Federal Army (German Confederation)

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The German army was from 1815 to 1866, the armed forces of the German Bundestag to defend against external enemies - primarily France , from which in the past several occupation war against the Holy Roman Empire had run out, but also Russia and its expansion endeavor during the Panslawismus . Cases of conflicts between the allies, as they later occurred in the German-Danish War (the Duke of Holstein was also King of Denmark ), were not taken into account and settled. The German war provoked by Prussia for supremacy in the German Confederation against Austria and its allies led in 1866 to the defeat of the federal army and thus to its end.

Lineup

The strength of the active army was to total 303,484 men in 1835, the individual states provided the following troops:

States Troops total Hunter infantry cavalry artillery Pioneers Guns
Austria I., II., III. Army Corps 94,826 3,675 69,826 13,546 6,827 948 192
Prussia IV., V., VI. Army Corps 79,234 3,071 58,347 11,319 5,705 792 160
Bavaria VII Army Corps 35,600 1,380 26,215 05,068 2,563 356 072
Württemberg VIII Army Corps (parts) 13,955 10,826 01.994 1,145 018th
to bathe VIII Army Corps (parts) 10,000 07,751 01,429 0820 020th
Hessen-Darmstadt VIII Army Corps (parts) 06,195 04,820 00885 0508 012
Saxony IX. Army Corps (parts) 31,679 1,168 23,369 04,308 2,473 301 060
Kurhessen IX. Army Corps (parts) 05,679 04,402 00812 0466 010
Nassau IX. Army Corps (parts) 04,039 03,721 0318 008th
Luxembourg Occupation of Luxembourg Fortress 02,556 01,981 00365 0210 004th
Hanover X Army Corps (parts) 13,054 10.118 01,865 1,071 217 026th
Holstein - Lauenburg X Army Corps (parts) 03,600 1 battalion 02,791 00514 0295 1 company 006th
Braunschweig X Army Corps (parts) 02,096 01,625 00299 0172 004th
Mecklenburg-Schwerin X Army Corps (parts) 03,580 02,775 00511 0294 006th
Mecklenb.-Strelitz X Army Corps (parts) 00718 00588 00071 0059
Oldenburg X Army Corps (parts) 02,800 02,621 0179 004th
Lübeck , Bremen , Hamburg X Army Corps (parts) 02,190 01,699 00312 0179 004th
Saxony-Altenburg 1st Btl. Of the reserve division 00982 00982
Saxe-Coburg-Gotha 2nd Btl. Of the reserve division 01,366 01,366
Saxony-Meiningen 3rd Btl. Of the reserve division 01,150 01,150
Saxe-Weimar 4th + 5th bags of the reserve division 02.010 0300 01,710
Anhalt-Dessau 6. + 7. Btl. D. Reserve div. (Parts) 00529 00529
Anhalt-Koethen 6. + 7. Btl. D. Reserve div. (Parts) 00325 00325
Anhalt-Bernburg 6. + 7. Btl. D. Reserve div. (Parts) 00370 00370
Hessen-Homburg 6. + 7. Btl. D. Reserve div. (Parts) 00200 0200
Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt 10. Btl. D. Reserve div. (Parts) 00539 00539
Schwarzburg-Sondershausen 10. Btl. D. Reserve div. (Parts) 00351 00351
Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen 11. Btl. D. Reserve division
(2 companies)		 00356 00356
Hohenzollern-Hechingen 11. Btl. D. Reserve division
(1 company)		 00155 00155
Liechtenstein 11. Btl. D. Reserve division (1 platoon) 00055 00055
Reuss Ä. Line 12. Btl. D. Reserve div. (Parts) 00223 00223
Reuss j. line 12. Btl. D. Reserve div. (Parts) 00522 00522
Free City of Frankfurt Staff guard, General Command 00400 00400

The troops of the duchies of Holstein and Lauenburg were integrated into the Danish army until 1864 , as the King of Denmark was also duke of the two countries. Denmark itself, however, was not a member of the German Confederation and did not provide any troops itself. In the event of an alliance, therefore, only the contingents from Holstein and Lauenburg could be mobilized.

At least for parts of the pioneers and the train of the X. Federal Corps, Copenhagen is mentioned as a place of reviews and inspections, which suggests that these troops were stationed in the city.

