it was not possible for any enemy soldier to stay alive after the charge (especially that the Hussars were like a small medieval tanks, since the horseman in the full plat armor weighted at least 100 kg, and the horse itself was also armored in front, to whitstand pikemans defence).
The training that eventually allowed to use that tactic consisted of using a golden coin (Hussars own coin, that was worth much these times, mind you). To become a part of the Winged Hussar unit the horseman had to put the golden coin between his knee and a knee of the horseman next to him and hold it there during the entire charge. If one dropped the coin on the battlefield, he had to pay the other similar golden coin to the army. So yes, the "costly" training allowed Hussars a brilliant control over their formation and a decisive knee-to-knee charges.
Also the "wings" you see in many pictures were not only a distinguishing sign of the unit. How a charge of a not so big unit could break an enemy line? How was it possible that ~150 k Ottoman army fleed out of the battlefield over the besieged Vienna? Well... These feathers you see on the "wings" were doing a strange hum during the charge. Enemy, and especially their horses were not used to it and were just scared. If 1/3 of the horses declines to charge agains the incoming strange hum-sound, the enemy line may be broken even before the charge reaches the enemy.
Against the enemy cavalery Hussars were brilliant also because of the lances they were using. They were just much longer than any other European lances. A Winged Hussar lance could have up to 6 meters! So against other heavy cavalery they were unbeateable, because their lances reached the enemy horseman 2-3 meters before the enemy was able to hit back. Against the light cavalery Hussar`s full plate armors were also a deal.
How it was possible to have a 6 meter lances? Well... a trick. These lances were very light, because were empty inside. I dont know how they were produced, but thats was the idea
The last interesting thing I know about were the sabres. When the lance becam useless after the initial charge, Hussars used also the sabres. However if a horseman in a nearly full plate mail loses a sabre it is very hard to defend. So the sabres had a usefull ring near the hand. Hussars were putting there their thumbs... What for? Well. What would you chose If it was you? No weapon in the middle of the battle (which was a sure death) or a broken thumb? If an enemy hit Hussar in a way, that the sabre would be knocked out of his hand, the thumb was broken, but the sabre was still there, held only by the already broken thumb !
Now you know at least part of it why Hussars were so hard to beat
Thx to them Poland was the only country that have ever beaten Russia and occupied the capital city Moscow (for two years).
Some of You said they know nothing about Poland, so below I have attacked a link to youtube movie, that shows the history of Poland in 10 minutes. You will be amazed ie. who build the first oil rigs and oil refinery, what did and who was the first female prof at Sorbone or who REALLY broke the Enigma code in the 2nd World War
There is also several seconds about the Hussars of course.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=zG8jsn-sIps
It is a bit boring in the start, but then it hastens and the music becomes nice too
You can also see a bit more university-like approach to the history of Poland, presented by british prof. Norman Davies:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OoSdnebLxw
Enjoy.
See you soon on the battlefield! (and die - peacefully
)
TEO
PS. to answer a bet of 10$, I BET that you will see NO Vilnus at all in Poland faction as a city name. Not only as the third city, but never at all. This way they would really piss off the present Lithuania. Poland and Lithuania was once upon a time a great both-nation Commonwelath, but it is not at this time and it was not in time of the Casimir The Great. I bet the first cities will be Warsaw, Krakow and Gniezno, the capital cities in the history of Poland. (Gniezno was first btw
)
PS2. And the "Solidarity"... well... it is of course the name of the first independent trade union formed in the former communism block, but if you look at any of the movies i pasted links to, You will see, that in the entire time in the history of Poland, there was a freedom of language, a freedom of religion, and also kind of medieval democracy. Solidarity was and is a part of this country.
