5 e régiment de hussards

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Régiment de Lauzun
5 e régiment de hussards

Insignia of the 5th Regiment de Hussards..jpg

Internal association badge
active 1783 to 1992
Country Armoiries république française.svg France
Armed forces Flag of France.svg French armed forces
Armed forces Flag of France.svg Armée française de terre
Branch of service Light cavalry
Type Hussar Regiment
Location Couvron
motto Perit sed in armis
il meurt les armes à la main
Anniversaries June 24th, in memory of the Battle of Solferino
commander
commander Last: Colonel Henry Brunet d'Evry
Important
commanders

Armand Louis de Gontaut-Biron Duc de Lauzun

The 5 e régiment de hussards (short: 5 e RH ) was a regiment of the French cavalry, which was the last to be set up under the Ancien Régime . It was used in the American War of Independence , the Revolutionary Wars, and the Wars of the Empire . It carried on the tradition of the Régiment de Lauzun-Houzards .

Lineup and significant changes

The “5 e régiment de hussards” follows in the tradition of the “Légion des volontaires étrangers de Lauzun” (also called “Légion de Lauzun”). By royal order of September 14, 1783, this was converted into the regular "Régiment de hussards de Lauzun" after returning from the United States in Hennebont (Morbihan). On January 1, 1791, like all former royal regiments, it lost its name and was (initially) renamed "6 e régiment de hussards".

  • June 1793: after the "4 e régiment de hussards" had emigrated with most of them to the troops loyal to the king ( Armée des emigrés ), the 6th regiment moved up one position and became the "5 e régiment de hussards"
  • May 12, 1814: During the first restoration , the regiment was given the name: "Régiment des hussards d'Angoulême"
  • April 22nd, 1815: During the reign of the Hundred Days it became again the "5 e régiment de hussards"
  • November 30, 1815: After the second restoration, the regiment was disbanded and immediately re-established as "Régiment des hussards du Bas-Rhin N ° 5"
  • 1825: Renaming to "5 e régiment de hussards"
  • 1921: dissolution
  • 1951: Set up again in Koblenz as the “5 e régiment de hussards”
  • 1976: Conversion into: " 3 e régiment de dragons "
  • 1980: Re-establishment as a cadre regiment: "Régiment de réserve du 5 e régiment de hussards"
  • 1986: Dissolution of the regimental association. The tradition was carried on by the individual escadrons, who were handed over to "Régiments inter-armes divisionnaires" RIAD (mixed infantry, artillery, tank regiments).
  • December 31, 1992: Dissolution of the RIAD and the end of the regimental history

Mestres de camp / Colonels / Chefs de brigade

Mestre de camp was the rank designation for the regimental owner and / or the actual commander. Should the Mestre de camp be a person of the high nobility who had no interest in leading the regiment (e.g. the king or queen), the command was given to the Mestre de camp lieutenant (or Mestre de camp en second). The name Colonel was used from 1791 to 1793 and from 1803, from 1793 to 1803 the name Chef de brigade was used . From 1791 there were no more regimental owners.

  • 1783: Armand Louis de Gontaut-Biron , duc de Lauzun, Mestre de camp propriétaire (commander and regimental owner)
  • 1783: Robert Guillaume Dillon, comte de Dillon (Mestre de camp commandant)
  • 1784: comte de Pestalozzi (Mestre de camp commandant)
  • February 1792: Colonel Antoine Marie Paris d'Illins
  • July 1792: Colonel marquis Emmanuel de Grouchy
  • September 1792: Charles Édouard Jennings de Kilmaine
  • April 1793: Colonel Marquis Adelaïde Blaise François Le Lièvre de La Grange et de Fourilles
  • October 28, 1793: Chef de brigade François Ruin
  • March 5, 1794: Chef de brigade Engelbert Scholtenius
  • September 3, 1799: Chef de brigade Baron François Xavier de Schwarz
  • December 30, 1806: Colonel Baron Pierre César Dery (or d'Héry)
  • September 21, 1809: Colonel Baron Charles-Claude Meuziau
  • May 16, 1813: Colonel Baron Nicolas François Alphonse Fournier
  • October 8, 1814: Colonel Baron Jean Baptiste Liégeard
  • December 12, 1815: Colonel Comte Boniface de Castellane
  • September 11, 1822: Colonel Marie François Joseph de Müller
  • October 29, 1828: Colonel Comte Augustin Stanislas Philippe des Monstiers de Mérinville
  • September 15, 1830: Colonel Baron Georges Charles Benjamin Klein de Kleinenberg
  • December 11, 1840: Colonel Pierre Gaspard Clère
  • April 22, 1847: Colonel Armand-Octave-Marie d'Allonville
  • November 3, 1851: Colonel Charles Louis Alexis Joseph Raguet de Brancion
  • December 24, 1858: Colonel Auguste Alfred comte de Montaigu
  • August 14, 1860: Colonel Comte Antoine Jean Jacques Eugène Paulze d'Ivoy de La Poype
  • February 27, 1869: Colonel Victor Flogny
  • 14 October 1870 to 24 November 1870 1 he régiment de marche de hussards (1st Hussars Regiment march): Colonel Pascal Joseph Guyon-Vernier
  • April 26, 1871: Colonel Félix Eugène Letourneur
  • September 7, 1873: Colonel Marquis Armand Alexandre Emmanuel d'Hautefort
  • October 3, 1881: Colonel Marie Ludovic Alliot
  • December 20, 1883: Colonel Jean-Baptiste Derigny
  • May 11, 1888: Colonel comte Florimond René de Briey
  • 1891 to 1897: Colonel François César Ernest Roy de Vaquières
  • 1897 to 1905: Colonel de Maistre
  • 1905 to 1907: Colonel du Garreau de la Mechenie
  • 1907 to 1911: Colonel Émile Taufflieb
  • August 1911: Colonel de Boutaud de Lavilléon
  • October 12, 1914: Lieutenant-colonel de France
  • February 20, 1916: Lieutenant-colonel Teillard de Rancilhac de Chazelles
  • 1918 to 1921: Colonel Boscals de Reals
  • April 1, 1951: Colonel Louis Bernard
  • 1953 to 1956: Lieutenant-colonel Ernest Gaudet
  • 1956 to 1958: Lieutenant-colonel Georges Buis
  • 1958 to 1961: Lieutenant-Colonel Spangenberger
  • 1961 to 1963: Lieutenant-colonel Geoffroy de Tourville de Buzonnière
  • 1963 to 1965: Lieutenant-colonel René Regnault de Savigny de Moncorps
  • 1965 to 1967: Lieutenant-colonel Théodore de Fallois
  • 1967 to 1969: Lieutenant-colonel Jean Perrin
  • 1969 to 1971: Lieutenant-colonel Donatien Gouraud
  • 1971 to 1973: Lieutenant-colonel Vacherot
  • 1973 to 1975: Lieutenant-colonel André Thiéron de Monclin
  • 1975 to 1976: Lieutenant-Colonel Albert Royer
  • March 1, 1980: Reorganized as a cadre association
  • 1980 to 1984: Colonel Guy Simon
  • 1984 to 1986: Colonel Jacques Gagniard

From 1986 to 1992, Colonel Henry Brunet d'Evry was responsible for coordinating, briefing and maintaining the tradition of the escadrons on duty.

Garrisons

"Hungarian motif". Sign of the French Hussars
5 e régiment de hussards, women's brooch.

Garrisons 1783 to 1815

Personnel losses during the Revolutionary Wars and the Wars of the Empire

Colonels wounded as regimental commanders:

  • Dery , wounded on February 4, 1807 in a battle near Waltersdorf
  • Dery, wounded on April 19, 1809 in a battle near Piessing (Austria)
  • Meuziau, wounded in the Battle of Borodino on September 7, 1812
  • Meuziau, wounded on October 18, 1812 in the Battle of Tarutino

Officer Losses (1790-1815)

  • Liked: 20
  • Died from her wounds: 14
  • Died in captivity: 5

Total losses of the regiment to officers, NCOs, and hussars (1790 to 1815)

  • Liked: 148
  • Died from her wounds: 97
  • Died in captivity: 63
  • Captured: 423
  • Wounded: 563
  • Missed in Russia (1812): 565
  • missing in Germany (1813): 276

The regiment between 1783 and 1792

Three months after its establishment in December 1783 in Hennebont ( Morbihan department ), the unit moved to Lauterbourg . In 1788 she was finally brought up to the level of four escadrons with two companies each. In addition, the remnants of the dissolved regiments "Nassau Cavalerie", "La Marche chevaux-légers" (6 e régiment de chevaux-légers) and Franche-Comté chevaux-légers (3 e régiment de chevaux-légers) were incorporated.

The Nancy Affair - August 1790

A detachement of 300 hussars was in Mantes , and then moved to Marly on July 10, 1789 . They left on July 16 and reached Verdun on July 29. Two escadrons were posted to Troyes from October 1789 to October 1790 . On August 31, 1790, the regimental staff and two escadrons (at that time garrisoned in Toul ) were deployed to suppress the mutiny in Nancy . During the fighting in the streets of Nancy, of the 200 riders deployed, three officers were killed and five wounded, 13 hussars were killed and 26 wounded, and 62 horses were killed or injured.