  • Guard du Corps
    Kingdom of Hanover 1835

  • Austro-Hungarian hussars

  • Baden Dragoons

  • Oldenburg Infantry

  • Hessian Guard Infantry

  • Kgl. Hanoverian artillery

  • Saxon Guard Infantry

  • Nassau pioneers

  • Lippe-Detmold fusiliers

  • Hessian Chevauxlegers

  • Infantryman of the city of Frankfurt with black, red and gold cockade

  • Prussian cuirassiers

The minimum contingents of the 18 small and micro states were withdrawn from the army corps to which they had been assigned in 1830, as their unequal training and armament made them a tactical burden. They were combined to form a reserve division with the task of strengthening the federal fortresses in the event of a conflict. The free city of Frankfurt always provided its contingent, the strength of an infantry battalion, to protect the army headquarters . The federal fortress of Mainz was entrusted to the Electorate of Hesse alone .

Tasks, missions and combat operations

Due to the relatively peaceful era of the Biedermeier period , the armed forces were spared a major test for a long time. Without the strong support of the two major military powers, Prussia and Austria, it would probably not have come about. The troops of the small and medium-sized states were not strong enough on their own to fend off an external threat. The tasks that had been set within the empire could be fulfilled, such as the federal execution against the Duchy of Braunschweig in 1829 and against the Free City of Frankfurt in 1834. However, no troop deployments were necessary here, as the threat alone was enough.

Prussian artillery near Langensalza 1866

The aid measures for members who got into distress due to unrest or revolutions were also successful in the federal interventions . In 1830 the armed forces intervened in Luxembourg, 1833 in Frankfurt, 1848/49 in the Rhine Palatinate and in the Baden Revolution and in 1850 and 1852 in Kurhessen . In all cases, police measures (at that time so-called) restored peace and order, and not only the two major German powers were involved. B. Grand Ducal Hessian troops moved into Baden.

The first major military operation took place on the occasion of the Federal War against Denmark in the years 1848–1850 / 1851. The approximately 9,000 Schleswig-Holstein soldiers were supported by around 14,000 Prussians, 11,000 Hanoverians, Oldenburgers, Mecklenburgers, Braunschweigers and other contingents.

On June 14, 1848, the National Assembly in Frankfurt am Main founded an imperial fleet . In the short period of 1848/1849 it was possible to buy and convert a small number of ships. In the war against Denmark, however, the imperial fleet was hardly used at all. After the suppression of the German Revolution, the Reichsflotte was transferred to the restored German Confederation by way of the Federal Central Commission . There were plans to continue and expand the fleet as a federal fleet, but ultimately neither the German federal government nor a member state wanted to bear the costs. In addition to the question of costs, the reason for this was the end of the war between Germany and Denmark: A German fleet was no longer needed immediately. In 1852/1853 Federal Commissioner Laurenz Hannibal Fischer sold the ships.

Due to the still unresolved Schleswig-Holstein question and the constitutional conflict triggered by the Danish side, federal troops moved into Holstein in 1863 with one brigade each from Austria, Prussia, Saxony and Hanover

In the subsequent German-Danish War, Denmark suffered a defeat in 1864 and had to cede the Duchy of Schleswig to Prussia and the Duchy of Holstein to Austria. Disputes over the future of these areas and ultimately over the supremacy in the German Confederation ultimately led to the German War of 1866, before which Austria applied for federal execution against Prussia . Prussia unilaterally declared the German Confederation dissolved and defeated the allied federal troops. The Austrians were defeated in the Battle of Königgrätz . The Hanoverians defeated the Prussians and Saxe-Coburgs first at Langensalza on June 27, 1866, but had to stop the fight two days later due to high losses and supply difficulties. Constant disputes about the correct tactics were also the reason why the association of southern German troops (Baden, Bavaria, Württemberg, Hessen-Darmstadt, Nassauer and Austrians) remained paralyzed in its actions and could be defeated by Prussia without great difficulty. (The Kurhessische army had because of Prussia friendly attitude of the electors already mobilized only reluctantly. She presented the main contingent of the fortress garrison of Mainz and was involved in almost no fighting.) Thanks to its superior mobility, training, arming, and not least motivation kept the Prussians the upper hand in this war.

Conclusion

In summary, it can be stated that the Federal Army has not passed its first real test. The defeat in the war of 1866 was foreseeable, as the federal troops were sometimes reluctant to mobilize and fight with all their might . Also, the training and supply of the troops was not as good as it should have been in order to successfully stand up to the highly motivated Prussians and their allies. The failure of the idea of ​​the armed forces also contributed to the fact that many of the princes in the small states were not ready to really support the idea for reasons of cost.

Annual financial obligations of the members of the armed forces

The federal government set the federal register in 1818 based on the population of its members. Apart from adjustments due to several territorial changes of the states, it remained in force regardless of the development of their population figures until the dissolution of the federal government in 1866.

