Winged Hussar/Bio & Battles

"We saw it... the hussars let loose their horses. God, what power! They ran through the smoke and the sound was like that of a thousand blacksmiths beating with a thousand hammers!"

- Henry Sienkievich

The Winged Hussars were a unique class of hussars, one of the main types of cavalry used in the Polish army from the 16th century to the 18th century. The hussars were originally a unit of light cavalry made up of exiled Serbians, but after the military reforms of King Stephen Báthory, the hussars were reorganized. The Winged Hussars were created as a shock cavalry unit, with members who were almost exclusively from the Polish nobility.

The purpose of the Winged Hussars was to charge the enemy formations head-on, using their long lances to strike down pikemen. They would crash into the enemy lines repeatedly until their formations were broken, allowing the rest of the Polish army to follow through.

The Winged Hussars established a reputation among their enemies, mainly for their iconic wings that they wore on the backs of their armor. The wings made a clattering noise when the horses charged, making them appear greater in numbers than they really were, and frightening the enemy horses.

The Winged Hussars were an important factor in the many of Renaissance-era Poland's victories, often helping their armies to win even in the face of overwhelming odds. Most notably was the Battle of Vienna, in which a decisive cavalry charge by the Winged Hussars routed the Ottoman army and saved Europe from invasion.

Battle vs. Rajput (by Samurai234)
Winged Hussars:

Rajput:

In the Indian plains, five polish Winged Hussars are walking and hoping to take over the country. Suddenly, a steel ring flys by one of the knights. They turn and see five Rajput Warriors, defending their home turf. The two sides charge at each other, and the hussars make the first kill by shooting a Rajput with their Flintlock Carbines. (5-4) Another Hussar fires his Crossbow at a Rajput and takes him out. (5-3) He tries to reload his crossbow, but he is kiled by a Rajput who throws a chakram at his face. (4-3) Another Hussar fires his flintlock pistol at another Rajput, but the Rajput raises his shield and blocks it. It then turns out the shield has a pistol in it! He fires it and kills the Hussar. (3-3)

Another Hussar grabs his lance, but he has his helmet knocked off by a Rajput with his Tabar axe. The Rajput tries to stab him, but his armor holds. The Hussar stabs back through the Rajput's weaker armor with his lance. (3-2) Because the lance is to heavy for him to carry, he swicths to his Saber.

Meanwhile, The other two Hussars countine to look for the other Rajput, but a hidden Rajput with a Brown Bess Musket fires his gun and kills one of them. (2-2) The Hussar fires his crossbow at the Rajput, misses. The Rajput puts out his Katar and charges at the hussar. The Hussar pulls out his Warhammer and swings, missing. The Rajput punches, but doesn't penetrate the hussar's armor. The Hussar drives the Warhammer throught the Rajput's head, and kills him. (2-1) He countines pn but the last Rajput, armed with a Talwar, charges at him, and decapitates him. (1-1)

The Rajput countines on, but the he soon runs into the last Hussar who still has his saber. The two charge and begin to duel, with the Rajput having the advantage due to his martial arts. However, he finds that he can't penetrate the Hussar's armor. The Hussar pushes him off and stabs the Rajput in his leg, causing him to collaspe. The Hussar then slashes him in the face, killing him. (1-0)

The Hussar wipes the blood off his sword, and walks off.

Expert's Opinion
The Hussar's far superior firearms and armor, coupled with the fact that the Rajput's armor was not only inferior but particularly useless against the Hussar's weapons, meant that the battle could be ended at a long range before the Rajput could even fight back.

To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here.

Battle vs. Cataphract (by El Alamein)
A Polish Winged Hussar rides his horse down the shore of a lake in a grassy meadow surrounded by a thick forest. It is mid-day but the light armor of the Hussar and a gentle breeze keeps him from overheating. His "wings" strapped on the back of his armor and the streamers hanging off of his lance give off an ominous humming noise. The Hussar's horse is used to this and trots along peacefully.

