The End of Dog Days - 335 years ago

Ottoman map of the siege of Vienna 1683

Salvete Omnes,
and here we have the last days of summer vacation before the kids go back to school after the Labor day weekend.
in less than 14 days we will celebrate the 335th anniversary of the battle of Vienna 1683.

I hope that for the 337-40th anniversary Polish film makers will come up with a decent and long memorable  feature film to entertain and at the same time to commemorate this important event in the Central European history. It could be a better monument to king Jan III Sobieski and his troops than the latest sculpture by mr. Dzwigaj.
 The paintings of the XVIII century painter August Querfurt may aptly illustrate the small war that was going on around the besieged Austrian provinces, while the main Ottoman army set up a city of tents and continued besieging the Imperial capital.

back then during the hot dog days of the summer the Tatar and Turkish riders were combing the Austrian countryside for the slaves to capture  and plunder to be had. The Austrians said that more than 50 thousand peoples lsot their lives or were captured during the summer invasion.

Polish army was still marching on towards the Imperial City of Vienna and the Saxon and Bavarian et al., allies of the Hamburgs were marching to join the Imperial army under Charles of Lorraine.
The Viennese defenders were suffering under the duress of the Ottoman guns and constant attacks by the Ottoman soldiers and miners. Summer dog days brought nothing but war, hunger and deprivations to the Austrian capital.
 The winged hussars and pancerni cavalry marching with the rest of the Polish army were still almost two weeks away from the slopes of Kahlenberg.
But the protestant Hungarian subjects of the Imperial Austria were rather supporting the Ottomans in this struggle, and their leader Imre Thokoly conducted his own war against the Imperial troops in upper Hungary.
Also other Ottoman vassals came to the huge camp at the plains of Vienna to show support to this latest Ottoman display of might and military exellence.

 They were all looking forward to see Kara Mustafa and his powerful army at the Austrian capital's gates taking the Imperial city.

...
Valete !

Timpani - Defilada 2018

@ Bydgoska Chorągiew Husarska

Salve omnes,
again I am bringing your attention to the Polish Armed Forces Day parade - 15th August 2018 - in Warsaw, where spectators could see Old Poland military men reconstructed.
Among the winged hussars' reenactors there was the musician group - seen already in this Marek Kalisinski's photo:

Marek Kalisinski @ winged hussar musicians

Mosci Marek Holak from Bydgoszcz, Poland reconstructed the timpanist or the musician on horseback playing the timpani. There were also trumpeters. For the first time in reenactment the winged hussar banner had a prescribed music element.


  in Marek Kalisinski's photo

winged Hussar pauker or timpanist

In Joanna Wolska photo

winged hussar timpanist and trumpeter behind him

It was perhaps for the first time since 1939 that Polish cavalry was seen marching  accompanied by a timpanist.
Chapeau bas, mosci Marku!
                                                      ! vivat Hussaria!
Valete

French infantry - my new illustration

Salvete Omnes,
last month I 'painted,' on my computer, a plate showing two French soldiers from late period known as the wars of Louis XIV. 
OD EISENBIRN DO HÖCHSTÄDT. Kampania w Górnej Austrii 1703 roku (1) (the first battle of Hochstadt etc) by Damian Plowy has been published by Infort Editions from Poland.
Infantry in general and early XVIII century Western European soldateska are not my favorite subjects.
It was a venture into the new world of uniformology, as part of doing research I did some questioning around and would like to thank  Tomasz Karpinski and Sergey Shamenkov (both gentlemen are reenactors and historians of the XVIII century soldiers, Sergey also is a very fine historical illustrator and sculptor) for their helpful comments.
All mistakes are mine - here you may find the cover of the new Infort Editions book.

I used Krita, MyPaint and GIMP, and my Wacom tablet.
Valete!
ps
 the next illustration I am going to paint for Infort Editions will be the King Philip War and the Algonquian woodland warriors etc - book will be published next month.

Defilada 2018 - winged hussars via Wataha Press lense

Salvete Omnes,

Radoslaw Sleszynski

continuing with the Polish Armed Forces parade in Warsaw 2018 I had asked Wataha Press from Poland, photoreporting group, and got their consent to share with you several of their staff photographer's pictures from the said parade - this being photographer Gosia Piotrowska.

ensign Wieslaw Wojciechowski

his beautiful mare

you can view more photos here
 For the first time in the history of XXI century reenactment the marching winged hussars were accompanied by reconstructed  mounted tympanist and trumpeters. Alex Jarmula was reenacting hetman's ensign (as shown in the famous Altomonte's painting showing battle of Vienna 1683)

During this parade Polish reenactors also portrayed horse archers - Polish Tatars -and pancerni medium cavalry of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth period.
During the parade the two types of infantry of the same period were  beautifully reenacted, I especially loved the Polish style infantry.
Valete!
all images@Wataha Press
ps
Marek Kalasinski's photos of Wieslaw Wojciechowski

***

Defilada 2018 - Winged Hussar Radoslaw Szleszynski via Marek Kalisinski

Salvete Omnes,
artist Marek Kalisinski has graciously allowed me to share with you several of his photos showing Radoslaw Szleszynski in his painstakingly reconstructed winged hussar armor and horse tack - all taken during the Polish Armed Forces Day in Warsaw 2018.
I wrote about this armor in my past posts and tack (check labels section), and Radek's efforts to reconstruct a winged hussar companion and his steed.