States Area [km²] Residents Bundesmatrikularkasse
(share [%]) 		Federal matriculation fund
(absolute in guilders )
Austrian Empire 197,573 10,086,900 0 31.44 0 9.432
Kingdom of Prussia 185.496 09,957,000 0 26.52 0 7,956
Kingdom of Bavaria 076,258 04,120,000 0 11.8 0 3,540
Kingdom of Württemberg 019,504 01,547,400 0 4.63 0 1,389
Kingdom of Saxony 014,993 01,480,000 0 3.98 0 1,194
Kingdom of Hanover 038,452 01,549,000 0 4.33 0 1,299
Grand Duchy of Baden 015,269 01,175,000 0 3.31 0 993
Grand Duchy of Hessen-Darmstadt 007,680 00720,000 0 2.05 0 615
Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin 013,304 00455,000 0 1.19 0 357
Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz 002,929 00085,000 0 0.24 0 72
Grand Duchy of Oldenburg 006,420 00250,000 0 0.73 0 219
Grand Duchy of Saxony-Weimar 003,593 00233.814 0 0.67 0 201
Grand Duchy of Luxembourg 002,586 00259,500 0 0.40 0 120
Electorate of Hesse 009,581 00629,000 0 1.88 0 564
Duchy of Anhalt-Dessau 000840 00057,629 0 0.19 0 57
Duchy of Anhalt-Koethen 000727 00036,000 0 0.10 0 30th
Duchy of Anhalt-Bernburg 000780 00043,325 0 0.12 0 36
Duchy of Brunswick 003,690 00245.783 0 0.69 0 20th
Duchy of Holstein and Duchy of Saxony-Lauenburg 009,580 00450,000 0 0.12 0 35
Duchy of Nassau 004,700 00360,000 0 1.00 0 300
Duchy of Saxony-Altenburg 001,287 00114.048 0 0.33 0 99
Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha 002,688 00156,639 0 0.37 0 111
Duchy of Saxony-Hildburghausen 000000 00000000 00 0 0
Duchy of Saxony-Meiningen 002,293 00136,000 0 0.38 0 114
Principality of Hohenzollern-Hechingen 000236 00017,000 0 0.05 0 15th
Duchy of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen 000906 00042,341 0 1.40 0 420
Principality of Lippe-Detmold 001,133 00077,500 0 0.23 0 69
Principality of Lippe-Schaumburg 000536 00023,128 0 0.07 0 21st
Principality of Liechtenstein 000159 00005,800 0 0.02 0 6th
Principality of Reuss older line 000316 00024,500 0 0.07 0 21st
Principality of Reuss younger line 000826 00059,000 0 0.17 0 51
Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt 000940 00060,000 0 0.18 0 54
Principality of Waldeck 001,121 00056,000 0 0.17 0 51
Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen 000862 00051,767 0 0.15 0 45
Landgraviate of Hessen-Homburg 000275 00023,000 0 0.07 0 21st
Free City of Lübeck 000298 00045,600 0 0.13 0 39
Free City of Hamburg 000410 00154,000 0 0.43 0 129
Free City of Bremen 000256 00052,000 0 0.16 0 48
Free City of Frankfurt 000101 00054,000 0 0.16 0 48
Remarks
  1. ^ The federal matriculation fund was the federal war fund. The percentages and amounts of the individual countries to be paid in annually are stated.
  2. ↑ without Hungary, Transylvania , Galicia , Dalmatia , Slavonia , Illyria and the northern Italian regions, but with Trieste .
  3. ↑ a b c d federal share
  4. ↑ without East Prussia , West Prussia and Posen .
  5. ↑ In 1825 Saxe-Gotha fell by inheritance to Saxe-Coburg and was united with it to form Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.
  6. ↑ In 1826 Sachsen-Hildburghausen is dissolved and divided between Sachsen-Coburg and Gotha and Sachsen-Meiningen.

The military constitution

The preliminary discussions on a military constitution that began in 1818 were successfully concluded with the resolution of the Federal Assembly on April 9, 1821 on general floor plans . They contained 24 articles and were to remain valid until 1866.
The main articles were:

  • The participation of all states in the armed forces with contingents according to a previously determined matriculation
  • The formation of the contingents already in peace
  • Constant readiness for action and the availability of trained reserves
  • The appointment of the commanders of the troops by the contingent lords - in the case of mixed units by agreement
  • Independent military jurisdiction of the member countries
  • The supreme command for the federal general only in the event of war - this is appointed separately for each war and is responsible to the Federal Assembly
  • In all measures, even the appearance of one state dominating the other must be avoided.

