New Prussian Army Organization
The New Prussian Army Organization deals with the structural organization of the Prussian army from the army reform from 1807 to 1814 until the beginning of the First World War in 1914.
Organization of the New Prussian Army
The old Prussian army was completely destroyed in the war of 1806 by Napoleon, many soldiers were taken prisoner. With the beginning of the new formation it was decided to dissolve the old regiments in their existing form and to create a new structure.
During the war against France, after the catastrophic autumn campaign in 1806, the reorganization of the army began. At the beginning it was limited to the remaining unoccupied eastern provinces of Prussia ( East Prussia , Silesia , Pomerania ). In this way 19 new reserve battalions , 6 cavalry brigades and some free corps were created . Together with the regiments and garrison battalions that remained in the eastern provinces in 1806, this "new" force formed 63,000 men at the end of the war in 1807. This force can already be described as the New Prussian Army.
After the army reform between 1807 and 1814, the New Prussian army emerged with the typical juxtaposition of line army and landwehr . The names of the regiments after their respective chiefs were dropped, from then on the regiments were given numbers and the name of their province as a name (in 1823 the name after the provinces was dropped again in the meantime).
An important structural change in the reforms was the establishment of the War Ministry , in which, from December 25, 1808, the military administration, which had previously been distributed among various authorities, was brought together.
From November 16, 1808, the remaining regiments were grouped into six brigades (East Prussian Brigade, West Prussian Brigade, Pomeranian Brigade, Brandenburg Brigade, Lower Silesian Brigade and the Upper Silesian Brigade). There were two infantry regiments and two to three cavalry regiments per brigade. The brigades practically corresponded to mixed divisions. The purpose of this division was to achieve a better interaction between the individual branches of the army. From 1813 the so-called brigades formed the counterpart to the French-type infantry division, each with an infantry regiment, a reserve regiment, a Landwehr regiment, a cavalry regiment and a battery.
On June 11, 1813, three army corps were formed (referred to as I., II., III. Army Corps). Each army corps consisted of four mixed brigades including 16 Landwehr battalions. In addition there was a cavalry reserve of three brigades, of which the first two consisted as a rule of regular regiments, the third of landwehr. The artillery reserve was combined under its own commander and could contain up to eight batteries. The structure of the IV Army Corps, which was largely made up of Landwehr, differed from that of the others, as the subordinate troops were defensive and a. Tasks. Except for a half battalion of the guardsmen, the guards were with the Russian guards.
The New Prussian army was structured as follows (1813):
- Army Corps (I., II., III.)
- Brigade (mixed association)
- Infantry brigade / cavalry brigade: 2–3 infantry or cavalry regiments
- regiment
- battalion
- company
| Structure of a Prussian army corps in 1813: |
|---|
| Army Corps |
| ⇓ |
| 4 mixed brigades, cavalry reserve (3 brigades), artillery reserve |
| ⇓ |
| 8 infantry regiments, 1 hunter or rifle battalion, approx. 14 cavalry regiments, 16 landwehr battalions, 12 batteries with 96 guns |
The composition of the brigades from troops of various values corresponded to the intention to give the young land forces solid support from tried and tested line troops in battle.
On March 23, 1815, the army was divided from three to six army corps (the nominal strength of an army corps was around 35,000 men). In the Battle of Waterloo , it was the IV Army Corps under the command of Blücher that decided the battle.
After the Congress of Vienna in 1815, the Prussian line army consisted of the following units: The infantry consisted of 2 guards regiments, 2 grenadier regiments and 32 line infantry regiments. The cavalry consisted of 4 guards cavalry regiments and 32 line cavalry regiments.