The Belfort Incident - October 21, 1790

The regiment, moved to Belfort, was involved in the hostile demonstrations against the Assemblée constituante on October 21, 1790 , together with the Régiment Royal-Liégeois . The regiment was then immediately transferred to Vitry-le-François . A decree of the Assemblée nationale dated October 30, 1790 referred to:

"L'arrestation et la mise en jugement des auteurs des désordres et excès commis dans la ville de Belfort par les régiments de Royal Liégeois et des hussards de Lauzun"

"The determination and judgment of those involved in the refusals of obedience and excesses in Belfort by the regiments Royal-Liégeois and Hussards de Lauzun."

Colonel de Pestalozzi, Mestre de camp of the Hussar Regiment, was arrested.

After a declaration of surrender by 12 officers to the Assemblée nationale, the latter lifted the restrictions on the two regiments by decree of January 20, 1791.

The Varennes Affair - June 21, 1791

Several détachements of the regiment were posted along the route to Montmédy , on which King Louis XVI. tried to escape from France with his family on the night of June 20 to 21, 1791. A detachment of 40 hussars was in Pont-de-Somme-Vesle, commanded by Sous-lieutenant Boudet, 60 hussars in Varennes , commanded by Sous-lieutenant Röhrig and 100 hussars under the chief d'escadron Calixte Deslon were in Dun . After the failed escape, the three officers preferred to emigrate.

The Revolutionary Wars (1792–1799)

The campaigns of 1792 and 1793

Trumpeter of the 1793 regiment.

At the end of 1791 stationed in Saint-Avold (with detachments in Burgundy), the "6 e régiment de hussards" (formerly Régiment de Lauzun) was commanded by Colonel Paris d'Illins until February 1792. His debut when the war against Austria broke out as the vanguard of Général Lafayette's "Armée du Center" . The regiment had previously been brought up to war in Metz. The commanding officer was Colonel Emmanuel de Grouchy.

After the failure of the campaign to Belgium and the threat to Champagne from Prussia, the 6 e hussards were transferred to the “Armée du Nord”, commanded by Général Charles-François Dumouriez . With the surrender of Longwy on August 23, 1792, the depot, the archives and the war chest of the regiment fell into the hands of the enemy.

A considerable number of soldiers loyal to the king left their regiments during this time to join the opposition troops (Armée des princes). Despite these losses, the regiment, under the command of Jennings de Kilmaine, fought successfully in the cannonade at Valmy , the Battle of Jemappes and the Siege of Namur.

In May / June 1793 the "4 e régiment de hussards", ex "Régiment de Saxe", with the exception of the 4th Escadron, with all baggage and standards, together 400 men with the Général Dumouriez, emigrated to the Austrians. As a result, all regiments subordinate to the rankings moved up one place. The previous “6 e régiment de hussards” became number 5.

The Colonel de Kilmaine was replaced by the Colonel de La Grange. The regiment was garrisoned in Givet (Ardennes) , Maubeuge and Valenciennes . In May, two escadrons were posted to the Armée des Ardennes (Ardennes Army), where they only carried out small actions. The other two escadrons remained with the "Armée du Nord". In August 1793 the regiment was reunited.

Under the command of Général Houchard , the hussars fought with the Dutch army at Wervik (September 13) and in the battle of Menen (Belgium) ; under the command of Jean-Baptiste Jourdan at the Battle of Wattignies . Colonel de La Grange was replaced by the Chef de brigade François Ruin.

On November 10, 1793, the regiment fought against the Austrians and was able to capture Colonel Baron Pàl von Blascovich and 50 hussars from the Kuk hussar regiment "Kaiser" No. 1 .

The campaign of 1794 and the conquest of the Austrian Netherlands in 1795

In 1794 the "5 e hussards" were assigned to the Army du Nord under Général Jean-Charles Pichegru . In the battle of April 18 and 19, the regiment defeated a Hessian dragoon regiment near Abscon and captured the commander, a number of officers and 120 dragons. In the battles on April 24 at Villers-en-Cauchies and on April 26 at Troisvilles (east of Cambrai ), the French troops were defeated by British and Austrian cavalry under General von Otto. The "5 e hussards" covered the retreat on both days and lost 34 men in the process, six of them killed, 11 wounded and 17 missing (fallen or captured).

A department of the regiment was posted to the Armée de Sambre-et-Meuse and took part in the capture of Charleroi and the battle of Fleurus . After the merger of the "Armée de Sambre-et-Meuse" and the "Armée du Nord" in Brussels, the regiment was involved in the fighting at Templeuve , Wervick, Menen (Belgium) and the siege of Courtrai . The pursuit of the retreating Duke of York's army brought the hussars to the Dutch border. On July 17, 1794 the regiment attacked the Dutch dragoon regiment "Van Bylandt" with force, put it to flight and took a number of the riders prisoner. In a battle near Boxtel on September 14th, the hussar regiment " von Hompesch " was attacked and put to flight. On October 19, the British troops confused the "Lauzun Hussars" with the Hussards de Rohan regiment at Druten , who had emigrated and fought on the side of the Allies. As a result, General Fox's British brigade was broken up and the 9th e régiment de hussards captured the flag of the 1st Battalion of the 37th Regiment of Foot.

The 5 e régiment de hussards was still involved in the siege of Nijmegen and then went to winter quarters in Venlo and the Kleve region .

In January 1795 the regiment moved to Utrecht , Amsterdam , La Haye and Loos Castle in Apeldoorn . It was involved in battles with the hussar regiments "Hompesch" and "Salm-Kirburg" a few more times. The Peace of Basel ended the First Coalition War . The regiment was then garrisoned at Deventer , Amsterdam and La Haye.

The campaigns of the Armée de Sambre et Meuse in 1796 and 1797

In 1796, several détachments of the "5 e régiment de hussards" were assigned to the "Armée de Sambre-et-Meuse". In January it was in the Düsseldorf region, in September it marched to Cologne and then again to Düsseldorf .

The regiment's depot was in Amsterdam all the time when it was assigned to the Armée de Sambre et Meuse for the third time: in March 1797, two escadrons were deployed to the siege of Mainz, while the other two were at the battle under Général Lazare Hoche at Neuwied . Here Lieutenant Bertholet managed to capture a cannon and a flag. After the conclusion of the Treaty of Leoben, the regiment was sent back to the Netherlands in October 1797 to the Armée de Sambre et Meuse.

Campaigns in the Second Coalition War from 1798 to 1800

In February 1798 in the Netherlands replenished, the regiment was assigned to the army of Général Jennings de Kilmaine . After an absence of four years, the hussars returned to France. First in Rouen , they were in Falaise from March to May and in Rennes from May to July . On July 23, it received the order to join the Armée d'Allemagne and were given quarters in Strasbourg .

Fighting with the "4 e régiment de hussards" took place at Liptingen (March 20, 1799), Dillingen (March 24) and in the battle of Stockach . The regiment lost 40 officers and riders. It then covered the withdrawal of the army, which reached Strasbourg in April.

After a quick detour to Switzerland (February - March 1800) the hussars took their place in the new "Armée du Rhin", which was commanded by Général Jean-Victor Moreau . The regiment crossed the Rhine on April 25 and was in action near Engen on May 3, in the battle of Meßkirch in action near Biberach (May 9) and near Memmingen (May 10). On June 5th the Iller was crossed and the Austrian General von Spork and his aide-de-camp were captured by the Capitaine Crabbé and the hussar Bion.

The armistice of July 15, 1800 ended the fighting and was designed for an indefinite period. However, the negotiations in Lunéville failed, whereupon the military operations were then continued. The regiment fought in the Battle of Hohenlinden (where the hussar Perrault captured a flag) in the battle near Müldorf (December 4), near Neumarkt (December 16), near Frankenmarkt (December 17), near Schwanstadt (December 18) - where the Maréchal des logis Straub conquered the standard of the Austrian cuirassier regiment Lorraine and at Lambach (December 19) - where the Maréchal des logis Chabert met the Austrian general Freiherr von Mecséry and the hussar Loevenbruck the colonel Moritz von Liechtenstein , commander of the 2nd Uhlan regiment could capture. Then a new armistice was signed on December 25, 1800 in Steyr .

In the 1800 campaign, the regiment lost 41 dead, 90 wounded and 16 men were taken prisoner.

Wars of the First Empire 1804–1815

Campaign of 1805 ( 3rd coalition war ) and the battle of Austerlitz

The regiment was garrisoned in Stade . When the operations began, it marched south to Stolzenau and then east to Hanover . It was assigned to the division of Général François-Étienne Kellermann , which was subordinate to the 1st Corps of Maréchal Bernadotte .

The Corps Bernadotte crossed the Danube near Dürnstein on November 15 and conquered Znojmo . From here they set out on Jihlava in Bohemia , where Archduke Ferdinand's troops posed a threat to the Grande Armée .

After Napoleon had decided to fight the battle more intensely, he called on November 29 for Maréchal Bernadotte, who with his troops covered the distance of 86 kilometers in 36 hours and arrived in Brno . As a disposition to reinforce the French left wing, Kellermann's light cavalry division was assigned to Murat's reserve cavalry, which annoyed Bernadotte not insignificantly.

