List of grenadier battalions of the Old Prussian Army

Grenadier battalions were formed in the old Prussian army since Frederick the Great in times of war by merging the four grenadier companies of two infantry regiments. The companies of some regiments were grouped into battalions even in peacetime and formed so-called standing grenadier battalions . There were also grenadier battalions in the guards, free troops and militias. It is not possible here to list grenadier battalions trained for maneuvers.

Grenadier battalions in the Guard

The Grenadier Guard , Infantry Regiment No. 6, was reduced to a battalion by Frederick the Great . Before that she formed a whole regiment with 3 grenadier battalions as the Potsdam giant guard of Friedrich Wilhelm I. He had united the old royal regiment of Frederick I with his Red Grenadiers .
The Red Grenadiers established in 1709 , the Langen Kerls of Friedrich Wilhelm I , were united with the Grenadier Guard in 1717.
In the Guard Regiment No. 15 the team rank was generally grenadier . But only the III. Battalion was uniformed as a grenadier battalion. The winged grenadiers remained with the king as bodyguards.

Standing grenadier battalions

These are listed in the list of infantry regiments of the Old Prussian Army .

Grenadier battalions formed in wartime

There were two companies of grenadiers with each infantry regiment. The grenadier companies of two regiments were combined to form a grenadier battalion for emergencies and maneuvers. These grenadier battalions were named after the respective commanders . In addition, the numbers of the main regiments of the grenadier companies are listed.

First Silesian War

Since the composition changed during the First Silesian War , the dates and places of the military events associated with this unit are also given. The list does not claim to be complete.

1/25 Kleist in 1741 near Mollwitz
3/27 Bolstern in 1741 near Glogau and Mollwitz
3/36 Finckenstein 1742 in Upper Silesia
5/21 Winterfeldt 1741 near Glogau and Mollwitz
5/20 Geist 1742 near Chotusitz
7/19 Uchtländer 1742 near Chotusitz
8/36 Saldern 1741 near Mollwitz
8/24 Itzenplitz 1742 near Chotusitz
11/14 Kanitz 1742 near Chotusitz
12/24 Puttkamer 1741 near Mollwitz
12/17 Jeetze 1742 near Chotusitz
13/19 Reibnitz in 1741 near Glogau and Mollwitz
20/22 Buddenbrock 1741 near Mollwitz
36/37/38 Fouqué in 1742 in Moravia

Second Silesian War

Since the composition still changed in part during the Second Silesian War , the dates and locations of the military events associated with this unit are also given. The list does not claim to be complete.

1/23 tauentzien; 1745 near Hohenfriedberg
2/17 Kleist; 1745 near Hohenfriedberg
3/6 Buddenbrock; for thrush: Tresckow; 1745 at Hohenfriedberg and Thrush
4/22 Sydow; 1745 near Hohenfriedberg
4/24 Finck; 1745 in thrush
5/36 Jeetze 1745 near Hohenfriedberg and Thrush
7/21 Grumbkow; 1745 at Hohenfriedberg and Thrush
8/30 Schöning; 1745 near Thrush and Kesselsdorf
10/22 Plotho; 1745 near Kesselsdorf
11/14 Trenck; 1745 at Hohenfriedberg and Thrush
12/29 Luck; 1745 near Hohenfriedberg
13/37 spirit; 1745 in thrush
15/18 Wedell; 1744 near Selmitz, 1745 near Hohenfriedberg and Thrush
16 / GR 1 Kleist; 1745 near Hohenfriedberg
19/25 Finckenstein; 1745 near Katholisch-Hennersdorf
20/26 Lepel; 1745 near Hohenfriedberg
24/27 Kahlbutz; 1745 near Hohenfriedberg
31/40 hunters; 1745 near Hohenfriedberg
32/33 Harzberg; 1745 near Hohenfriedberg
34 / GR 5 bars; 1745 in thrush
35/36 Finck; 1744 near Prague
36/37 St. Surin; 1744 near Moldauthein
41/44 Münchow; 1745 near Kesselsdorf
42 / GR 8; 1744/45 Goltz in Upper Silesia

Seven Years War

In the Seven Years War , the grenadier battalions were put together at the beginning.

