Royal Bavarian 2nd Heavy Rider Regiment "Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Este"

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The 2nd Heavy Rider Regiment "Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Este" was a cavalry association of the Bavarian Army with a peacetime base in Landshut .

Landshut Cuirassier Regiment Prince Adalbert of Bavaria 1847

Association membership 1914

  • Foundation day of the regiment: September 10, 1815.

history

Positioning and development

The regiment was set up on September 24, 1815 according to the rescript of September 10, 1815 as the 2nd cuirassier regiment in Bar-sur-Aube . For this purpose, the 1st Cuirassier Regiment had to hand over its 4th, 5th and 6th Squadrons, which became the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Squadrons of the 2nd Cuirassier Regiment. The strength there was 17 officers, 35 NCOs, seven trumpeters, three blacksmiths, three saddlers and 332 cuirassiers. When the regiment arrived in Landshut on December 14, 1815, the 7th squadron was appointed as depot squadron in strength (including depot personnel) seven sergeants, four fouriers, 26 corporals, nine trumpeters, four blacksmiths, four saddlers, twelve corporations and 377 men. The first Colonel Commandant (the term Kommandeur did not come into use until 1872) was the commoner Johann Bernhardt. By March 31, 1816, the regiment was disarmed to 221 men and 238 service horses. The next day (April 1st) the 4th Squadron was set up. On March 31, 1817 the actual strength of the sergeant downwards was given as 210 men and 210 horses, although a budget for a total of 26 officers, two Junkers, four civil servants, 71 NCOs, 16 trumpeters, five blacksmiths, five saddlers and 750 men and 683 horses was approved. On September 5, 1817, Balthasar Kiliani was appointed Colonel Commander, who led the regiment until his death on August 4, 1829. On October 12, 1819, the three standards were consecrated and handed over to the regiment. The clerical councilor Schneider, Colonel Kiliani, all officers and nine NCOs and cuirassiers ceremoniously hammered three nails each into the standards. The 1st Division (1st and 2nd Squadron) carried a white standard with silver and gold embroidery , later a regimental standard . The 2nd division had a light blue standard, the reserve division a blue standard, each with gold embroidery. In 1822 the budget was cut to 685 men and 503 horses. On May 8, 1823, Johann Nepomuk Prince of Saxony was appointed the first owner of the regiment. At the same time it was named 2nd Cuirassier Regiment “Prince Johann of Saxony” . On November 30, 1825, the regiment took on the 3rd and 4th squadrons from the 1st Cuirassier Regiment and built their own 5th and 6th squadrons from them. At that time the catering was around 500 men. From December 12, 1825 to November 1, 1833, Freising was the regiment's garrison location, two squadrons were alternately housed in Landshut. In 1828 Colonel Kiliani was awarded the Order of Ludwig for fifty years of service. On November 20, 1829, Friedrich Freiherr von Magerl was given command of the regiment, which he handed over to Friedrich von Flotow on February 24, 1843. In 1831 the 1st and 2nd Squadrons were deployed in the context of the Cholera Cordon under the command of Major Muck in Simbach , Reichenhall and Neuhaus . From November 1, 1833 to May 1, 1839 Freising was still run as the regiment's garrison town, with four squadrons alternately quartered in Landshut. On October 28, 1835, the regiment was renamed the Cuirassier Regiment "Prince Johann of Saxony" . On July 19, 1846, Adalbert Prince of Bavaria became the owner of the regiment, which also led to the renaming of the Cuirassier Regiment "Prince Adalbert of Bavaria" . From May 1, 1839, Landshut was the garrison town for the bulk of the regiment, with two squadrons alternating stationed in Freising until 1863. In 1847, the owner founded the Prinz-Adalbert-Stiftung, which annually included 120 fl for the library, 120 fl for the music box, 40 fl for the trumpeter and 20 fl for school books.

