Gdańsk Infantry Regiment No. 128

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Gdańsk Infantry Regiment No. 128

active April 11, 1881 to 1919
Country coat of arms Kingdom of Prussia,
administrative region of Danzig
Armed forces Prussian Army
Branch of service infantry
Type regiment
structure see structure
Insinuation see insinuations
Location see garrison
march Parade March: Pepita March (AM II, No. 160)
management
Commanders See commanders

The Danziger Infantry Regiment. 128 was an infantry joined the Prussian army .

history

The law of May 6, 1880, when the army's peacetime presence was increased by 25,615 to 427,274 men, increased the number of infantry battalions by 34 to 503 on April 1, 1881. Three of these new battalions became companies of the 1st Army Corps and the 17th Division to form Infantry Regiment No. 128 . The 1st and 2nd battalions consisted of musketeers , the fusilier battalion of fusiliers .

The AKO set April 11, 1881 as the regiment's foundation day.

On April 1, 1887, the 6th Company was transferred to the 2nd Battalion of the newly established Infantry Regiment No. 135 in Diedenhofen and then newly formed. According to the decree of January 4, 1889, the designation of Fusilier Battalion in III. Battalion changed. The teams were named musketeers. With the law of August 3, 1893, regarding the army's peace-keeping strength, the regiment was expanded to include a 13th and 14th company. These two companies formed the so-called IV (half) battalion. By law of June 28, 1896, this half battalion was relinquished for the establishment of new infantry regiments and not newly formed.

from company of the regiment became a company battalion
12. Grenadier Regiment No. 89 1. I.
2. Infantry Regiment No. 44 2. I.
3. Fusilier Regiment No. 90 3. I.
4th Fusilier Regiment No. 33 4th I.
6th Grenadier Regiment No. 1 5. II.
6th 75th Infantry Regiment 6th II.
7th Infantry Regiment No. 43 7th II.
8th. 76th Infantry Regiment 8th. II.
9. Grenadier Regiment No. 4 9. III.
10. Grenadier Regiment No. 5 10. III.
11. Grenadier Regiment No. 3 11. III.
12. Infantry Regiment No. 41 12. III.

The regiment's peacetime

Gift of the City (1902)
Dominikswall and Kaiser Wilhelm Monument
War memorial at the Holzmarkt
Technical college

Two years after the regiment was founded, it was inspected for the first time on June 5, 1883 by the commanding general of the Army Corps, Albert von Barnekow .

With Colonel von Heydebreck, the regiment reached a level of training in every respect, which, during his visit to the regiment in the spring of 1902, led Wilhelm II to say "that it was indistinguishable from his Potsdam regiment". The regiment took an active part in the events marking the 100th anniversary of the city's incorporation into the Kingdom of Prussia.

By 1895 the ramparts of the former Gdansk fortress had been laid down. This eliminated the not inconsiderable daily need for personnel (around 100 soldiers) to provide the guards at the gates and the manning of the old main guard.

The inspection of the regiment and brigade was of particular importance in that year, as the inspector of the 1st Army Inspection , Albrecht von Prussia , personally attended it.

From the regimental chronicle it can be seen that during the imperial maneuver in 1900 the association was given a special honor, since the emperor himself placed himself at the head of the regiment.

The swearing-in of the recruits of the Danzig, Langfuhr and Neufahrwasser garrisons did not take place by regiment in the barracks yards from 1902, but together on the open small parade ground . The competition took place in a square with a field altar in the center.

On January 27, 1902, the association received the country team addition "Danziger" and was henceforth called Danzig Infantry Regiment No. 128 . When the regiment received the news of the renaming, its commander , Colonel Eschenburg, immediately sent his regimental adjutant to the mayor of Gdańsk , Clemens Delbrück , to inform him. The regiment now bore the name of the town in which it had been garrisoned since its existence. The following day a delegation of the regiment met with dignitaries of the city in the town hall . Here Delbrück explained how delighted the city was to have been given the "sonorous" name. “The regiment should be linked to the glorious history of Danzig for all time”. "In addition, the immortalization of the name in the city's army was enough to make him famous."

