Brunswick Army

The Brunswick army consisted of 1605 the troops of the Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and then since 1814 the newly founded Duchy of Braunschweig . It lost its character as an independent armed force in 1886 when it was accepted into the Prussian army .

Until the 16th century it was customary for the estates of the duchies to be divided among the dukes' sons entitled to inherit. As a result, the houses of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel, Dannenberg, Harburg and Lüneburg-Celle emerged from the Duchy of Braunschweig-Lüneburg .

overview

The Braunschweig military was involved in numerous armed conflicts. These include the Thirty Years War and the Cabinet Wars of the late 17th and 18th centuries. Relations with Prussia were traditionally close, at whose side 16,000 Braunschweig residents fought during the Seven Years' War , partly financed by English subsidy payments . The 5000 men of Brunswick soldiers who were deployed during the American War of Independence were directly employed by the British .

After Napoleon occupied the country in 1807 , the Principality of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel lost its independence and was integrated into the newly founded Kingdom of Westphalia . The army was disbanded, some of its members joined the Westphalian army and then fought alongside France in Spain from 1809 and in Russia in 1812.

Another part wanted to continue the fight against France and joined the field corps of Duke Friedrich Wilhelm, who was deposed by Napoleon, from 1808 onwards. The approximately 2,000 strong black crowd initially fought alongside Austria, but from 1809 onwards in English pay in Portugal and Spain. After the (re-) establishment of the Duchy of Braunschweig in 1813/14, the field corps became part of the regular new army, which was expanded to include numerous recruits. During Napoleon's Hundred Days of Rule in 1815, over 5,000 Braunschweig residents fought in the Battle of Quatre-Bras , the survivors fought two days later in the Battle of Waterloo .

During the Schleswig-Holstein uprising (1848–51), Braunschweig sent troops against Denmark as part of the German army , but remained neutral in the German-Danish War of 1864, like most of the German states.

Again on the side of Prussia, however, the Braunschweiger stood in the German War of 1866 and in the Franco-German War of 1870/71.

With the conclusion of the Brunswick-Prussian military convention in 1886, the history of the Brunswick troops ended as an independent army, which last numbered around 2,000 men. From then on, the Brunswickers served directly under Prussian command.

Before 1605: From the militia system to the standing army

For the Principality of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel, a new defense system was created under Duke Julius , according to which every single landlord had to be armed. The weapons were checked by the district court and the men were trained and militarily drilled on them by the duke's officers. The rifles came from the gun and rifle factory in Gittelde . The citizens' military training took place once a month and there was also an annual large drill. The individual teams were divided into companies according to flags.

In addition to this type of land militia, musketeers recruited in 1589 and a personal bodyguard, which consisted of several mounted companies, supplemented the troops of Duke Heinrich Julius . The supreme command lay with the Count of Hohenlohe .

1605 to 1617: Yellow Regiment and Red Regiment

The siege of the city of Braunschweig in 1615

The Duke led the first standing troops in the Principality of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel in 1606 to Wolfenbüttel , the then capital. These were the "Yellow Regiment" set up in 1605, made up of foot soldiers, and the "Red Regiment", made up of mounted troops. In 1605 Heinrich Julius besieged the city of Braunschweig from October 28th to January 9th 1606. The King of Denmark brokered an eight-week armistice. Since no agreement was reached, Emperor Rudolf II ordered a withdrawal of the troops on both sides. However, the City of Brunswick upgraded contrary to this directive to continue so that they by the emperor with the imperial ban was occupied.

From 1609 all subjects of the duchy were integrated into the existing defense system. The equipment of the conscripts consisted of the long spear , the musket and a harness . In addition, the owners of the free farms were obliged to provide mounts and armor. After Duke Heinrich Julius' death, his successor Duke Friedrich Ulrich deployed both regiments in 1615 to re- siege Braunschweig . This ended again through Danish mediation with a settlement in which the ostracism of the city was lifted and the city had to make a compensation payment and an hereditary homage to the duke, while the duke recognized the city's privileges.

1618 to 1648: Thirty Years War

In the Thirty Years' War, which had spread across Germany since 1618, Duke Friedrich Ulrich opted for neutrality. Nevertheless, he strengthened his troops between 1622 and 1623 and appointed his brother-in-law Otto to Braunschweig and Lüneburg as colonel. A part of these troops was combined in a district army of the Lower Saxony Reichskreis under the command of Duke Georg .

