17th (Bavarian) Cavalry Regiment (Reichswehr)

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17th (Bavarian) cavalry regiment

active December 18, 1919 as part of the Reichswehr  until August 25, 1939, reclassification upon mobilization
Country German EmpireGerman Empire Weimar Republic

German Reich NSGerman Reich (Nazi era) German Empire

Armed forces Reichswehr
Wehrmacht
Armed forces army
Branch of service cavalry
Type Cavalry Regiment
structure See outline
Location Bamberg , Ansbach and Straubing
Commanders
Please refer: List of commanders

The 17th (Bavarian) Reiter Regiment (colloquially 17er riders ) in Bamberg was a 1919 educated cavalry joined the Reichswehr . He was subordinate to the 7th (Bavarian) Division until 1927 , which in turn had certain rights of autonomy vis-à-vis the Reich government until 1924. In addition to the national team recruiting, the special role was also shown externally by cockades and coats of arms in the national colors on hats and steel helmets, as well as in pennants on the lances. The regiment was renamed the Cavalry Regiment 17 of the Wehrmacht in 1934convicted. This was not disbanded when the cavalry divisions were dissolved in 1936, but only used as planned with the mobilization of the Wehrmacht on August 25, 1939 to set up reconnaissance units .

assignment

Because of their low combat strength, the Reichswehr cavalry could only be used for reconnaissance and security.

After dissolution of the cavalry divisions of the Wehrmacht in 1936, the remaining cavalry regiments the job training with a view to being installed in the event of war had reconnaissance - divisions of infantry divisions perform.

history

By order of the Reichswehr Ministry No. 2494 / 12.19 T2, the cavalry regiments of the Reichswehr were formed on December 18, 1919.

17th (Bavarian) Cavalry Regiment (1919/34)

The association emerged from the Reichswehr Cavalry Regiments 21, 23 and 24 and was formed on May 1, 1920 in the transitional army as the Cavalry Regiment 17. Lieutenant Colonel Zürn, the former commander of the Reichswehr Cavalry Regiment 23, became the first commander appointed. He remained at this post even after the Reichswehr was formed . Due to the Defense Act of March 23, 1921, Section 14, Paragraph 2, the association was given the regional designation "Bavarian" in addition to its name and was called since the 17th (Bavarian) Reiter-Regiment . Also in 1921, the fifth was squadron for training squadron renamed. Zürn was promoted to colonel on April 1, 1922 .

Takeover of tradition

The regiment took over the tradition of the old cavalry regiments of the Bavarian Army by decree of the Chief of the Army Command General of the Infantry Hans von Seeckt on August 24th, 1921 :

By law of July 20, 1933, the country team addition was dropped and on October 1, 1934 the regiment was renamed the Bamberg Reiter Regiment .

Cavalry Regiment 17 (1934/39)

Framework exercise of the cavalry regiment 1930

On July 1, 1936, the three cavalry divisions of the Armed Forces were disbanded, renamed the cavalry regiments in cavalry regiments and reclassified, at the same time the name was squadron in squadron changed. The regiment was renamed Cavalry Regiment 17 on October 6, 1936. In the event of war, the reconnaissance departments of the infantry divisions were to be formed from the cavalry regiments. For this a 6th (cycling), 9th (motorized) and 10th (news) squadron were set up.

In 1938 the former cavalry and armored troops became the fast troops . With the mobilization of the Wehrmacht on August 25, 1939, the regiment was disbanded as planned and reconnaissance departments (partially motorized) for infantry divisions of the 1st wave and a replacement department were formed from it. In addition, the regiment provided personnel for the cavalry units of the infantry regiments of these divisions.

Subsequent units

When mobilizing , the 17 cavalry regiment set up:

The 17 riders and the resistance around Count von Stauffenberg

Bamberg Cathedral : Memorial plaque to Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg and his comrades from the 17th Cavalry Regiment

The regiment and its predecessors provided a number of soldiers who were involved in the July 20, 1944 assassination attempt . The assassin Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg was accepted into the regiment as a flag boy in 1926 . Regimental comrades in the resistance were Lieutenant General Karl Freiherr von Thüngen , Major Ludwig Freiherr von Leonrod , Colonel Rudolf Graf von Marogna-Redwitz and Major Roland von Hößlin . A memorial plaque in Bamberg Cathedral commemorates the five so-called "Bamberg Horsemen", former members of the regiment who lost their lives in the fight against the Nazi regime. Oberleutnant dR Randolph Freiherr von Breidbach-Bürresheim was also a member of the resistance and died as a result of his imprisonment in Sachsenhausen concentration camp .

organization

Association membership

Originally subordinate to the 7th (Bavarian) Division , the regiment belonged to the 3rd Cavalry Division from 1927 until the cavalry divisions were dissolved , and then to the XIII. Army Corps .

structure

When it was set up, the regiment consisted of six squadrons , all of whom were stationed in Bavaria .

unit garrison
Rod Bamberg
1st squadron Bamberg
2nd squadron Munich , later Ansbach
3rd Squadron Straubing , later Ansbach
4th Squadron Straubing
5th squadron (training) Bamberg
6th Squadron Munich, later Straubing

From the renaming in 1934, the regiment continued to consist of six squadrons. In 1936 it was enlarged and reclassified as follows:

  • Regimental staff
  • I. Department
1-5 Rider squadron (with 3 rider platoons each)
  • II. Department
6-8 Cycling squadron (with 3 cyclist trains and 1 heavy train each)
9th anti-tank squadron
10th heavy squadron
11th news squad

Armament and equipment

Luggage on the horse

The rider's equipment was carried in the left rider's bag. When dismounted, it could also be carried on the back like a backpack.