For the first time civilians were invited to the celebration of the regiment's 21st foundation day. Here Lord Mayor Delbrück provided the highlight of the festival. To express the joy of the city at naming the regiment by their name, he promised him a token of remembrance. In the town hall there is a painting by Röchling that shows a significant moment in the city's history. She will give the regiment a replica of it. This was made by the history painter Richard Knötel , handed over on the Emperor's birthday in 1903 and ceremoniously unveiled on February 1st in the officer's mess.

To unveil the monument set up by the Province of West Prussia in memory of Kaiser Wilhelm I, the Kaiser arrived in Danzig on September 21, 1903 with the court train . The company of honor had lined up for the official reception at the train station, the rest of them stood in line to the monument square.

In 1904, on May 8th, the war memorial at Holzmarkt was inaugurated in memory of the Gdańsk people who fell in the last three wars. It was built with contributions from the Gdańsk warrior associations. For the first time, the “Danzig Association of old 128ers”, which was partly a co-founder of the regiment, was also represented.

On August 28, the 128ers had to provide a delegation for the flags of the former Landwehr battalion "Danzig" for the flag consecration of the war formations taking place in Berlin. The regiment started shortly afterwards, on October 6th, at the opening of the Technical University by the Kaiser.

Since 1897, on March 12th, the officer corps celebrated its close friendship with the 2nd Battalion of the 21st Infantry Regiment of the Bavarian Army .

Imperial maneuvers

The annual imperial maneuver took place in the Königsberg area in 1887 and the regiment took part in it for the first time. In view of the 700th anniversary of Gdańsk, the maneuver of the XVII took place in September 1894. Army Corps in Elblag . The 71st Infantry Brigade was deployed in 1900 for imperial maneuvers between the Guard Corps and the II Army Corps in the Bütow district and Stettin . In 1901 the imperial maneuver took place in the autumn in pouring rain in the area near Danzig. The I. and XVII. Army Corps.

Price shooting

In order to increase the quality of the shooting, an annual shooting competition was established for officers and non-commissioned officers of the corps. The most accurate officer received one with the name Se. Your Majesty's sword, the best sergeant received a gold watch.

The shooting training was then intensified under Colonel Schmidt.

From 1890 the best rifleman of the best shooting company in the corps received an emperor's badge. The company commander was awarded a silver shield and the regiment's officers' mess was given an imperial bust as a permanent reminder.

Nevertheless, the enthusiasm subsided and so the individual shooting stage in 1898 was canceled. With AKO it was completely abolished as it was no longer in keeping with the times and replaced by comparison shooting. In addition, the regiment's combat shooting was held in the group for the first time.

In the 200th year of the Kingdom of Prussia, the former efforts of the commander bore fruit for the first time. The 6th Company, already considered the best of the brigade, won the corps shooting for the first time in 1901. The bronze bust that was awarded has since rested on an oak pedestal in the officers' mess .

Ship christenings with the participation of the regiment

Imperial shipyard

For the christening of the Cormoran on May 17, 1892 at the Imperial Shipyard , the regiment welcomed the new emperor to the garrison for the first time, who had traveled to the Hohenzollern . The replacement Alexandrine (building name before baptism) was baptized by Mayor Ehlers on September 23, 1905 in the name of the city, Danzig . For this purpose, the regiment's honorary company stood on the starboard side .

Schichau shipyard

On the shipyard of Schichau expired on 31 May 1893 in the presence of the emperor and the regiment Gefion from the stack . When the Kaiser on October 5, 1897 Kaiser Friedrich III. was baptized at the Schichau shipyard, parts of the regiment were present and also formed the guard when he drove back to the station . In the presence of the Emperor and Prince Heinrich , the liner Lorraine was launched on May 27, 1904 . As in the previous year, at the inauguration of the Kaiser Wilhelm monument, the 128ers provided the company of honor and formed the line to the train station.

Boxer Rebellion

German troops on contemporary postcard

In 1897 Germany had acquired an area ( Kiautschou ) in China by leasing. The Boxer Rebellion threatened German interests from 1900. With the assassination of the German envoy in Beijing , Clemens von Ketteler , AKO ordered the formation of an expeditionary force on July 9th . This was already embarked in Bremerhaven on July 27th .

Gdansk was the seat of the General Command and formation place for those in the area of ​​the XVII. and I. Army Corps has been determined. Orders were given to deploy the staff of the 2nd Battalion of the 1st East Asian Infantry Regiment and their 5th and 6th Companies. They met on July 16 in the courtyard of the Herrengarten barracks and on the 27th left Batavia Bremerhaven on the steamer .