From March 3 to April 4, 1848, the 5th and 6th Squadrons moved to Munich to strengthen the garrison there. The 1st and 2nd squadrons were posted to Freising. On July 26, 1848 the formation of the 7th Squadron was ordered. From April 26, 1848, the regiment was called the 2nd Cuirassier Regiment "Prince Adalbert of Bavaria" . On August 21, 1848 Alfons Freiherr von Stockum-Sternfels was appointed Colonel Commander. In the period from October 21 to December 20, 1850, the regiment gave up the 5th and 6th Squadrons to compose the 3rd Cuirassier Regiment. The regiment itself had 770 service horses at that time. In 1851 the peace budget per squadron was set at four officers, 168 non-commissioned officers and men, and 95 horses. The 7th Squadron was disbanded on November 27, 1856, set up again on August 25, 1859, and again disbanded on December 21, 1863. The 5th and 6th Squadrons now had to be finally given up in the period from June 20 to August 25, 1859 for the establishment of the 3rd Cuirassier Regiment. In the Lechfeld camp, the cuirassier brigade was composed of the three existing regiments. The peacetime strength of the regiment was reduced from 978 men and 672 horses to 668 men and 560 horses. The regiment was then divided into four squadrons, each with four officers, 163 non-commissioned officers and men, and 140 horses. Despite the express prohibition of dueling, Rittmeister von Sternbach was killed in a duel on December 27, 1863. In the following year, the royal treasurer and forester Adolf Freiherr von Sternbach donated a capital of a remarkable 10,000 florins in memory of his son, the interest of which is to be distributed to talented, decent children of poor sergeants and soldiers on December 27th. On April 23, 1866 Ludwig Graf von Tattenbach, Rheinstein and Valley, Edler Herr zu Ganowitz was appointed Colonel Commander.

Certain physical demands were placed on Bavarian cuirassiers: the heavy cavalry requires a height of at least 5 feet 11 inches, [approx. 172/173 cm] and broad-shouldered, stocky people who have grown out of their hips, so that the cuirass does not fall troublesome by lying on their hips.

War against Prussia 1866

During the mobilization phase, the 5th Squadron was set up as a depot. The regiment entered with 35 officers, 667 cuirassiers and 600 horses and was divided into four squadrons of 110 horses each. The 6th (reserve) squadron had 250 men with 250 horses. It was subordinate to the heavy brigade of the Reserve Cavalry Corps under General of the Cavalry Prince Turn und Taxis. After the battle at Hünfeld (Neuwirtshaus) and Gersfeld on July 4, 1866, it carried out first combat operations against units of the Prussian Main Army of General Edwin von Manteuffel . However, due to false alarms and a lack of leadership practice, panic broke out in the Bavarian cavalry. However, only half a squadron of the regiment was affected. On July 26, 1866, the regiment rode an attack against Prussian dragoons and hussars near Hettstadt . A corporal fell and eleven men were wounded. In addition, two men died of illnesses. The war for the unit was already over on August 2nd, and after the armistice the cuirassiers returned to Landshut at the beginning of September. Shortly afterwards, the 5th Squadron was disbanded, only to be re-established in 1867.

On May 11, 1867, the 2nd and 3rd squadrons of the 3rd cuirassier regiment were incorporated, the regiment was now divided into five squadrons. A squadron was stationed in Nymphenburg from 1867 to 1887 . On August 1, 1868, a constable, four cuirassiers and fourteen horses were transferred to the equitation institute. On February 1, 1870, Adolf Franz Philipp Baumüller was appointed Colonel Commandant. On July 16, 1870, the 5th Squadron was converted into a Depot Squadron.

War against France 1870/71

During the campaign, the regiment was subordinate to the 1st Army Corps , which of the 3rd Army was under the command of Crown Prince Friedrich of Prussia . On August 1, 1870, it was moved from Landshut to the western border of the Reich by rail. After the Battle of Wörth on August 6, 1870, it took part in the pursuit of the enemy in conjunction with the 4th Prussian Cavalry Division. On August 30, 1870 a replacement of an officer, two NCOs, a trumpeter, fifty men and 53 horses arrived. The regiment was part of the reserve in the Battle of Sedan . After the fighting at Balan, a suburb of Sedan, on September 2, 1870, the regiment was tasked with clearing up work and transporting prisoners. On the same day it took on nine replacement men without horses. During the battle at Artenay on October 10, 1870, the 1st and 4th Squadrons rode an attack in which the squadrons remained without losses and took 200 prisoners. The combat strength at the time was 555 men. On September 25, 1870, a replacement in strength of one officer, 103 men and 53 horses arrived. In the battles at Châteaudun and Verdes on November 6, 1870, the regiment lost thirteen men and twelve horses. At Coulmiers the regiment entered in strength 541 men and had to accept the loss of two cuirassiers and nine horses. In the battle at Villepion on December 1, 1870 there were no losses for the regiment (535 men), four horses were eliminated. When the regiment at Guillonville and Orlean recorded a wounded cuirassier in the fight against the French Loire Army in the following days, a cuirassier was killed during the battle of Beaugency on December 8th. Another was wounded, and by December 10th a total of twenty-two horses died mostly of exhaustion. From December 23, 1870 to January 3, 1871 the regiment was used at Etampes and then until June 8, 1871 in the siege ring of Paris . It did not take part in any fighting here. On January 8, 1871, a staff officer, a non-commissioned officer, 34 men and 47 horses were replaced. Sub- lieutenant Lindpaintner, the second sergeant Fischer and the cuirassiers Lang and Streibel were delegated with the standard to the imperial proclamation . Finally the march from Paris to Landshut took place, which the troops reached on July 19, 1871. A day later the regiment was back in Munich. The daily duty rate on July 8, 1871 was given as eighteen officers, 494 men and 493 horses. On July 19, 1871, the unit returned to their garrison .