 The horse ridden in this parade comes from Alex Jarmula stables.
Valete!

Jacek Kowalski - Sarmacja - wywiady

Salvete Omnes,
[in Polish]
chcialbym podzielic sie linkami do spotkan z profesorem Jackiem Kowalskim w temacie ostatniej ksiazki Sarmacja, Podrecznik bojowy. (przykladowa recenzja)
ApologeticumTV
 [1]
 [2]
PIEŚNIARZE poezja i muzyka - czesc 1 plus cale  spotkanie

a przy okazji pare fragmentow z mapy panoramicznej krolewskiego miasta Krakowa z AD 1618 (Cracovia AD 1618 - description in English) - husaria, orszak krolewski

palac krolewski w Lobzowie

Valete!

ps przy okazji 100-lecia odzyskania Niepodleglosci przez Polske  serdecznie polecam cudowne pisarstwo Floriana Czarnyszewicza, zwlaszcza jego epicka prace Nadberezyncy , arcydzielo calkiem nieznane -  wprowadzenie tutaj.
(swoja droga, ciekawe czy czasem brat albo wujek mosci Floriana Czarnyszewicza jako Felix Blancha jest  przodkiem Steven Tyler z Areosmith)

Assumption of Mary - Polish Armed Forces Day

Salvete Omnes,
I just watched Polish Armed Forces parade in Warsaw, commemorating the Polish Armed Forces Day which is also the feast day of Assumption of Mary or Feast of Assumption.
This year hundreds of reenactors, from the early Piast Poland to World War II, paraded along with the regular soldiers of Polish Armed Forces and elements of allied NATO troops in front of the Polish Republic President and various governmental officials in Warsaw, Respublica Poloniae.

This year, 2018, is the 100th anniversary of the Polish renewed independence.

Polish military Eagle holding so called Amazon shield

And 98th anniversary of the battle of Warsaw, one of the most important battles in the world history. It was great victory for the newly reestablished Polish state, where Polish peasants farmers responding to a call from the prime minister Wincenty Witos flocked to the Polish forces and swelling the army up to a million fighting men  defeated the Red Army barbarians.
The Polish Army was armed but lacked ammunition and in the early days of August 1920  Hungary  shipped ammunition from their factories but they were stopped from reaching Poland through Czechoslovakia, so Romania allowed these transports to pass through their territory, and they reached Polish soldiers in time to defeat the Communists. Poland also received help  from France but these arms and munition shipments were blockaded  ( the rest of Western Europe refused to help or even to let the transports with arms and munitions reach Poland).

general Tadeusz Rozwadowski, architect of the battle of Warsaw victory AD 1920

Vivat Polish soldiers and   vivat Saint Mary, Mother of God and Queen of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland.

Valete!

Rokitna 1915 - komiks

okladka opowiesci graficznej Rokitna 1915

Salvete Omnes,
[in Polish]
Krzysztof Komaniecki z kolegami Jackiem i Piotrem wymyslili projekt, a nastepnie Krzysztof narysowal opowiesc graficzna o slynnej szarzy 2giego szwadronu kawalerii(ulanow) II Brygady Legionow,  pod dowodztwem rotmistrza Zbigniewa Dunin-Wasowicza,potomka szwolezera spod Somosierry Mikołaja Dunin-Wąsowicza ,  pod Rokitna Ad 1915.

strona tytulowa 

Calosc to 46 stron z okladkami- ktorych to przykladowe zdjecia stron zalaczam ponizej:

Finansowanie dziela.tj realizacji i wydania. pochodzi min ze wsparcia rodakow via Polak Potrafi.

Komiks ten  to pierwszy pelnowymiarowy komiks wykonany przez szczecinskiego artyste Krzysztofa Komanieckiego, ktory obecnie pracuje na komiksami o Somosierskiej szarzy 1808 roku, oraz o szarzy Ulanow Nadwislanskich pod Struga AD1807.

Na koniec chcialbym podziekowac Krzysztofowi za egzemplarz komiksu z dedykacja i pozdrowic wszystkich wspolautorow  komiksu Rokitna 1915.
Valete!

Polish Guard Lancers 1806-1815, G. Lubomski et WHP

Salvete omnes,
I am very happy to announce that another of book projects that I have participated in is coming to fruition (via Simon and Shuster website) -
namely pan George Lubomski, veteran reenactor from UK and presently a colonel of the reenacted Polish Guard Lancers, has written and Winged Hussar Publishing LLC will publish the most comprehensive book on the famous regiment ever written in English.
Amazon.com page -  tentatively circa 25th of September 2018.
My friend from Szczecin - Krzysztof Komaniecki, artist including comics and historical illustration), writer (among other things working on a Polish Lancers et al book for WHP), reenactor et al. - and his figurines:  unfinished four Polish Lancers of the Guard

Komaniecki's 1st lancers of the Guard

Amazon
Valete
ps
WHP will publish dr Marek Wozniak's book (originally published by Infort Editions in Polish some years back) on the pre-Islamic Persian Armies in November - I will write about this more in due time