This is a new edition of Dusan Babac's book on the Serbian Army during the wars for independence. It's unclear why a second edition was necessary, as the preface and content look the same, except for a lovely new cover and better quality paper. So, if you have the 2015 edition, you won't need this one.
Serbia became an autonomous part of the Ottoman Empire after two revolts in 1815. It was de facto independent from the 1830s, and the last Ottoman troops left in the 1860s. After which, Serbia adopted a new constitution. Formal international recognition came with the Congress of Berlin in 1878. This means the book's premise is a little misleading, as these wars were really about taking advantage of the uprising in Bosnia to expand the Serbian state, with the support of Montenegro. The nationalist tone of the first chapter might be a bit grating to readers outside Serbia, but this is the Balkans!
Putting the nationalist politics aside, this is a book about the Serbian army during these wars. The first war went badly. Serbia was poorly prepared militarily, and the Ottomans inflicted several defeats on the Serbs, most notably at Aleksinac. They were saved by Russian and Great Power intervention. The second war was part of the wider Russo-Turkish War of 1877, in which the Russians and Romanians played the central role.
The book describes the main battles of both wars, but its real value comes from the chapters on weaponry, uniforms, and standards. There is a profusion of period photos and colour plates. In the style of the time, they are mostly posed portraits, but the magazine artwork helps bring the action to life. I particularly enjoyed rereading the chapter on volunteers in the first war, as I gave a talk on this in Belgrade many years ago. Over 500 Russian officers volunteered to fight, and they were joined by Bulgarians, Hungarians and others from further afield. Brigadier-General MacIver was the most famous British volunteer, a remarkable soldier of fortune who fought in many conflicts. Babec says under 18 flags, although his 1888 biographer, W. D. L'Estrange, says 14. Dorothy Anderson wrote an excellent book, The Balkan Volunteers, in 1968. Surprisingly, it isn't in the bibliography, as copies can be found at attractive prices. I also have Philip Salusbury's memoir, which is less valuable. He was a yeomanry officer who made his way to Serbia at the outbreak of war and was given a small cavalry unit to train. However, his description of the actions he was present at spent more time describing the members of the Royal family he met and the food he ate than the action!
This book has everything a wargamer needs. Outpost Games was considering a small range of 28 mm figures for the Serbian army. However, the owner has sadly passed away, and I'm not sure how far he got. Their Bulgarian legion figures are superb. Conversions from the Balkan Wars ranges would not be too challenging, and French or even ACW ranges have figures that would work, particularly in smaller scales. The Ottomans can come straight from the 1877 ranges.
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| Outpost Bulgarian Legion |
I believe Northumbrian Painting Services may have some of the Outpost c.19 moulds. See Rob Anderson’s post on FB on 15/5/2025 in the “19th (1815-1914) Century Warfare and Wargaming” group. It would be worth “asking the question” anyway - the post mentions Rob was the brother-in-law of the owner of Outpost.
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Geoff
Thanks, they are usually at Claymore so I'll catch them then. The last thing I need is another project, but I did say I would buy some if he made them.
DeleteFYI, Badger Games in the US carries the Outpost RTW line (to include Serbs): https://badgergames.com/product/outpost-wargames-services/
ReplyDeleteOn a related note, I picked up some of the Outpost Montenegrin Volunteers in the Serb line. I also picked up the Babac book hoping to find out find out something about them. Unfortunately, there is nothing. I'm scratching my head about how to do them. They appear to have the Serb jacket and cap, but from the waist down they appear to be garbed in the Montenegrin costume (that distinctive legwear that appears to be wrapped about the seat and crotch, along with a sash). Have you run across any information on the Montenegrin Volunteers in Serb service and their outfits?
Thanks for that info, I was told that someone had the molds. Some may have been given the Serb cap, but that wasn't the normal Montenegrin cap. It was a low round cap, and they would have arrived with that. There is a contemporary display of the dress in the Cetinje museum.
DeleteAppreciate the insight on Montenegrin volunteers (it's more than I could find!). I have painted the Outpost Montenegrin figures and so spent some time comparing the sculpts. Rightly or wrongly, the Montenegrin Serb volunteer sculpts are not in the Montenegrin cap: if only they were (I was expecting that to be the distinguishing feature when I ordered them: unfortunately, that is one of the few that there s no image of in the online catalog). At the end of the day, I'm sure that there was some variation (understatement), so I'll move along and get them done based on what I've gleaned (I rather doubt that anyone who comes to game with me is going to have even heard of them, much less be able to second guess any decisions I may have taken!).
DeleteAbsolutely, wargamers can be too precious about uniform details that will a have varied considerably in practice. Railway modellers call it 'rivet counting'.
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