Royal Bavarian 11th Infantry Regiment "von der Tann"

The 11th Infantry Regiment "von der Tann" was an association of the Bavarian Army . The last place of peace for the regiment was Regensburg .

history

Positioning and development

The regiment was set up on September 27, 1805 in accordance with the resolution of the Privy Council as the 13th Line Infantry Regiment in Würzburg . It was built from contributions from all infantry regiments, light battalions and other units that had existed to date and had a strength of 49 officers and 1,345 NCOs and men . The first colonel in command was Clemens von Drouin. On 17 October 1805 the regiment with a total of 1,329 men mobilized and was with the 6th Infantry Regiment of the brigade assigned "by Karg". It made great marches in Upper Austria , but did not come to combat missions. It then moved to the new garrison in Ulm on January 12, 1806 ; there it was divided into eight companies with a total strength of 1247 men. In addition, a depot with 261 men was set up. On March 4, 1806, parts of the city guard of the imperial city of Augsburg were accepted. On August 1, 1806, the Würzburg family left the regiment.

War against Prussia and Russia 1806/07

For the war against Prussia , the regiment of the 1st Brigade was subordinate to the "Wrede" division. In the battle near Plassenberg on October 19, 1806, Corporal Johann Schmitt, the regiment's first dead , fell . On December 30, 1806, the regiment lost four dead as well as one captain and twelve men wounded in the battle near Oltashin , one officer and 36 men marched in captivity. During the fighting at Pultusk on the Narew (Poplawy) from May 14 to 16, 1807, one officer and seven men were killed, two officers and 49 men were wounded and thirteen men were missing. On May 16, 1807, with a platoon of the regiment and forces of the 7th Infantry Regiment, the staff captain Wilhelm von Horn succeeded in preventing the Russians from breaching the 1st battalion by means of a courageous counterattack. In this way, according to the report of Lieutenant General Wrede , he contributed significantly to the successful outcome of the affair. Therefore, following a unanimous decision by the chapter of the order with an army order of August 13, 1807, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Military Max Joseph Order . At Gladtschyn on May 25, 1807 it suffered no losses as a result of fighting, but one officer died during a rampant typhus epidemic , and over two hundred men were in the hospital . During this time, around one hundred soldiers from the regiment deserted. On July 14, 1807 the regiment received a replacement of one officer and 250 men. On January 25, 1808, Franz Freiherr von Dallwigk was given command of the regiment.

War against Austria 1809

For the war against Austria , the regiment was 42 officers, 1,642 men and 46 horses. At the first meeting near Mühlhausen on April 18, 1809, there were still no losses, the following day near Siegenburg there were ten dead and 17 wounded. On April 20, 1809, nine more men were killed near Abensberg and forty were wounded. The next day a battalion commander ( Lieutenant Colonel von Stansky) died and fourteen men were wounded not far from Landshut when an ammunition wagon exploded. In the battle near Neumarkt on April 24th, another battalion commander (Lieutenant Colonel Freiherr von Tänzl) and 36 men were killed, the Commander-in-Chief Freiherr von Dallwigk, three officers and 134 men were wounded, 69 men were taken prisoner. In the course of the battles around the Strubpass on May 11, 1809 and at Waidring the following day, the regiment lost another two officers and 55 men. When Rattenberg was captured on May 13, 1809, twenty dead and 153 wounded were lost. Two days later at Straß and Schwaz (May 15) it had withstood the loss of another staff officer, but was able to pin a great victory on its flags especially at Schwaz under the proven leadership of his Colonel Freiherr von Dallwigk. In the battle at Hellmannsöd on June 22, 1809, only the 2nd Battalion had to record few losses. At Wagram the regiment captured two Austrian flags on July 6, 1809 with only one dead and one wounded. In the battles near Znojmo on July 10 and 11, 1809, a staff officer and 59 men were killed, fourteen officers and 227 men were wounded. At Hall in Tirol on July 26th and 27th, another thirty dead, three wounded officers and 149 men were added; seven officers and 93 men were taken prisoner. During the Battle of Bergisel on November 1, 1809, only nine wounded were recorded. Compared to the other Bavarian infantry regiments, this regiment had to pay a particularly high blood toll.