During the war the regiment had to complain as a whole

  • ten fallen cuirassiers and 17 dead horses
  • seven wounded and 24 injured horses
  • a captured cuirassier and
  • 23 men who died of disease.

In 1872 the 5th Squadron was disbanded and the Division Association was repealed. According to the budget, four to five officers, 139 NCOs and men and 145 horses were now planned for each squadron. In 1873 the snot sickness broke out in horses. Two men did not survive a cholera epidemic. With the death of the owner Prince Adalbert of Bavaria on September 21, 1875, it was renamed the 2nd Cuirassier Regiment "vacant Prinz Adalbert" . A squadron was stationed in Munich from 1877 to 1881. On November 10, 1877, the Crown Prince, Archduke Rudolf of Austria, was appointed owner of the regiment. From then on the regiment was called the 2nd Cuirassier Regiment "Archduke Rudolf of Austria" . In the same year, Colonel Prince Ludwig Ferdinand was à la suite of the regiment. On April 1, 1879, it was renamed the 2nd Heavy Cavalry Regiment "Archduke Rudolf of Austria" . With the tragic death of Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria on January 30, 1889, the regiment was renamed the 2nd Heavy Cavalry Regiment "vacant Archduke Rudolf" . In 1889, Prince Ludwig Ferdinand gave the regiment an extensive set of silver tables. From October 1, 1890, the budget was increased by five non-commissioned officers, one private, nine riders and fifteen horses per squadron. On May 23, 1899, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Este was appointed owner of the regiment, which from then on was called the 2nd Heavy Cavalry Regiment "Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Este" and this name also after the death of the heir to the Austrian throne retained on June 28, 1914. Four volunteers took part in the China expedition in 1900. In 1902, the regiment's peace budget was: 25 officers, two doctors, six civil servants, 81 non-commissioned officers, a baton trumpeter, fifteen trumpeters, ten surrender, 90 private, 477 riders, six craftsmen, five medical officers and private, as well as sixty officer horses and 676 service horses. In the same year Rittmeister Prince Ferdinand Maria, the son of Prince Ludwig Ferdinand, was à la suite of the regiment. A non-commissioned officer and eight horsemen volunteered for the protection force in German South West Africa , one of whom fell in combat in 1904 and one rider died of typhus . On July 20, 1908, Otto von Stetten took over command of the regiment, which he handed back to Maximilian Dietrich on March 20, 1909. Individual officers were on duty as volunteers in Cameroon and Spanish Morocco . On January 23, 1913 Otto Freiherr von Eyb was appointed commander of the regiment. On July 3, 1913, the strength of the regiment was given as twenty-five officers, three doctors, three veterinarians, five civil servants, 739 non-commissioned officers and men and 726 service horses.

First World War

During the First World War, the regiment remained in association with its sister regiment , the 1st Heavy Rider Regiment "Prince Karl of Bavaria" .