In the right pannier horse luggage the utensils for the horse (harrow, two horseshoes, eight studs, 16 nails, a stud key, a tie ring) were carried.

weapons

In 1919 the regiment was equipped with a carbine 98a , pistol , saber , lance and four heavy MG 08 (sMG 08). The four heavy machine guns were in a machine gun - train , which was under the bar immediately summarized. As with the infantry, they were carried on a wagon with a limb , but were driven in six horses because of the better mobility with the cavalry. The outdated lance, a 3.20 m long steel tube with a lance flag, was carried on for reasons of tradition. The pennants on the lances were made in the Bavarian national colors. Crews and NCOs carried the saber on the right side of the saddle. The pannier 26, later the pannier 34, was carried at the front of the saddle and the luggage behind the saddle.

In 1926 the squadrons were equipped with the light MG 08/15 , so that there was now one MG in each group. The machine gunner carried it with him on the left rear of the saddle, on the right side the weight was balanced by another cartridge box. In October 1927 the lance was abolished, whereby a greater firepower of the regiment was achieved. In autumn 1928 the more modern carbine K 98b was introduced. In 1935 the MG 08 was replaced by the MG 13 , in 1936 the MG 13 and MG 08 were replaced by the MG 34 .

Standard of the cavalry

When the war began, the cavalry regiment was not intended for closed use. However, it had the appropriate weapons and equipment to train the individual squadrons for the intended use. These were

uniform

The uniform corresponded to that of the Reichswehr with the following differences for the mounted cavalry: instead of the normal cloth trousers they wore riding breeches, instead of the marching boots they had riding boots , instead of the steel helmet type M18 (later type M35 or type M1940) they were with the "Cavalry helmet" equipped. (The helmet of the cavalry and the helmet worn by the intelligence forces had cut-out ears in front of the side shield.) Up until 1934, the cockades and shields in the Bavarian national colors on hats and steel helmets were a specialty.

banner

Like all cavalry and motorized units, the regiment received a standard in the basic color golden yellow in 1936 .

Commanders

No. Surname Beginning of the appointment End of appointment
1. Lieutenant Colonel / Colonel Maximilian Zürn Lineup 1926
2. Lieutenant Colonel / Colonel Anton Freiherr von Hirschberg March 1, 1927 September 30, 1929
3. Colonel Rudolf Koch-Erpach October 1, 1929 September 30, 1932
4th Colonel Gustav Freiherr von Perfall October 1, 1932 October 1, 1934
5. Colonel Max Fremerey October 1, 1934 April 1, 1939

References

Web links

See also

literature

  • Ludwig von Gebsattel : The KB 1st Uhlan Regiment "Kaiser Wilhelm II. King of Prussia" (= memorial sheets of German regiments. The participation of the troops of the former German army in the World War, edited using the official war diaries 2: Bavarian Army. Issue 33a ). Publishing house of the book and art print company JP Himmer, Augsburg 1924.
  • Martina Metzger: Officer's honor and resistance. The 17 Cavalry Regiment and the roots of the coup d'état of July 20, 1944. VS, Bayreuth 2016, ISBN 978-3-938845-63-9 .
  • Klaus Christian Richter: The History of the German Cavalry 1919–1945. Motorbuch Verlag Stuttgart, 1st edition 1978, ISBN 3-87943-603-7 .
  • Klaus Christian Richter: Weapons and Equipment of the German Cavalry 1935–1945. Special volume S-33 of the magazine Waffenarsenal, Podzun-Pallas-Verlag Wölfersheim-Berstadt, 1994, ISBN 3-7909-0499-6 .
  • Klaus Christian Richter: The field-gray riders The mounted and drawn troops in the Reichswehr and Wehrmacht. Motorbuch Verlag Stuttgart 1986, ISBN 3-613-01100-X .
  • Georg Tessin : German associations and troops, 1918–1939. Old army. Volunteer associations. Reichswehr. Army. Air force. National Police . Edited on the basis of the documents of the Federal Archives-Military Archives; published with the support of the Federal Archives and the Defense Research Working Group . Biblio-Verlag, Osnabrück 1974, ISBN 3-7648-1000-9 , p. 199 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
  • Rittmeister Leuze : "The 17th (Bavarian) Reiter Regiment" Attenkofersche Buchdruckereri Straubing approx. 1932.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Eberhard Zeller: Colonel Claus Graf Stauffenberg. A picture of life. Schöningh, 1994, ISBN 3-506-79770-0 , pp. 298-301.
  2. ^ Father Emmeram : Sermon on November 10, 1985 in memory of the "Bamberg Riders"
  3. ↑ Richter, Die feldgrauen Reiter, p. 31f: “Now, in the dismounted battle, a horse keeper could take over 4 horses and remained mobile. Previously, with the lances, only 2 horses could be held, and mobility was restricted, as the horse owner had to carry two 3.20 m long tubular steel lances with him. "

Remarks

  1. ↑ At off-duty traditional or sporting events, however, the lance was continued for a long time.