On March 23, 1810, Franz Joseph Ferdinand von Schmöger was given command of the regiment. From August 1810, the 1st Battalion was in Kempten and the 2nd Battalion in Landsberg am Lech . On April 29, 1811, the 8th company of the "Kinkel" regiment and one hundred men from the 1st Infantry Regiment took it on. On the same day, Lieutenant General August Freiherr von Kinkel was appointed owner of the regiment, which from that point on was called the 11th Line Infantry Regiment "Kinkel" . Also on April 29, 1811 it received the flags of the “Kinkel” regiment, the old flags were returned to the Augsburg armory .

War against Russia 1812/13

On February 15, 1812, the regiment moved under the 2nd Brigade of the 2nd Division "Wrede". In the fighting at Polotsk from August 16-18, 1812, two officers and 32 men were killed, two officers, a doctor and 118 men were wounded and 22 men were missing or captured. On August 29, 1812, the regiment was the second largest unit in the Bavarian army contingent (30 officers, 60 NCOs and 505 men). At the end of August 1812 it took on 32 replacements. On September 14, 1812, Wilhelm Rodt was given command of the regiment. During the battle on the Disna on October 16, the 5th and 11th infantry regiments had already melted down to a fraction of their original combat strength. On September 21, 1812, the regiment surrendered its flags to the War Commissariat, as Lieutenant General von Wrede no longer trusted the weakened Bavarian troops to effectively defend their flags. War Commissioner Amann led the train with the flags towards home, but was attacked by Cossacks on October 24, 1812 near Selishche. The 22 flags were captured and displayed as victory trophies in the Kazan Cathedral . On October 19, 1812 at Bononia, one officer and eleven men were killed, nine officers and 56 men were wounded, thirteen officers and 119 were missing or captured. Two officers and a large number of men fell into the hands of the Russians as unfit for transport. At the end of the day, the remaining 76 men of the 5th and 11th Infantry Regiments , who were halfway capable of fighting, were combined into one company. A staff officer and an officer succumbed to the rigors of the campaign. On October 20, 1812 this company lost another 21 men near Drutschany. On November 16, 1812, another company with six officers and 146 men was formed from the remains. On November 29, 1812, what was left of the Bavarian regiments began to retreat via Wilna. Four men died near Wileika, one officer died, 15 men were wounded and 101 men were taken prisoner. On December 9, 1812, the regiment lost its last guns, a doctor and most of the wounded and sick had to be left behind. After the fighting at Shismory on December 11, 1812, only 68 men reached Antocolze, from where the march back to Plock took place. On December 28, 1812, the 1st Battalion was reorganized with 19 officers, 693 men and 19 horses and placed under the 2nd Brigade "Freiherr von Zoller". This brigade defended Thorn from January 20 to April 16, 1813. On March 11, the strength of the battalion was given as 19 officers and 685 men, half of whom were reported sick. On April 16, 16 officers and 320 men withdrew from the fortress, over 220 remained ill, 152 men did not survive the siege. Five officers of the regiment died in captivity, 14 officers returned from Russia in 1814. No information was known about the fate of the prisoners in the rank of sergeant and crew. On April 19, 1813, the 2nd Battalion in Innsbruck received a new flag, the 1st Battalion received a new flag a short time later. On August 10, 1813, Franz von Pillement was appointed Colonel Commandant.

War against France in 1813/14 and 1815

For the Wars of Liberation , the regiment entered with two battalions with a total of 41 officers and 1690 men under the command of the 1st Brigade (Major General von der Stockh) of the 3rd Division (Lieutenant General de la Motte). In the unfortunate battle near Hanau on 30./31. In October 1813, one officer and eight men fell, three officers and 96 men were wounded, one officer and 200 men were either captured or went missing. On December 22, 1813, after crossing the Rhine near Basel, the regiment took on 497 replacements born in 1794. In the battle near Brienne on February 1, 1814, two men were killed and six were wounded, including the former Commander-in-Chief Roth, who died the next day. After the fighting at Luisetaine on February 13, 1814 (14 wounded), the regiment suffered heavy losses at Villeneuve on February 17, 1814; 26 men were killed, eight officers and 124 NCOs and men were wounded and 120 men were captured. After the battles at Bar-sur-Aube (February 27, 1814) and Arcis sur Aube (March 20/21, 1814) and the loss of another seven officers and about 100 men, the regiment entered Paris on April 2, 1814 . In 1815 the 2nd Battalion moved from Landsberg am Lech to Lindau . On March 28, 1815, 1294 men of the 2nd Brigade (Major General von Treuberg) were placed under the 3rd Division. On June 23, 1815, the advance began and the regiment came to Château-Renard - Beaune-la-Rolande until August 9, 1815.

