HM Journal Issue 19 - Br Cav Waterloo

MODELING 54mm HISTOREX KITS, Part 5: The 3rd Hussar Regiment, King's German Legion

The 3rd KGL Hussars was commanded by Lt. Colonel F. L. Meyer, killed at Waterloo. The regiment was part of the Allied 7th Cavalry Brigade (Colonel Sir F. Arenschildt) along with the British 13th Light Dragoons. The regiment was large in terms of strength with four duty squadrons with a present-for-duty strength of 35 officers and 840 other ranks totaling 875 men. It lost at Waterloo 6 officers killed, 12 wounded and. for other ranks casualties were 40 killed, 70 wounded, and 8 missing. Total loss was 136 out of 875 or 15.5%. See table below.

The 3rd KGL Hussars wore the elaborate hussar dress of a dark blue dolman and pelisse with white braiding and white metal buttons. The facing color was white and appeared on the collar, cuffs, and a broad white stripe down the outer seam of the mid-gray campaign overalls. The headgear was the distinctive black busby with red falling bag and white cords and tassels.

Equipment was the standard issue for all British cavalry and consisted of a black cartridge pouch with white belt and brass fittings, carbine sling also with white belt and brass fittings, sabretache slings, and a white sword belt with white metal clasp. The haversack was anywhere from off-white to pale gray/beige on a belt of similar color. The canteen was blue with a red-brown strap. The sword hilt and its scabbard were white metal.

Figure 1

Figure 1 - This Historex figure is built from Historex spare parts except the head which is from Historex Head Set HX3368 (30368). The figure is assembled with plastic glue and super glue (for the stirrup leathers). It is then primed and mounted on a working base. The face is painted first. plastic glue). Stirrup leathers are made from strips of sheet lead attached to the kit's stirrups and glued first to the bottom of the boots and, when dry, to the inside of the legs.

Figure 2 - The horse on the right is also assembled from spares. It is assembled, additional leather straps and the girth strap are added. It is primed, mounted on a working base and painted in oils.

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 3 shows that the horse's tail and mane are painted in dark brown. The saddle is composed of two parts: the British style bare saddle with blanket and the light cavalry shabraque.

Figure 4 shows the trooper with haversack and cartridge belt in place. The busby now has the falling bag and the "cap lines" with racquets which allowed the trooper to retrieve his busby without dismounting should it fall off. The figure is wearing the outer jacket, pelisse, painted dark blue.

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 5, left, the haversack and cartridge box belt are shown. Note the cap lines attached to the top rear of the busby. These are made from .4 mm lead solder wire.

Figure 6, right, shows the horse about half way completed. The blanket is Vallejo VC0870 Medium Sea Gray. Stripes in VC0930 Dark Blue need to be added just on the left side near the bottom of the blanket. The saddle is Andrea ANAC42 Brown Leather washed with ANAC48 Dark Leather. The shabraque is first painted white then washed with Vallejo VC0884 Stone Gray. Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 7 - the figure's busby is detailed with Vallejo VC0909 Vermillion for the bag and white for the cap lines. The fur is painted in Vallejo VC0950 Flat Black. The fur of the pelisse has one coat of Vallejo VC0981 Orange Brown. Later, it will be stained with a dark brown color. The carbine belt and sling are now added to the figure. Just visible resting on the haversack is the canteen with dark red-brown strap. The campaign overalls are painted in Vallejo VC0870 Medium Sea Gray. The stirrup leathers are a mix of VC0981 Orange Brown and

Figure 8

Figure 8 shows details on the trooper's left side. Starting with the busby, thin solder wire was used to continue from the top of the busby and across the shoulder to join with a pair of racquets best viewed in the above photo. The carbine and pouch belts have already been described. The haversack and canteen are tucked under the left arm but pushed to the rear. The sabre and sabretache straps were made from sheet lead. The sabre was attached first followed by the sabretache.

Figure 9 shows the trooper's right side. The small ammunition pouch is crossed by the carbine sling and the carbine is attached to its hook suspended from the sling. I added the small feed bag from extra Historex parts. The figure is now complete.
Figure 9

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Chappell, Mike. The King's German Legion (2) 1812-1816, Osprey Men-at-Arms No. 339. London, UK: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2000.

Fosten, Brian. Wellington's Light Cavalry, Osprey Men-at-Arms No. 126. London, UK: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 1982.

Fosten, DSV and BK. The Thin Red Line, Plate No. 18, Cavalry of the Line - Dragoons 1815. Hackbridge, Wallington, UK: Pimpernel Studios, 1986.

Wooten, Geoffrey. Waterloo 1815 - Osprey Campaign Series No. 15. London, UK: Osprey Publishing Ltd, 1992.

Regiment	Present	Killed	Wounded	Missing	Total	% Loss
13th Light Dragoons	456	14	78	19	111	24.3%
3rd KGL Hussars	875	46	82	8	136	15.5%
7th Cavalry Brigade Totals	1331	60	160	27	247	18.6%