Leib-Cuirassier Regiment "Great Elector" (Silesian) No. 1

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Barracks of the regiment in Wroclaw, 2006
Double portrait of Princes Friedrich of Prussia and Wilhelm zu Solms-Braunfels in cuirassier uniforms - Regiment chief Prince Friedrich of Prussia (left) in the uniform of the Silesian Cuirassier Regiment No. 1 in 1830

The Leib-Kürassier-Regiment "Großer Kurfürst" (Silesian) No. 1 was a cavalry association of the Prussian Army , which was founded in 1674 as the Dragoon Guard . In the 18th century it was a cuirassier regiment on horseback (K 4). It was dissolved in 1918 and was considered the oldest regiment of the Prussian cavalry in the 19th century.

Lineup

In 1672, Elector Friedrich Wilhelm von Brandenburg , the Great Elector, issued the order to his mayor Joachim Ernst von Grumbkow to set up two companies of dragoons for orderly service at court. These two companies "Hofstaat Dragoons" were upgraded to the Leib-Dragoon Regiment "von Grumbkow" on June 21, 1674 and used as the Elector's bodyguard .

On February 27, 1714, the regiment under King Friedrich Wilhelm I lost its status as a guard regiment and henceforth traded under the name of the Dragoner Regiment " von Blanckensee " with the appended name of the head of the regiment. In 1718 the association was converted into a regiment on horseback (cuirassier regiment) with the trunk list number 4 (K 4). Between 1733 and 1758, the association was called regiment "of Gessler" and was in various places in East Prussia in garrison .

After the collapse of the Prussian Army in 1807 and the associated reorganization and reorganization, the remnants of the “von Prittwitz” dragoon regiments and the “von Heising” cuirassier regiment were added to the regiment in that year.

With the Supreme Cabinet Ordinance of September 7, 1808, the naming of the Prussian associations was fundamentally changed. Instead of the name of the boss as before, a national designation with consecutive numbering was chosen. The regiment was now called the Silesian Cuirassier Regiment No. 1 , which was assigned to Breslau as a garrison on December 3. On September 18, 1866, AKO renamed the Leib-Kürassier-Regiment No. 1 and on January 27th, the birthday of the Emperor, to the Leib-Kürassier-Regiment "Großer Kurfürst" (Silesian) No. 1.

Participation in skirmishes and combat operations

Wars of Liberation

In the Wars of Liberation of 1813/15 the cuirassiers fought at Groß-Görschen (May 2, 1813), at Haynau (May 26, 1813) and in the Battle of the Nations near Leipzig . The invasion of France took place in March 1814 and participation in the Battle of Laon . During the campaign against Napoleon in 1815, the association was part of the reserve cavalry, but took part in the victory parade in Paris on August 24, 1815. On January 25, 1816, he returned to the Breslau garrison.

Revolution 1848

As part of the fight against insurgents, the regiment was used to suppress the revolutionary unrest in Poznan .

German war

The regiment belonged to the reserve and took part in only one battle.

Franco-German War

The regiment was part of the reserve and initially had no missions. It was then transferred to the siege army outside Paris and subsequently fought against the French Loire Army. After the armistice, the association initially remained with the occupying forces and returned to Breslau on June 16, 1871.

First World War

The regiment moved to France as part of the 5th Cavalry Division , where it took part in the Battle of the Marne . In November 1914, the cuirassiers moved to the Eastern Front , where they were initially used mainly in Russian Poland and the Carpathians . In the summer of 1915 it was relocated to the Pripyat Marshes and the Pinsk area , where the troops remained until January 1918 and were used as cavalry in the messenger and security service. Then the division was dissolved. The affected cavalry regiments surrendered their horses and received infantry training at the Zossen military training area as part of the cavalry rifle associations . From July 1918 until the end of the war, the current Rifle Command 11 fought in Champagne and took part in the heavy defensive battles in this section.

Whereabouts

After the end of the war, the former Leib-Kürassier-Regiment was ordered to Berlin, where it was used to protect the Reich government against the rebellious People's Navy Division . Then the remnants of the regiment moved to Breslau, where they were demobilized .

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 Squadron of the 7th (Prussian) Cavalry Regiment in Breslau.