A Byzantine Cataphract approaches the Hussar, confused by the noise. The Cataphract's armored horse is hot and tired, and scared by the noise. It slows down and stops completely as the Cataphract urges his mount onward. The Hussar watches with mild amusement and brings his horse to a stop, ceasing the buzzing noise. The Cataphract raises the visor on his helmet and looks at the Hussar before he lowers his spear, closes the visor, and digs his heels into his horse, urging the beast forward. The Hussar is taken by surprise and takes the spear to his chest, but his steel cuirass deflects the blow and he is only pushed off of his horse. The Cataphract keeps riding off before he turns for a second pass. The Hussar quickly gets back on his horse and urges it forward, the lighter mount quickly taking off down the lake and away from the Cataphract. The buzzing noise again starts and the Cataphract’s horse slows to a nervous trot. The Hussar turns his horse back to face his opponent, lowers his lance, and leans forward, urging his horse forward. The Cataphract’s nervous horse backs up and the rider is unable to control the beast. The Hussar's lance shatters against the armor of the Cataphract but the Byzantine cavalryman is knocked off his horse. The Hussar is left without a rider's weapon and dismounts, aiming with his crossbow. The Cataphract struggles to his feet and takes a crossbow bolt in the breastplate. While it doesn't hit his organs, it knocks him back down on the ground.

The Hussar approaches the downed soldier with his war hammer, and he raises the weapon high for a powerful strike. The Cataphract raises an arm with his Spathi sword tightly gripped, and knocks the War Hammer aside. He rises to a knee and thrusts the short sword into a small unprotected section of the Hussar's thigh. While his Polish opponent doubles over in pain, the Cataphract slashes down at his exposed back but the cuirass stops the damage. The Hussar slams his war hammer into the Cataphract's knee, shattering the bone. The Cataphract yells in pain and makes another wild slash with his sword, deflecting an incoming attack from the hammer. Backing up, the Cataphract stumbles toward his horse for his other weapons while the Hussar loads another bolt into his crossbow. He fires right as the Cataphract takes his Toxoton bow off of a pouch on the saddle, and the bolt wedges into the horse's armor between the plates. The Cataphract's horse, already terrified by the Hussar's wing-noise and tired and hot, makes a feeble attempt to gallop away but stops after a few yards and collapses. The Cataphract is arrowless and throws the bow aside, limping in pain for one final attack.

The Hussar sidesteps the Cataphract's first stab and pulls his arm out of the way before he makes a crushing blow on the Byzantine's back. Falling onto his bad knee and racked in pain, the Cataphract looks up at the only slightly wounded Pole and makes one final effort, hacking at the Hussar's ankle. The lightly armored limb is severed from the leg and a blood fountain meets the flinching face of the Cataphract. The Hussar falls in agony, dropping his weapon and instinctively grabbing at the stump of a limb. The Cataphract takes an enormous breath and lunges himself on top of his disabled opponent, stabbing his Spathi sword straight into the Polish cavalryman's face, through the nose and into the base of his brain. The Hussar goes limp and the Cataphract can only roll over under the sun, breathing heavily, and shut his eyes as the pain rolls back into his body. Looking up at the Hussar's horse, he decides to search the saddle pouch for any medical supplies that could be there. As he tries to move his leg, the pain causes him to black out.

WINNER: BYZANTINE CATAPHRACT

Expert's Opinion
It was close, so very close. The Hussar was quick and the horrifying noise made by the streamers on his lance and the wings on his back really shook the Cataphract's mounted game, and while the Cataphract's armored horse did allow the Cataphract to stay mounted longer, it also meant fatigue and heat exhaustion would kick in much sooner. The Polish crossbow was a poor choice for mounted combat, and the war hammer was much slower than the Spathi in close-quarters combat. If this is an example of anything, it's that when it comes to two very closely matched warriors, armor matters, and when it comes to mounted warriors, mobility matters. The Cataphract had armor and mobility, and had them in a way that really allowed him to wear the Hussar down. Simply put, the Cataphract's armor protected him and the Hussar's armor didn't.

To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here.

Rematch vs. Cataphract (By Pygmy Hippo 2)
TBW

Expert's Opinion
TBD

Battle vs. Knight (by Goddess of Despair)
The knight was riding on his horse when he heard a unnerving sound. He turned and saw a winged hussar on his horse approaching. Both warrior’s horses stopped and the two looked at each other. The Hussar lifted his fist into the air and yelled. The knight lifted and fired his crossbow which hit the hussar’s chest. The bolt did no damage to the armor as the hussar returned fire with his own crossbow. The bolt slammed into the knight’s shield. The hussar yelled again and lifted his kopia. The knight readied his Morningstar and swung it as his horse rode towards the hussar. The hussar rode towards the knight with his kopia, he tried to stab the knight in the torso but missed. The knight smashed the hussar’s horse’s legs, sending the warrior into the ground. The hussar stood and began to reload his crossbow as the knight closed in on his horse. Both warriors felt as if time itself was getting slower. The knight was nearly in striking distance when a crossbow bolt hit his horse’s leg. The hussar retreated and took off his wings as the knight approached him with the halberd.