Between the Congress of Vienna (1815) and the German War (1866)

In 1815 the VI. National Field Battalion Lindau and the XVI. National Field Battalion Kempten as IV. And V frame battalion, which after the dissolution of the III. Reserve battalions in each III. and IV. Frame Battalion were renamed. On June 1, 1822, the two frame battalions were disbanded. In 1825 the regiment was divided into two battalions, each with one rifle and five fusilier companies. After the death of Lieutenant General August Freiherr von Kinkel on November 25, 1827, the regiment was named 11th Line Infantry Regiment "vacant Kinkel" . For the auxiliary corps in Greece, the combined regiment "Nickels" was formed from the 2nd battalion of the regiment and the 1st battalion of the 10th Infantry Regiment . The 2nd Battalion had a strength of 27 officers, 54 NCOs and 678 men. It remained in Greece from November 19, 1832 to June 29, 1834, where four officers, six non-commissioned officers and 122 men died. The flag of the 2nd Battalion was awarded the memorial for the mission in Greece on August 25, 1834. On October 28, 1835 Lieutenant General Peter Freiherr von Lamotte was appointed regiment owner , which was also renamed the "Lamotte" infantry regiment . On December 30, 1836, Major General Friedrich Freiherr von Hertling took over from him as owner, the regiment was now called the Infantry Regiment "Friedrich Hertling" . After the death of his predecessor on November 21, 1837, the regiment was renamed the infantry regiment "vacant Lamotte" . On March 30, 1838 Major General Wilhelm Christoph Graf von Ysenburg was appointed owner, and the regiment was now called the Infantry Regiment "Ysenburg" . On August 25, 1842, Friedrich Graf von Ysenburg was appointed colonel in command of the regiment. On March 27, 1848, a fusilier company with four officers, six non-commissioned officers and 122 men was posted to Neu-Ulm . On March 31, 1848, Joseph Naus took command of the regiment. From April 16 to August 6, 1848, the 1st Battalion was commanded to Constance and the 2nd Battalion to Radolfzell to ensure peace and order in Swabia and in the Lake District of Baden. In the time of the establishment of the III. Battalion on April 21, 1848, which already received the new flag model 41, also fell the so-called beer riots in Kempten. On April 26, 1848, the regiment was renamed the 11th Infantry Regiment "Ysenburg" . From June 12 to 22, 1849, the 1st and 2nd battalions were with the Danube Observation Corps, while the 2nd battalion was in Donauwörth . In 1849 the 1st battalion was in Aschaffenburg , the II in Lohr and the III. first stationed in Würzburg , then in Kempten. In 1850 the regiment and its 1st and 2nd battalions were subordinate to the brigade of Major General Count Guiot. In 1851 the 1st Battalion was posted to Kassel and the 2nd to Marburg . From August 1851 the regiment was closed in the Regensburg garrison. From October 1853 to the beginning of 1860 parts of the regiment were repeatedly relocated to the garrison towns of Landau in the Palatinate, Ingolstadt , Straubing and Germersheim . On October 1, 1851, the 5th, 10th and 15th Fusilier Company, and on November 15, 1856, the 3rd Rifle Company were disbanded, which were re-established on April 24, 1859. With the death of the owner Wilhelm Graf von Ysenburg on February 29, 1860, the regiment was renamed the 11th Infantry Regiment "vacant Ysenburg" on March 1, 1860 . In 1860 it was again stationed closed in Regensburg. From October 1861 the 1st Battalion was commanded to Ingolstadt and a company to Lichtenau . On May 12, 1863, the 5th, 10th and 15th Fusilier Companies were reclassified into the 2nd, 4th and 6th Rifle Companies. On January 11, 1865, Philipp Straub took over command of the regiment from Colonel Joseph von Ribaupierre, who had been in command since May 9, 1859.

