Fig. 4:
Austria: Regimental details 1806
Background
The Infantry
The Cavalry
The Artillery
Organisation & Tactics
Arms & Equipment
Fig. 5:
Austria: Cavalry Ordinarstandarte for 1806 - 16 period.
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Flags & Standards - (Cont'd)
It should be pointed out here that fine detail on all Austrian flags varied somewhat, as in all hand-made flags. For example, on the Leibfahnen surviving at Vienna's War Museum* (See photo illustrations below) and Paris, the serpent appears on different flags as red, green, white or black.
 
Left: Leibfahne Obverse 1806-16 pattern, Right: Leibfahne 1806-16 pattern
(Courtesy of the 'Vienna War Museum')
Some confusion can also arise because of loss of paint, or changes in the shade or even colour of the paint over the years. However, there is no truth in the statement made in recent years that from 1805 the border had only yellow 'flames' pointing inwards. According to all the surviving flags this is completely untrue, the usual pattern being displayed on all models. It is possible that this error has crept in due to the surviving 1856 and 1859 patterns having (apparently) no white flames, all inward pointing flames being yellow.
Almost all surviving staves are bare wood, with a few painted dark blue. However, these may not be the originals, or may have lost their paint over the years, and it is generally accepted that the staves were originally painted with a spiral design, probably black / yellow / red / white, though some may have been in two colours or only one. The finials, like the flags, were not always replaced each time the Emperor's cypher changed, and therefore during the 1804 - 15 period a number of different types appear, primarily gilt spearheads bearing the Emperor's crowned cypher on both sides, or gilt, line leaf-shaped heads which were either plain or bore the cypher (Fig. 6) illustrates a stave and finial of the 1792 - 1804 period: some of this pattern remained in service after 1804. The size of the infantry flags carried on these staves was approximately 140cm by 168cm until 1805, approximately 140cm by 176cm for the later patterns.
 
Left: Ordinarfahne 1792 pattern Right: Ordinarfahne 1804 pattern
Below: Ordinarfahne 1806 pattern(Courtesy of the 'Vienna War Museum')
  
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