At the same time, on April 12, 1821 , the Senate Council laid down the more detailed provisions in 94 paragraphs. Here is the breakdown of the army, the strength of were weapons classes , armaments, as well as mobilization and training committed. The federal fortresses were dealt with in a supplementary resolution of July 11, 1822 . Thus nothing stood in the way of the formation of the armed forces.

Some princes were in personal union both sovereigns of German states and foreign states. In this capacity, the King of Denmark as Duke of Holstein and Lauenburg, the King of the Netherlands as Grand Duke of Luxembourg and Duke of Limburg and the King of England as King of Hanover were represented in the Bundestag. The latter, however, only lasted until 1837.

Storming of the barricade at the Konstablerwache in Frankfurt am Main on September 18, 1848 by the Hessian military

Composition and organization

The armed forces consisted of all branches of service available at the time, infantry (including hunters ), cavalry of all branches, artillery (both foot and field artillery) and pioneers . It is doubtful whether the required target strength - especially in the smaller contingents - was ever achieved, since often the financial means and the supplies necessary for a war were simply lacking. (Despite the victory at Langensalza, the Kingdom of Hanover had to capitulate two days later because the supply had collapsed.) Each army corps had a target population of two divisions, each with two brigades , each with two regiments. Notwithstanding this regulation, a brigade could also consist of four battalions of infantry and a cavalry regiment of four squadrons. The war strength of a normal battalion was 1,200 men, but the strengths of the infantry companies varied from 120 to 250 men. The squadron consisted of 120 to 180 horsemen, an artillery battery of six to eight guns . In times of peace, however, there were usually only cadre associations, so-called tribes, which in the infantry had to be manned by 5/6 officers , 3/4 NCOs and 1/6 men. In the cavalry, however, 2/3 of all riders and horses always had to be available. When the troops were deployed, no distinction was made between the line and the Landwehr. The composition of the companies, squadrons and batteries was left to the individual rulers of the contingents. Only in Prussia was there general conscription at that time , while in most of the other countries the conscription system with lot exchange and substitution was still practiced. In a few armies there was even still service.

The troops

The various armies were made up of different types of troops, the majority of which were provided by the infantry. The simple soldier of the infantry had a (lowest) rank designation that arose from tradition and tradition. Usually he was called a fusilier (from French fusil , rifle), in Prussia musketeer or fusilier - depending on the unit. The grenadiers , which are already part of the infantry , originally held a special position because of their dangerous work with the hand grenade and stood above the common infantry in terms of reputation.
The hunters and riflemen were only used for special tasks because they were armed with rifles. Their share in the total strength of the infantry was therefore limited to five percent. The tactical unit of the infantry was the battalion. The company and regimental headquarters dealt primarily with administration and logistics.

The cavalry was divided into tactical units, the squadrons (also squadrons ). A distinction was made between cuirassiers , dragoons , lancers , hussars and chevauxlegers .
The cuirassiers belonged to the heavy cavalry and were equipped with correspondingly large, strong horses. Since these horses caused the highest costs in procurement, the cuirassiers were too expensive for most small and medium-sized states, which is why the major military powers had them predominantly. The cuirassiers were usually used in a closed attack for the decisive attack.
The dragoons were originally mounted infantry, which could be quickly relocated to hot spots this way. In the meantime, however, the dragoons were considered full-fledged cavalry, depending on their equipping with horse material, they were counted as heavy or light cavalry. The same applied to the Uhlans, whose characteristic uniforms indicated their Tatar-Polish origins. The Uhlans also wielded lances. The light cavalry definitely included the hussars, which, mostly consisting of volunteers, could be deployed for extensive reconnaissance and forays into the enemy hinterland. Chevauxlegers (French for light horses ) also belonged to the light cavalry, this designation was in most cases just another name for the dragoons.

The artillery was divided into mobile artillery , mounted artillery and foot artillery . With the artillery moving, the gunners sat on the limbs and guns . With the mounted artillery each soldier had his own horse; it should support cavalry and infantry leaders during rapid troop movements and, if necessary, have sufficient mobility on the battlefield. This was especially true in situations where an artillery mass could be decisive. The foot artillery was heavy artillery. It was equipped with guns, which at the time were classified as “far-reaching”, as well as siege guns. In the foot artillery, the gunners marched next to the guns, only the horse riders were mounted.