On December 2, the hussar regiment took part in a major attack on the corps of Pyotr Ivanovich Bagration . The Kellermann division supported the action of the Caffarelli infantry division , which attacked the village of Blasowitz. The Prince of Liechtenstein started a counterattack, but the Russian Lieutenant General Alexander Essen set ten Escadrons Uhlans of Grand Duke Constantine in motion too early. Thereupon the hussars were able to retreat into the squares of the infantry of Caffarelli, the Russian Uhlans were repelled. Kellermann then took the initiative again and deployed his four regiments a third time against the disordered Russian Uhlans. General Essen was fatally wounded in this turmoil. Major General Baron Meller-Zakomelsky, commander of the Grand Duke's Uhlan Regiment, was wounded and taken prisoner by the hussar trumpeter of the 5th Regiment, Joseph Pincemaille.

The Général Kellermann was seriously wounded and replaced by Général Joseph-Denis Picard . In his report to Murat, Picard reported a total of ten attacks by his division:

"The seventh attack by the 4th and 5th Hussars was a great success, five cannons were captured and an infantry column surrounded."

During the last attack, the hussars were involved in the capture of the villages of Krug and Holubitz. Since leaving Hanover, the regiment had only recorded one wounded and one prisoner casualties during the entire campaign, but losses of 41 officers and horsemen had occurred during the battle of Austerlitz, including nine dead. During the third attack, six officers were killed by the horses, but several cannons had been captured.

The campaigns of the "Brigade Infernale" in 1806 and 1807 ( 4th coalition war )

Watercolor of a brigadier of the 5 e Hussards in a small uniform 1807.

The "5 e régiment de hussards" was combined with the "7 e régiment de hussards" to form a light cavalry brigade under the command of Général Lasalle . The brigade operated in the Kingdom of Saxony , where it was able to raise a supply column near Gera on October 11, 1806 . The 2 e Bulletin de la Grande Armée reports:

“The general de brigade Lasalle of the reserve cavalry chased away the escorts of the enemy wagon train, 500 carts and wagons with supplies were brought in by the hussars. Our light cavalry is worth gold. "

On the night of October 12th to 13th, a detachement made up of 25 hussars of the 5th Regiment under the command of Sous-lieutenant Quarck and 25 hussars of the 7th Regiment under the command of Sous-lieutenant Curély overcame the barriers in front of Leipzig and penetrated into town. The completely surprised garrison had to let the hussars go again, taking 60 prisoners (including 8 officers) with them.

After the brigade was not involved in the victories of October 14th ( Battle of Jena ), Lasalle pursued the Prussians, who were in retreat. On October 24th, Lasalle requested the Spandau garrison to surrender, which surrendered to the troops of Maréchal Jean Lannes the next day . On October 26th, the Lasalle Brigade attacked the Prussian cavalry regiments of the Queen Dragoons and the " Schimmelpfenning Hussars " with 700 hussars .

The 20 e Bulletin de la Grande Armée of October 27, 1806 speaks with honor about the hussars of Général Lasalle:

"The Lasalle Brigade attacked the enemy with the outstanding fearlessness that is characteristic of the hussars and hunters (on horseback) in this campaign."

On October 28, the brigade forced the surrender of General Friedrich von Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen's 10,000-man division near Prenzlau . 64 cannons as well as 45 flags and standards were captured.

On October 29, Lasalle with his two regiments, a total of only 600 hussars and two cannons, came across the escaped remains of the Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen cavalry near Löcknitz. They blocked their route of retreat to Stettin and made it possible for them to be captured by the following Milhaud division .

On the same evening Lasalle appeared with his approximately 600 hussars under the walls of the citadel of Stettin and instructed the commander of the 5th regiment Colonel de Schwarz to summon the fortress governor Lieutenant General von Romberg to surrender . The next day the 5,000-strong garrison withdrew with military honors. On the occasion of this event, Napoleon wrote to Prince Murat :

“My brother, I compliment you on taking Szczecin; if your light cavalry takes all the fortified cities like this, I can dismiss my engineers and reduce the heavy artillery "

.

The "5 e régiment de hussards" was involved in the pursuit of General Blücher's troops , passed Anklam , Demmin and Schwerin , and then took part in the operations off Lübeck on November 5th . During the struggle to take the city on November 6th, near Steckenitz, the hussars forced the Prussian cuirassier regiment No. 5 to retreat and captured one of its standards.

Lübeck surrendered on November 7, 1806, when Sous-lieutenant Roeckel snatched the standard from a fleeing dragoons of the “von Wobeser” regiment.

The 5th and 7th Hussar Regiments participated in the parade on November 21, 1806 on the Schlossplatz in Berlin , when the victorious troops parade in front of Napoleon. It was the first time that the hussars of the 5th Regiment had seen the Kaiser in person. The Lasalle Brigade was given the nickname “La Brigade infernale” (roughly: Devil's Brigade). She had covered 1160 kilometers in 26 days, which corresponded to a very high average daily march of 45 kilometers.

On December 26, 1806, the Lasalle and Marulaz brigades fought in the battle near Gołymin-Ośrodek and were thereupon commended by Murat:

"The Lasalle and Marulaz brigades attacked vigorously and took over"

.

The campaign of 1806 cost the regiment 77 men in losses during the three-month operations.

On December 27th, the Lasalle Brigade captured 15 cannons, 80 carts and a large amount of abandoned supplies. On December 30th, the General Lasalle was recalled and replaced by Colonel Victor de Fay de La Tour-Maubourg. Colonel de Schwarz was promoted to Général de brigade and Colonel Pierre César Dery, aide-de-camp of Murat, became the new commander of the 5th e régiment de hussards.

In a skirmish on February 4, 1807, the hussars lost 11 horsemen and two officers as dead. The next day the regiment was involved in the battle near Waltersdorf, where it lost another 13 men. On February 8th it fought in the Battle of Eylau .

On February 24, 1807, the regiment marched to the Pregel and was surprisingly attacked by Cossacks near Freidenberg . Despite the self-sacrificing efforts of Sous-lieutenant Richardot's peloton , the regiment lost 54 men, 37 of them as prisoners.

After the cavalry had been inspected (revue) in Elblag on May 8, 1807, the Général de brigade Pierre Claude Pajol was the new commander of the light cavalry brigade. As a reinforcement, the "3 e régiment de chasseurs à cheval" was now placed under the brigade. The 5th regiment fought on June 5th in the battle of Guttstadt and on June 6th at Deppen. Eight men were killed in these two actions, three of them dead.

In the battle of Heilsberg , Murat, driven by ambition, used his troops extremely carelessly. As he passed the 5th Hussar Regiment, he remarked to its commander, his previous aide de camp:

"Suis-moi avec ton régiment et chargeons cette canaille-là"

(Follow me with your regiment and let's beat the rabble)

Général Pajol's brigade was then directed to Königsberg , where it arrived on June 14, 1807. After the French victory in the Battle of Friedland became known , the commandant of Königsberg, General Lestocq, decided to give up the city and withdraw. Königsberg was occupied on June 15th. The 80 e Bulletin de la Grande Armée noted:

“The 5 e régiment de hussards s'est distingué. Les cosaques ont été culbutés plusieurs fois et ont beaucoup souffert "

“The 5 e régiment de hussards has distinguished itself. The Cossacks were beaten several times and suffered great losses. "

On June 20, the regiment met with the Russian parliamentarians. Then the campaign for the regiment was over. It had lost 135 men. A high price to pay for the limited number of combat operations it participated in in February and May-June.

Campaign of 1809 in Austria ( Fifth Coalition War )

At the beginning of the campaign, the Pajol brigade with its three regiments was the reconnaissance force of Maréchal Louis-Nicolas Davout . On April 19, Général Pajol attacked the two Austrian regiments "Vincent-Chevaux légers" and "Stipsicz-Hussars" near Dünzling and Peising at the head of the 5th and 7th regiments. This was followed by the Battle of Abensberg on April 20th, Landshut on April 2nd and the Battle of Eckmühl on April 22nd. On April 23, the regiment chased the Merveldt Uhlans under the walls of Regensburg.

Assigned to pursue Archduke Karl's troops , the hussars moved north-east of Regensburg on the left bank of the Danube, entering Cham and Regen. On May 1, 1809, the regiments were inspected by Général Montbrun and then moved to Krems , where they arrived on May 20. From here the 5th regiment had to watch over the Danube between Krems and Vienna .

The Général Pajol was appointed commander of the light cavalry in the Corps Davout, consisting of the 5 e and 7 e Hussards, the 11 e and the 12 e régiment de chasseurs à cheval .

On July 5, the hussars crossed the Danube near Mühlleiten at 4:00 p.m. on the far right wing of the French groups. On July 6, the regiment fought in the Battle of Wagram . It lost 10 officers to wounded and more than fifty hussars had fallen or died of their wounds. 117 horses were killed for this. The next day the Austrian army was pursued with a battle near Korneuburg and on the 9th near Hollabrunn , and on July 10th in the battle near Znaim .

The four-month campaign of 1809 cost the regiment 87 dead.

After the Znojmo armistice of July 12, the regiment was ordered to Olomouc and Hradisch . At the beginning of September the relocation to Kostel , Auspitz and Lundenburg took place .

After the regimental commander Colonel Déry had been promoted to Général de brigade, he was replaced on September 21, 1809 by Colonel Charles-Claude Meuziau. After the peace treaty was signed, the regiment left Moravia and relocated first to Vienna and then to Salzburg . On March 16, 1810, it formed the escort for Archduchess Marie-Louise as far as Augsburg .

In July the unit was ordered back to France and was assigned to Stenay as a garrison.

