Work in Progress

Danube 1809

Posted by Wolfgang Meyer on 29 Jan 2017, 20:42

In collaboration with Francesco Messori (FRANZNAP), we are planning a large diorama for the DIORAMICA 2018. The Danube crossing of Napoleon to the Battle of Aspern & Essling in May 1809.
We want to present the transition of the 8th French Hussars over the Stadlerarm of the Danube. The pontoon bridge across the Stadlerarm is about 1.60 meters wide in the diorama. The whole diorama will be 5.20 meters wide.
Francesco is already modeling the first hussars.
There are, of course, bridge construction, cavalry, infantry, artillery, etc.

Here the first Masters from Francesco:

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Best regards,

Wolfgang
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Wolfgang Meyer  Germany
 
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Posted by Kostis Ornerakis on 29 Jan 2017, 22:00

Incredible sculpting! :thumbup: :-D
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Kostis Ornerakis  Greece

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Posted by entrauner on 29 Jan 2017, 22:45

wonderful sculpting! - great project ( I like to go around there with my bycicle in summertime)
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entrauner  Austria
 
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Posted by C M Dodson on 30 Jan 2017, 12:00

Hello, I am really looking forward to this project as I have a desire to re fight Aspern Essling myself. The figures are, as always superb. I can not wait to see what the team create for the scenery.

Best wishes,

Chris
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Posted by Zed1 on 30 Jan 2017, 12:58

Wow. Looks that we - as a by-product - can expect lots of nice new French hussar poses then. :mrgreen:

I wish you much joy painting these wonderful figures.
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Zed1  Germany
 
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Posted by Hellboy on 30 Jan 2017, 14:24

Fantastic! :yeah: A really great modeling. Speechless ... :shock: Good luck and have a lot of fun working on this great project! :-D
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Posted by Cryns on 31 Jan 2017, 14:13

Dear moderator,

What is wrong with me? Or with my internet? Am I the only one again not able to see Franznapps and Wolfgangs work? Peter what technical interference did you do the last time? After that suddenly I could see Wolfgangs pictures. :eh:

C M Dodson wrote:I have a desire to re fight Aspern Essling myself.


Mr. Dodson, we too, Mr. Bos and me, started to build armies for Aspern Essling back in 2005 and I did a lot of research already but we never played a single game because we suddenly switched to ancients those days.

Wolfgang and Mr. Dodson, I took pictures at Lobau Island, the water and the vegetation for its colors and overall appearence and I photographed ancient farmhouses in the surrounding villages. Also I payed a visit to 4 small local museums that were only open on special occasion. Are you guys interested in these pictures? If so I will share them with you.

Shall I share them here Wolfgang or in a separate topic so I do not mess up this topic of yours too much?
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Cryns  Netherlands

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Posted by C M Dodson on 31 Jan 2017, 16:22

Hello Mr C.

I would love any information you have got for my archive.

I am currently at 6.30 PM with Ligny and am beginning to prepare Quatre Bras, a much smaller affair.

I have thousands of Austrians to paint as probably the one after that so anything is very welcome indeed.

Best wishes,

Chris
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Posted by Cryns on 31 Jan 2017, 17:03

Thank you my dear moderator, whoever you are, I can see Franznapps work bright and clear now! My favorite is the Trumpeter ready to mount his horse.

Mr. Dodson I will open my archives for the 1809 campaign.
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Cryns  Netherlands

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Posted by Marc the plasticsfan on 31 Jan 2017, 17:15

Oh wow oh wow oh wow. I really admire Francesco's work so seeing new hussars is really exciting - I already have his pontooniers set, but imagine the extra figures he will make will be stunning as usual. I do hope these are for commercial release, and not just diorama figures.

As to opening of archives, I would be really interested in seeing pictures of the local farms etc - I cannot see me ever making it to the battlefield, so these would be really useful indeed.

Thanks to one and all, and I look forward to further updates. They will inspire me to paint my Austrians
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Posted by davbenbak1 on 31 Jan 2017, 17:21

I will be following this thread with a lot of excitement. I was looking for an engagement for some Bavarians.
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Posted by sansovino on 04 Feb 2017, 13:18

You are always incredible interesting with your projects. I have studied recently your homepage that your group is now working on four different new dioramas including one from Scotland. How do you choose the theme for your next diorama? It´s a question of personal interests or linked more to greater historical exhibitions?

It looks like that Geschichte in Miniaturen is leaving Germany as main theme and goes actually around the world ...
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Posted by Wolfgang Meyer on 04 Feb 2017, 18:15

Thanks @ all! :-D

@sansovino

Thank you for the interest!

We always look for personal ideas from our dioramas. However, the Napoleonic era is still our favorite. But we have even a Roman diorama as commissioned work in work, which we have not yet presented.
To the Dioramica 2018 we would like to have all the dioramas ready. That is also a realistic goal.


@Mr. Cryns

Hi Lodewiyk, your offer with the pictures we accept, of course, thank you. Patrick has been on the battlefield of Aspern several times.
We are also back in Vienna this year and have already planned meetings with Erik.

Best regards,

Wolfgang
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Wolfgang Meyer  Germany
 
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Posted by Cryns on 16 Mar 2017, 08:52

Dear Wolfgang and all members interested in the 1809 campaign,

Six weeks ago I promised a lot....

