Royal Bavarian 16th Infantry Regiment "Grand Duke Ferdinand of Tuscany"

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The 16th Infantry Regiment "Grand Duke Ferdinand of Tuscany" was an association of the Bavarian Army that existed from 1878 to 1919.

history

Positioning and development

The regiment was set up on October 1, 1878 in accordance with the highest resolution of July 24, 1878 in Burghausen (1st battalion) and Passau (regimental staff, 2nd and 3rd battalion). It was formed from the following main troops:

The association was subordinate to the 2nd Infantry Brigade . The company strength ranged from 67 to 77 men. The first commanding officer was Colonel Franz Martin , who handed over command to Colonel Otto Correck on April 29, 1882. On January 1, 1879, the regiment had 51 officers, six doctors, three paymasters and two purser aspirants, three clerks, an actuary, two gunsmiths, six hospital assistants, 148 non-commissioned officers, 48 ​​minstrels, 36 craftsmen and 1372 men. On March 25, 1883 King Alfonso XII. appointed by Spain to the owner of the regiment, at the same time it was in the 16th Infantry Regiment "King Alfonso XII. of Spain ” . After his death on November 26, 1885, it was called the 16th Infantry Regiment "vacant King Alfons" . In 1888 the company strength was increased to 73 to 88 men. From April 1, 1891, the Burghausen site was given up and the 1st Battalion was relocated to Landshut . On October 1, 1893, the IV Half Battalion was set up with the 13th and 14th companies. On February 4, 1894, Grand Duke Ferdinand IV of Tuscany was appointed owner of the regiment. From now on it was called the 16th Infantry Regiment "Grand Duke Ferdinand of Tuscany" . On April 1, 1897, the regiment gave the IV. Half Battalion to the 20th Infantry Regiment in Landsberg am Lech , where it was called III. Battalion was established. Three officers and 34 men volunteered for the China expedition in 1900. On April 1, 1913, a machine gun company was set up. On October 1, 1913, Colonel Karl Grundherr zu Altenthan and Weyerhaus was appointed regimental commander.

First World War

1914

During the First World War , the regiment with a combat strength of 85 officers and 3,305 NCOs and men (as of August 2, 1914) joined Saarburg as part of the 6th Army . A week later, 30% of the teams were canceled due to the exertion during the approach. At the Battle of Lorraine from August 20-22, 1914, the regiment crossed the Saar near Oberstinzel and attacked parts of the French 8th Army Corps. It took the enemy's front lines by surprise, broke through quickly and was able to advance to the Rhine-Marne Canal near Heming by the morning of August 21 . After that, they became persecuted and reached Blâmont on the evening of August 22nd. The regiment captured 12 artillery pieces and 15 ammunition wagons and took around 200 French prisoners. However, when it was baptized by fire it also suffered losses of eight officers and 190 men killed or wounded. The 8th Company had lost all officers. On August 28, 1914, the III. Battalion only consisted of six officers and 270 men, from which two companies were formed. After being transferred to the Somme on September 23, 1914, the regiment was involved in the storming of Chaulnes and had 221 casualties on September 25 alone, with the 2nd Battalion being particularly affected (only 210 rifles!). On the same day, the regiment captured over 100 French men and took the longed-for replacement in strength of three officers, eleven officer deputies, fifty non-commissioned officers and 667 men.

1915

In the spring of 1915 the regiment was detached from the 1st Infantry Division and placed under the newly formed 10th Infantry Division . From March 27, 1915, the regiment was buried near Lihons and was able to hold its positions without major loss of terrain until October 20, 1915. On May 15, 1915, the regiment set up the 13th and 14th companies , which were then transferred to the 24th Infantry Regiment . On May 22, 1915, Lieutenant Colonel Adolf Bedall took over the regiment. From October 20, 1915 to May 22, 1916 it continued the trench warfare at Chaulnes.

1916

During the fighting at Arras from May 13th to June 28th 1916 the regiment lost over 350 men to death, wounding or illness. During the Battle of the Somme , the regiment was placed under the 28th Reserve Division as a reserve in the Bazentin-Longueval area from July 1, 1916 . On July 2nd, 1916, the 1st and 2nd Battalions threw themselves against Montauban, which was already occupied by the British, but were repulsed and had 72 casualties. After it had been able to hold its positions for the next twelve days, the English storm broke over the regiment on July 14, 1916 and destroyed the remaining parts. 256 men were killed on July 14, 1916 alone. A day later, eight officers and 688 men assembled as the remainder of the regiment. It was then removed from the western front . On July 31, 1916, Colonel Hugo Schönwerth was appointed regimental commander. The regiment was refreshed again until the beginning of August 1916 and from August 12, 1916 was relocated to the Carpathians , where it brought the Russian onslaught to a standstill at Dorna Watra and Kirlibaba in September 1916 . The losses of the regiment in the Carpathians were comparatively small and could mostly be compensated by replacement forces. On November 23, 1916, the 2nd and 3rd MG companies were set up with the help of MG sniper troops 45 and 87 as well as the MG supplementary platoon 829.

1917

After being transferred back to the Western Front on June 25, 1917, the regiment was deployed at Hollebeke. On July 31, 1917, after massive artillery preparations, the English attacked south of Hollebeke, but were only able to push in the southern wing of the regiment about 500 m. From June 25 to August 3, 1917, it lost 107 dead, 267 wounded and 90 prisoners. After the last major replacement had been incorporated, on October 1, 1917, the number of meals was 90 officers, 421 NCOs and 2,441 men. The regiment was moved to Gheluvelt on October 4, 1917 , where it bloody repulsed the English attacks on October 9 and was able to hold the village. On October 28, 1917, 35 men were killed on a train transport in an air raid. The regiment was detached from the front on October 30, 1917. From November 3 to 24, 1917, the regiment was in Brest-Litovsk to refresh .