In mid-August the regiment was to form the 9th Company of the 5th East Asian Infantry Regiment . This drove to the Lockstedt warehouse on August 21 and left Bremerhaven on the 31st on board the Pallatia .

None of those assigned to China (eight officers, eight non-commissioned officers, 47 men) were killed in fighting. Decorated with the China commemorative coin , almost all soldiers returned to the regiment in the autumn of 1901.

Herero uprising

Camel rider company of the German Schutztruppe during the Herero uprising, 1904

In mid-January 1904, the first news of the Herero uprising reached Germany. The Herero in South West Africa rebelled against German colonial rule. The following year the Nama ( Hottentots ) joined them. Lieutenant General Lothar von Trotha , the military commander of German South West Africa, suppressed the uprising with extreme brutality and put it down in early 1907. On January 17th, the order to mobilize a marine expeditionary force was issued, which began its journey to Swakopmund on the 21st .

The situation called for a significant reinforcement of the protection forces from the ranks of the army . As with the Boxer Rebellion, the regiment had a large number of volunteers. Of these, 32 were sent to German South West Africa by 1906 , of which six fell in the first two years.

First World War

The following important information is missing from this section:
Unfortunately the time of the First World War is missing - 1970gemini 07:23, Jan. 7, 2012 (CET)
Help Wikipedia by researching and pasting it .

During the entire war and then until December 20, 1918, the regiment was subordinate to the 71st Infantry Brigade.

Whereabouts

After the end of the war, the regiment was demobilized in Danzig on December 16, 1918 . In the spring of 1919, the establishment of the Voluntary Infantry Regiment 128 with three battalions as well as an MG and MW company began in parts . Other parts were transferred to the railway surveillance command of the 36th Division.

In June 1919, the staff and the II. Battalion went into the newly formed Reichswehr Infantry Regiment 34 of the Provisional Reichswehr . The previous MG company became the 3rd MG company of the new regiment.

The tradition in the Reichswehr was adopted by the 16th Company of the 4th (Prussian) Infantry Regiment in Neustettin by decree of the Chief of Army Command, General der Infanterie Hans von Seeckt , on August 24, 1921 .

organization

Allegations

I. II. III.

from April 1, 1881
1st Army Corps in Königsberg
2nd Division in Königsberg
4th Infantry Brigade in Gumbinnen

from April 1, 1890
XVII. Army Corps in Danzig
36th Division in Danzig
71st Infantry Brigade in Danzig

from March 25, 1918
XVII. Army Corps
36th Division
71st Infantry Brigade

Garrisons

  • Wieben barracks

  • Cavalry barracks

  • Barracks Neufahrwasser

  • Barracks protection rooms on the Hagelsberg

  • Officers' mess

  • 1881 Danzig
    • Wiebenkaserne (1st Battalion)
    • Cavalry barracks (2nd Battalion, Fusilier Battalion)
  • 1889 Danzig
    • Barracks in Langgarter Hintergasse (1st Battalion)
    • Cavalry barracks (2nd battalion and III battalion)
  • 1890 Danzig
  • Herrengarten barracks (1st battalion)
  • Cavalry barracks (3rd battalion)
  • New fairway
  • Neufahrwasser barracks (2nd battalion)
  • 1893 Danzig
  • Herrengarten barracks (1st battalion)
  • Cavalry barracks (3rd and 4th battalions)
  • New fairway
  • Barracks on Neufahrwasser (2nd battalion)
  • 1897 Danzig
  • Herrengarten barracks (1st battalion)
  • II Battalion
    • Cavalry Barracks (5th Company)
    • Hagelsberg (6th Company)
    • Wiebenkaserne (7th company)
    • Corrugated iron barracks at Wiebenplatz (8th company)
  • Cavalry barracks (3rd battalion)
  • 1901 Danzig
  • Herrengarten barracks (1st battalion)
  • II Battalion
    • Cavalry Barracks (5th Company)
    • Hagelsberg (6th Company)
    • Wiebenkaserne (7th company)
    • Corrugated iron barracks at Wiebenplatz (8th company)
  • Cavalry barracks (3rd battalion)
  • New fairway
  • Neufahrwasser barracks (3rd battalion)