War against Prussia 1866

In 1866 a reserve and depot battalion was set up, which was soon disbanded after the peace agreement. On May 10, 1866, the regiment began with 60 officers and 2,100 men. The 1st Battalion was moved from Ingolstadt to Nuremberg and joined the regiment on July 10, 1866; the II. and III. Battalion were subordinated to the 5th Brigade (Major General von Ribaupierre), 3rd Division (Lieutenant General Freiherr von Zoller). While the 1st Battalion was commanded to Lichtenau, Rosenberg and Plassenburg, most of the regiment fought on July 4, 1866 near Zella, where only one man was wounded. In the Battle of Kissingen on July 10, 1866, the regiment lost 14 dead and 44 wounded, 189 men were taken prisoner. This sank the combat strength to 40 officers and 1,528 men. During the skirmishes near Helmstadt on July 25, 1866, the regiment had to take a further 26 dead, 97 wounded, of which a captain died soon afterwards. 87 men were missing.

In October 1866 the 1st Battalion was moved from Ingolstadt to Lindau. On April 14, 1867 Maximilian Graf von Leuglfing was entrusted with the management of the regiment. On April 28, 1867, King Ludwig II appointed Lieutenant General Ludwig von der Tann-Rathsamhausen as the owner of the regiment, which until its dissolution on December 15, 1918 retained the name of the 11th Infantry Regiment "von der Tann" . On May 10, 1868, the rifle companies were dissolved, the regiment was now divided into three battalions of four companies each. On July 1, 1868, the regiment gave a company to the 9th Jäger Battalion. From October 1, 1868, the regiment had to place a company on the Veste Oberhaus in Passau every quarter .

War against France 1870/71

On July 17, 1870, the 1st and 2nd Battalion of the 2nd Brigade mobilized the 2nd Battalion of the 8th Brigade . On July 30, 1870, the replacement battalion was set up for the duration of the war. The III. Battalion fought on August 4, 1870 near Weißenburg with a combat strength of 23 officers, 71 NCOs and 768 men, of which seven men were killed and three officers and 48 men were wounded. On that day, the battalion consumed over 50,000 rounds. At the battle of Woerth the entire regiment (65 officers, 208 non-commissioned officers and 2301 teams) was involved. Here the regiment had to accept four officers and 19 men killed in action, seven officers and 135 men wounded; 19 men were missing. In the battle at Beaumont on August 30, 1870, it had a strength of 60 officers, 159 non-commissioned officers and 1,852 men. At Beaumont, the regiment was spared losses. The next day at Remilly fell from II. And III. Battalion two men and two officers and six men were wounded. In the Battle of Sedan on September 1, 1870, the regiment fought 59 officers, 157 NCOs and 1,822 men. The losses at II. And III. Battalion were given with a fallen officer and 19 wounded. In the battles on September 19, 1870 at Petit Bicêtre, Plessis Piquet and Chatillon, the regiment reported no losses. In the affair at Rambouillet on September 22, 1870, the 1st Battalion suffered no losses and took on an officer, two NCOs and 78 replacements. On September 30th another replacement of two officers, two NCOs and 84 men arrived. On November 10, 1870, Otto Schmidt took command of the regiment from Maximilian von Leublfing . In the skirmishes at Artenay (October 10), Orléans (October 11) and Chatillon (October 13) the III. Battalion (combat strength: 22 officers, 69 NCOs and 799 men) with low casualties (six killed, 24 wounded). On November 21, 1870, a company commander, accompanied by a sergeant with the flag of the 2nd Battalion and two corporals, attacked the superior force of the French mobile guards and made them retreat.

During the enclosure of Paris the III. Battalion one more fallen and 15 wounded; Between October 14 and December 21, 1870, it received replacements for three officers, seven non-commissioned officers and 276 men. From November 1870 to January 1871 the battalion had a high sick leave, and one officer died of typhus . The 1st and 2nd Battalion took on the replacement of three officers, 22 NCOs and 554 men on January 7th and 8th, 1871. On March 1, 1871, the III. Battalion in strength 26 officers, 70 NCOs and 858 men as well as 57 non-combatants in Paris.

On January 18, 1871, two battalion flags (1st Battalion, 3rd Battalion, 11th Company) were delegated with an escort during the imperial proclamation in Versailles .