 The hussar went for a stab with the kopia and the knight stepped to the side in time to do a vertical slash breaking the kopia. The hussar swung what was left of the kopia at the knight’s head. The knight stumbled back words and the hussar backed away a bit to grab his nadziak. The knight grabbed his shield and unsheathed his longsword. The hussar was ready the knight slashed diagonally, the hussar hooked his nadziak with the sword and the two struggled for a moment until the hussar shoved the knight with his free hand. The hooked broadsword fell to the ground. The knight lifted his shield to defend himself but the shield was hooked and with a pull by the hussar, was out of the knight’s hands. The knight grabbed the nadziak’s handle and the two warriors fought for the weapon.

 The knight punched the head of the hussar who dropped his weapon in response. The knight saw his broadsword and set the nadziak on the ground in favor of his sword. The hussar drew his sword as well. The knight stabbed at the chest of the hussar, the blade was ineffective at harming the warrior who slashed at the knight’s head. The knight stumbled back words with ringing in his ears. He took off his helmet and regained his senses. The hussar stepped slowly closer to the river behind him. The knight approached the hussar and slashed at the warrior’s hand. The hussar dropped the blade and gripped his hand in pain. The knight prepared to finish the hussar but before he could strike the hussar punched him in the face with his uninjured hand. The knight stumbled back words with a bloody nose. The hussar grabbed his sword with his uninjured hand and some water in the other. The knight prepared a vertical slash but before he could hit the hussar water splashed his eyes. The knight yelled as the combination of the hussar’s blood with the water caused tremendous pain. The hussar stabbed the knight in the throat to silence his yells. The hussar pulled his blade out of the knight, who fell into the river whose water slowly turned red. The hussar lifted his sword into the air and cried out in victory.

Expert's Opinion
The knight was a difficult opponent for the hussar to defeat. The knights armor protected him better and he had better weapons for dismounted combat. The problem for him was the fact that the polish crossbow was better at long range and the winged hussar was supperior in mounted combat. His kopia lance was far more useful mounted then the halberd and his wings could intiidate the knight, or the knight might even of thought that the hussar was an angel, causing him to hesitate to attack. Also the winged hussar was faster then the knight.

To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here.

Battle vs. Mameluke (by BattleGames1)
Mamelukes:

Winged Hussar:

5 Mamelukes on horseback are making their way across a steppe, looking for enemy combatants. They search the area not being able to locate any until they come to the foot of a hill when they hear some rattling and rumbling. Sensing danger coming in, the Mameluke leader has his men ready their recurve bows and lances. Just then, a stampede of horses come charging down from the foot of the hill followed by 5 silhouettes of what appear to be angels on horseback. With the Mamelukes tricked into lowering their weapons, the Hussars upon the hill fire their crossbows and despite the shakiness of the ride, one arrow manages to kill a Mameluke archer. The Mameluke horsemen are forced to retreat to a safe distance but as they do, they also turn back and return fire. The first volley of arrows miss but the horses the Hussars are hiding amongst suddenly disperse. The Hussars, seeing the tactic in play, try to disperse as well but the crossbowman from before is too slow and is killed with an arrow to the neck. Firing off more arrows, the Mamelukes continue to make the horses disperse faster than the Hussars can react. Before long, the lead Hussar (also known as the rotmistrz) and two of his soldiers unsheath their lances ready to charge head on while the remaining crossbowman provides covering fire. The 4 Mamelukes turn around with three of them unsheathing their lances and swords and the fourth continuing to fire off his arrows. The three Mamelukes charge towards the Hussars who too are charging headlong towards them. For every shot the crossbowman could fire, the Mameluke archer could fire almost two, which was enough to make the horses frightened enough to slow down and make themselves a sitting target. Soon, the two charging parties clash. The Mameluke leader manages to fend off one Hussar swinging his lance and counters with a jab from his lance, piercing through the Hussar's armour and killing him. The archer manages to shoot down another Hussar just as the latter was about to swing his szabla into a charging Mameluke, leaving the leader to retreat. The crossbowman before tries to aim for the archer but is knocked off his horse by the Mameluke archer's arrow. Before the Mameluke archer can fire off another shot, the Hussar fires his crossbow first and kills the Mameluke. The crossbowman then gets on his horse and rides away with the rotmistrz towards some large rocks, leaving the pursuing Mamelukes behind. When the Mamelukes reach the rocky area, they stop and dismount. Unsheathing their swords as they walk through the rocks, the two Hussars hide behind a large boulder unsheathing their own szablas in preparation for an ambush. However, the clattering of their wings accidentally give away their position and the Mamelukes charge in. Coming out of hiding, the rotmistrz blocks a sword swing with his wings and counters with a slash to the thigh and another fatal slash to the Mameluke's chest with his szabla. The other Hussar manages to also do the same thing and blocks the sword blows with his wings but soon he gets too tired out and tries to run. Before he can reach his horse, the Hussar is stabbed in the nape by one of the Mameluke with his sword. The lone Hussar leader mounts his horse and prepares his lance for a direct charge at the two Mamelukes, who by now are starting to run back to their horses. As the Mamelukes sprint back, the rotmistrz charges headlong and before the Mameluke soldier in front of him could react, he is stabbed in the chest with a kopia lance. The Hussar then slows down, seeing the Mameluke leader mount his horse. The two eye each other for a few seconds before charging into each other again, both horsemen with their swords drawn. When they first make contact, the Hussar swings at the Mameluke's face which almost knocks the latter off the horse. As the Mameluke soldier gets on his saddle, he sees the Hussar charge at him again. The two again clash swords for a while and while each can block each other's blows, the Hussar seems to be getting the upperhand. Soon, the Mameluke leader becomes tired and has his horse gallop away. Seeing this apparent 'coward' run away, the Winged Hussar prepares his crossbow bayonet (since he lost his lance) for the final kill. However, as the rotmistrz closes the gap between himself and the Mameluke, the Muslim warrior turns around and jabs his lance into the Hussar's chest, killing him. The Mameluke lets go of his lance and watches his opponent fall off his steed. The Mameluke silently thanks Allah before wandering down the steppe, looking for a nearby town.