The Détachements des 5 e RH in Spain 1807–1811

In 1807 parts of the regiment were assigned to the provisional cavalry units, which were intended for use in Spain. Here the hussars were involved in the suppression of the uprising in Madrid in May 1808 . By 1810 there were more than 250 officers and hussars in Spain, assigned to the 10 e régiment de hussards and the 3 e régiment de hussards or in the provisional units.

In September 1810, the 4th Escadron was commanded to Spain to form the "2nd e régiment provisoire de Cavalerie Légère" there together with Escadrons des 11 e and 12 e Chasseurs . The regiment was under the Brigade of Général Wathier de Saint Alphonse and was integrated into the Armée du Nord, commanded by Maréchal Bessières . Here the hussars fought during the retreat of the French forces from Portugal.

In detail, they fought on May 5, 1811 in the Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro against the British-Portuguese troops of General Wellington . After preparatory artillery fire by the French on the British lines, the 4th Escadron of the regiment attacked the "51st Light Infantry Regiment". The commanding officer of this exposed unit ordered the withdrawal and ordered the flags to be burned so as not to let them fall into the hands of the hussars. The losses of the Escadron were not insignificant, one officer was wounded, 9 hussars were killed and seven were taken prisoner (two of them wounded). The prisoners were not released until 1814.

This 4th Escadron, consisting of 197 riders (eight of them officers), were called in in Burgos in September 1811 to set up the "31e régiment de chasseurs à cheval".

The campaign to Russia in 1812

The preparations for the Russian campaign began with the fact that a first contingent left Stenay on January 11, 1812 , which was followed by a major detachement on February 9. The hussars of the 5 e RH passed Mainz on February 23 and Frankfurt am Main on March 5. The march continued via Hanover and Berlin to the Duchy of Warsaw , where they met the army. Only two escadrons of the regiment were ready for the campaign to Russia: the 1st Escadron with the "1 re compagnie d'élite" (1st elite company) and the 5th company, and the 3rd Escadron with the 3rd and 7th . Company. After the considerable replacement of the crew since 1809, the majority of the escadrons consisted of young recruits with no military experience.

Wounded hussar trumpeter in Russia

The regiment belonged to Joachim Murat's reserve cavalry, 2nd Cavalry Corps (Général de Montbrun), 2nd Light Cavalry Division (Général Sébastiani - replaced by Général Pajol on August 9), 8th Brigade (Général Burthe)

The Nyemen was crossed on June 24, 1812 and the hussars moved via Kaunas to Vilna , where they arrived on June 28. On July 3, the regiment at Swentzianoï was involved in a skirmish with the Russian rearguard of the army of Barclay de Tolly . On July 5th, battles against the cavalry of Major General Baron Korff followed on the Dysna . Vitebsk was reached on July 28th.

On August 8, the regiment was involved in a fierce battle near Inkowo east of Smolensk . A counter-offensive by the Russians took the General Sébastiani completely by surprise. The 5 e RH lost three officers, four fallen horsemen and 46 prisoners. This was followed by the march on Smolensk via Dubrouna , Liady, Krasnoïe, while after reaching the Vyazma, clearing the left flank of Napoleon's great train to Moscow.

In the Battle of Borodino on September 7, the regiment was mainly involved in the attacks of the "2 e corps de cavalerie" on the right side of the Grande Redoute. Behind the cuirassiers and carabiniers , Pajol's light cavalry was thrown into battle. Here they attacked the 7th Division of the 6th Corps of General Dmitri Dokhtourov until they met the Guard Cavalry (1st Cavalry Corps of General Fiodor Petrovitch Ouvarov), 2nd Reserve Cavalry Corps of General Korff and 3rd Reserve Cavalry Corps of General de Pahlen and had to back down . The regiment had two officers killed and 12 wounded (including Colonel Meuziau), nine hussars were killed in action - there is no information about the number of wounded. Another skirmish took place on September 9th near Mojaïsk, the last city before Moscow. Here the unit lost an officer, a maréchal des logis and a rider.

The Russian capital was finally captured on September 14th and the "2 e division de cavalerie légère" (2nd light cavalry division) rode into Moscow first. At a review on September 20, the regiment still consisted of 28 officers and 375 riders, of which only 249 had a horse. The total population had already sunk to 54% and the percentage of those on horseback was 60%.

The 5 e RH did not stay in Moscow but was sent to the battle of Winkowo to keep up the pursuit of the Russian army. On September 22nd, the Russian General Ferdinand von Wintzingerode was captured by the Capitaine Crozet in a battle near Moscow .

The French army officially left Moscow on October 19, but the last units did not withdraw until Sunday October 25. When crossing the Beresina on November 28, the regiment lost its medical officer (surgeon major), who drowned in the river.

When the regiment passed in review in January 1813, it had to be noted:

  • of the two escadrons only 58 officers and riders were left, 15 of them were wounded, four had to be transferred to the Hôtel des Invalides because of frozen feet "pieds gelés en Russie" .

The campaign in Saxony - 1813

The two war squadrons were bled to death after the Russian campaign and their retreat brought them to the limit of existence. Refreshing had become inevitable. The 5 e RH was merged with the 9 e hussards under the command of Général Corbineau to form the "8 e brigade de cavalerie légère" and subordinated to the 2nd division of Général Rémy-Isidore Exelmans . However, the regiment at that time consisted of only three officers and 53 hussars, a state in which most cavalry regiments were. On April 15, 1813, it again consisted of six officers, 145 hussars with a total of 158 horses.

In 1813 there was a massive recruitment through conscription , primarily in the Rhenish departments, which allowed the regiment to be brought back to war strength.

The "5 e hussards" were assigned to the "II e Corps de cavalerie" by Général Sébastiani and commanded as the vanguard of the corps by Maréchal Victor on the Oder, where they were used at the blockade of Glogau . From May 16, Colonel Fournier was the new regimental commander.

Battle of the Katzbach

On August 21, 1813 the "5 e hussards" were involved in a battle with Russian troops from General Osten-Sacken near Bunzlau . On August 26th, the 35,000 men of Maréchal Macdonald , called "Armée de la Boder", met the 85,000 men of the Silesian Army under the command of Field Marshal Blücher . From this the Battle of the Katzbach developed , in which the French were crushed. The regiment lost more than 20 officers and horsemen; the Chef d'escadrons de Gramont was captured by Russia. The retreat turned into a real escape, a not inconsiderable number of the (German-born) hussars deserted by "getting lost" in the German lines.

At the beginning of September the regiment consisted of only 288 officers and horsemen, 65 members were in hospitals. It had lost 60% of its population. On September 28, a parade took place in front of Napoleon near Dresden, who stated that the rain and desertions had affected the regiment more than the enemy. During a skirmish on October 13 near Wittemberg on the Elbe, the hussars took around 60 prisoners, captured a cannon and four wagons.

On October 16, the regiment fought in the Battle of the Nations near Leipzig and after the loss of seven officers and hussars, withdrew to Lützen and Weißenfels . With the remnants of the army, the "5 e hussards" fought against Bavarian troops in the battle of Hanau . On October 30th the unit still consisted of 61 hussars and 10 officers.

It was then possible to set up a few details, the most important of which was stationed on December 22nd, 1813 in the Wesel Citadel . The unit consisted of seven officers and 75 men under the command of Chief d'escadrons Sigismond du Pouget de Nadaillac and was used to set up the "1 er régiment provisoire de cavalerie" (1st provisional cavalry regiment) under Colonel Deschamps. Général Jean Raymond Bourke led the defense of the fortress and withstood all attacks until the abdication of Napoleon and the end of the war on May 10, 1814.

The other parts of the regiment were amalgamated in Magdeburg with those who had been dispersed and with the remaining personnel of the cavalry depot. The provisional unit held under Général Lemarroi, together with the regular garrison, the fortress occupied until the conclusion of peace. Smaller parts of the regiment fought in other arenas, such as a maréchal des logis and two hussars during the siege of Torgau, which was defended by Général Louis Marie de Narbonne-Lara and which had to surrender on December 26, 1813. The three hussars went into captivity, where they remained until May 1814. Some more were included in Hamburg, where the Maréchal Louis-Nicolas Davout resisted until the peace agreement was signed.

The campaign of 1813 cost the regiment 321 dead, 59 prisoners and 286 dispersed / deserters.

Campaign in France (1814) and first restoration

The last parts of the regiment crossed the Rhine and were heavily involved in the fighting of the campaign of 1814.

Along with the remains of most of the cavalry regiments, it was incorporated into the army of Maréchal Macdonald. The last levies allowed the depots to assign enough personnel to take part in operations in France, even if the regiment's nominal strength could no longer be achieved. The unit, which could not get beyond the strength of a detachment, took part in the battle of La Rothière on February 1 , which ended in defeat for Napoleon.

On January 9, the cavalry was reorganized and the "5 e RH" was assigned to the brigade of Général Jean-Baptiste Dommanget. After everything had been scraped together (from the depots and isolated, smaller détachements), each of the fighting escadrons theoretically consisted of 185 officers and hussars. This was followed by participation in the Battle of Vauchamps on February 14 and the skirmishes at Mormant and Nangis on February 17.

On March 12, 1814, the General Jean Nicolas Curély was ordered to set up a cavalry brigade. For this, elements from the 2nd and 5th Cavalry Corps were used. The remnants of the "5 e RH" became the 3rd Escadron of the new, light cavalry regiment. The brigade's task was to seal off the access from the Aisne to Compiègne and Soissons .