The district army under Duke Georg
company	Commander	Number of horses	company	Commander	Number of men
The Duke's entourage: 93 people, 46 sticks and 26 carriage and carriage horses
Leibgarde- Cürassiers	Lieutenant Colonel von Wettbergk	100	Life guard of Duke George	Capitain Belizar Ludwig von Wurmb	224
Cürassiers from Celle	Lieutenant Colonel Curdt Plate from Sleen	102	Men from Celle	Major Friedrich Merethig	217
Arquebus rider from Celle	Lieutenant Colonel Palatine Count Christian	102	Men from Celle	Captain Friedrich Feuerschütz	228
Arquebus rider from Celle	Captain Jansen von Petersdorf	102	Men from Celle	Capitain of Uffeln	207
-	-	-	Men from Celle	Captain Johann Nagel	218
Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttelsche Reiter	Wolff Eberhard von Warberg	150	Men from Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel	General Otto Plate von Helvessen	300
Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttelsche Reiter	Captain Friedrich von Bortfeldt	150	Men from Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel	Captain Friedrich Vitzthumb von Eckstedt	300
Halberstadt riders	Captain Christoff von Honichen	127	Men from Halberstadt	Capitain August Vitzthumb von Eckstedt	203
Mecklenburg riders	Rittmeister von Strahlendorf	140	Men from Halberstadt	Capitain Oswald Bodenteich	203
Mecklenburg riders	Captain Volrad Frein	140	Men from Lübeck	Captain Michel Wessel	211
Holstein riders	Rittmeister Dietrich von Ahlefeld	200	Men from Holstein	Capitain Jacob Seesteden	293
Holstein riders	Rittmeister von Hodenberg	93	Men from Holstein	Captain Bernhard Petersen	225
Total:		1406			2775

In 1624 Duke Friedrich Ulrich was appointed General of the Lower Saxony District Army, replacing Duke Georg, who had entered the emperor's service. In May 1625, the district council of Braunschweig decided to further expand the troop strength and Friedrich Ulrich also concluded a formal alliance with King Christian IV of Denmark in Lauenburg . The Duke was supposed to command the 24,000 strong contingent of the Braunschweigisch-Lüneburg lands, but this never came about in this strength due to the objection of Duke Christian from Celle.

Since the imperial army of the Catholic League with its military leader Johann von Tilly was advancing further, Duke Friedrich Ulrich's troops united with the Danes at Nienburg in June. This was soon besieged by Tilly, but King Christian managed to force him to retreat. Nevertheless, the situation became ominous, because General Wallenstein advanced on Göttingen and Tilly captured the Calenberg Fortress on October 24, 1625 .

In the winter of the year Friedrich Ulrich tried in vain to find a peace treaty in Braunschweig. Duke Christian von Halberstadt meanwhile organized the defense of the country in Wolfenbüttel. King Christian also withdrew there. In addition, the cities of Göttingen, Münden and Nordheim were reinforced by troops. When Christian von Halberstadt moved to Eichsfeld, he fell ill and was brought back to Wolfenbüttel, where he succumbed to fever on June 6, 1626.

After Tilly had conquered the three cities, Duke Friedrich Ulrich negotiated with him again, withdrew his troops from the Danish army in August and submitted to the emperor. After the defeat of King Christian, Wolfenbüttel remained in Danish hands under Count Solms until it was conquered by Friedrich Ulrich and General Gottfried Heinrich zu Pappenheim in 1627 by building the Schwedendamm .

Siege of Wolfenbüttel around 1627

Duke Friedrich Ulrich finally joined the alliance of Protestant princes in 1631 and signed an alliance treaty with King Gustav Adolf of Sweden in 1632 . For this he was supposed to set up a force of 1500 horsemen (12 companies with 125 horses) and five regiments of infantry soldiers (5200 men) according to the royal Swedish order. This included the “Yellow Regiment” (Colonel von Schönberg , from 1633 Dietrich von Ehlen, eight companies of foot soldiers) and the “Red Regiment” (Colonel Jobst Heinrich von Mützephal , 500 riders, eight companies of foot soldiers) and the “Blue Regiment “(Major General Tile Albrecht von Uslar , 1000 horsemen, twelve companies of foot soldiers).

In the meantime, Duke Georg had left the imperial army and entered the service of the Swedish king to help him drive the Catholic troops out of the principality's countries. At the end of the year he set up three regiments of cavalry and three infantry. Georg's regiments captured the cities of Göttingen and Duderstadt , and together with Friedrich Ulrich's units, they categorized Wolfenbüttel, initially expelled Wallenstein from Stade and finally forced him to withdraw from Niederhessen .

At the beginning of 1633, important localities such as Bielefeld, Herford, Lemgo and Vlotho were captured and the imperial troops were pushed back to the right bank of the Weser by the Swedish-German army. The troops from Wolfenbüttel were under General von Uslar near Polle, Holzminden and Höxter. Duke Friedrich Ulrich tried to continue the siege of Wolfenbüttel in order to bring the city back into his possession. Duke Georg succeeded in smashing the imperial troops of Count Gronsfeld and pushing him back to Minden. Thus he had the entire left bank of the Weser between the Haase and Bielefeld under his control.