| Distribution of associations to the army corps (1840) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Army Corps | division | Infantry Brigade | Cavalry Brigade | Landwehr Brigade | subordinated to the corps |
|
Guard Corps (Berlin) |
1st Guard Division (Berlin) |
1st Guard Rgt. on foot 2nd Guard Rgt. walk guard-hunter battalion |
Gardes du Corps Garde-Husaren-Rgt. 1st Guard Uhlan (Agricultural) Rgt. |
1st, 2nd Guard Landwehr Rgt. | Guards Artillery Brigade garde pioneer department Garde-Res-infantry (Agricultural .-) Regiment. |
|
2nd Guard Division (Berlin) |
1st Guard Grenadier Rgt. 2nd Guard Grenadier Rgt. Guard Rifle Battalion |
Guard Cuirassier Rgt. Guard Dragoon Rgt. 2nd Guard Uhlan (Agricultural) Rgt. |
3rd, 4th Guard Landwehr Rgt. | ||
|
I. Army Corps (Königsberg i. Pr.) |
1st Division (Königsberg i. Pr.) |
1st, 3rd Infantry Rgt. | 3rd Cuirassier, 1st Dragoon Rgt. | 1st, 3rd Landwehr Rgt. | 1st Artillery Brigade 1st Engineer Division 33rd Infantry Rgt. (1st Res.-Rgt.) 1st Hunter Department |
|
2nd Division (Danzig) |
4th, 5th Infantry Rgt. | 5th Cuirassier, 1st Hussar Rgt. | 4th, 5th Landwehr Rgt. | ||
|
II Army Corps (Stettin) |
3rd Division (Stettin) |
2nd, 9th Infantry Rgt. | 2nd Cuirassier, 5th Hussar Rgt. | 2nd, 9th Landwehr Rgt. | 2nd Artillery Brigade 3rd Engineer Division 34th Infantry Rgt. (2nd Res.-Rgt.) 2nd Hunter Department |
|
4th Division (Stargard) |
14th, 21st Infantry Rgt. | 3rd Dragoon, 4th Uhlan Rgt. | 14., 21. Landwehr-Rgt. | ||
|
III. Army Corps (Frankfurt ad Oder) |
5th Division (Frankfurt ad Oder) |
8th, 12th Infantry Rgt. | 2nd Dragoons, 3rd Uhlans Rgt. | 8th, 12th Landwehr Rgt. | 3rd Artillery Brigade 3rd Engineer Division 35th Infantry Rgt (3rd Res.-Rgt.) 3rd Jäger Division |
|
6th Division (Torgau) |
20th, 24th Infantry Rgt. | 6th Cuirassier, 3rd Hussar Rgt. | 20th, 24th Landwehr Rgt. | ||
|
IV Army Corps (Berlin) |
7th Division (Magdeburg) |
26th, 27th Infantry Rgt. | 7th Cuirassier, 10th Hussar Rgt. | 26., 27. Landwehr-Rgt. | 4th Artillery Brigade 4th Engineer Division 36th Infantry Rgt. (4th Res.-Rgt.) 4th Hunter Department |
|
8th Division (Erfurt) |
31st, 32nd Infantry Rgt. | 8th Cuirassier, 12th Hussar Rgt. | 31st, 32nd Landwehr Rgt. | ||
|
V. Army Corps (Poznan) |
9th Division (Glogau) |
6th, 7th Infantry Rgt. | 4. Cuirassier, 2. Hussar Rgt. | 6th, 7th Landwehr Rgt. | 5th Artillery Brigade 5th Engineer Division 37th Infantry Rgt. (5th Res.-Rgt.) 1st Rifle Division |
|
10th Division (Poznan) |
18th, 19th Infantry Rgt. | 7th Hussar, 1st Uhlan Rgt. | 18., 19. Landwehr-Rgt. | ||
|
VI. Army Corps (Breslau) |
11th Division (Breslau) |
10th, 11th Infantry Rgt. | 1st Cuirassier, 4th Hussar Rgt. | 10., 11. Landwehr-Rgt. | 6th Artillery Brigade 6th Engineer Division 38th Infantry Rgt. (6th Res.-Rgt.) 2nd Rifle Division |
|
12th Division (Neisse) |
22nd, 23rd Infantry Rgt. | 6th Hussar, 2nd Uhlan Rgt. | 22nd, 23rd Landwehr-Rgt. | ||
|
VII Army Corps (Münster) |
13th Division (Münster) |
13th, 15th Infantry Rgt. | 11th Hussar, 6th Uhlan Rgt. | 13th, 15th Landwehr Rgt. | 7th Artillery Brigade 7th Engineer Division 39th Infantry Rgt. (7th Res.-Rgt.) 3rd Rifle Division |
|
14th Division (Düsseldorf) |
16th, 17th Infantry Rgt. | 8th Hussar, 5th Uhlan Rgt. | 16., 17. Landwehr-Rgt. | ||
|
VIII Army Corps (Koblenz) |
15th Division (Cologne) |
25th, 28th Infantry Rgt. | 4th Dragoons, 7th Uhlans Rgt. | 25th, 28th Landwehr-Rgt. | 8th Artillery Brigade 8th Engineer Division 40th Infantry Rgt. (8th Res.-Rgt.) 4th Rifle Division |
|
16th Division (Trier) |
29th, 30th Infantry Rgt. | 9th Hussar, 8th Uhlan Rgt. | 29., 30. Landwehr-Rgt. | ||
After the German War in 1866, three more army corps (the IX., X., XI.) Were added as a result of the territorial gains. The troops of Schleswig-Holstein and the annexed states of Hanover , Kurhessen and Nassau were included in these . In addition, the Saxon army formed the XII with two divisions . Army Corps , and the Army of the Grand Duchy of Hesse became the 25th Division, which was not assigned to any corps . The associations of the smaller northern German states were integrated into the Prussian army after the conclusion of appropriate military conventions in the form of individual regiments or battalions.