The brigade then fought on March 18 in the battle of Montereau and in the battle of Arcis-sur-Aube on March 20 and 21, in which the total annihilation of the cavalry of the Guard impériale took place. With the entry of the Allies into Paris on March 31 and the abdication of Napoleon on April 6, the military operations ended. The campaign in France cost the regiment 76 hussars, not counting those who simply went home after Napoleon's abdication.

After the return of King Louis XVIII. and the resulting restoration, the military and with it the number of regiments was drastically reduced. On May 12, 1814, the king announced the regulation for the reorganization of the cavalry:

  • The "5 e régiment de hussards" became the "Régiment des hussards d'Angoulême", consisting of:
  • the remains of the “5 e régiment de hussards” with a depot in Stenay
  • the remains of the dissolved "11 e régiment de hussards"
  • the 3rd 4th and 5th escadron of the dissolved "8 e régiment de hussards"
  • the 2nd escadron of the dissolved 2 e régiment des éclaireurs de la Garde impériale (2nd reconnaissance regiment of the imperial guard)

The officers and hussars of the named units were released from captivity for this purpose.

Reign of the Hundred Days 1815

After Napoleon's return from Elba during the reign of the Hundred Days , the regiment was deployed in the Battle of Waterloo . It was part of the 4 e division de cavalerie the one he corps de cavalerie.

The 5 e régiment de hussards from 1815 to 1870

The campaigns in Spain (1823), Belgium (1831–1832) and Algeria (1840 and 1846–1848)

After the second re-establishment of the Bourbon monarchy, the regiment was reorganized on August 31, 1815 under the name "Régiment des hussards du Bas-Rhin" in Provins . The commandant was Count Boniface de Castellane .

In 1823 the regiment took part in the campaign to Spain under the command of Colonel Muller . It crossed the border on April 17th and distinguished itself in the battle near Logroño, where it captured General Don Julien Sanchez and captured a flag. Also in the battle at San Lucar de Mayor on May 19, where, together with the 9 e régiment de chasseurs à cheval , a number of prisoners were made and two standards were captured. On December 12, the hussars returned to France.

In 1825 the unit was renamed "5 e régiment de hussards" and placed in garrison in Thionville . When King Charles X visited Metz in 1828 , the regiment provided the escort.

During the July Revolution of 1830 , the Colonel Comte des Monstiers de Mérinville, ten officers and the regimental chaplain were chased away for taking the side of the royal family.

In 1831 the regiment was among the troops raised in the Louvain region against the Dutch armed forces, which threatened the independence of the new Kingdom of Belgium. Again in 1832 the regiment moved to the siege of Antwerp in Belgium.

In January 1840, the 1st and 3rd Escadron were transferred to Algeria, where they took part in operations at Cherchell, Médéah, Miliana and Blida . They had two killed and six wounded to mourn. The two squadrons were then dissolved in September, the staff of the one he régiment de chasseurs d'Afrique , 2 e régiment de chasseurs d'Afrique , 3 e régiment de chasseurs d'Afrique and the 4 e régiment de chasseurs d'Afrique divided .

In 1846 the entire regiment moved to Algeria and there took part in the operations of 1846, 1847 and 1848. In June of the same year it returned to France and arrived in Castres . An officer and about ten hussars had died in the fighting.

Second Empire, campaigns in Algeria (1855/59), Italy (1859) and Mexico (1862/67)

Honorary grave for the officers of the "5 e régiment de hussards" near Ca 'Fattori, Medole , killed in the battle of Solferino

After the coup d'état of December 2, 1851 by the President Charles-Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte , the regiment under his Colonel Armand-Octave-Marie d'Allonville was in the vicinity of Paris in order to maintain calm. In order not to have to shout “Vive Napoléon” during the scheduled military parade, it delayed its arrival in Paris until it was too late to be able to take part in the parade. It was then transferred to Limoges .

The third relocation to Algeria took place in March 1855, with three Escadrons in Constantine and three in Sétif . The missions took place in expeditions south to Touggourt . Some departments were commanded to the Tunisian border in 1856, 1857 and 1858.

In 1859 the regiment was transported to Italy, where it arrived on May 8th to be used in the Sardinian War . Together with the "1 he régiment de chasseurs d'Afrique" it was the brigade of General de Planhol in the Division of Général Desvaux, in turn, the first corps of Maréchal Baraguey d'Hilliers was assigned. This was followed by participation in the Battle of Solferino . Here the hussars attacked in the afternoon, together with the "1 er régiment de chasseurs d'Afrique" and the "3 e régiment de chasseurs d'Afrique", while the "5 e RH" had a loss of 20 dead, including the lieutenant - Colonel and more than 40 wounded. The 1st Escadron had taken 150 prisoners by evening.

Back in France, the 1st Escadron was commanded to embark on an expedition to Mexico in 1862. She arrived in Vera Cruz on September 24th and served as escort of Général Élie Frédéric Forey during the siege of Puebla in May 1863. Part of the regimental staff and the 2nd Escadron went to Mexico in 1864. Together with two escadrons of the "2 e régiment de chasseurs d'Afrique" they formed the "2 e régiment de marche" (2nd marching regiment). The two escadrons took part with the "3 e régiment de zouaves" on August 1, 1864 in the operation at the Col de Candelaria. This was followed by the fighting at Huaniquéo on April 24, 1865, at Hacienda Colorado on June 16, 1866 and at Tlaxcala on November 2, 1866. The two escadrons left Mexico on February 24, 1867 and arrived in Saint-Nazaire on March 23 . They had 18 casualties (more than half of them died of yellow fever ) and 17 wounded.

In 1870 the regiment was in Paris and Colonel Flogny was in command.

Franco-German War 1870–1871

In January 1870, the regiment was deployed in Paris to suppress the unrest that had developed on the occasion of the funeral of Victor Noir and the referendum on May 8th.

In preparation for the upcoming campaign, the saber bags and the standard were left in the depot.

Hussar 1871

The first campaign with the 5th Corps

Under the orders of Colonel Victor Flogny, the regiment left Paris on July 19 by rail and arrived in Niederbronn-les-Bains the next day . From there it moved on horseback to Bitche (arriving July 23) and then to Sarreguemines (arriving July 24)

The "5 e RH" consisted of a staff and four escadrons.

  • 1. Escadron, Capitaine Pelissier de Féligonde
  • 2. Escadron, Captain Bouchain
  • 3. Escadron, Captain Luizet
  • 4. Escadron, Captain Fleury.

It was subordinated to the "5 e corps d'armée" under the Général de division Pierre Louis Charles de Failly.

After arriving in Lorraine, to the annoyance of its commanding officer, it was designated for divisional cavalry (patrol and reconnaissance services, reporting) and divided:

  • 1. Escadron as escort for the corps commander Général Failly
  • 2nd escadron to the "3 e division d'infanterie" (Général Goze)
  • 3. squadron to "1 he division d'infantry" (Général de l'Abadie d'Aydren)
  • 4. Escadron to the "2nd e division d'infanterie" (Général Guyot de Lespart)

On August 3rd, the 1st, 3rd and 4th Escadron began reconnaissance across the border. After marching out of Sarreguemines, the border was crossed at Frauenberg (Moselle) and the Blies crossed, which brought us to the Bavarian Palatinate . The patrols followed the Mandelbach to Bebelsheim , 12 kilometers behind the border. After 18 hours they returned to Sarreguemines without encountering any resistance. On the same evening, Général Failly and his staff congratulated the regimental commander on this success and expressed his satisfaction with the action.

It was the regiment's only activity in that first part of the campaign. Without any action it marched into the Camp de Châlons.

The second campaign with the 5th Corps

After the failure of the first campaign, the remnants of the 1st, 5th, 7th and 12th Corps were brought together in the Camp de Châlons (near Châlons-en-Champagne ) to form the Armée de Châlons under Patrice de Mac-Mahon and directed to Metz . This march was extremely slow and the cavalry was again unable to carry out their reconnaissance tasks.

On August 29, the "5 e RH" had contact with German patrols near Beaufort-sur-Argonne, but they were repulsed. The regiment then bivouacked on the evening of August 31 in Fleigneux north of Sedan. The second Escadron had left its assigned infantry division and was ignoring orders to rejoin the regiment. The behavior of the escadron commander Capitaine Bouchain at this point was a pure refusal to obey, but in the end it was rewarded because he was able to escape the trap of Sedan.

According to the surrender negotiations, the majority of the officers were taken prisoner of war, a few were able to escape to Belgium and only four of them accept the offer of release on their word of honor to no longer fight against Germany. Two officers of the 1st Escadron were able to escape to unoccupied French territory.

The 5th Escadron

At the beginning of the war, a 5th and 6th Escadron were set up in the depot in Joigny . The 5th Escadron was loaded onto the train on July 25th and transported to Metz, where it arrived on July 27th. She was designated as the escort for Maréchal François-Achille Bazaine . On August 14, the Escadron took part in the Battle of Colombey and on August 16 in the Battle of Vionville . During this battle, after the failure of the attack by the French grade cuirassiers, an artillery position was created by an attack by the Brunswick Hussar Regiment No. 17 (Colonel von Rauch), the 1st Escadron of the Westphalian Hussar Regiment No. 11 and parts of one of the Guard Dragon regiments carried out. This attack could be repulsed by the 5th Escadron, parts of the 4 e régiment de chasseurs à cheval and the "3 e bataillon de chasseurs à pied" (3rd battalion hunters on foot) and the abandoned cannons were recovered. Two officers were wounded in this operation, nine hussars were killed, 15 wounded and several were taken prisoner. When Metz surrendered on October 27, 1870, four of the officers were able to escape, the rest of the 5th Escadron were still used as prisoners of war to guard the French "Grand Quartier Général" (High Command) of Maréchal Bazaine.