The regiment had to complain during the war against France:

• eight officers and 64 NCOs and men of the dead;
• of the wounded thirty officers and 513 NCOs and men, of whom five officers and 45 men died from their injuries;
• of prisoners two officers and 88 non-commissioned officers and men, five of whom did not survive captivity.

In August 1873 the II. Battalion were in Ingolstadt, the III. Battalion stationed in Passau. The 2nd battalion was moved back to Regensburg in 1875. In September 1878 the III. Battalion from Passau to Straubing. In 1893 General of the Infantry Benignus von Safferling was placed à la suite of the regiment. On October 2, 1893, the IV. Half-Battalion was set up with the 13th and 14th companies, which were already transferred to the 21st Infantry Regiment on April 1, 1897 as 7th and 8th companies . In April of that year the III. Battalion back to Regensburg. On September 1, 1897, the regiment had the honor of taking part in a large parade in front of Kaiser Wilhelm II and the Prince Regent Luitpold with subsequent maneuvers. On October 28, 1904, Eugen Benzino was appointed regimental commander. In the course of the China expedition in 1900, five men were assigned to the 1st Sea Battalion, an officer, a senior physician, three non-commissioned officers and 26 men to the 2nd Battalion of the East Asian Infantry Regiment. Two men were wounded during the expedition. On July 15, 1905, the regiment celebrated its centenary. The first MG company was set up on October 1, 1911 . In 1910 he was General of the Infantry Luitpold von der Tann-Rathsamhausen , in 1913 General of the Infantry Hermann von Haag , at the time his Majesty's Adjutant General, à la suite of the regiment. On January 23, 1913, Colonel Ludwig von Tautphoeus was appointed regimental commander.

First World War

1914

The regiment entered at the beginning of the First World War with about 90 officers, 3,300 NCOs and men, 235 horses and 75 vehicles. It was subordinated to the 12th Infantry Brigade under Major General von Kirschbaum, and then to the 6th Infantry Division under Lieutenant General Maximilian von Höhn . In the battle of Lorraine on 20./21. August 1914 pushed the regiment at Prévocourt through the lines of the French 68th Reserve Corps and on the evening of August 21, 1914 was involved in the capture of Delme. The next day it reached the Seille. On September 11, 1914, replacements for four officers, 27 officer deputies, and 881 NCOs and men arrived. From Chambley on September 19, 1914 the regiment Vigneulles won. From there it came across the road Vigneulles – St. Mihiel until shortly before St. Mihiel . The III. Battalion was subordinated to the 11th Infantry Brigade . To the northwest of Spada, the battalion, deployed on the right flank of the 11th Brigade, had to parry a French attack from Lacroix from September 22 to 24. The heavy artillery that followed began to bombard the forts located there, so that the regiment received the order to take the Camp des Romains on the morning of 25 September. On September 25, 1914, the 1st and 2nd Battalion of the regiment, together with parts of the 6th Infantry Regiment, took five officers and 453 French prisoners while storming Fort Camp des Romains. A continuation of the attack on Fort Paroches had to be abandoned because other troops failed to cross the Meuse .

1915

On March 26, 1915, Lieutenant Colonel Theodor Carl was appointed regimental commander. North of the Ailly Forest, the regiment began a decisive attack on the French positions on May 5, 1915, so that the French stopped the attacks for the coming months. At the end of 1915, the regiment's flags were handed over to the armory administration by official channels.

1916

Before the Battle of Verdun , the regiment had a strength of 2,700 men and 800 replacement men. At the beginning of August, the 6th Infantry Division replaced the Alpine Corps south of Fleury. The regiment was positioned south of Fleury between the 10th Infantry Regiment (right) and 13th Infantry Regiment (left). The devastating attack by the French on August 2, 1916 mainly hit the regiment's two neighbors, but the situation was halfway resolved on August 3, but Fleury was lost. In the fighting off Verdun from July 14th to August 7th, 1916 alone, losses of 20 officers and 975 men were recorded; the combat strength was still 1,100 men. On September 18, 1916, the regiment on the Somme advanced deeply structured in front of Gueudecourt. The III. Battalion was in front on the right, the 1st Battalion on the left behind. The British attack began on September 25 and by September 30 pushed the front back about two kilometers to the north on the Ligny – Le Transloy line. In November 1916, two more machine-gun companies were formed with the regiment.