The larger states maintained special so-called technical troops for special tasks. Their use was regulated by the engineers . The technical troops included the sappers who were responsible for building or demolishing entrenchments, the miners waged underground mine warfare during sieges, and the pontooners were responsible for building war bridges. All of these special troops operated under the collective term pioneers . However, infantry units also had their own sappers or carpenters to a small extent, whose task it was to remove any obstacles during marches in the vanguard. At parades, these sappers marched in particularly splendid uniforms, always at the head of the infantry. For replenishment were, if any, Train troops responsible. Where these were not sufficient, farmers were forced to use their carts for an indefinite period of time.

Armament

The armament of the infantry of the Federal Army, which had hardly changed for about 120 years, consisted mainly of the muzzle-loader with a smooth barrel, which could be manufactured cheaply and was of poor quality. The hit rate was extremely unsatisfactory because the barrel of the shotgun quickly clogged with powder residue. For this reason, balls that were smaller than the tube diameter were used, so that there was almost no guide left. A large amount of the propulsive energy was lost and limited the effectiveness of the weapon to a maximum of 300 meters. Beyond this distance, effective rifle fire was almost impossible. The heavy smoke development during the shot, which was due to the powder used at the time, obstructed the shooter's view and a second volley was only possible in a reasonable time in favorable wind conditions. Therefore, no single shots were fired, only group fire. The big flags and colorful uniforms are also based on the thick clouds of smoke that drifted across the battlefield. Only in this way could the commanding officer, who directed his troops on sight, address the correct troop unit when taking tactical measures.
The previously used flint ignition, which was very susceptible to failure in bad weather, was replaced by primers filled with fumed mercury from around 1830 onwards by all armies. The adaptation made it possible to convert the previous flint rifles without major problems. From 1850, guns with rifled barrels were increasingly used, in which the previous round balls were replaced by solid lead pointed bullets with a hollowed-out bottom. The powder gases pressed into the hollow floor of the projectiles, this was expanded and pressed into the trains and fields. This increased the accuracy and range considerably. In order to facilitate the supply of ammunition, the southern German states introduced the club rifle with a caliber of 13.9 mm in 1856 . Since this caliber was already preferred by Austria, it also created a certain uniformity. From the beginning, hunters and riflemen were armed with drawn weapons, so-called rifles. These guns shot much more accurately than conventional shotguns , but loading was associated with much more effort - the bullet had to be wrapped in a greasy plaster and then driven into the barrel with a hammer. The last significant improvement in infantry armament in parts of the armed forces came with the introduction of the Prussian needle gun.

In the cavalry, the cuirassiers were armed with the same straight sword - the pallasch - that they had already carried during the Thirty Years' War. For this they carried (mostly two) pistols, which were kept in pockets on the front part of the saddle (Schabrunken). The lancers wielded the lance as their main weapon. Light cavalry was armed with sabers, pistols and a shortened rifle, the carbine . The carabiner had the advantage of being able to be loaded in the saddle thanks to its shorter barrel .

The field artillery ( driving artillery and riding artillery ) carried almost exclusively cannons with only two calibers, six and twelve pounders. There were also a few eight-pounders. As a rule, solid iron bullets were fired from these guns, from the weight of which the name of the cannon was derived. In addition to these field guns, the mounted artillery also had howitzers , whose ammunition consisted of hollow spheres (grenades) filled with powder. Various types of ignition detonated these grenades in the target. Another type of ammunition used to directly combat infantry who had broken through at a short distance (according to the shotgun principle) was grapeshots , lead bullets that had been put into a tin container or a linen bag. As an improvement, grenades filled with grape balls, known as shrapnel, were introduced from around 1830. These shrapnel had a greater range and a correspondingly greater effect. After the introduction of the rifled and thus more far-reaching infantry rifles, the cannons began to be fitted with rifled barrels as well. This conversion process was almost completely completed by 1850, the shell as a long bullet had displaced the round ball.
The foot artillery was equipped with heavy artillery, twelve and twenty-four pounders, as well as howitzers and mortars. You were responsible for long-range fire over your own troops in order to disrupt the enemy's deployment maneuver. The correct tactical formation of the troops was at that time a decisive battle issue that had to be taken during the deployment. The foot artillery was also used as siege artillery, with the siege guns only kept in front of the larger states and only taken from the armories when needed. The tactical unit of the artillery was the battery with four or six guns.

Uniformity

Despite the experience gained in the Napoleonic campaigns , little had changed in uniforms since then. Style and cut fully corresponded to the zeitgeist and fashion; Appearance took precedence over functionality. The uniform of the foot troops was made like a tailcoat with two tails and cut extremely tight. The front part already ended over or on the waist strap, the usual stand-up collar was made very high. In order to achieve a wrinkle-free appearance during revues (viewing the troops) or parades , the soldiers were sometimes obliged to line the front of the skirts with old rags. This uniform skirt did not protect against cold, wind or moisture and restricted the wearer's freedom of movement considerably. The pants were cut long and usually had a bar at the bottom . This was pulled through under the shoe to give the pants a tighter look. Some states used white linen pants during the summer months. During the period described here, gaiters and boots were mainly worn by Austria to a large extent . Most of the soldiers of the time were wearing ankle-high shoes à la fashion. Often times, for the sake of simplicity, these were only put over a last, so there were no right or left shoes, only straight ones, they had to adapt to the foot through use.