The Détachement des 5 e RH during the siege in Bitsch

The 2nd escadron of the regiment escaped from the trap of Sedan and was then incorporated into the "2 e régiment de marche mixte de cavalerie" (2nd mixed cavalry marching regiment), set up in Tarbes in September 1870 .

Another, small remnant of the regiment under the command of Sous-lieutenant Dupuy of the 3rd Escadron had escaped to the Citadel of Bitsch in order to continue the fight from here.

After the surrender, Sous-lieutenant Dupuy was promoted to lieutenant and adjutant Wirmann to lieutenant. The ladies of Bitsch honored the hussars with an embroidered standard. The regiment was allowed to use this standard with a special permit from the War Ministry on August 16, 1880. After the regiment was dissolved in 1921, it was deposited in the Army Museum and then handed over to the 8 e régiment de dragons as a traditional unit. It has not been able to be found since 1939.

The escadrons outside the regimental unit during the war

The collapse of the imperial army meant that more units of the light cavalry were set up in the depots:

  • the 2nd Escadron, escaped from Sedan, gathered on September 14th under the command of Capitaine Rival in the depot in Carcassonne . Newly equipped, she was assigned to the "2 e régiment mixte de cavalerie" (2nd mixed cavalry regiment) in Tarbes .
  • the 6th Escadron with a surplus platoon consisting of 15 officers, 232 riders and 126 horses was set up on September 11th in the Joigny depot.
  • the 7th Escadron (at the same time 1st March Squadron) under the command of Capitaine d'Esclaibes d'Hust, consisting of 6 officers, 130 riders and 115 horses, was on November 1, 1870 in Poitiers to set up the "2 e régiment de marche de hussards ”(2nd Hussar March Regiment). The commanding officer was the Lieutenant-Colonel de Pointis.
  • the 8th Escadron (also the 2nd Marching Cadron) was set up in Poitiers in December 1870. It was under the command of Capitaine de Montholon and had 5 officers, 130 riders and 110 horses. It was assigned to the "8 e régiment de marche mixte de cavalerie" (8th mixed cavalry marching regiment) , also established in Poitiers, under Lieutenant-colonel Palanque.
  • the 9th Escadron (also 3rd March Squadron) was used in January 1871 in Libourne to set up the "4 e régiment de marche de hussards" (2nd Hussar March Regiment) under Lieutenant-Colonel Bauvieux. It was assigned to the 19th Corps. The Escadron consisted of 5 officers, 120 riders and 112 horses.

To re-establish the "5 e régiment de hussards" on March 10, 1871 in Carcassonne:

  • Parts of "1 he régiment de marche de hussards"
  • the 2nd Escadron des 2 e régiment de hussards
  • the 2nd Escadron of the 4 e régiment de hussards
  • the 2nd escadron of the 6 e régiment de hussards
  • the 4th Escadron of the 7 e régiment de hussards

The regiment between 1871 and 1914

In 1873 the regiment was commanded to the Pyrenees, as there were unrest in Spain on the occasion of the establishment of the 1st Republic. In 1873 it was stationed in Lyon. A fourth command to Algeria followed, it lasted from 1877 to 1880. The stationing locations were Algiers and Orléansville

After the return the 5 e RH was in the following garrisons:

Hussar around 1890

First World War

During the mobilization, the regiment was stationed in Nancy (Donop quarter). It was the reconnaissance regiment of the "20 e corps d'armée" (20th Army Corps) ( Général Foch ) of the "II e Armée" ( Général de Castelnau ). It consisted of four active escadrons, a machine gun platoon and two reserve squadrons.

  • Commanding officer: Colonel Boutaud de Lavilléon
  • Deputy Commanding Officer: Lieutenant-Colonel Maxime Weygand
  • 1st half regiment: Chef d'escadrons de France
    • 1. Escadron, Captain de Mesmay
    • 2. Escadron, Capitaine de Ligniville
  • 2nd half regiment: Chef d'escadrons de Lavigerie
    • 3. Escadron, Captain Jory
    • 4. Escadron, Capitaine Breymann
  • Escadrons de réserve, Chef d'escadrons de la Giraudière
    • 5, Escadron, Capitaine Albert-Roulhac
    • 6. Escadron, Capitaine d'Huart

The Dépôt des Regiment was established on August 9, 1814:

  • 11. Escadron, Capitaine des Moutis
  • 12. Escadron, Capitaine (Reserve) Boursel

1914

On July 30, 1814, Colonel de Lavilléon's regiment was placed on alert. On August 1, the hussars left the Donop quarter and moved to Pulnoy .

On August 3, at the same time as the state of war between France and Germany was announced, the Maréchal des logis Perez (3rd Escadron) became the regiment's first fallen victim when his Escadron came across a patrol of the 2nd Hanoverian Uhlan Regiment No. 14 . The regiment very quickly became involved in fighting in Lorraine between Mörchingen and Château-Salins .

On August 11, the 4th Escadron near Clémery was involved in a fierce battle with an Escadron from Bavarian Chevaulegers. On August 17th, the escadrons moved into the German Château-Salins .

After the battle of Mörchingen , the regiment took over the protection of the retreat of the French army. New battles followed north of Lunéville , then on September 13 north of Toul , at Regnéville-en-Haye and at Thiaucourt .

On September 16, 1914, a patrol of the 6th Escadron, commanded by Sous-lieutenant Schmeltz, in Pont-à-Mousson was able to pass the Lieutenant de Lattre de Tassigny of the 12 e régiment de dragons, who had been wounded three days earlier, before being captured preserve the Germans.

The train was loaded on September 20, before being unloaded 15 kilometers from Amiens on September 22 and immediately deployed at Cappy (Somme) , Eclusiers and Bray-sur-Somme . This deployment led to a commendation in the Army Command.

In October the regiment switched to the 1st Cavalry Corps and took part in the sea race until January 1915 .

1915

At the beginning of the year, missions for the now dismounted hussars followed at Messines , Nailleul and on the Yser. Heavy artillery fire near Steenstraat in Belgium on January 4th caused the unit to mourn 47 dead and 27 wounded. She stayed in this section of the front until April 1915. Then she was transported to the Canche to take part in the Battle of Artois. Although they had entered the trenches, the unit was not involved in the fighting.

The regiment was then transported to Lorraine , where it was housed in Lunéville from July 15 to August 31 . In mid-September it was relocated to Champagne, where the "5 e RH" was involved in the fighting for Fort de Beauséjour in the Butte du Mesnil-Maisons-de-Champagne sector on September 25th. Here the 3rd (Capitaine des Moutis) and the 4th Escadron (Capitaine Florange) under the command of Chef d'escadrons de Lavigerie stood out. They stormed the German trenches, took 600 prisoners and captured two machine guns. This operation cost 17 dead (including the Lieutenant Camion) and 42 wounded. The two escadrons were mentioned in the army order.

After a three-month stay in Champagne, the regiment was transferred to the region around Nancy .

1916

After the beginning of the Battle of Verdun , the "5 e RH" took over the tasks of regulating marching movements (la circulation sur les routes) in the sector of the "II e Corps", in particular in the area of ​​Avoucourt, Cote 304 and Mort-Homme.

French cavalry 1916

In the preparatory phase of the Battle of the Somme , the regiment was transferred to Crèvecœur on April 27. A foot detachment of six platoons and a machine gun group was formed and relocated to Curlu and Frize (Somme) to ensure the connection between the 11th Infantry Division and the 2nd Colonial Infantry Division. The detachment consisted of 280 men and was involved in fighting on June 26 and July 12. In doing so, she lost the Cpitaines d'Huart and de la Mettrie, Lieutenant Albessard and four hussars. After a rest period in Dieppe and Le Tréport, the hussars returned to the Somme, where they stayed from November 15th to December 15th.

A reorganization was ordered on December 29th:

  • the 5th and 6th Escadron were disbanded
  • the Colonel de Chazelles and his staff were placed at the disposal of the Corps Command
  • the 1st Escadron (Capitaine Augrain) and a machine gun platoon were assigned to the 11th Infantry Division.
  • the 2nd Escadron (Capitaine de Ligniville) was assigned to the 39th Infantry Division
  • the 3rd Escadron (Capitaine des Moutis) and a machine gun platoon were assigned to the 153rd Infantry Division.
  • the 4th Escadron (Capitaine Schaff) was assigned to the 168th Infantry Division.

1917

At the beginning of 1917, the "20 e corps d'armée" was in Lorraine, only to be relocated to the Aisne in preparation for the offensive at the Chemin des Dames . The escadrons of the "5 e RH" were deployed in the front lines.

  • a detachement of the 2nd Escadron was in combat north of the Chemin des Dames from May 21 to 23 . It lost three dead and one missing.
  • A mixed detachment from the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Escadron had 7 dead and 16 wounded on the night of the 2nd anniversary.
  • Between July 2nd and 29th, a detachement under Lieutenant Schmeltz (1st Escadron) took part in the reconnaissance of the Bouconville-Vauclair sector . There was a fallen man.

