5th (Prussian) Cavalry Regiment (Reichswehr)

5th (Prussian) cavalry regiment
active	1921 to 1939
Country	German Empire
Armed forces	Reichswehr
Armed forces	Imperial Army
Branch of service	cavalry
Type	Cavalry Regiment
structure	See organization
Location	See garrisons
management
Commanders	See commanders

August von Mackensen in the uniform of the 1st Leib-Hussar Regiment No. 1 , 1914/15

5th (Prussian) Reiter-Regiment was the name of a cavalry association of the Reichswehr. The chief of the cavalry regiment had been August von Mackensen since August 19, 1936 .

development

• Reiter-Regiment 5 (formation spring 1920)
  • The regiment consisted of relatives and remaining units of the previous Reichswehr Cavalry Regiments 17 and 37 and was subordinate to the 1st Cavalry Division .
• 5th (Prussian) Cavalry Regiment (from March 23, 1921)
• Equestrian regiment " Stolp "
• Cavalry Regiment 5 (from October 6, 1936; Wehrmacht)

structure

The unit was part of the 1st Cavalry Division (Gr.-Kdo. 1) and after the dissolution of the cavalry divisions in 1936 it was subordinated to the General Command of the II. AK Stettin as a Corps Cavalry Regiment . By 1938, 11 squadrons / squadrons with 37 active cavalry and 2 veterinary officers were set up.

• Regimental staff in Stolp; 1936 Establishment of the staff of the 1st (equestrian) department (1st to 5th) in the tradition of body hussars with skulls ; 1937 Establishment of the staff of the 2nd (cycling) department (6th to 10th) in the tradition of the Blücher hussars
• 1. 1920 (tradition (= main troop part) 1st Leib-Hussar Regiment No. 1 ) in Belgard until October 1934
• 2. 1920 (tradition of the 2nd Leib-Hussar Regiment "Queen Victoria of Prussia" No. 2 ) until October 1934 in Belgard
• 3. 1920 (tradition hussar regiment "Prince Blücher von Wahlstatt" (Pommersches) No. 5 )
• 4. 1920 (Tradition Jäger Regiment on Horseback No. 4 ; 1936 passed on to anti-tank defense - Department 32 Kolberg )
• 5. 1920 (tradition Jäger Regiment on Horseback No. 5 ; 1936 passed on to anti-tank department 5 Villingen ) 1923 to 1927 training squadron; April 1934 as a machine gun - squadron from machine-gun platoon , mine thrower - later wooden gun platoon and communications platoon; 1936 Cavalry gun platoon with two light infantry guns 18; 1937 Handing over of the machine gun platoons as machine gun squadrons to the cavalry squadrons and formation of the cavalry squadron
• 6. 1936 (Tradition HR 5) cycling squad
• 7. 1937 (Tradition HR 5) cycling squadron
• 8. 1938 (Tradition HR 5) cycling squadron
• 9. 1938 (HR tradition 5) (anti-tank) squadron with three Pak trains on
• 10. 1938 (tradition HR 5) (heavy) squadron with pioneer platoon, anti-tank platoon and anti-tank platoon; previously from October 1933 as a staff squadron
• 11. 1938 (Tradition HR 1) (News) Squadron; 1936 to 1938 as 10th; directly subordinate to the regimental staff

Regimental commanders

• Colonel von Giese May 16, 1920 - August 14, 1920
• Major General von Roden August 15, 1920 - May 31, 1921
• Lieutenant Colonel Kalau vom Hofe June 1, 1921 - August 3, 1921
• Colonel Schwartz August 4, 1921 - January 31, 1927
• Colonel Wilhelm von Kleist February 1, 1927 - November 30, 1929
• Colonel Egon von Ploetz December 1, 1929 - January 31, 1932
• Colonel Ernst Griese February 1, 1932 - September 30, 1933
• Colonel Richard Satow October 1, 1933 - March 31, 1937
• Colonel Wolfgang Freiherr von Waldenfels April 1, 1937 - November 10, 1938
• Lieutenant Colonel Diener November 10, 1938 - dissolution

