The Saxon Mars and His Force
The Saxon army during the reign of John George III 1680-1691
Author Alexander Querengasser
Illustrator Sergey Shamenkov
Publisher Helion & Co.
ISBN 978-1-912866-60-1
I was very interested when I first spotted this title, as a wargamer it is always a temptation to try to build "the whole thing" (which can be overwhelming with the bigger armies) while the Saxon army is well within the reach of the average wargamer. It is a complete army, but small enough in size that you can actually build the whole force without selling your house to finance it. My megalomania aside, this is an excellent book that covers the Saxon army from it's roots at the end of the Thirty Years War and brings it right through to the period of fully professional armies. The process of raising and equipping units is covered as it the maddeningly complex process of paying them. The administrative side of things is heavy going but the reader needs to understand it to have a feel for why armies were so slow to mobilize and many generals were skittish about engaging in battle; units were precious things and very difficult to replace!
The book opens with the end of the Thirty Years War, it explains the situation of devastation that central Europe found itself in after the Treaty of Westphalia. The bankrupt position of most nations meant that they were loath to pay for a standing army (which they rightly considered to be a threat to the fragile peace). The author explains the need for military forces in the face of the persistent threat of Islamic invasions from the East and Louis XIV's endless land-grabs in the west. The relationship between the Elector and his Estates and the tortuously complicated procedure of extracting promises of allowances for the army is explained at length. The number of privileges and exemptions that still lingered from the Medieval period made each year an adventure in wringing blood from a turnip.
The methods of Administration are explained next, the collection of taxes, their distribution to colonels to raise regiments, the purchase of weapons and uniforms and the payment of troops are all covered. Some of the names for the positions are of amusement value, Old German creates some sonorous sounding titles! This process was also needlessly complicated by ancient entitlements and privileges and must have been frustrating in extreme.
In the next chapter Querengasser delves into the Saxon Officers Corps, its make-up, pay and relative rankings. Once more the Byzantine complexity of persistent privileges and rights comes into play. The length of service of the Corps is looked at as is the nationality of the officers. Many Saxon nobles gained experience abroad which was highly valued by the Elector who was in a position to recall them into his service if he saw the need.
In the fifth chapter the common soldier is given due consideration, his recruiting, pay, uniforms, the demographics of the recruits, the method of recruitment, pay stoppages, working conditions, discipline, medical care and retirement.
The next chapter covers the organization of the army, and examines the (often vast) differences between "paper" strength and operational manpower. It covers how the infantry, cavalry and artillery were organized and how they were expected to be deployed. There were significant differences in the tactics used when fighting the Turks and when fighting in the west. A look is also taken at the use of fortifications and more importantly logistics. This is followed by a breif chapter explaining the relationship between the army and the local economy.
The balance of the book covers the Saxon army on campaign. It shows that the widely held idea of thus being an era of genteel maneuvers followed by going into winter quarters is very much off the mark. The Saxon army's baptism of fire was the battle of Vienna in 1683, the titanic battle that saved western civilization from the threat of the Ottoman Empire. Although forming just a part of the Imperial Army the Saxons played their part. They went on to fight the Turks again in the service of Vienna before returning to the west to defend the Empire from the attentions of Louis XIV.
The Physical aspects of the book are up to Helion's usually excellent standards; stiff card covers, glossy paper throughout, well bound and clearly printed. The quality of the proofreading is vastly improved from earlier books in this series with only an occasional typographical error . The book is profusely illustrated with period art and has a color section in the center by the talented Sergey Shakmenkov which provides eight color plated illustrating uniforms and standards. The maps are useful in understanding the fractured nature of the Holy Roman Empire's political situation but do not provide any useful information as to the terrain. Excellent use is made of charts and graphs to compress data into easily digestible bits rather than lengthy explanations in text. Photos of weapons are clear and helpful. I would prefer that the publisher move away from fanciful period illustration of battle deployments and provide clear line drawings of the terrain along with troop strengths and dispositions.
On the whole I was delighted with this book, it peers down into the immensely complicated inner workings of how an army in the late 17th century was raised, organized and fought. The text is heavy going at times, but it is not easy to describe a complicated bureaucracy in light flowing text. The art is top-notch, both in new illustration and period works.
Very Highly Recommended
The next chapter covers the organization of the army, and examines the (often vast) differences between "paper" strength and operational manpower. It covers how the infantry, cavalry and artillery were organized and how they were expected to be deployed. There were significant differences in the tactics used when fighting the Turks and when fighting in the west. A look is also taken at the use of fortifications and more importantly logistics. This is followed by a breif chapter explaining the relationship between the army and the local economy.
The balance of the book covers the Saxon army on campaign. It shows that the widely held idea of thus being an era of genteel maneuvers followed by going into winter quarters is very much off the mark. The Saxon army's baptism of fire was the battle of Vienna in 1683, the titanic battle that saved western civilization from the threat of the Ottoman Empire. Although forming just a part of the Imperial Army the Saxons played their part. They went on to fight the Turks again in the service of Vienna before returning to the west to defend the Empire from the attentions of Louis XIV.
The Physical aspects of the book are up to Helion's usually excellent standards; stiff card covers, glossy paper throughout, well bound and clearly printed. The quality of the proofreading is vastly improved from earlier books in this series with only an occasional typographical error . The book is profusely illustrated with period art and has a color section in the center by the talented Sergey Shakmenkov which provides eight color plated illustrating uniforms and standards. The maps are useful in understanding the fractured nature of the Holy Roman Empire's political situation but do not provide any useful information as to the terrain. Excellent use is made of charts and graphs to compress data into easily digestible bits rather than lengthy explanations in text. Photos of weapons are clear and helpful. I would prefer that the publisher move away from fanciful period illustration of battle deployments and provide clear line drawings of the terrain along with troop strengths and dispositions.
On the whole I was delighted with this book, it peers down into the immensely complicated inner workings of how an army in the late 17th century was raised, organized and fought. The text is heavy going at times, but it is not easy to describe a complicated bureaucracy in light flowing text. The art is top-notch, both in new illustration and period works.
Very Highly Recommended
Thank you for taking time to do this review. I bought the book a few weeks ago and, although there is much to admire, was a little disappointed in the balance between military and administrative subjects. Although we are looking at a relatively small army and covering just 11 years, there isn't a simple table to chart the development of the army in terms of Regimental titles. Also, it would have been helpful to have a small paragraph for each Regiment to provide a potted history. I think the author is consciously moving away from the fact based histories written in the German language. A bit more balance needed perhaps (more facts !), particularly as there are probably not going to be many books written about this army in English. The above being said, I am really pleased that Helion are developing this series - a lot of potential here. Thanks again for the review.
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