Commanded to recover in Lorraine, the regiment was refreshed there and then used again in the Mort-Homme sector near Verdun.

1918

Lying in the trenches in front of Verdun, the regiment was withdrawn in March and divided:

  • the 1st Escadron in the Montdidier (Somme) - Noyon area with the 11th Infantry Division until July. During this time the Escadron was mentioned in the army report.
  • the 2nd Escadron on Kemmelberg with the 39th Infantry Division. In April a détachement to the Armée Nord from Général de Mitry.
  • the 3rd Escadron to the Somme (March to April, without combat activity)
  • the 4th Escadron in Flanders (Monts des Cats) from May to July

After the failure of the German spring offensive , the 1st Escadron was used in the fighting around Soissons in July-August , and was then relocated north to the Aisne in the Coucy - Saint-Gobain region . In September, the Escadron stayed in the area of Meaux for recreation , and then was used in Belgium on the right bank of the Lys , attacking the Scheldt .

The 2nd Escadron fought in the Fourth Battle of Flanders . In May she was able to distinguish herself in the Battle of the Aisne and was mentioned in the army order. This was followed in June and July by a mission together with an American division in the Château-Thierry sector , at the Battle of the Marne in which it was commended in the corps command of the 38th Army Corps. After occupying the lines in the Saint-Mihiel region , the war for the Escadron in Pont-Saint-Vincent ended.

The 3rd Escadron was involved in the fighting on the Aisne in June together with the 153rd Infantry Division. In August it was used in Picardy. There was from the squadron, two squadrons of the one he régiment de dragons and two squadrons of 25 e régiment de dragons , "Régiment du provisoire colonel Ore" (Provisional Cavalry Colonel Ore) placed. The Escadron fought in Champagne in October and then in the Oise valley. For the entirety of the battles completed from 1914 to 1918, the Escadron was awarded a commendation in the division command of the 153rd Infantry Division.

The 4th Escadron was deployed again in Flanders on Mont des Cats in May-June, then in July-August in battles on the Marne and near Reims, then in the Oise Valley and in October-November in pursuit battles to the Belgian border.

On November 19, 1918, the riders of the 2nd Escadron took part in the parade in Metz. They formed the escorts for the Maréachal Philippe Pétain and the generals Fayolle, Buat, Feraud and Pougin.

Interwar period

Like a large number of other cavalry regiments, the "5 e régiment de hussards" were dissolved on April 1, 1921. The last barracks was the “Quartier Rebéval” in Neufchâteau (Vosges). There is still a street in the city that is named after the regiment. (Rue du 5 e- Regiment-de-hussards).
It was divided into the following units:

A total of 310 riders and 576 horses were transferred to the new units.

The "Groupe Iéna" (Association of Friends of the former 5 e hussards) ensured the continuation of the regiment's tradition.

Second World War

During the mobilization in September 1939, the “8 e dragons” and the “31 e régiment de dragons” formed the “4 e brigade de cavalerie”, as part of the “2 e division de cavalerie”.

The 2nd Escadron was heavily involved in the fighting on May 16 and 17, 1940 at Saint-Gérard and the Bois-l'Abbé at Dinant . Except for Lieutenant de Benoit (killed in 1943) and Sous-lieutenant Branet, who were captured, all officers were killed. Sous-lieutenant Jacques Branet was the last porte étendard of the regiment in 1939.

In these battles the regiment went down.

Trapped in the " Oflag II D " Groß-Born , the two managed to break out of the camp together with Lieutenant Alain de Boissieu and Sous-lieutenant Klein on the night of March 28-29, 1941 and headed for the Soviet Union escape. Here they were again detained for five months until they were released to Great Britain five months later.

Active in the Forces françaises libres , they managed to set up a cavalry cadron in Tripolitania . This unit was then integrated into the "501e régiment de chars de combat" (501st Panzer Regiment) in 1943. At the request of Capitaine Branet, the 3rd company of the regiment took over the tradition of the 5 e RH.

post war period

  • On April 1, 1951, in Koblenz, the regiment was re-established in the former barracks of the Flak main battery (called "Quartier Dejean" in French - later Fritsch barracks of the Bundeswehr) and equipped with M24 Chaffee main battle tanks .
  • In August 1951, the company was relocated to Fritzlar and, from 1952, was converted to the AMX-13 tank destroyer
  • 1956: Relocation to Weingarten (Quartier Galliffet), an Escadron was in Ravensburg (Quartier Margueritte) until 1987 : conversion to the EBR-75 armored vehicle
  • 1976: stationed in Stetten , the regiment was equipped with the AMX-30 main battle tank and renamed "3 e régiment de dragons".
  • March 1, 1980: the “Régiment de 5 e hussards” was re-established in Laon (Quartier Thérémin d'Hame) as a cadre reconnaissance regiment and assigned to the “108 e division d'infanterie”. The support association was the " 4 e régiment de hussards ", the reservists were called up from the regions of Picardy and Nord-Pas-de-Calais .
  • 1983: During the events for the 200th anniversary of the Peace of Paris , which ended the American Revolutionary War , a delegation of the “5 e hussards” was received in the US Embassy.
  • 1984: after the transformation of the “4 e régiment de hussards” from a task force into a staff and support battalion, the 2 e dragons took over its tasks. The military base in Laon-Couvron (Aisne) became the base
  • January 1, 1986: the three inactive escadrons, equipped with Panhard AML , were each assigned to a reserve regiment (Régiments inter-armes divisionnaires (RIAD)) in the 1 re région militaire (1st military region). One escadron came to the "54e régiment inter-divisionnaire" (support association of the 8 e régiment d'infanterie in Soissons), an escadron to the "239 e régiment inter-divisionnaire" (support association of the 39 e régiment d'infanterie de ligne in Rouen) and an escadron to the “243 e régiment inter-divisionnaire” (support association of the 43 e régiment d'infanterie de ligne in Lille): training and instruction of the reservists were still carried out by the “2 e régiment de dragons” in Laon-Couvron.

The, the "54e régiment inter-Divisionnaire" assigned (1) squadron participated in the military parade on the July 14, 1988 Avenue des Champs-Elysees in part

The final dissolution took place on December 31, 1992.

Honorable inscriptions on the various standards of the regiment from 1812

  • Valmy (1792) - by ministerial order of March 7, 1989 on the occasion of the celebrations of the 220th anniversary of the revolution
  • Jemappes (1792) on the standard of the Second Empire
  • Austerlitz 1805 - on the standard from 1812
  • Iéna 1806 - for the regiment's participation in the campaign of 1806, even if it did not take part in the battle - on the standard of 1812, as well as on the standard of the Second Empire and then again since 1880
  • Eylau 1807 - for the regiment's participation in the campaign of 1807, even if it did not take part in the battle - on the standard of 1812
  • Eckmühl 1809 - on the standard of the second empire
  • Wagram 1809 - on the standard from 1812
  • La Moskowa 1812 - on the standard of the Second Empire and then again since 1880
  • Hanau 1813 - on the standard of the second empire
  • Solférino 1859 - on the standard of the Second Empire and then again since 1880
  • Puebla 1863 - since 1880
  • Lorraine 1914 - since 1927
  • Champagne 1915 - since 1927
  • La Marne 1918 - since 1927

Standard

Last standard of the regiment

Inscriptions on the standard

The outstanding battles and campaigns in which the regiment took part are listed in gold letters on the standard :

  • Valmy 1792
  • Iéna 1806
  • La Moskova 1812
  • Solférino 1859
  • Puebla 1863
  • Lorraine 1914
  • Champagne 1915
  • La Marne 1918

honors and awards

Honorary weapons given to members of the regiment

  • Nicolas Bion, hussar, an honorary carbine for the capture of an Austrian general and his aide-de-camp on June 5, 1800 ( Légion d'honneur )
  • Jean-louis Crabbe, Capitaine , a saber of honor for the same action as the hussar Bion. (Legion d'honneur)
  • Nicolas Épinger, Sous-lieutenant , a saber of honor for the capture of six Uhlan officers on December 19, 1800 (Légion d'honneur) - officer of the Légion d'honneur on June 14, 1804.
  • Jean-Baptiste Jojot, Hussar, an honor musket for an outstanding action on June 4, 1797 - (Légion d'honneur)
  • Jean-Pierre Levenbruck, Hussar, an honor musket for the capture of Moritz von Liechtenstein , Colonel of the 2nd Uhlan Regiment on December 19, 1800 (Légion d'honneur)
  • Jacques Perrault, Hussar, an honor musket for the capture (together with two comrades) of 100 Austrians on May 5th, 1800. Also an honorable mention for the removal of an enemy cannon and a standard in the battle of Hohenlinden . (Legion d'honneur)
  • Jean Seguin, Hussar, an honor musket, for an outstanding action (Légion d'honneur)
  • Antoine Wagner, Brigadier , an honorary carbine for taking away an enemy cannon on December 19, 1900 (Légion d'honneur).

Awards

  • In 1909 the regiment was awarded the gold medal of the city of Milan. The reason was the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Solferino.
  • The standard leads the Croix de guerre (1914–1918) with a palm branch on the flag ribbon
  • The 1st and 4th Escadron were on May 30, 1919 in the Army Command of III. Army mentioned
  • The 2nd Escadron was on June 9, 1918 in Army command of the VI. Army and on September 1, 1918 in the corps order of the 38th Corps
  • The 3rd Escadron was mentioned on October 21, 1915 in the Army Order of the Second Army and on January 18, 1919 in the Division Order of the 153rd Infantry Division
  • The 6th Escadron (divisional cadron of the 39th Infantry Division) was mentioned on May 25, 1915 in the corps order of the 20th Corps.