Georg also besieged the city of Hameln with just under 10,000 men and without heavy artillery, which surrendered on July 13, 1633. He was supported in this by the troops of Colonel Mützephal, who had joined him on March 21, contrary to an instruction from Duke Friedrich Ulrich, according to which he was to supply Major General von Uslar near Höxter with weapons and provisions. Major General von Uslar now also came to Hameln and took the entire Wolfenbüttel troops under his command. After Hamelin was taken, Uslar was assigned to Hildesheim to recapture the property there. At the beginning of 1634 he had a total of 16 companies of riders and 44 companies of foot soldiers at his disposal for the siege of Hildesheim. The city commander finally capitulated on July 12, 1634.

After Duke Friedrich Ulrich's death in 1635 Duke August the Younger took over the Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel territories, which had now been redistributed among the princes. The siege of Wolfenbüttel continued.

In September 1641, the first negotiations for a peace between the Guelph dukes and Archduke Leopold began in Goslar, in which the dukes acceded to the peace of Prague and in return the imperial troops entered the fortified cities, especially the city of Wolfenbüttel, in the Principality of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel should vacate. When the Thirty Years' War finally ended, the dukes lost further parts of their former territory because they had greatly reduced their troops after this peace agreement.

1649 to 1670: Provision of auxiliary corps for various campaigns

Braunschweig, Wolfenbüttel map from 1654/1658

In 1649 Duke August was appointed colonel of the Lower Saxony district.
In 1652 the Swedish Queen Christina concluded a definitive alliance (Hildesheim Alliance) with the Brunswick dukes and the Landgraves of Hessen-Kassel . The dukes were obliged to maintain a corps of 2,000 horsemen and 4,000 foot soldiers at all times.
In 1654 the dukes made an alliance with the Elector of Brandenburg , in which they had another 300 horsemen and 1,200 foot soldiers set up. In total, Herzog August provided 2,100 men.
In 1657 Danish troops invaded Bremen and Verden , so that the Lower Saxon troops were armed to face them.
In 1663, Brunswick troops were sent to Hungary as an auxiliary corps.

On September 17, 1666, Duke Rudolph August took over the government after his father died. In 1667 he appointed his brother Anton Ulrich as governor . This increased the troops and took part with them in numerous armed conflicts. For example, the troops were concentrated in the area around Rethem an der Aller to defend Bremen . However, they were not used because there was a comparison between the counterparties.
From 1667 to 1669 troops from Wolfenbüttel were placed in Dutch and Spanish services and returned after the Peace of Aachen .
From 1669 to 1670 the troops were reinforced and armed again, as the submission of the still absent-minded city of Braunschweig was planned.

1671 to 1690: Fight against the French and the Turks

The city of Braunschweig and the city of Wolfenbüttel were the only two cities in the former Principality of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel with fortifications. After its siege and submission by the dukes, Braunschweig was elevated to a princely garrison in 1671 and the location of the princely army, the strength of which varied over the years. At that time there was one company of life guards on horseback and one on foot, as well as two companies of the cavalry regiment, the infantry regiments “von Stauffen”, “von Schönberg” and “von der Brüggen” and the artillery . The stationed units were always composed of several regiments. Even in times of peace there was always a certain contingent of Braunschweig soldiers under arms in the city.

When the French King Louis XIV marched his troops under Marshal Henri de Turenne as far as Alsace, the Brunswick troops, along with those from Brandenburg, Celle, Lüneburg and Wolfenbüttel, joined the imperial army in 1674 to oppose it and the Dutch in theirs War against the French ( Dutch War ) to stand aside. Initially it was planned to attack the French troops from the north and south. General Alexander de Bournonville led his troops across the Rhine near Strasbourg in order to unite with the army of Brandenburg Elector Friedrich Wilhelm and so attack Turenne with an army of around 55,000 men. However, he saw through the plan and got ahead of them. So it came on October 4, 1674 to the battle of Enzheim in the southwest of Strasbourg. Among the Allied troops there were also nine Brunswick infantry regiments under the leadership of Duke August von Holstein-Plön , with 28 guns, which were supposed to defend a forest area against the French dragoon and musketeer regiments of the Marquis Louis-François de Boufflers , but who lacked support had to retreat a mountain range there. In this battle, from which the French finally withdrew to Marlenheim , the Brunswick lost 28 officers, 100 NCOs and 674 commons. In January 1675 regiments from Braunschweig-Lüneburg, Münster and Brandenburg were used against Turenne in the battle of Türkheim .

In 1684 the troops went to fight the Turks and in 1688 in the course of the Palatinate War of Succession against the French King Louis XIV. In 1690 the Brunswick participated with two cavalry and ten infantry regiments in an auxiliary corps for Holland.

1756 to 1783: Seven Years' War and soldier trade

Infantrymen around 1761

In 1756 Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel joined Prussia in the Seven Years' War (1756 to 1763). Towards the end of the conflict, in 1762, the troop strength was 16,000 men. Funding was guaranteed by subsidy contracts with England. The situation changed after the peace agreement, when financial resources became scarcer and the army had to be reduced.