Traditional and distinctive signs

• The traditional symbol was the skull of the 1st and 2nd body hussars:
  • worn in the Reichswehr by 1st and 2nd squadrons;
  • Wehrmacht Regimental Staff, Staff I. Department 1 .; 2nd, 4th, 5th and 11th squadrons;
  • 1943/44 the whole regiment
• Kettledrum's horse:
  • Mould
• Trumpeter's Horses:
  • until 1937 foxes, then black horses
• War trophies:
  • Kettle drum taken from the cuirassier regiment "Graf Vitzthum" of the Saxon Army by the 1st Leibhusars in 1745 near Katholisch-Hennersdorf ;
  • four troop flags of the French hussar regiment von Polleretzki and
  • a standard of the cuirassier regiment Bellefonds captured by Ruesch hussars of Prince Ferdinand von Braunschweig's army from 1758

Dissolution (1939)

In 1939 the unit was disbanded. The regiment members formed

• Divisional Reconnaissance Department 12 (A.A. 12) of the 12th Infantry Division ( Schwerin ),
• Divisional Reconnaissance Department 32 (A. A. 32) of the 32nd Infantry Division ( Köslin ),
• the division reconnaissance department 175 (A. A. 175) of the 175th Infantry Division (2nd wave, Mecklenburg ) and
• the cavalry replacement division 5.

Cavalry Regiment North (1943)

With the establishment of the Northern Cavalry Regiment according to the order of OKH / Gen.St.dH / Org.Abt. No. I / 2451/43 received Kdos. From May 23, 1943 in the Army Group North in Estonia the cavalry squadrons 1./AA 12 and 1./AA 32 were also integrated.

Cavalry Regiment 5 (1944)

With the formation of the 4th Cavalry Brigade on May 29, 1944, the Cavalry Regiment North again became the Cavalry Regiment 5 while the Cavalry Regiment South became the Cavalry Regiment 41. Both regiments were placed under the brigade. On February 23, 1945, the regiments were subordinated to the successor to the brigade, the 4th Cavalry Division , which, together with the 3rd Cavalry Division, took part in the relief attacks on Budapest and the Lake Balaton offensive, until the Wehrmacht's unconditional surrender on 8th May 1945 in the Graz area.

Cavalry Regiment 5 "Field Marshal von Mackensen"

The newly established 5th Cavalry Regiment received the traditional name of 5th Cavalry Regiment by order of June 3, 1944 . At the same time it received the tradition of the two body hussar regiments No. 1 and 2 (skull hussars) of the old army .

By order of December 29, 1944, the special unit "Cavalry Regiment 5" Field Marshal von Mackensen "" received the skull of the body hussars on shoulder pieces and headgear. The skull was to be worn as follows:

• Embossed on the peaked and field cap made of white metal, between the sovereign badge and the oak wreath or cockade.
• On the middle of the shoulder pieces, embroidered in yellow metal for officers, in golden yellow for NCOs and men and made of white metal for porterage officers.

On December 4, 1944, the regiment was allowed to wear a sleeve strip, Field Marshal von Mackensen and the sword . The remnants of the reconnaissance departments were renamed into Divisional Fusilier Battalions after the cavalry squadrons were surrendered . After fighting in Austria (→ Battle of Vienna ), the unit was disbanded in June 1945 near Aalen (Württemberg).

literature

• Eberhard Grieser and Gerd Stolz: History of the Cavalry Regiment 5 “Field Marshal v. Mackensen “- History of his regular regiments in demolitions and memories (1741–1945) , Schild-Verlag (1975), ISBN 978-3880140516 .
• 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. 187 ff.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ With the discontinuation of the regimental numbers in 1935
2. ↑ As of October 1, 1920
3. ↑ according to the ranking list of the German Reichsheeres from April 1, 1923
4. ↑ The "Battle of Hennersdorf", actually the battle of Hennersdorf , took place on November 23, 1745, seven kilometers northwest of Lauban in Upper Lusatia . Here Frederick II's Prussian army triumphed against the Saxons under General Buchner.
5. ↑ Stein: Cavalry Regiment 5 . In: Zeitschrift für Heereskunde . Issue 148, 1965. pp. 39-44.