1/23 bandemer; 1757 Wedell; 1758 Rathenow; 1762 Poseck
2 / G-II Manstein; 1758 Nesse; 1760 Natalis
3/6 Kleist; 1757 hoe
4/16 Polentz; 1757 Kleist; 1758 Willemey; 1762 Thielau
5/20 Jung-Billerbeck; 1759 rib; 1759 Lubath; 1759: Billerbeck
7/30 Kanitz; 1757 Lubath; 1762 Kanitz
8/46 Alt-Billerbeck; 1760 Winterfeldt
9/10 Möllendorff; 1757 Bähr
11/14 Gohr; 1757 Petersdorff; 1759 Beyer; 1760 Oppen
12/39 Waldau; 1757 Pieverlingk; 1760 Stechow; 1760 Görne
13/26 Finck; 1757 Bornstädt; 1759 Kreckwitz; 1759 Homboldt; 1759 Billerbeck; 1759 Schwerin; 1761 Kalckstein
15/18 Bülow; 1757 Kleist; 1758 Anhalt
17/22 Puttkamer; 1757 Wrede; 1757 Kremtsov; 1759 the fir; 1760 Wobersnow; 1760 Rothenburg
19/25 Ramin, 1757 Heyden; 1762 Woldeck
21/27 Lengefeld; 1757 Diringshofen; 1761 Budberg
24/34 Grumbkow; 1757 Anhalt; 1757 Naumeister; 1760 Sobeck; 1761: Forcade; 1761 dragon
28/32 Kreytzen; 1758 Arnim; 1761 Chauvet; 1762 Schatz
29/31 Austria; 1759 Falkenhayn
33/42 Nimschofsky ; 1762 mosch
35/36 Schenckendorff; 1759 Schwartz; 1759 Swolinsky
37/40 Manteuffel; 1759 Kleist
38/43 Burgsdorff; 1760 Heilsberg
47 / G-VII Wangenheim; 1758 Buddenbrock; 1760 buck

The composite grenadier battalions of the ten Saxon regiments forced into Prussian service in 1757 were:

S-50 / S-58 bear
S-51 / S-59 Bornstädt
S-52 / S-55 Kahlenberg
S-53 / S-57 Diezelsky
S-54 / S-56 Köller

War of the Bavarian Succession

During the War of the Bavarian Succession , grenadier companies were merged into grenadier battalions.

Coalition wars

In 1788, Friedrich Wilhelm II increased the regiments' grenadiers to one battalion so that mergers were no longer necessary. 1799 made Friedrich Wilhelm III. reversed this reform. In the Fourth Coalition War 1806/1807 the composition of the grenadier battalions was as follows:

1/13 August of Prussia
2/11 Elector
3/21 old brown
4/54 Vieregg
5/20 Hanstein
6/15 Forstner
7/30 close
8/42 Massow
9/44 Hallmann
10/41 Borstell
12/34 sleeves
14/16 Fabecky
17/51 Schmeling
18/27 Rabiel
19/25 gag
22/36 east
23/26 Reinbaben
24/35 Gaudi
28/50 Borck
29/32 cock
31/46 young brown
33/47 sack
37/57 Schack
38/49 Losthin
39 Kollin
40/43 Dohna
45 Herwarth
58/59 Krafft
52/58 Brauchitsch
53/55 Crety

Grenadier battalions with free troops and militias

These are listed in the list of free troops and militias of the old Prussian army .

literature

Hans Bleckwenn (Hrsg.): The old Prussian army : appearance and essence; 1713–1807, 8 parts in 16 volumes, Osnabrück 1973ff, ISBN 3-7648-0187-5 .

Martin Guddat : Handbook on Prussian Military History 1688-1786, Hamburg, 2011.

Curt Jany : History of the Prussian Army from the 15th Century to 1914 . Ed .: Eberhard Jany. Biblio Verlag, Osnabrück 1967 (extended edition of the original edition from 1928). 3 volumes.

Adolph Menzel : The army of Frederick the Great in their uniform: 100 panels in color facsimile reproduction / drawn. and ext. by Adolph Menzel . Ed .: Franz Skarbina and Curt Jany. Weltbild, Augsburg 2002, ISBN 3-8289-0523-4 (reprint of the plate work of the same name, probably from 1908 to 1912 in the Oldenbourg publishing house, Berlin). Digital version of the original edition , on page [1] of the digital collections of the Duchess Anna Amalia Library , accessed on December 15, 2017.

Günter Dorn, Joachim Engelmann: The battles of Frederick the Great - guided tour. Course. Combat scenes. Outlines. Cards. Augsburg 1997.

Web links

Kronoskaf's Seven Years War page, accessed December 8, 2017.

Individual evidence

↑ Unless otherwise mentioned, the information on the Kronoskaf page , accessed on December 7, 2017, or in the works listed under literature is documented.
↑ Olaf Groehler : The Army in Brandenburg and Prussia from 1640 to 1806 - The Army, Berlin 2001, p. 79.

[1] Unless otherwise mentioned, the information on the Kronoskaf page , accessed on December 7, 2017, or in the works listed under literature is documented.

[2] Olaf Groehler : The Army in Brandenburg and Prussia from 1640 to 1806 - The Army, Berlin 2001, p. 79.