In February 1776, Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel provided England with a contingent of mercenaries in the American War of Independence . The contract was signed by William Fawcett, representing the English crown, and Feronce von Rotenkreutz , for Braunschweig. Duke Karl undertook to send a corps of 3,964 infantry and 336 light cavalry to this soldier trade. The cavalry was only equipped with horses after arriving in America. The entire troop consisted of five regiments and two battalions, the entire equipment was to be supplied from Braunschweig, whereby the Braunschweig craftsmen were supplied with additional orders in order to improve the economic situation in the duchy.

The supreme command of these troops was given to Friedrich Adolf von Riedesel , who was promoted to major general with his departure from Braunschweig. The dispatched troop contingent consisted of 176 officers , 389 NCOs , 102 drums, 3373 commoners and 261 servants in the following units:

Dragoon Regiment "Prince Ludwig Ernst"
Grenadier Battalion " Breymann "
Musketeer regiments: "Prince Friedrich", "von Rhetz", "von Riedesel" and "von Specht"
Light infantry battalion with "von Barner" hunter company

The troop embarked in Stade and traveled to Québec . Here she fought together with units from Hessen-Hanau and the English. Although Braunschweig was able to record 5¼ million thalers in income for sending these soldiers to support the American War of Independence (1775 to 1783), Duke Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand decided in 1783, after the return of the last Brunswick troops from America (2,174 of 5,124 men sent), to do so Reduce the strength of the army. Instead, he assembled an army of mercenaries .

1807 to 1813: era of the Kingdom of Westphalia

The statues and the obelisk on the Löwenwall commemorate the
dukes Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand and Friedrich Wilhelm von Braunschweig who died in the wars of freedom against Napoleon I.

When Prussia went to war against France in 1806, Braunschweig had decided to be neutral in order to be spared by Napoleon , which Napoleon refused. The Principality of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel was occupied by its troops, dissolved and placed under the Kingdom of Westphalia. The Brunswick army was also dissolved.

1814 to 1866: Reorganization of the Ducal Braunschweig military

Hussar, 1809

Life battalion, around 1843

In 1809, Duke Friedrich Wilhelm put together his own troop in Bohemia, which was known as the " black crowd ". From 1813 this formed the new basis for the Brunswick military. Subordinated to the command of the British Prince Regent George IV , she fought in Spain and Belgium. After Napoleon was finally defeated in the Battle of Waterloo , the new Duchy of Braunschweig was established . The troops returned to Braunschweig with more than 7,000 men without the Duke. He was killed in the battle of Quatre-Bras on June 16, 1815. The patriotic monument in the form of an obelisk on Brunswick's Lion Wall commemorates the fallen of the Napoleonic Wars .

At the beginning of the 19th century, shooting ranges were set up at the quarry at Nussberg for the training of the soldiers of the garrison. These were used until 1919. In honor of Major General Johann Elias Olfermann (1776-1822), who commanded the Braunschweig troops after the Duke's death and led them in the Battle of Quatre-Bras, a memorial column was erected in 1832 not far from the shooting range.

In Braunschweig the conscription system prevailed, which equated to a general conscription for all male residents between the ages of 20 and 25. An ordinance stipulated that everyone had to be ready for military use. In some cases, however, only one in five was actually called up for service. The selection was made through a draw, so that it was possible to avoid military service by selling the lottery ticket to other conscripts or by sending a deputy. Men who were mentally or physically handicapped or unworthy of the service could not be obliged. There was an exception for members of the manor house or noble families. Large landowners, traders and office holders could also apply for exemption.

In 1816 the Military Administration Commission was created, which was responsible for the military administration. From 1826 these tasks were taken over by the Ducal War College. He was responsible for the safekeeping of the war chest, the administration of the barracks, food and supplies as well as the armory and the military hospital. In terms of hierarchy, the respective duke was the commander-in-chief of the Brunswick military, the commandant of the active corps was subordinate to him; from 1848 this was the brigade commander (with the rank of major general). The garrison service was organized by the Braunschweig city commanders, who had the rank of lieutenant general.

Brunswick city commanders
Period	Rank	Surname
1813 to 1821	Lieutenant General	Johann Heinrich Carl von Bernewitz
1821 to 1830	Lieutenant General	Johann Carl Moll
1830 to 1835	Lieutenant General	Friedrich August von Herzberg
1835 to 1847	Lieutenant General	* Ernst von Schrader
1847 to 1851	Major general	Heinrich August Christian von Brandenstein
1851 to 1855	Lieutenant General	Johann Heinrich Ernst Gustav von Normann
1855 to 1867	Lieutenant General	Alexander Leopold von Erichsen

Since Karl , the eldest son of the late Duke, was still a minor, the supreme command lay with George IV, who had delegated this to the Privy Council's College. This decided to drastically reduce the number of troops, so that the Brunswick military nominally still consisted of around 1,800 men, but the actual number of soldiers in the four infantry battalions was only 160 men each. Some of the hussars were also used for other services, for example as police hussars or distributed to other cities in the duchy. In 1821, the German Confederation passed a Federal War Constitution, which obliged the Duchy of Braunschweig to send one percent of its population to the joint contingent of the federal troops. In addition to the foot troops, these should also include a share of riders and two guns per 1000 men. The Brunswick and Royal Hanoverian troops together formed the 1st Division of the Xth Federal Army Corps. Since it was allowed to take leave of the troops in times of peace, the strength of the Brunswick troops at the beginning of the 1820s was around 520 men.