1917

The regiment was placed under the newly formed 16th Infantry Division at the end of January 1917 . On April 19, 1917, Major Otto Rösch became regimental commander and remained so at the end of the war. From May to September 1917 the regiment fought in Flanders (including on June 7, 1917 in the battle of Wytschaete and Messines). On September 20, 1917, the companies had melted from 100 to 25 to 30 men due to the heavy fighting. The regiment was involved in the tank battle near Cambrai at the end of November 1917 and was then transferred to the Siegfriedstellung.

1918

The 16th Infantry Division with the 11th Infantry Regiment took part in the Great Battle of France from March 21, 1918 to the beginning of April and was then used in the trench warfare at Arras and Albert until August. In the defensive battles at Bapaume from August 21 to 30, 1918, the regiment at Thilloy was thrown into battle, with the 1st battalion south of Bapaume being almost completely wiped out on August 27, 1918. The 9th and 10th companies had 15 men each left. All machine guns had failed. The regiment was able to rebuild a line of defense west of Riencourt on August 29, 1918 and hold it for a few days. At Westroosebeke it was able to stop the English attack in the evening on September 28, 1918, and the next day it advanced into the Flanders position. In the following, the regiment dodged fighting about 25 km to the east. On October 20, 1918, the regiment took up a position east of the Lys Canal near Landegem. There they could withstand British attacks for a few days. At the end of the war the regiment stood west of Termonde.

During the First World War, the regiment had 81 officers, three doctors and 2,120 NCOs and men to mourn deaths; the number of wounded, missing and prisoners is not recorded.

Knight's Cross bearer of the Military Max Joseph Order 1914/18:

• Lieutenant Stuart Ritter von Linhard on April 19, 1915
• Lieutenant Georg Ritter von Reiner on August 24, 1916
• Lieutenant Ernst Ritter von Steindorff on April 10, 1917
• Captain Ewald Ritter von Retze on August 30, 1918

Whereabouts

After the armistice of Compiègne , the remnants of the regiment vacated the occupied territory on November 12, 1918 and withdrew to Düsseldorf via Liège and Aachen. From there they marched back home, where the regiment arrived in Regensburg on December 14, 1918, was demobilized and finally disbanded. Two free formations were formed from parts . On March 4, 1919, the 1st Volkswehr Battalion Regensburg was set up with three companies and one MG company, which was deployed in June in the border guard against Bohemia. On 19./20. April the 2nd Volkswehr Battalion Regensburg was formed with three companies and one MG company. Both battalions were merged on August 1, 1919 as 1st Battalion in Reichswehr Infantry Regiment 48 of the Provisional Reichswehr .

The tradition took over in the Reichswehr by decree of the Chief of the Army Command General of the Infantry Hans von Seeckt from August 24th 1921 the 1st and 2nd companies of the 20th (Bavarian) Infantry Regiment in Regensburg. In the Wehrmacht , the regimental staff, the 1st and 2nd battalions and the 13th and 14th companies of the 20th infantry regiment in Regensburg continued the tradition.

Marches

• Presentation march: "Bavarian presentation march and flag march of 1822/23"
• Parade march: “Von der Tann-Marsch” by Andreas Hager

literature

• Baptist Schrettinger: The Royal Bavarian Military Max Joseph Order and its members. R. Oldenbourg, Munich 1882.
• Eduard Wimmer : History of the Koenigl.-Bayer. Infantry regiment "von der Tann" from 1805–1889. Kopfsgutter, Wasserburg am Inn 1890.
• Albert Dunzinger: The KB 11th Infantry Regiment von der Tann. (Memorial sheets of German regiments, Bavarian part. Volume 22). Munich 1921.
• Konrad Krafft von Dellmensingen , Friedrichfranz Feeser : The Bavaria book of the world wars 1914-1918. Chr.Belser AG Publishing House, Stuttgart 1930.
• Günter Wegner: Germany's armies until 1918. Volume 11: Bavaria. Biblio Verlag, Osnabrück 1984.

Individual evidence

1. ^ Jürgen Kraus: Handbook of the units and troops of the German army 1914-1918. Part VI: Infantry. Volume 1: Infantry Regiments. Verlag Militaria, Vienna 2007, ISBN 978-3-902526-14-4 . P. 445.