Shakos (ung. Csákó ) were usually used as headgear . These consisted of a felt tube that widened upwards and was up to 40 cm high and was closed with an oilcloth lid. Provided with cords, metal badges, guard stars, scale chains and other ornaments, this resulted in a not inconsiderable weight. In contrast to this, the majority of Bavarian soldiers wore caterpillar helmets and some other guard formations wore bearskin hats. The soldier was additionally hindered in his movements by the ergonomically not particularly well thought-out type of carrying straps for the knapsack , the side rifle with bayonet and the cartridge pouch. Since additional utensils such as tent pegs, ax picks, shovels or cooking kettles had to be carried on the march to the already extensive equipment, total weights of up to 40 kilograms resulted, which quickly reached the limits of performance.
The cavalry was uniformed differently according to its type of service. The cuirassiers with the whole armor (chest and back part; later the back part was not used in most armies) over the tunic (or called Koller ), long trousers and a helmet with or without a caterpillar. The Dragoons and the Chevauxlegers wore either a bow helmet or a shako, depending on the regulations in the respective army. The Lancers were already at the time of their characteristic headgear with the square cover plate ( Tschapka indicated). The Hussars were all in uniform on the so-called Hungarian style, reichverschnürte Dolmans , a special kind of sash, the typical sabretache and special Hair (long mustaches, braided pigtails temple) gave them an exotic look.
From 1840 onwards, with the gradual change from uniform tails to tunics, the needs of the troops were more responsive. The spiked bonnet , initially in its tall form, began its triumphal march from Prussia.

Education and training institutions

Austrian Sentinel 1839

The Federal Military Constitution made it mandatory for all affiliated troops to have complete training. However, due to the long war period of the Napoleonic era, many member states were financially unable to meet these requirements. In many places only weak management associations could be maintained. Exercises in larger groups to get the troops used to each other were also not feasible. The existing soldiers in most of the small states were only employed with drill and guard duty. Due to the poor quality of the smooth-barreled rifles, the result of every shooting training could only be classified as extremely poor. This only changed with the introduction of the towed breech loader. Regular maneuvers were almost never carried out with the mixed army corps. The exceptional maneuver of the X Army Corps in the Lüneburg Heath in 1843 was limited to battle scenes that had been rehearsed beforehand, was purely a show event and had no tactical value.
In the military training and education institutions of the larger states, future officers were provided with the specialist knowledge necessary for their later careers. War schools, engineering and artillery officers special study opportunities were available for officer training.
Since there had been no inspection system until 1846, there was no control of the level of training. As a result, combat training in some armies was not very efficient or not available. It was not until 1846 that some generals were commissioned to muster the troops after a joint decision . These inspections (or federal inspections ) then took place every five to seven years, but changed little in terms of the basic defects as they remained ineffective.

When a great mobilization took place in 1859 on the occasion of the Austro-Italian-French War, the terrifying weaknesses in the armed forces became apparent. Only Prussia drew the consequences from this and carried out a reorganization of its army in 1859/60. The resulting improvements in training and armament made Prussia the military model for Northern Germany.

Many of the smaller armies now leaned more closely to Prussia, in 1861 there was a first military convention with Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, which was followed by Waldeck and Saxe-Altenburg in 1862.

Fortresses

Fort Thüngen of the federal fortress of Luxembourg
Plan of the federal fortress Ulm