1918

From May 30th to June 17th 1918 the regiment was deployed in the Soissons - Reims area. It lost 363 men in the period, but received only one officer and eight men as replacements. The 1st and 2nd battalions still had a total of nine officers and 252 men. On June 23, 1918, Major Franz Spiegel was given command of the regiment. From July 18, 1918, the regiment evaded fighting from Dammard to Oulchy-la-Ville in four days, but suffered considerable losses. It was returned to Le Cateau-Cambrésis on July 22, 1918 and the remnants of the regiment were placed under the 6th Bavarian Reserve Division. On July 23, 1918, Major Franz Spiegel was appointed commander. On August 4th, the regiment took over the remnants of the disbanded Reserve Infantry Regiment 13 and on August 26th the mine thrower company was set up. From 23 August to 18 October 1918 the regiment fought again in trench warfare, initially west of Biefvillers. Evasively fighting, the decimated regiment repeatedly defied the furious attacks of the English. The forces were finally exhausted; the 1st Battalion had one officer and 46 men. The 4th, 7th and 10th companies were disbanded and distributed. On October 19, 1918, the regiment received another replacement of two officers and 184 men. It still consisted of three companies, two machine-gun companies and a mine thrower company with a combat strength of twelve officers, 42 non-commissioned officers and 239 men. With the breakthrough of the British on both sides of Kortrijk an der Lys on October 20, 1918, the regiment slowly evaded to the east. On October 30, 1918, it was on this side of the Scheldt near Audenaarde . At the end of the war the regiment was in the Ninove area .

During the First World War, the regiment suffered

  • Dead: 48 officers, a medical officer, 244 NCOs and 2,084 men
  • Missing: two officers, thirteen NCOs and 178 men
  • Those who died due to illness / accidents: one officer, fourteen NCOs and 114 men

At the end of the war, 32 officers, six medical officers, 237 NCOs and 1,387 men were in captivity.

Whereabouts

After the Armistice of Compiègne , the remnants of the regiment marched via Brussels, Liège and Aachen to Barmen and finally arrived in Passau on December 16, 1918. On December 17, 1918, Colonel Ritter von Mieg was appointed commander of the regiment, who handed over command to Major Christian Benz on February 19, 1919. The regiment was demobilized by January 12, 1919 . A volunteer battalion was formed from parts, which in June 1919 in the III. Battalion of the Reichswehr Infantry Regiment 44 rose.

The tradition took over in the Reichswehr the 14th Company of the 19th (Bavarian) Infantry Regiment in Landshut and the 9th and 12th Company of the 20th (Bavarian) Infantry Regiment in Passau.

Commanders

Rank Surname date
Lieutenant Colonel / Colonel Franz Martin 0October 1, 1878 to April 24, 1882
Lieutenant colonel Otto Correck April 29, 1882 to March 23, 1885
Colonel Franz Berg March 24, 1885 to July 24, 1888
Colonel Joseph Holl July 25, 1888 to January 9, 1894
Colonel Wilhelm von Hertling January 12, 1894 to November 5, 1896
Colonel Otto Walther von Walderstötten 0November 7, 1896 to December 2, 1900
Lieutenant Colonel / Colonel Eugen Ehrensberger 0December 3, 1900 to November 14, 1902
Colonel Emil Gradinger November 15, 1902 to February 23, 1905
Colonel Karl Bernhuber February 25, 1905 to March 5, 1907
Colonel Bernhard Kießling 0March 8, 1907 to November 20, 1909
Colonel Heinrich Hinzler November 21, 1909 to June 21, 1912
Colonel Joseph Schmauß June 22, 1912 to September 19, 1913
Colonel Karl von Grundherr zu Altenthan and Weyherhaus 0October 1, 1913 to March 5, 1915
major Friedrich von Reitz 0March 6 to May 21, 1915 (Führer)
Lieutenant colonel Adolf Bedall May 22, 1915 to July 14, 1916
major Otto Killermann July 15 to 31, 1916 (Führer)
Colonel Hugo Schönwerth 0August 1, 1916 to April 15, 1918
major Oskar Prager April 16 to June 22, 1918 (Führer)
major Ernst Aldinger June 23-30, 1918
Captain Paul Beckmund June 30th to July 19th, 1918 (Führer)
major Franz Spiegel July 20 to December 16, 1918
Colonel Hans von Mieg December 17, 1918 to February 18, 1919
major Christian Benz February 19 to June 1919 (dissolution staff)

See also

literature

  • Ernst von Lutz: The Royal Bavarian 16th Infantry Regiment in the war. 1914-1918. Gogeißl, Passau 1922.
  • Konrad Krafft von Dellmensingen and Friedrichfranz Feeser : The Bavarian Book of World Wars 1914–1918. Volume I. Chr. Belser AG publishing bookstore. Stuttgart 1930.
  • Günter Wegner: Germany's armies until 1918. Volume 10: Bavaria. Biblio Publishing House. 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. 453.
  2. ^ 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 staffing of the active infantry regiments as well as jäger and MG battalions, military district commands and training managers from the foundation or list until 1939. Biblio Verlag, Osnabrück 1992, ISBN 3-7648-1782-8 , pp. 475–476 .