Commanders

Rank Surname date
Lieutenant colonel Oswald von Kczewski March 22, 1881 to February 4, 1887
Colonel Heinrich Rhein 0February 5, 1887 to June 13, 1888
Lieutenant colonel Philipp Schmidt June 14, 1888 to November 17, 1890
Lieutenant colonel Louis von Heydebreck November 18, 1890 to May 13, 1894
Lieutenant colonel Adolf von der Planitz May 14, 1894 to May 19, 1896
Colonel Richard Richter May 20, 1896 to June 14, 1899 to June 14, 1899
Lieutenant colonel August Eschenburg June 15, 1899 to July 17, 1902
Colonel Richard Voigt July 18, 1902 to September 12, 1906
Colonel Bruno von Wühlisch September 13, 1906 to April 4, 1910
Colonel Walter Goltz 0April 5, 1910 to December 18, 1911
Colonel Georg Miesitschek from Wischkau December 19, 1911 to April 17, 1913
Colonel Edwin von Treschow April 18, 1913 to December 15, 1914
Colonel Franz von Netzer December 16, 1914 to August 4, 1918
Lieutenant colonel Franz Appuhn 0August 5, 1918 to January 1, 1919
Lieutenant colonel Eberhard von Loeben 0January 2, 1919 pending dissolution

Armament and equipment

Main armament

The regiment was originally equipped with the 71 rifle and the 71 side rifle . At the end of 1885 it was re-armed with the multi-loader model 71/84 . Wore instead of Einsteckdegens with leather sheath infantry officers between March 22, 1889 I. the birthday of Emperor Wilhelm, an officer's sword with steel scabbard and leather belt with Tress stocking where henceforth the cavalry sword knot was born. In the summer of 1890 the regiment was equipped with the Gewehr 88 .

For the first time, gray ring discs with glued-on head discs were used to assess the individual test shooting. From 1906 the regiment was equipped with the Gewehr 98 .

uniform

As of November 1883, the position of the regimental commander's deputy responsible for the clothing industry was designated as a regular staff officer.

As part of the Prussian Army, it wore the appropriate infantry uniform. The epaulettes were red with a yellow number (128), the flaps were red with light blue piping . The buttons to which the epaulettes were attached were made of tombac and bore the number of the company concerned. Battalions I and II initially had white leather gear, the fusilier battalion black.

The best rifle companies in the Army Corps wore sleeve badges from 1895 .

By AKO it was ordered in 1897 that the regiment should have armpit flaps in the for the XVII. Army Corps had to put on a certain color lemon yellow on the tunic and yellow advances on the epaulettes of the coat. The regimental number was to be worn on the helmet covers.

On the occasion of the 100th birthday of Kaiser Wilhelm I, Wilhelm II decreed that the army should wear the imperial cockade in addition to the state cockade .

Changes in clothing and equipment regulations

Officers

  • 1889
    • Those on horseback had to wear high boots when serving on horseback
    • Since epaulettes were only allowed to be worn for parade and social purposes, modified armpits were introduced
    • Wearing spurs became compulsory for captains
    • The horse blanket was simplified and no longer had a gold braid
    • The previous white was replaced by a reed-colored helmet cover
  • 1893
    • The previous gray paletot was replaced by a black one
    • The chief of the company with the best shooting result was given a bust Se. Majesty (former expression for his / her majesty) awarded
  • 1894
    • The head of the best rifle company was charged with a lanyard decorated
  • 1895
    • A Litewka made of blue fabric was introduced for the “small service”
  • 1896
  • 1899
    • The officers' baggage was restricted to a prescribed level
    • A gray cloak was introduced
    • From then on, red-brown gloves were required for maneuvers

Standard bearer

  • 1898
    • The flag bearers received a corresponding badge on the left sleeve,
    • as well as a half-length side gun of a new design with the handle of an officer's sword
    • For the "service with helmet" was a gorget from brass to create

Medical officers

  • 1896 - the wearing of a field bandage with a service suit was made mandatory
  • February 13, 1913 - by AKO on the same day, the medical teams wore the uniform of their unit on the right upper arm, an Aesculapian staff made of yellow material, which was a distinguishing feature

