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Originally Posted by ariel
This painting is quite interesting. On this Forum we had many discussions about potential uses of Yataghans. Often, there were opinions that Yataghans were not fighting military weapons, but rather just post battle head-cutters or such.
Here we see organized military unit attacking enemy positions with Yataghans; this seems to contradict the above notion.
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Comes perhaps with the territory ?
The 2 drawings of the Bosnian resistance against the Habsburg take over in 1878 I posted , also shows they went for the Austrians with rifle AND yataghan...as not each fighter had the means to buy a gun, so some only went with their yataghans and bichaqs into battle. All conform their tradition which differs from a western one.
Also bear in mind this unit, although an Habsburg K.u.K. unit, is made up out of locals (Dalmatians). And take also into consideration that Franz Josef II and his war ministers thought it to be a walk over....mistakenly.....as they learned soon.
Hence unprepared (read not armed as they ought to be for a war ) their units were not really up for a fight and the insurrection they were about to meet in 1878....So ammo could be scarce and locals fighting locals in a traditional way perhaps as well...
a scan of a border patrol and a duel