When Duke Charles II took over the affairs of state, he ensured an increase in troops. Among other things, he had a new hunter battalion set up, which later became the body battalion, and increased the personnel of the infantry regiments to more than 2500 men. In addition, in 1825 he had a cavalry division of 300 men at his disposal, since he had the police hussar division expanded into a guard hussar regiment. There were also around 150 artillerymen. But already in 1830 after the fall of Karl there was another reduction by his brother Wilhelm .

On July 15, 1848, the German Confederation set new regulations for the contingents to be deployed and raised the scale to 2% of the population. As a result, Braunschweig had to keep around 5000 men available. This troop strength was achieved by including the Landwehr, so that the regular strength was now almost 2,700 men. During the Schleswig-Holstein uprising (1848–51), Braunschweig provided troops as part of the German army against Denmark.

In the years 1849 to 1854 the troops of the Duchy of Braunschweig were subordinated to the 7th Prussian Division in Magdeburg as a "brigade" as part of a military convention with the Kingdom of Prussia . In addition, the conditions for compulsory military service changed, a substitute was no longer permitted and the one-year volunteers were added. The previously different calibers and dimensions were also standardized based on the Prussian service regulations. A leave of absence for soldiers was now possible for the first time after a period of service of two years and the training was improved. This regulation ended on September 16, 1854, as there had been massive opposition from both Austria and Hanover. Braunschweig thus regained its military independence and the new regulations were also withdrawn.

Around 1854, Queen Victoria of England had a troop of German, Swiss and Italian mercenaries set up. Among these were around 180 Braunschweig soldiers who served under General Baron von Stutterheim in the “British-German Legion” and were supposed to go into the Crimean War against the Russian Empire . In March 1856, however, this ended with the peace treaty of Paris , which meant that the mercenaries were not used there. Since they had been recruited with long-term contracts, they were not released, but instead shipped to the British Cape Colony . Here they were used as "military settlers" ( fortified farmers ) in the province of Kaffraria against rebellious native tribes. This company was led by Baron von Stutterheim (1815–1871). The names of the places Stutterheim and Braunschweig are reminiscent of these Braunschweig legionnaires.

Although in the meantime closely connected with Prussia, Braunschweig remained neutral during the German-Danish War of 1864 and instead, like many other German federal states, expressed concerns about the warlike approach of Prussia and Austria.

In the German War of 1866, Braunschweig was again Prussia's ally and joined the North German Confederation on August 18, 1866, even before it was over . Thereupon the office of city commandant was canceled.

Situation around 1858
Monthly salary	Additional services	Accommodation	Rank (example)	comment
around 2 talers	Free food, clothing and accommodation as well as two towels, four sheets and two blankets	Crew bedroom, double bed	Team service commoners	The majority of the garrison troops consisted of ordinary soldiers and private. The wages were far below the monthly wages of unskilled workers, who received an average of just over 10 thalers. When fully occupied, each soldier only had his own living and sleeping area of just under 2 m².
10 thaler 6 silver groschen + 1 thaler accommodation allowance for married couples	Marriage permit, free food and clothing, as well as acceptance into the public service after the end of the service period.	Unmarried people in small groups in non-commissioned officers' rooms in a single bed inside, married people in their own apartments outside the barracks	Sergeant Sergeant	The pay of a sergeant roughly equaled that of unskilled workers. A sergeant or corporal didn't make quite that much.
31 thalers + additional payments	Marriage permit from the age of 25, accommodation allowance, payments for rations, servants and service costs, claims for the surviving dependents from the fund of the widows and orphans pension fund	Own apartment or company apartment	Officer Premier Lieutenant	Officers were mostly members of the nobility or the bourgeois upper class. In Braunschweig there were mostly subordinate officers and a few staff officers . Officers had to procure their uniforms themselves, raise part of their pay for the maintenance of the apartment and pay an amount into the pension fund.

1867 to 1886: The end of the Duke Braunschweig Army

The Duchy of Braunschweig lost more and more of its military independence. The troops were initially under the command of the North German Confederation. The troop units were then renamed "Herzoglich Braunschweigisches Infanterieregiment No. 92 ", "Herzoglich Braunschweigisches Hussarenregiment No. 17 " and 6th Herzoglich Braunschweigische Batterie (incorporated into the Hanoverian Field Artillery Regiment No. 10). The Prussian military laws and general conscription were introduced and the troops equipped with new weapons, such as the " Zündnadelgewehr 62". These now came directly from Prussia and not from Braunschweig production as before.