Flags captured by the regiment and senior officers captured

  • on November 8, 1793 at Cateau-Cambrésis, the commander of the Imperial and Royal 1st Hussar Regiment, Colonel Baron von Blascovich
  • on April 18, 1797 in the battle of Neuwied the flag of a Hungarian infantry battalion
  • on June 5, 1800 an Austrian general was captured
  • on December 3, 1800 in the Battle of Hohenlinden a flag from the Austrian Kollowrath Division.
  • On December 18, 1800 in the battle near Schwanstadt a standard of the kk Kürassier-Regiment Lorraine No. 7 (with the help of an officer of the 20th e régiment des chasseurs à cheval)
  • On December 18, 1800 in a battle near Schwanstadt, the commander of the Mészáros hussar regiment , Colonel Andréas von Schneller, was captured
  • On December 19, 1800 in the battle near Lambach , Major General von Mecséry and the commander of the 2nd Uhlan Regiment, Colonel Moritz von Liechtenstein, were captured
  • On December 2, 1805, in the Battle of Austerlitz, Major General Meller-Zakomeslki, commander of the Uhlans of Grand Duke Constantine, was captured
  • On October 26, 1806 the standard was captured in the Battle of Zehdenick and the Colonel of the Prussian 5th Dragoon Regiment was captured (with the help of members of the 7 e régiment de hussards)
  • On November 6, 1806, the standard of the 5th Prussian Cuirassier Regiment ( Bailliodz Regiment ) was captured in the battle near Stekeniz
  • On November 7th, 1806 Sous-lieutenant Roeckel captured the standard of the 14th Prussian Dragoon Regiment (Wobeser Regiment) in Lübeck.
  • On September 22, 1812, General Baron Ferdinand von Wintzingerode was captured by Capitaine Crozet in the vicinity of Moscow .
  • on April 18, 1823, capture of the Spanish general Don Julien Sanchez. as well as capture of a standard (with the help of the 9 e régiment de chasseurs à cheval) in the battle near Logroño
  • Capture of two Spanish standards (with the help of the 9 e régiment de chasseurs à cheval) in the battle near San-Lucar-la-Mayor on May 19, 1823

Motto

The motto of the regiment was the motto of the Gontaut-Biron family

Perit sed in armis
("Il meurt les armes à la main - He dies with a gun in his hand")

particularities

In 1790 parts of the regiment were used in the suppression of the mutiny in Nancy .

literature

  • Historique du 5e régiment de hussards (1914–1918), Berger-Levrault, Paris undated
  • Historique des corps de troupe de l'armée française , ministère de la Guerre, 1900
  • Général Andolenko, Recueil d'historique de l'arme blindée et de la cavalerie , Eurimprim, Paris 1968
  • Jacques Branet, L'Escadron - carnets d'un cavalier , Flammarion, Paris 1968.
  • Castillon de Saint-Victor, Historique du 5e régiment de hussards , Lobert & Pierson, Paris 1889.
  • Marcel Dupont, Nos vieux houzards , Paris Berger-Levrault, 1934.
  • Raoul Dupuy, Historique des régiments de hussards (1690-1892), Lib. Militaire Dubois, Paris 1893.
  • Louis Fallou, Nos hussards (1692–1902), La Giberne, Paris 1902.
  • André Jouineau Jean-Marie Mongin, Les Hussards français, Tome 1, de l'Ancien Régime à l'Empire , Éditions Histoire et collection , Paris 2004
  • Gérard-Antoine Massoni, Un régiment de cavalerie légère. Le 5e régiment de hussards de 1783 à 1815 , Archives et culture, Paris 2007
  • Gérard-Antoine Massoni, “Le lieutenant de Lattre de Tassigny et ses sauveurs du 5e hussards”, dans Vivat Hussar , Tarbes 1990, pp. 39-46.
  • Gérard-Antoine Massoni, "Jennings de Kilmaine, colonel du 6e hussards, ci-devant Lauzun, commandant en chef des armées du Nord et des Ardennes, commandant en chef d'armée d'Angleterre", dans Vivat Hussar , Tarbes, 2001, numéro 36, pp. 49-61
  • Gérard-Antoine Massoni, “Le 5e régiment de hussards en Russie”, dans Vivat Hussar , Tarbes, 2002, numéro 37, pp. 58-66
  • Gérard-Antoine Massoni, “Une loge maçonnique au regiment de Lauzun-Hussards (1789–1790)” in Vivat Hussar , Tarbes, 2002, numéro 37, pp. 45–57
  • Service historique de la Defense , Journaux des marches et operations (JMO) 26 N 895 / 1–26 N 895/7

Web links

Footnotes and individual references

  1. ↑ Erected by royal order of March 5, 1780 (SHD)
  2. ^ Ordonnance royale du 14 septembre 1783 (SHD)
  3. ↑ de LEONARD, Relation Exacte et impartiale de ce qui s'est passé à Nancy le 31 août et les jours précédents , Mme Henry, Nancy 1790, p. 152
  4. ↑ Law relating to the regiments Royal-Liègeois and Lauzun , given at Paris, January 23 (Décret de l'Assemblée nationale du 20 janvier 1791)
  5. ↑ Courriers du colonel de Pestalozzi du 1er juillet (Etain) et du 3 juillet 1791 (Bouzonville) , SHD, Xc 245
  6. ↑ Between 1793 and 1803 the rank of Colonel was replaced by Chef de brigade
  7. ↑ Gérard-Antoine Massoni, Un régiment de cavalerie légère: le 5e régiment de hussards de 1783 à 1815 , Archives et culture, Paris 2007, p. 313
  8. ↑ Who exactly this could have been about is uncertain. During this time, only Pyotr Kirillowitsch Essen is known to the Russian army, but he cannot have been
  9. ↑ Gérard-Antoine Massoni, Un régiment de cavalerie légère. Le 5 e régiment de Hussards de 1783 à 1815 , Archives et culture, Paris 2007, p. 335
  10. ^ 2 e Bulletin de la Grande Armée (in the fight against the fourth coalition) of October 12, 1806
  11. ^ Correspondance de Napoléon I er , c. 11121, in the Duchy of Berg, Berlin, October 31, 1806
  12. ↑ Vérillon, Les Trophées de la France , Leroy, Paris 1907, p 95
  13. ↑ 80 e Bulletin de la Grande Armée , June 19, 1807 (Tilsit)
  14. ^ SHD, Register of Officers of the 5 e RH, 2 Yb 965, p. 121, Crozet service file
  15. ^ SHD, XC 246
  16. ↑ SHD, 24 Yc 408 troops dossier of 10 April 1809 to the 28 July 1814
  17. ^ Général Sigismond du Pouget, marquis de NADAILLAC, "Lettres et notes de campagne" dans Carnet de la Sabretache , Leroy, Paris 1911, p. 673
  18. ↑ Gérard-Antoine Massoni, Un régiment de cavalerie légère: le 5 e régiment de Hussards de 1783 à 1815 , Archives et culture, Paris 2007, p. 226
  19. ↑ Bulletin des Lois, n ° 122, May 12, 1814
  20. ↑ SHD, 2 Yb 966 and 24 Yc 408, 24 Yc 409
  21. ^ Général de Barail, Mes souvenirs , Plon, Paris 1895, p. 232
  22. ↑ the deputy regimental commander
  23. ↑ SHD, JMO 26 N 895-7
  24. ↑ Gérard-Antoine Massoni, "Le lieutenant de Lattre de Tassigny et ses sauveurs du 5e hussards", in Vivat Hussar , Tarbes, 1990, No. 25, pp. 39-46
  25. ↑ The horses were surrendered, the hussars continued to fight as infantrymen
  26. ↑ the "Porte étendard" was an officer and the bearer of the unfurled standard, the rolled standard was carried by "Cadets-noble" (aristocratic cadets) or "Ensignes" (ensign)
  27. ↑ According to regulation 955 / EMP-CH of February 22, 1944. Signed in Algiers Général Giraud
  28. ↑ n ° 12350 / SGA / DPMA / SHD / DAT du 14 septembre 2007 relative aux inscriptions de noms de batailles sur les drapeaux et étendards des corps de troupe de l'armée de terre, du service de santé des armées et du service des essences des armées, Bulletin officiel des armées, numéro 27, 9 novembre 2007 Arrêté relatif à l'attribution de l'inscription AFN 1952–1962 sur les drapeaux et étendards des formations des armées et services, du 19 November 2004 (A) NORDEF0452926A Michèle Alliot -Marie (regulation no. 12350 / SGA / DPMA / SHD / DAT of September 14, 2007 regulates the inscriptions on the standards of the troops of the army, the medical service and the fuel supply service (Service des essences des armées). The basis is the “Bulletin officiel des armées », numéro 27, 9 November 2007)
  29. ↑ SHD, JMO 6e escadron / 5e hussards - 26 N 895/6, May 25 and 27, 1915
  30. ↑ Vérillon, Les Trophées de France , Paris 1907, p 39
  31. ↑ Vérillon, Les Trophées de France , Paris 1907, p 60
  32. ↑ Vérillon, Les Trophées de France , Paris 1907, p 95