An important part of the armed forces were its fortresses. As early as 1818, the military committee of the German Confederation in Frankfurt decided to secure the borders by building federal fortresses. These were fortresses that were intended for the common defense of the German territories. The funds for this came from the French war indemnity of 1815. Since France was seen as the main enemy after the experience of the Thirty Years' War, a fortress bar extended from Luxembourg via Landau, Mainz , Rastatt to Ulm . There were also the Bavarian fortress of Ingolstadt and fortress Germersheim (the latter was built with federal funds) and the Prussian fortresses of Koblenz and Saarlouis . The federal fortresses were directly subordinate to the federal military sovereignty and were administered by it. The federal government was entitled to occupation law, which is why z. For example, three quarters of the fortress of Luxembourg was occupied by the Prussian and one quarter by the Luxembourg army . The governor of this fortress was always a Prussian general . From the State Treaty of 1856, the occupation consisted only of Prussian troops. The fortresses Mainz and Koblenz were intended to protect the middle Rhine. The peace garrison of Mainz was about 7,000 men, which should be brought up to 20,000 men in defense. Equal parts of Austrians and Prussians were stationed here, as well as a grand-ducal Hessian infantry regiment. (Mainz was part of the Grand Duchy of Hesse-Darmstadt at that time). During the German War of 1866, however, the occupation of the Mainz fortress was almost exclusively provided by the Electorate of Hesse. In the fortress of Landau there was a peace garrison made up of Bavarian troops , which were to be brought up to full war status by Baden associations. From 1841/42 the fortresses Rastatt and Ulm were added. The garrison of Rastatt consisted of Austrians, Prussians and Baden troops, Baden provided the governor . In Ulm, Württemberg and Austria provided the occupation, in the Neu-Ulm bridgehead the Bavarians. The governor and fortress commander were alternately provided by Württemberg and Bavaria. Troops from the respective countries stood in the fortresses of Germersheim, Ingolstadt, Koblenz and Saarlouis. The defenses not listed as federal fortresses would of course have been involved in a military conflict of the federal army, which is why they must be viewed as part of the system.

Standard

Austrian regimental flag
kk Hungarian infantry with flag -
the officer wears the "Zwoagerl" on the shako

Each battalion carried a flag as a standard. This flag was of the utmost importance in battle. The gunpowder clouds of the fired volleys, especially the artillery and (or) after an attack by the enemy cavalry, obstructed the view considerably. The cohesion that had previously been firmly established was quickly lost under these visual conditions. Then the flag was the only point of reference for collecting. The white armband worn in the coalition wars was retained until around 1848 as a uniform field or identification symbol. Then (except in Austria) - but only for a short time - the black-red-gold cockade prevailed. In the campaign of 1866 it was rebuilt by the southern German troops. Only the infantry of the city of Frankfurt had wielded this cockade all the time. As a further standard, it was customary for the Austrians to attach a three-leaved oak leaf or pine rice to the headgear. This badge called "Zwoagerl" was corrupted by the citizens of Mainz fortress to the good-natured, mocking "Zwockel" or "Zwoggel", an expression that is still used in the Rhineland today.

See also

literature

  • Military weekly newspaper for the German Armed Forces . Eduard Zernin, Frankfurt am Main 1860–1863. (Editor Johann Woldemar Streubel )
  • Allmayer-Beck , Lessing : The K. (below) K. Army. 1848-1914 . Bertelsmann, Munich a. a. 1974, ISBN 3-570-07287-8 .
  • Jürgen Angelow : From Vienna to Königgrätz - Security Policy of the German Confederation. Oldenbourg, Munich 1996, ISBN 3-486-56143-X .
  • Georg Ball: Germersheim. "The razed fortress". History and leader. Publishing house of Dr. E. Jaegerschen Buchhandlung, Speyer 1930 (2nd reprint: Steimer, Germersheim 1991).
  • Siegmund Bergmann (ed.): The infantry of the emperor and king. In: Modern Illustrated Newspaper. Double issue 10/11, Vienna June 1, 1914.
  • Official report on the war events between Hanover and Prussia in June 1866 and relation to the battle of Langensalza on June 27, 1866 . Gerold, Vienna 1866 (reprint: Rockstuhl, Bad Langensalza 2001, ISBN 3-934748-72-4 ( Memories of the Battle of Langensalza 1866 4)).
  • Gordon A. Craig : Königgrätz. 1866 - a battle makes world history. 4th edition. Zsolnay, Vienna 1997, ISBN 3-552-04824-3 .
  • Heinrich A. Eckert: The German Armed Forces. Munich 1835.
  • Liliane Funcken, Fred Funcken : Historical uniforms. Napoleonic period, 18th and 19th centuries. Prussia, Germany, Austria, France, Great Britain, Russia. Orbis-Verlag, Munich 1989, ISBN 3-572-07442-8 .
  • Franz Herre : Franz Joseph. Emperor of Austria. Bechtermünz, Augsburg 1997, ISBN 3-86047-814-1 .
  • Ian Hogg , John Batchelor: Artillery. The gun, railway guns, coastal guns, flak, anti-tank guns, self-propelled guns, recoilless guns, detonators . (= The History of Artillery ) Heyne, Munich 1977, ISBN 3-453-52068-8 ( Heyne-Bildpaperback ).
  • Walther Hubatsch (Ed.): The first German fleet 1848-1853 . ES Mittler und Sohn, Herford / Bonn 1981, ISBN 3-8132-0124-4 .
  • Otmar Schäuffelen: The federal fortress Ulm and its history. Europe's largest fortress. 2nd Edition. Vaas, Ulm 1982, ISBN 3-88360-019-9 .
  • Georg Schreiber : The emperor's cavalry. Austrian cavalry in 4 centuries. With a foreword by Alois Podhajsky . Speidel, Vienna 1967.
  • Rüdiger Wischemann: The Koblenz Fortress. From the Roman fort and Prussia's strongest fortress to the largest garrison d. Armed forces. Rhenania, Koblenz 1978.
  • The tenth German Federal Army Corps in the camp near Lüneburg . In: Illustrirte Zeitung . No. 26 . J. J. Weber, Leipzig December 23, 1843, p. 403-408 ( books.google.de ).