With the mobilization in July 1870, the Brunswick troops marched to Bingerbrück to take part in the Franco-German War. They were part of the Second Army and were involved in the battles for Mars-la-Tour , Saarbrücken and Spichern , Metz and St. Privat . After the end of the war, the infantry regiment remained as an occupying force in Alsace-Lorraine and did not return to Braunschweig until 1886. The resulting gap was closed by the 4th Magdeburg Infantry Regiment No. 67. From 1871 the troops were under the command of the German Empire .

Since 1866 Prussia had endeavored to conclude a military convention with other German states , which resulted in the integration of these armed forces into the Prussian army . Such agreements were reached with almost all countries between 1867 and 1873. Duke Wilhelm, who was critical of Prussia and especially of Bismarck , attached great importance to military independence and refused to conclude such a convention until his death in 1884.

Not until 9/18 In March 1886, the Brunswick regent Albrecht of Prussia concluded a military convention with Prussia; Major General Robert von Wachholtz conducted the negotiations for Braunschweig . The convention was signed by the Brunswick State Minister Hermann von Görtz-Wrisberg , and on the Prussian side by the military Heinrich von Goßler and Carl von Hänisch .

The Braunschweig troops now became part of the Prussian army and continued to be called "Braunschweigisch", but no longer "ducal". The black uniforms were exchanged for blue Prussian ones for infantry and artillery until 1892; the hussars kept their black uniform. "Braunschweigisch" were now the Braunschweig Infantry Regiment No. 92, the Braunschweigische Hussar Regiment No. 17 as well as a battery of the Field Artillery Regiment No. 10. These troops finally went into the First World War under Prussian orders . After the German defeat in 1918 and the armaments restrictions laid down in the Treaty of Versailles , the Braunschweig formations were disbanded in 1919.

History of the Braunschweig troops after 1918

Braunschweig Infantry Regiment No. 92

Braunschweig Infantry Regiment No. 92 , field gray uniform, around 1914

The remnants of the Braunschweig Infantry Regiment No. 92 returned to the garrison in Braunschweig after the end of the war , where demobilization took place on December 3, 1918 . In January 1919, the Lower Saxony Volunteer Jäger Corps was formed from parts with an MG company, which was expanded to the Braunschweig Jäger Regiment on April 17, 1919. This went in June 1919 as III. Battalion in the Reichswehr Infantry Regiment 20 of the Provisional Reichswehr.

The tradition in the Reichswehr was adopted by the 1st and 4th companies of the 17th Infantry Regiment by decree of the Chief of Army Command, General der Infanterie Hans von Seeckt , on August 24, 1921 .

Brunswick Hussar Regiment No. 17

As advance command, the regimental staff arrived in Braunschweig on November 21, 1918 after the armistice . The rest of the troops reached their old garrison on December 5, 1918. On January 30, 1919, a volunteer squadron was set up from members of the regiment to ensure peace and order during the unrest in Bremen , Wilhelmshaven and Emden . This volunteer squadron was later transferred to the Reichswehr Cavalry Regiment 10 of the Provisional Reichswehr .

The tradition of the regiment was taken over in the Reichswehr by the 4th Squadron of the 13th (Prussian) Cavalry Regiment in Lüneburg.

Uniforms

Brunswick Hussars of Regiment No. 17 with their barracks, "old" Waterloo barracks and "new" Mars-la-Tour barracks

Parade helmet Johann Johann Albrechts von Mecklenburg

The military clothing of all units has followed the Prussian pattern since the 18th century. A first emergence of “national” peculiarities can be observed in 1809 with the formation of the black crowd: The black, hussar-tied polkirt (infantry, foot artillery) or the black dolman (hussars, mounted field artillery) became “typically Brunswick”.

From 1823 the uniforms resembled those of the Prussian army: blue collets or skirts, plus collar and sleeve braids for NCOs and epaulettes for officers. The body battalion, however, returned to the black pole skirts in 1830. Infantry followed this example in 1848, and artillery and cavalry in 1850.

Another characteristic feature was the high shako carried by infantry and artillery with the eight-pointed silver star of the house order (on it a St. John's cross with a jumping saxony horse in the center). The body and fusilier battalion instead had a skull over crossbones, as did the hussars on their fur hats. The aforementioned troops wore a bandeau with the inscription "PENINSULA" (in memory of the campaign in Spain 1810-13, against Napoleon) on their headgear; in the case of Landwehr formations of the line instead the Landwehr cross below the star, in the case of the body battalion the Landwehr cross on the bandeau, below the skull. From 1839 and until 1866 at the latest, the artillery wore a leather helmet with a black caterpillar, then a cap according to the Austrian pattern, from 1872 to 1886 the shako with special insignia: on the caterpillar helmet a crowned oval with a ruler monogram, on the shako the star over two crossed cannon barrels of the house order with applied ruler's monogram "W".