Winner: Mameluke

Expert's Opinion
The experts believed that the Mameluke Cavalry weapons were more lethal and versatile against the Hussars, whose weapons and gear were only good for horseback fighting (save the szabla, which was at least more powerful the Mameluke sword). If you think this battle is unfair in any way, shape or form, go ahead and do a rematch.

To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here.

Battle vs. Mongol Warrior (by Goddess of Despair)
No battle written.

Expert's Opinion
The Winged Hussars were victorious due to their more protective armor and deadlier medium/close ranged weaponry.

To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here.

Battle vs. Norman Soldier (by MilenHD)
The battle starts not far away from a Norman village,alone Norman is riding throught the area with his spear and shield in hands.About 50 feet away is a Winged Hussar,who is completly lost.As he rides a few feet,he see's a warrior who looks kinda familiar.The Hussar dismounted his horse and tried to snipe him,with his Polish crossbow.After he fired the bolt,it hitted the Norman's shield,alerting him.The Norman jumped from his horse and fired his crossbow,but didn't pierce the Hussar armor.

Than both warriors mounted their respectful horses and charged against each other.As they chaged both aimed their spear and lance at each other,with the Hussar's kopia hitting and breaking as it hit the Norman's shield,making him to fall from his horse.The Norman got up as the Hussar charged with his nadziak,but the Norman threw his spear making the Hussar also fall from his horse.As he tried to get on his horse,he got shot in the leg by another bolt,stoping him from mounting his horse.Than he charged with his broadsword and shield at the Hussar,but the Hussar swung his nadziak as he camed closer,missing him by few inches,the Norman responded by hitting the Hussar's cuirass,making absolutely nothing,Than the Hussar swung his nadziak,and made the Norman fall at his back,and the Hussar tried to crush his skull,but the Norman,seeing he lost his sword,he pulled his seax and sliced the Polishman's jaw,making him step away.

The Hussar swung with full power,crushing the Norman's shield and his nadziak got stucked in the wooden planks of the shield.Than the Hussar pulled his szabla,but the Norman camed fast and managed to pierce the Hussar's armor,making a minor penetration and getting on his seax a little bit of blood,but the Hussar managed to push away the seax,but the Norman was this time closer to his sword,and he grabbed it and began offensive slashes at the Hussar.

Than both warriors clashed with their swords,the Hussar made some slashes,but they were ineffective against the chainmail,but after 10 minutes of sword dueling both were tired,but the Norman managed to slamm his broadsword at the helmet knocking it.Than the Hussar with his final breath sliced the Norman's throat making fountain of blood.As he saw the Norman falling down dead,the Hussar raised his fist and shouted "Polska" in victory.

Expert's Opinion
While the Norman was better melee fighter,the Hussar's superior armor and advantage at close and long gave him the victory,plus he was specialist in horseback combat.

To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here.

Battle vs. Landsknecht (by Goddess of Despair)
No battle written.

Winner: Landsknecht 

Expert's Opinion
TBA

To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here.