Teams

  • From 1888 the whole regiment received black leather gear. In the summer, the personal equipment was carried out according to the model 87. After that, in addition to the two front ones, a rear cartridge pouch was carried and the short-shafted boot was replaced by a lace-up shoe .
  • 1889
    • For outstanding shooting performance, the soldier in question was one of a silver braid provided with black stripes sharpshooter awarded
  • 1891
    • For the "small service" the wearing of a Litewka made of blue fabric was introduced
  • 1893 From this year (until 1995), canteens , drinking cups and cookware made of aluminum were introduced. Furthermore, the equipment was expanded to include portable tent equipment.
    • From then on the rifle cord consisted of a braided, silver cord.
    • The company with the best shooting results was allowed to wear a special badge on the left sleeve
  • 1894
  • 1895

Music corps

  • 1898
    • The clothing of the bar hoboists was made of finer cloth than the tunic for better emphasis
    • The shoulder pieces were now made of edging cord
    • The cloth pads (shoulder pieces) were to be provided in the colors of the troop unit
    • A waist band was put on in the manner of an officer's field bandage

From the autumn exercises of 1899, new provisions on maneuvering came into force. Bringing private tents was prohibited.

banner

The garrison church of IR 128
Regimental flag

The regiment received its flags through AKO on May 13, 1882. The nailing took place on May 27th in the Marble Hall of the New Palais . Kaiser Wilhelm I hammered in the first nail . He was followed by Prince Bismarck , Count Moltke , the generals present and finally the regimental commander.

On June 1st, at noon, the new standards were handed over to the battalions on Wiebenplatz in the presence of the officer corps and deployed for the first time.

For worship were from now on the flags at the altar of the garrison church , the Marienkirche .

By AKO on August 18, 1894, all battalions founded in 1893 (132 in total) were awarded a flag. These were nailed on October 17th in the Hall of Fame of the Zeughaus Berlin and consecrated the next day, the day of the Memorial Day of the Battle of the Nations near Leipzig , in front of the monument to Frederick the Great by the court preacher Frommel .

In contrast to the black of the three other battalion flags, the basic color of the IV Battalion was a bright purple-red . After the reorganization of the army and the associated elimination of the 4th Battalion, it was led by the 1st Battalion in parades.

At the beginning of the new century in 1900 the flags of the Prussian regiments were awarded silver commemorative clips and flag ribbons .

The regiment received new flag cloths for the imperial parade in 1901.

During the First World War, the flags were transferred to the armory in Berlin .

Others

societies

  • Association of former 128 Gdansk

Monuments

On August 27, 1893, the regiment lost its first member in combat. The rider Sakolowski was a soldier of the 11th Company, who had volunteered for the protection force of German South West Africa . He fell while fighting the chief Moses Witbooi when he stormed Raukluft. His Danzig company donated a plaque of honor that was hung in the company building. As a further memorial, a memorial stone donated by the associations of former 128s from Gdansk and Berlin was presented on April 7, 1906 in the Herrengarten barracks courtyard.

Barracks in Neufahrwasser

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ in the regiment chronicle: "In the subsequent criticism, the regiment not only found recognition from His Royal Highness, the latter also had the grace to ride up to the regiment himself and to express his satisfaction and his congratulations to the crews on the successful visit."
  2. ↑ Lockstedter Lager ( Memento of the original from October 23, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / sh-home.de
  3. ^ Jürgen Kraus : Handbook of the units and troops of the German army 1914-1918. Part VI: Infantry. Volume 1: Infantry Regiments. Publishing house Militaria. Vienna 2007. ISBN 978-3-902526-14-4 . P. 210.
  4. ^ The name of the barracks had changed
  5. ↑ Until then, garrison of the fusiliers of Grenadier Regiment No. 5.
  6. ^ Günter Wegmann (Ed.), Günter Wegner: Formation history and staffing of the German armed forces 1815-1990. Part 1: Occupation of the German armies 1815–1939. Volume 2: The occupation of the active infantry regiments as well as Jäger and MG battalions, military district commandos and training managers from the foundation or list until 1939. Biblio Verlag, Osnabrück 1992, ISBN 3-7648-1782-8 , p. 335.
  7. ↑ a b The tunic
  8. ↑ Standard bearers did not have a gun
  9. ↑ this relieved the shoulder
  10. ^ Martin Lezius : flags and standards of the old Prussian army. Franckh'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Stuttgart 1935.