Between 1851 and 1867, the Brunswick officers wore badges of rank (collar stars, staff officers and generals in addition to braids on collars and cuffs) based on the Austrian model, followed by a return to the Prussian pattern; however, the borders (the collar now without stars) have been retained. The Duke, as Commander in Chief, was the only one to wear the uniform of a general (3 collar stars); the next higher ranks were lieutenant general (as Braunschweig city commander, 2 collar stars) and major general (as commander of the field corps, 1 collar star).

The marking of the teams and NCOs was regulated differently. The non-commissioned officers could be recognized by the braid angles according to the English pattern (silver for infantry - tip down, gold for artillery and cavalry - with the latter tip up).

Teams:

Private - approx. 1 cm wide white and blue border across the lower end of the shoulder flap
Corporal - braid twice as wide
Bombardier (until 1867) - 1 golden braid (artillery only)

NCOs:

Corporal - 2 braids
Sergeant - 3 braids, with a wool sash similar to that of the officers, with a blue central stripe
Sergeant / Sergeant - 4 Tressenwinkel, sash (did not carry a rifle)
Sergeant major - 4 corners, above a crown, sash (did not carry a rifle)

After the military convention with Prussia was concluded in 1886, the officers put on Prussian uniforms that same year. Crews and NCOs wore their polkirt and dolman until 1892, with the change to the Prussian uniform, the previous insignia became obsolete. The shako had been "trimmed" since 1872 (like the Prussian hunters). For Polrock also was spiked helmet usual, with House Order Star (at the 3rd (life annuities) battalion since 1889 with applied skull) on the golden eagle.

literature

Otto Elster : The history of the standing troops in the Duchy of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel. 2 volumes. Heinsius, Leipzig 1899 (Volume 1 tu-bs.de ) and 1901 (Volume 2 tu-bs.de ). (Reprint: Volume 2: From 1714–1806. LTR-Verlag, Bad Honnef 1982, ISBN 3-88706-126-8 .)
Wilhelm Hartwieg: 1809–1959: History of the Brunswick troops from the founding of the "Black Group" to the end of the First World War. Published on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Braunschweig troops. Inf.-Regt. No. 92, Braunschw. Hus.-Regt. No. 17, 2. (Braunschw.) Feldart.-Regt No. 46, Braunschweig 1959, OCLC 83098101 .
Georg Ortenburg: Brunswick military. Elm Verlag, Cremlingen 1987, ISBN 3-9800219-6-3 .
Ernst Orth: History of the Braunschweigische Batterie in the years 1809 and 1813-1913. Julius Zwißlers Verlag, Wolfenbüttel 1913.
J. Freiherr von Reitzenstein : Guns and artillery in the states of Braunschweig and Hanover 1365–1900. 3 parts. Moritz Kuhl, Leipzig 1896–1900.
- First part: From the first use of a powder gun in Germany in 1365 by Duke Albrecht II of Braunschweig-Grubenhagen in the defense of his Salzderhelden Castle to the establishment of the first standing troops by Duke Georg von Braunschweig-Lünegburg in 1631. Leipzig 1896.
- Second part: From the establishment of the first standing troops by Duke Georg von Braunschweig-Lünegburg in 1631 to the occupation of Hanover by the French in 1803. Leipzig 1897.
- Third part: From the occupation of Hanover by the French in 1803 to the beginning of the twentieth century. Leipzig 1900.
Christof Römer: 500 years of war and peace. Braunschweig military history from the feud age to the end of absolutism. In: Publications of the Braunschweigisches Landesmuseum. 33. Braunschweig 1982, OCLC 22359493 .