Commanders

Rank Surname date
Lieutenant Colonel / Colonel Karl Johann von Mutius November 25, 1807 to December 31, 1810
Major / Lieutenant Colonel / Colonel Ferdinand von Lessel 0January 1, 1810 to May 2, 1813
Major / Lieutenant Colonel / Colonel Karl von Briesen May 27, 1813 to May 9, 1816
Lieutenant Colonel / Colonel Ernst von Krosigk 1816
Major / Lieutenant Colonel Friedrich von dem Bussche-Ippenburg 0December 1, 1823 to March 30, 1829
Lieutenant colonel Moritz von Froelich 0May 9, 1828 to March 29, 1830 (in charge of the tour)
Lieutenant Colonel / Colonel Moritz von Froelich March 30, 1830 to March 29, 1838
major Friedrich von Reitzenstein March 30, 1838 to March 24, 1841
major Wilhelm von Tresckow March 26 to September 11, 1841 (entrusted with the tour)
Lieutenant Colonel / Colonel Wilhelm von Tresckow September 12, 1841 to March 6, 1848
Major / Lieutenant Colonel / Colonel Ferdinand von Sydow 0March 9 to May 6, 1848 (in charge of the tour)
Major / Lieutenant Colonel / Colonel Ferdinand von Sydow 0May 7, 1848 to March 9, 1853
Colonel Hermann von Gansauge March 17, 1853 to July 12, 1854
major Rudolf zu Solms-Laubach 1854
Major / Lieutenant Colonel / Colonel Alexander of Noville 1858
Major / Lieutenant Colonel Adalbert of Barby April 26, 1862 to January 13, 1868
Karl von Oppen January 14, 1868 to January 21, 1874
Max Taets from Amerongen January 22, 1874 to April 5, 1882
Albert von Schleinitz April 15, 1882 to June 13, 1886
Hermann von Frankenberg-Proschlitz June 14, 1886 to May 16, 1892
Wilhelm von Moltke May 17, 1892 to April 15, 1896
Michael von Szymonski April 16, 1896 to April 17, 1899
Kuno von Moltke April 18, 1899 to June 15, 1901
Wilhelm von Vollard-Bockelberg June 16, 1901 to September 12, 1906
Lieutenant Colonel / Colonel Eberhard von Schmettow September 13, 1906 to April 1, 1912
Eberhard von Giese May 20, 1914 to July 31, 1915
Axel von Wachtmeister 0August 1, 1915 to 1916
Franz von Magnis 1916 to 1918

Uniform in 1914

Until 1912, a cream-colored rollerball and cream-colored boot pants were worn in service . Officers with epaulettes on parade or otherwise epaulettes, NCOs and men with epaulettes equipped. The NCOs and men wore a white leather strap and a white leather bandolier with a black cartridge case, this one with specially applied Brandenburg eagles. Officers wore the belt or the armband or, for parades, the sash as an officer attribute around their bodies. The black cartridge with a special edition of a gold metal covered bandolier lined with black velvet. There were also black half-cuffed boots with buckle spurs and the cuirassier steel helmet made of polished sheet iron with badges made of tombac . The helmet had been equipped with an old Brandenburg eagle with the bandeau "PRO GLORIA ET PATRIA" since 1902. During parades, a white metal, two-part cuirass and white gauntlets were also put on. The cuirassiers wore a dark blue tunic as their dress uniform . Teams wore a Kritten (visorless hat) next to their helmets. NCOs and officers wear a white visor cap with a black trim.

The badge color on the Swedish lapels and the collar was black, the buttons and trims were gold. The name "WR" with a crown was on the epaulette fields. Crews and NCOs carried tubular steel lances with black and white lance flags or with a heraldic eagle.

Already ordered by AKO on February 14, 1907 and gradually introduced from 1909/1910, the colorful uniform was replaced for the first time by the field-gray field service uniform (M 1910) on the occasion of the imperial maneuver in 1913. The leather gear and the boots were natural brown, the helmet was covered by a fabric cover called reed-colored. The bandolier and the cartridge were replaced by shoulder straps and cartridge pouches.

literature

  • Hans Bleckwenn : The Frederician uniforms 1753–1786 . Volume III: Mounted Troops. Dortmund 1984, ISBN 3-88379-444-9 .
  • Hugo FW Schulz: The Prussian Cavalry Regiments 1913/1914 . Weltbild Verlag, 1992.
  • Jürgen Kraus : The German army in the First World War. Stefan Rest (Ed.), Ingolstadt 2004.
  • Hans Robert von Zedlitz and Neukirch: History of the Royal Prussian Body Cuirassier Regiment "Great Elector" No. 1. 3 volumes. Berlin 1905–1913.
  • The Royal Prussian Standing Army, Volume 2, p. 65 ff.
  • August von Cramon : History of the Leib-Kürassier-Regiment Großer Kurfürst (Silesian) No. 1 . Mittler, 1893.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ 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 3: The occupation of the active regiments, battalions and departments from the foundation or list until August 26, 1939. Biblio Verlag, Osnabrück 1993, ISBN 3-7648-2413-1 , pp. 7-10.