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The Austrians were fortunate in that they could secure allies. Without these, they would have almost certainly have been defeated. By September 1683 the garrison was about to capitulate. The arrival of the Imperial Army under the Duke of Lorraine was timely. This army was mainly composed of German troops. Without the support of Saxony and Bavaria, the Imperial army would not have been able to defeat the Hungarians. This was of crucial importance as this victory was of great strategic importance and it also persuades the Poles to fully commit to the war against the Turks. The Poles were critical to the victory of the Christian forces outside Vienna. They had a large army and their cavalry was superb. John Sobieski's cavalry was among the finest in Europe. They defeated the Crimean Tartars, who were feared fighters and this in effect meant that the Turks were outflanked. This and the massive cavalry charge one of the greatest in history smashed the Ottomans. The Turks were defeated because the Hapsburgs could secure help from German princes and the powerful Polish monarchy.<ref>Faroqui, p. 202</ref>.