Heavy rider 1914

1914

At the beginning of the World War, the regiment entered with its 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 5th squadrons in strength 36 officers, 687 riders, 763 horses and 18 vehicles and subordinated to the 1st Cavalry Brigade / Cavalry Division . The 4th Squadron was a replacement squadron. In addition, the 4th Landwehr Squadron of the 1st Army Corps was set up in August 1914. From 6 to 14 August 1914, the regiment was used as a border guard in Lorraine . In the Battle of Lorraine until August 23, 1914, the unit fought in combat with the Côtes Lorraines (September 9 to 30), followed by the battle for Lille - Lens from October 4 to 12, 1914 . On September 11, 1914, the first replacement was accepted at Lunéville. From October 4 to November 11, 1914, the second replacement arrived at the regiment. Briefly deployed on the Lys in mid-October , the regiment reached the Ypres area , where it remained until November 4, 1914. The unit took part in the storming of Hollebeke on October 21 and 24 and had to fight dismounted in front of Gheluvelt (November 2 to 4, 1914). It was refreshed in Nivelles-Perwez (Belgium) between December 6, 1914 and January 21, 1915.

1915

In 1915 a machine gun platoon was budgeted for two heavy machine guns and provided for one officer, three non-commissioned officers, 26 men and 41 horses. A lieutenant, six riders and eight horses were transferred to the brigade cavalry engineer division. On January 21, the regiment was transferred to Metz (→ Metz Fortress ) as an army reserve . On February 11th, 80 riflemen from the 2nd and 3rd squadrons and 80 riflemen from the 1st and 5th squadrons were formed into the 3rd and 4th company of a rifle battalion. The 1st and 2nd companies were provided by the 1st Heavy Rider Regiment. The rifle battalion was used as an army reserve in Metz until March 31, 1915 off Verdun. Then it was moved to the Eastern Front on April 4, 1915 and from April 1915 was deployed in the "Lauenstein" army group in Lithuania and Courland . In the battle near Czuchinski on April 28, 1915, an squadron chief, two non-commissioned officers and eighteen horsemen were killed. The regiment took part in the battle at Schaulen on April 29 and 30, 1915 and on May 29 in the attack of the cavalry division in conjunction with the Prussian 3rd cavalry division on Lawgola-Swirnie. When the regiment reached the Dubissa , the squadrons had thirty to forty men left. With the replacement on May 12, 1915, the squadrons were again increased to 127 men. A replacement transport arrived on May 20th. On June 4, 1915, two Russian officers and 540 men were captured and a machine gun was captured. It reached Cytowiany by the end of June, and on July 25, 1915, it began to pursue the Russians near Kineiki. On July 21, 1915, the combat strength of the regiment was 26 officers, 506 riders and 532 horses. On August 3rd and 4th there was a skirmish near Onikschty. After Wilkomierz had been investigated by force (August 6th and 7th), the Schweren Reiter fought on August 12th and 19th, 1915 in the battle of Schymany-Ponedeli. At the Swienta and Jara, the regiment went into defense on August 20, 1915 and had to endure trench warfare until September 8. From September 9 to October 2, 1915, the association was deployed near Vilna . On September 30, 1915, the 2nd squadron had 24 riders, the other squadrons between fifty and seventy riders. At the Komeika the advance came to an end and on October 20, 1915 the regiment took up positions between Mazischki and Swirki Lake. On the Komeika and Suwaki rivers, 118 horses died of exhaustion and lung diseases in autumn. On December 14, 1915 it took on replacements for one officer, 102 riders and 88 horses.

1916

On January 2, 1916, another replacement of five NCOs, 23 riders and 214 horses arrived. On January 20, the combat strength was 28 officers and 605 horsemen, divided into four squadrons. In 1916 the regiment transferred fifteen riders to the Cavalry Cyclist Division. It was not until June 1916 that the regiment was ready for use again as a cavalry unit. From July 8, 1916, it was used in Volhynia to repel the Brusilov offensive on the Stochod . On August 29, 1916, a machine gun squadron with four officers, twelve NCOs, 83 horsemen, thirteen train soldiers, 135 horses, sixteen vehicles and six heavy machine guns was set up. Initially fencing at Toboly, it lost a third of its men in the fighting at Stare Czerwiszcze from September 9-11, 1916. On September 24, 1916, two officers and 150 men were replaced. On October 26, 1916, the regiment had a command of four officers, twenty non-commissioned officers, 120 riders and 416 horses for the potato harvest in West and East Prussia. The regiment went to Toboly for trench warfare, which dragged on until early 1917.

