page_title: Hussar
section_title: Armament and tactics
hierarchical_section_title: Hussar / Armament and tactics
context_page_description: A hussar was a member of a class of light cavalry, originating in Central Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries. The title and distinctive dress of these horsemen were subsequently widely adopted by light cavalry regiments in European armies in the late 17th and early 18th centuries.
  A number of armored or ceremonial mounted units in modern armies retain the designation of hussars.
  Historically, the term derives from the cavalry of late medieval Hungary, under Matthias Corvinus, with mainly Serb warriors.
context_section_description: Hussar armament varied over time. Until the 17th century, it included a cavalry sabre, lance, long, wooden shield and, optionally, light, metal armour or simple leather vest. Their usual form of attack was a rapid charge in compact formation against enemy infantry or cavalry units. If the first attack failed, they would retire to their supporting troops, who re-equipped them with fresh lances, and then would charge again.
  Apart from the Polish sabre and the lance, Polish heavy hussars were usually equipped with two pistols, a small, rounded shield and koncerz, a long (up to 2 metres) stabbing sword used in charges when the lance was broken or lost, and some even carried horseman's picks or war hammers. The Polish hussars quickly enough (by 1590s) abandoned using the "Balkan" shield (a large shield of an asymmetric shape), and most of them now had metal breastplates.
  Unlike their lighter counterparts, the Polish hussars were used as a heavy cavalry for line-breaking charges against enemy infantry. The famous low losses were achieved by the unique tactic of late concentration. Until the first musket salvo of the enemy infantry, the hussars approached relatively slowly, in a loose formation. Each rider was at least 5 steps away from his colleagues and the infantry, still using undeveloped muskets, could not aim at any particular cavalryman. Also, if a hussar's horse was wounded, the following lines had time to steer clear of him. After the salvo, the cavalry rapidly accelerated and tightened the ranks. At the moment of the clash of the charging cavalry with the defenders, the hussars were riding knee-to-knee.
  Hussars of the Polish Commonwealth were also famous for the huge wings worn on their backs or attached to the saddles of their horses. Several theories attempt to explain the meaning of the wings. According to some, they were designed to foil attacks by Tatar lasso; another theory maintains that the sound of vibrating feathers attached to the wings made a strange sound that frightened enemy horses during the charge. However, recent experiments performed by Polish historians in 2001 did not support any of these theories and the phenomenon remains unexplained. The wings were probably worn only during parades and not during combat, but this explanation is also disputed. Because Poland has a large population of devout Catholics, it seems possible the wings and uniforms were meant to resemble St. Michael the Archangel.
  In the 18th and 19th centuries, hussars of Central and Western Europe retained the use of the sabre throughout the time. Some cavalrymen such as the chasseurs were also armed with firearms, primarily carbines or pistols.
caption: Hussars in battle during the Hungarian Revolution of 1848
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