Individual evidence

^ Friedrich Wilhelm Rüstow: (The) German-Danish War 1864 described politically and militarily . Friedrich Schulthess, Zurich 1864, p. 73-74 ( Textarchiv - Internet Archive ).
↑ Otto Elster: The history of the standing troops in the Duchy of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel. Volume 1: from 1600-1714. Pp. 3-6.
↑ Otto Elster: The history of the standing troops in the Duchy of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel. Volume 1: from 1600-1714. Pp. 6-9.
↑ Total according to the list Otto Elster: The history of the standing troops in the Duchy of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel. Volume 1: from 1600-1714. P. 15 ( publikationsserver.tu-braunschweig.de ).
↑ Otto Elster: The history of the standing troops in the Duchy of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel. Volume 1: from 1600-1714. Pp. 9-26.
↑ Otto Elster: The history of the standing troops in the Duchy of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel. Volume 1: from 1600-1714. Pp. 27-37.
↑ Otto Elster: The history of the standing troops in the Duchy of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel. Volume 1: from 1600-1714. Pp. 54-68.
↑ Otto Elster: The history of the standing troops in the Duchy of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel. Volume 1: from 1600-1714. Pp. 75-76.
↑ Otto Elster: The history of the standing troops in the Duchy of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel. Volume 1: from 1600-1714. Pp. 105-111.
↑ Otto Elster: The history of the standing troops in the Duchy of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel. Volume 1: from 1600-1714. Pp. 134-139 and p. 150.
↑ ^a ^b The Brunswick military in the 17th and 18th centuries ( Memento from February 28, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
↑ Daniel Wesselhöft: The Brunswick military until 1806. In: The relationship between the city and the garrison Braunschweig 1815-1866. ( Memento of June 21, 2007 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on October 22, 2013. (PDF).
↑ Location of the shooting ranges on Nussberg (until 1919) on braunschweig.de, accessed on November 3, 2013.
↑ ^a ^b ^c Daniel Wesselhöft: The history of the Brunswick military after 1815. In: The relationship between the city and the garrison Braunschweig 1815-1866. ( Memento of June 21, 2007 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on October 22, 2013. (PDF).
^ The history of the Braunschweig garrison. ( Memento from September 28, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
^ Johann Carl Moll in the catalog of the German National Library , accessed on October 22, 2013.
^ Heinrich August Christian von Brandenstein in the catalog of the German National Library , accessed on October 22, 2013.
^ Johann Heinrich Ernst Gustav Normann in the catalog of the German National Library , accessed on October 22, 2013.
^ German legionnaires 1856: "Kaffernpuffer" at the Kaffraria Eastern Cape. ( Memento of October 29, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) on golf-dornseif.de, accessed on October 25, 2013 (PDF; 6.6 MB).
^ Bernhard Kiekenap : Karl and Wilhelm. The sons of the Black Duke. Volume III. Appelhans Verlag, Braunschweig 2004, ISBN 3-937664-07-6 , pp. 62-71 and 332 f. (There also excerpts from the military convention).
^ The Brunswick troops during the time of the North German Confederation 1867–1871 and the German Empire 1871–1918 ( Memento from July 23, 2007 in the Internet Archive )

[1] Friedrich Wilhelm Rüstow: (The) German-Danish War 1864 described politically and militarily . Friedrich Schulthess, Zurich 1864, p. 73-74 ( Textarchiv - Internet Archive ).

[2] Otto Elster: The history of the standing troops in the Duchy of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel. Volume 1: from 1600-1714. Pp. 3-6.

[3] Otto Elster: The history of the standing troops in the Duchy of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel. Volume 1: from 1600-1714. Pp. 6-9.

[4] Total according to the list Otto Elster: The history of the standing troops in the Duchy of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel. Volume 1: from 1600-1714. P. 15 ( publikationsserver.tu-braunschweig.de ).

[5] Otto Elster: The history of the standing troops in the Duchy of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel. Volume 1: from 1600-1714. Pp. 9-26.

[6] Otto Elster: The history of the standing troops in the Duchy of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel. Volume 1: from 1600-1714. Pp. 27-37.

[7] Otto Elster: The history of the standing troops in the Duchy of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel. Volume 1: from 1600-1714. Pp. 54-68.

[8] Otto Elster: The history of the standing troops in the Duchy of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel. Volume 1: from 1600-1714. Pp. 75-76.

[9] Otto Elster: The history of the standing troops in the Duchy of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel. Volume 1: from 1600-1714. Pp. 105-111.

[10] Otto Elster: The history of the standing troops in the Duchy of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel. Volume 1: from 1600-1714. Pp. 134-139 and p. 150.

[17./18.-11] The Brunswick military in the 17th and 18th centuries ( Memento from February 28, 2008 in the Internet Archive )

[12] Daniel Wesselhöft: The Brunswick military until 1806. In: The relationship between the city and the garrison Braunschweig 1815-1866. ( Memento of June 21, 2007 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on October 22, 2013. (PDF).

[13] Location of the shooting ranges on Nussberg (until 1919) on braunschweig.de, accessed on November 3, 2013.

[ab_1815-14] Daniel Wesselhöft: The history of the Brunswick military after 1815. In: The relationship between the city and the garrison Braunschweig 1815-1866. ( Memento of June 21, 2007 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on October 22, 2013. (PDF).

[15] The history of the Braunschweig garrison. ( Memento from September 28, 2007 in the Internet Archive )

[16] Johann Carl Moll in the catalog of the German National Library , accessed on October 22, 2013.

[17] Heinrich August Christian von Brandenstein in the catalog of the German National Library , accessed on October 22, 2013.

[18] Johann Heinrich Ernst Gustav Normann in the catalog of the German National Library , accessed on October 22, 2013.

[19] German legionnaires 1856: "Kaffernpuffer" at the Kaffraria Eastern Cape. ( Memento of October 29, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) on golf-dornseif.de, accessed on October 25, 2013 (PDF; 6.6 MB).

[20] Bernhard Kiekenap : Karl and Wilhelm. The sons of the Black Duke. Volume III. Appelhans Verlag, Braunschweig 2004, ISBN 3-937664-07-6 , pp. 62-71 and 332 f. (There also excerpts from the military convention).

[21] The Brunswick troops during the time of the North German Confederation 1867–1871 and the German Empire 1871–1918 ( Memento from July 23, 2007 in the Internet Archive )