Web links

Commons : Uniforms of the Army of the German Confederation  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Franz Herre: Franz Joseph, Emperor of Austria. Bechtermünz, Augsburg 1997, p. 110.
  2. ^ Georg Ortenburg (edit.): Heinrich Ambros Eckert, Dietrich Monten: "Das deutsche Bundesheer". According to the uniform factory from the years 1835 to 1843 . Harenberg, Dortmund 1990, ISBN 3-611-00132-5 , p. 16 [facsimile of the table in the edition Das deutsche Bundesheer. Christian Weiß, Würzburg 1835].
  3. ↑ were incorporated into the Danish army. See HA Eckert “Das Deutsche Bundesheer” p. 391
  4. ↑ Walther Hubatsch: THE ERSTE GERMAN FLOTTE 1848-1853 , ES Mittler & Sohn, Herford 1981, p. 81.
  5. ↑ Allmayer-Beck / Lessing: The k. (U.) K. Army. Bertelsmann Verlag 1974, p. 65.
  6. ↑ Allmayer-Beck / Lessing: The k. (U.) K. Bertelsmann Army. Verlag 1974, p. 72.
  7. ^ Collection of eyewitness accounts of the battle of Langensalza in 1866. Rockstuhl 2001.
  8. ^ Gordon A. Craig: Königgrätz. Bechtermünz, Augsburg 1997.
  9. ↑ Information based on the individual contributions to the federal states in: Georg Ortenburg (edit.): Heinrich Ambros Eckert, Dietrich Monten: "Das deutsche Bundesheer". According to the uniform factory from the years 1835 to 1843 . Harenberg, Dortmund 1990, ISBN 3-611-00132-5 .
  10. ↑ Hans Meier-Welcker (founder of the work), Friedrich Forstmeier (ed.): German military history in six volumes. 1648-1939. Vol. 2, Section IV / Part Two . Pawlak, Herrsching 1983, ISBN 978-3-88199-112-4 , p. 238
  11. ^ Collection of eyewitness accounts of the battle of Langensalza in 1866 , Rockstuhl 2001.
  12. ^ Heinrich A. Eckert: The German Armed Forces. Munich 1835.
  13. ^ A b Ian Hogg, John Batchelor The History of Artillery. Heyne Munich 1977, p. 3 ff.
  14. ^ Siegmund Bergmann (ed.): The infantry of the emperor and king. In: Modern Illustrated Newspaper. Double issue 10/11, Vienna June 1, 1914.
  15. ^ Heinrich A. Eckert: The German Armed Forces. Munich 1835.
  16. ↑ Georg Schreiber: The emperor's cavalry. Bertelsmann, 1967, p. 247 ff.
  17. ^ Liliane Funcken, Fred Funcken: Historical uniforms. Munich 1989, p. 288 ff. / P. 347 ff / p. 381 ff.
  18. ^ Heinrich A. Eckert: The German Armed Forces. Munich 1835, p. 35 ff.
  19. ^ Siegmund Bergmann (ed.): The infantry of the emperor and king. In: Modern Illustrated Newspaper. Double issue 10/11, Vienna June 1, 1914.
  20. ↑ Allmayer-Beck / Lessing: The k. (U.) K. Army. Bertelsmann Verlag 1974, p. 55.
  21. ^ Georg Ball: Germersheim - The looped fortress. Speyer 1930.
  22. ↑ Rüdiger Wischemann: The fortress Koblenz. Rhenania, 1978.
  23. ^ Otmar Schäufelen: The Federal Fortress Ulm. Ulm 1982.
  24. ↑ Allmayer-Beck / Lessing: The k. (U.) K. Army. Bertelsmann Verlag 1974, p. 12.