Austrian Facing Colors

Infantry and Cavalry 1809-1815

by Marc Raiff

There are a few points I would like to clear up before starting to cover the difficult subject of Austrian facing colors:

(1) My access to primary sources is very limited, so any corrections, amendments, further elaborations, etc. would be most welcome.

(2) The listing that follows is based on "what should be". Field expediences and the consumptions of old stock before new ones were issued were common occurrences which would certainly affect any given regiment ata given moment.

(3) The Austrian military establishment was very cost conscious and "orderly" (in the bureaucratic sense). Therefore, the elimination of certain facing colors upon disbanding of regiments (as alluded below) is highly likely for economic reasons though I have no specific documentation stating that fact. However, I'm sure certain dyes were tougher than others (e.g. indigo in Denmark in 1813) and the Hofkriegsrat would certainly this into account.

(4) Some sources have stated that the Austrian army used subtle differences in facing colors (as well as button color) to differentiate among regiments. Therefore, a paint guide is presented only as an approximation and a practical expedient to differentiate facing colors. I do not claim any magical wisdom in divining exact shades. That is, after all, an impossible task. The paint guide is intended as just that - a guide. Any suggestion or documented modifications to it are welcome. As an aside, only acrylic are listed because that is what I use. I am sure there are equivalent oils.

(5) The German words for "light" and "hell" both mean light or bright in relation to color. From context, I have interpreted "licht" as light and "hell" as bright (whoever heard of bright brown!).

(6) I have used regimental numbers (vs. names) exclusively for two reasons:

    (a) regimental Inhabers (proprietors from which regiments took their name) changed often and would require continuous amendments of regimental names for a given number and

    (b) I don't have a comprehensive list of regimental Inhabers for the 1813-15 period.

SOURCES

Ottenfeld,R.V. & Teuber, 0. Die Oesterreichlissche Armee von 1700 bis 1867
Englebert, G. "Le fantassin Austro-Hungrois en 1809", Uniformes, #65, Jan-Feb. 1982.
Knoetel, Knoetel & Sieg Uniforms of the World
Seaton A. The Austro-Hungarian army of the Napoleonic Wars,
Pivka, O.V. Armies of the Napoleonic Era
Bureau of Standards Color - Universal Language and Dictionary of Names
Bureau of Standards ISCC - NBS Color - Name Charts

Austrian Facing Colors Infantry and Cavalry 1809-1815

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