Mr. Cryns wrote: I will open my archives for the 1809 campaign.

....and came up with nothing at all....until today :-D
Because my research covers much more than Napoleons first crossing of the Danube at Lobau island, I wild start another topic today called Wagram Campaign of 1809 research so I do not mess up this topic too much.

Meanwhile we are all curious how your project is developing at the moment, Wolfgang!
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Cryns  Netherlands

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Posted by Wolfgang Meyer on 17 Mar 2017, 13:03

Here are the next pictures of the 8th French Hussars. Modeled by
Francesco Messori (Franznap).


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We are lucky that we have found the plans of the Austrian pontoons.
Michael Bartling and Niels Rullkötter, who has also mastered the cars for Cröbern 1813 and for the Perrys, is building the wagons and pontoons for our project Danube 1809.

Here pictures:

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Best regards,

Wolfgang
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Wolfgang Meyer  Germany
 
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Posted by Cryns on 17 Mar 2017, 14:11

Thank you so much Wolfgang.

Francesco's French Hussars look good. A real nice fresh contribution to all those ranges of full charging hussars which are useless for most diorama's. :notworthy:

And so great you present to us the Austrian Pontoons and Wagons. :-D :yeah:
To me these look like 18th century drawings from Fredrick the Great's time but that does not change the fact that these images probably represent the pontoons like they still looked like in 1809.

WHY WAS THIS INFORMATION NOT AVAILABLE TO THE WORLD BEFORE? :(
I searched for it in the Heeres Geschichtliches Museum Wien but found no clue.
Osprey shows nothing, neither do Funcken, Hourtouille and all those other publishers. The internet only reveals this one:

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Its from a very interesting American article that you specialist guys must already have found, but to me all that information was pretty new:

http://www.napoleon-series.org/military ... anube.html

Do you consider this article as historical correct?

And if yes, I have a questions about this paragraph:

The bridge, 1, across the second branch, was formed of Austrian military bateaux: it was commenced at five o'clock in the morning. That across the first branch, 1, was formed of boats of the country, found at Vienna: itwas commenced early on the 19th, and on that day both were finished in time for the whole army to effect it's passage into the Lobau. The construction of a bridge of boats across the third branch, at C, (Plate 6), was commenced in the night of the 19th: for this, fifteen Austrian bateaux were used: -- it was finished in three hours; -- and before day-light on the 20th, three divisions of infantry, and some light cavalry, amounting in all to about 50,000 men, had crossed to the left bank of the Danube, and took position in the plain opposite to Gros Aspern and Essling.

We must conclude the boats of the country (civilian cargo boats and ferryboats) were propelled to the Lobau downstream the Danube.

But what about the Austrian military pontoons? Were these brought to the Lobau on Austrian military wagons like you show us above? Or were they shipped from Vienna downstream the Danube to the Lobau like the civilian boats?
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Cryns  Netherlands

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Posted by Wolfgang Meyer on 17 Mar 2017, 17:39

Dear Lodewyk,

the picture shows a french ponton.

At the beginning of 1809, the Austrian army had more than 300 pontoons, of which 250 were sent to the army corps, and 50 remained in reserve in Vienna. 25 were then deducted from the reserve.
On April 21, "Hiller" continued his retreat against Landshut. In the Defilee of Landshut there were then retreats, the whole Austrian Pontontrain Hillers with 56 pontoons and several bridges of the 5th pioneer division fell into the hands of the enemy.

A few days later another 47 pontoons fell into the hands of the enemy at Regensburg. The Austrian army had no more pontontrain, they only had three complete pontoons and 47 empty pontoon waggons.

Immediately orders were issued to take the remaining pontoons from Bohemia and Moravia. After the unification of all the departments, the Archduke had again 58 pontoons. 50 others were to be newly built in Prague.

These are only two summarized reports on the withdrawal of the Austrian army in Germany
April 1809. The reports are very detailed and extensive in the book on the K.K. Pioneer regiment and war brigade.

The French army therefore had the largest part of the Austrian bridges, including their pontoons.

At the Danube crossing of Napoleon in May 1809 everything was used. During the bridging over the Stadlerarm, 15 of these Austrian pontoons were used. In addition, there were three bucks. To the Aspern & Esslingschlacht there was also only one bridge over the Stadlerarm.
At the Battle of Wagram there were a few more, a total of two at the summit of the river from May, from the Lobau to the Mühlau. One was there for infantry.

The sources are repeated in their statements. I followed the General Staff work of Ritter von Hoehn.

Here a picture from the austrian pontontrain (1823)

Image
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Wolfgang Meyer  Germany
 
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Posted by stephane on 19 Mar 2017, 23:37

:yeah: :yeah: :yeah: :yeah:

I have a lot of idea for this figs :P :P :P
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stephane  France
 
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Posted by Cryns on 20 Mar 2017, 12:56

Wolfgang thank you so much for your explaination. :-D :notworthy:
It seems like I did not posses the right (German language) sources yet.
And what a lovely picture! It must be because its from shortly after the Napoleonic era that it has not been published in the sources I know about.
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Posted by Peter on 25 Mar 2017, 22:48

Another great project Wolfgang! I will follow this with great interest! ;-) :thumbup:
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