Uhlans

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The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Uhlans

a body of light cavalry. Uhlans as an established military unit date from the 14th and 13th centuries, when they formed part of the Mongol-Tatar armies. They carried lances with pennants, in contrast to most of the other cavalry troops, who were armed with bows. In the 16th century uhlans appeared in Lithuania and Poland as irregular units drawn from the Tatars who had settled in those countries. Subsequently, uhlan regiments were organized in Austria and Prussia in the 18th century and in France at the beginning of the 19th century. Originally armed with sabers and lances with pennants, they later added pistols and, in the mid-19th century, carbines to their armament. A special feature of their uniform was the square lancer cap, which derived from the original Tatar headdress.

In the Russian army the first uhlan regiments were formed in 1803, their number increasing to 19 between 1807 and 1827. In 1882, however, all but two uhlan guards regiments were converted into dragoon regiments. Reestablished in 1907, the uhlans numbered two guards and 17 regular army regiments by 1914.

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References in periodicals archive ?

The place had been in possession of the enemy for a few days and the Uhlans had intended to billet there that night.

MORNING SERIAL

At two o'clock in the afternoon, a Saxon infantry detachment arrived, along with several units of mounted Uhlans. Marching through the streets, they suddenly opened fire.

"A Belgium of our own": the sack of Russian Kalisz, August 1914

Perhaps the most useful part of the book is the very first chapter in which Smith differentiates the types of cavalry at the time of Napoleon and explains their missions: Heavy Cavalry, Light Cavalry (Hussars, chasseurs a cheval), Line Cavalry (Dragoons, Carabiniers, etc), and Lancers (Uhlans).

Charge! Great Cavalry Charges of the Napoleonic Wars

Furthermore, this stage of the journey takes the wanderer through a dangerous landscape: the Franco-Prussian war recently ended, 'that country-side was still alive with tales of uhlans, and outlying sentries, and hair-breadth 'scapes from the ignominious cord, and pleasant momentary friendships between invader and invaded' (p.

'Home is the sailor, home from sea': Robert Louis Stevenson and the end of wandering

band and pounds 800 for a set of large-scale German Uhlans regiment figures.

Auction bidder pays pounds 1,265 for empty box!

The hurly-burly of the skirmishes between the Sciegian uhlans and the German colonial forces made the pink-papered walls of the children's room quake, waking the infants and the nursemaids.

Excerpts from IN RED

Born in Dresden (February 24, 1809); joined the Guard cavalry at Berlin (1827); won the confidence of King Frederick William IV during the revolution of 1848; becoming the King's aide-de-camp, he was sent on a mission to Sweden (late 1848); he was promoted to lieutenant colonel (1852); appointed to command the 5th Uhlans (1853); during the Crimean War (in which Prussia was not involved, and hoped not to become involved), went on two diplomatic missions to Vienna and one to St.

Manteuffel, Baron Edwin von (1809-1885)

We were on the s move next morning, and a couple of days later we had a brush-up with some German Uhlans who were fine cavalrymen and excellent raiders; there were bands of them operating around the Bailleul area.

No doubt the Uhlans had seen us advancing and opened fire with their carbines from inside the wood, then mounting their horses and using the wood as a screen had galloped safely out of sight.

The next morning he told us that he had been through a bit of torture: the wounded man had been carried upstairs and during the night six Uhlans had rode up to the farm, tied their horses up outside and entered.

MORNING SERIAL

Hidden in their polemics and attired in a uniform of an insurgent cadet or a colourful uhlan, the medieval idea of chivalry became the focus of Milosz's and Herbert's views on the most important things in life expressed by each of them through different means.

In his later years Slowacki gave poetic expression to the identity of a knight in the following sentence: "The spirit of life is a proud knight,/And its sight is directed upwards."[7] As a counterpoint to this ideal, Slowacki depicted the figure of a colourful uhlan who charges on with his pointed lance and a banner flapping in the wind-a caricature and negation of chivalry.