1917

In 1917 General of the Cavalry Otto von Stetten was placed à la suite . On February 2, 1917, a field recruits depot was set up by a sergeant, four non-commissioned officers and fifty horsemen. On April 4, 1917, the regiment captured a Russian officer and 126 men at Toboly. On July 13, 1917 it had grown again to a combat strength of 34 officers, 780 riders, 812 horses and 72 vehicles, on the same day it moved to Galicia and was involved in the battles for the heights at Berlohy on the Lomeika. On July 26, 1917, the Cavalry Division took part in the counterattack at Kolomea , which ended at Sadagora on August 5, 1917. From September 3 to November 20, 1917, it was then used in the Radautz area in trench warfare. With the peace treaty of Brest-Litovsk , the regiment was used from November 21, 1917 as an occupation force in the area Ploieşti - Piteşti - Slatina -Sivstowo. On December 12, 1917, Major Prince Konrad of Bavaria was appointed commander of the regiment.

1918

From March 8, 1918, the regiment was in the Ukraine near Odessa Nikolaev. In March 1918 the riders advanced as far as Nikolajew , where they performed security tasks until the beginning of April 1918. On April 10, 1918, it worked with a Russian volunteer corps, which consisted of 2,000 officers. On April 18 and 19, 1918 the isthmus near Perekop in the Crimea was captured . It captured seven artillery pieces, twenty-five machine guns and countless rifles and ammunition. After reaching Grammatikowa on April 26, the riders were occupying troops in Tauria until the end of June . Until May 2, 1918, the regiment remained in the eastern part of the Crimea as an occupation force. On May 2, 1918, the unit was involved in the capture of Kerch and on May 24, 1918 in a battle near Eigenfeld. On June 13, 1918, the 5th Squadron freed 233 German prisoners of war from the sugar factory near Poczapincy. From June 4 to September 15, 1918, the 1st Squadron and the Machine Gun Squadron were relocated to the Caucasus. From November 15 to 20, 1918, the regiment was used to protect the railway in the Sumy area. In mid-December 1918 the regiment was north of Lugansk on the eastern border of Ukraine . Only on January 13 and 14, 1919, was it loaded onto the railway in Konotop and set off for home. In the course of a fire attack by Petljura troops, a private fell as the last dead of the regiment, two men were wounded.

Balance sheet of the war

The association retained its cavalry status until the end of the war.

The regiment's total losses during World War I were

  • of dead: ten officers, 16 NCOs and 167 horsemen,
  • of the wounded 33 officers and 285 NCOs and horsemen.

Awards:

Whereabouts

In the period from January 31 to February 1, 1919, the regiment arrived in Neufahrn. Until recently, the regiment was known for its outstanding discipline. On February 2, 1919, the regiment moved into Landshut, only to be demobilized and disbanded there. The tradition was taken over by the 4th Squadron of the 17th (Bavarian) Cavalry Regiment in Straubing in the Reichswehr .

Peace uniform

Tabard and trousers made of cornflower blue cloth with ponceau red badge color. At tunic Swedish cuffs with yellow buttons. Long cloth trousers with red lampasses . Infantry helmet with angular front visor, cloverleaf attachment, six-point fluted tip and scale chains. All badges made of brass . During parades, the tip of the helmet was replaced by a white horsehair bush. The non-commissioned officers' stresses were yellow, the national cockade blue and white.

Regimental music

  • Presentation march: Slow march by Eduard Hayn
  • Parade march in step: March of Crown Prince Rudolf
  • Parade march at a trot: Karl Zikoff's trot march
  • Parade march at a gallop: Free away! by Carl Latann
  • Parade march on foot: Archduke Albrecht March by Karl Komzak

literature

  • Hugo FW Schulz: The Bavarian, Saxon and Württemberg cavalry regiments. 1913/1914. According to the law of July 3, 1913. Weltbild Verlag, Augsburg 1992, ISBN 3-89350-342-0 .
  • Günter Wegner: Germany's armies until 1918. Origin and development of the individual formations. Volume 11: Bavaria. Cavalry, artillery, technical troops. Biblio Verlag, Osnabrück 1984, ISBN 3-7648-1199-4 .
  • Eugen women wood : Bavarian regimental stories. Published by the Bavarian War Archives. Volume I: The Royal Bavarian Freestyle Shaving and Heavy Rider Regiment. War Archives Publishing House, Munich 1921.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Friedrich von Meier: Handbook on the Army Supplementary Law [of August 15, 1828], Munich 1857, p. 168, link