This is how the Army of the North German Confederation was created , which now consisted of a total of 27 divisions. (Prussia had only 18 divisions in 1865). Protective and defensive alliances with the southern German states ensured the participation of their troops in the event of war.
As of September 27, 1866, the Prussian army (including the smaller federal contingents ) had 96 infantry regiments, 12 hunter battalions, 19 dragoon regiments, 17 hussar regiments, 16 lancer regiments, 11 field artillery regiments, 11 engineer battalions and 11 training battalions .
With the proclamation of the German Empire in 1871, two more army corps were added (the XIV. And XV. Army Corps ). The Prussian army made 13 out of 18 army corps in the Reichsheer .
In 1875 there were 420,000 men in the Reichsheer and 325,000 men in the Prussian army. In 1888, of 487,000 German soldiers, 377,000 were soldiers in the Prussian army.
In 1914 the Prussian army comprised 498 infantry battalions in 166 infantry regiments of 3 battalions, 14 hunter / rifle battalions, 7 NCO schools, 9 machine gun departments (180 machine gun companies, 15 fortress machine gun departments), 430 cavalry squadrons in 86 regiments of 5 Squadrons, 483 field artillery batteries in 76 regiments, a field artillery shooting school, 38 foot artillery battalions in 19 regiments of 2 battalions, 28 engineer battalions, 7 railway battalions, 6 telegraph battalions, 4 air battalions, 1 motor vehicle battalion, 19 train departments and 242 district commandos.
For further organizational structures in the German Empire, see also: Reichsheer 1871–1918
infantry
See also: Infantry regiments of the New Prussian Army 1807–1918
Due to the defeat of the Prussian army in the war against Napoleon, the old regiments were dissolved in their previous form and newly formed. The basic tactical structure according to regiment, battalion , company , platoon was retained, as in the old Prussian army.
On November 20, 1807, the reorganization began for the infantry. The surviving regiments now consisted of 2 musketeer battalions of 4 companies per battalion, 2 grenadier companies and a third so-called light battalion also of 4 companies, which was specially trained for combat as a skirmishers (renamed fusilier battalion in 1809). As of 1813, an infantry regiment consisted of 2053 men. The target strength was thus increased step by step until then.
| Existence of the Prussian infantry in August 1813 after the end of the armistice: | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Line infantry | garrison | Hunter | Landwehr |
| 32 infantry regiments with 90 battalions |
39 battalions | 8 hunter battalions | 151 battalions |
| = 72,000 men | = 32,000 men | = 11,000 men | = 110,000 men |
| Existence of the Prussian infantry in 1859 before the army reform: | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Line infantry | Landwehr infantry | Hunter | |
| 2 guards regiments 2 grenadier regiments 32 infantry regiments 8 reserve infantry regiments |
4 Guard Landwehr regiments 32 Landwehr regiments 8 replacement Landwehr battalions |
8 hunter battalions | |
| = 95,000 men | = 3,600 men | = 4,300 men | |
| Existence of the Prussian infantry in 1861 after the army reform: | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Line infantry | Landwehr infantry | Hunter | |
| 4 guards regiments 4 grenadier regiments 72 infantry regiments 8 fusilier regiments (formerly reserve regiments) |
4 Guard Landwehr regiments 32 Landwehr regiments 8 replacement Landwehr battalions |
8 hunter battalions | |
Line infantry
The Prussian army existed in 1815 a. a. from 32 line infantry regiments .
The 1st – 12th Regiments were formed from the old regiments. They were well trained and strong in combat. Only they were allowed to carry their own troop flags in the wars of liberation . The first 12 infantry regiments were also referred to as trunk regiments. The 13.-24. Regiments were formed from 12 reserve infantry regiments. The 25th regiment was formed from the Lützow Freikorps . The 30th and 31st regiments were formed from the Russian-German Legion .
In addition, from 1814 there were two guards regiments and two independent grenadier regiments (these two grenadier units together formed their own infantry brigade). In December 1815, many replacement battalions were disbanded and the 34 garrison regiments that had existed until then were reduced to three companies each in the wake of the return of peace. By 1840 6 more line regiments had been formed, so that in 1840 there were 40 line infantry regiments.
Light infantry
The hunters and riflemen were counted as light infantry . In 1821 these were divided into 4 hunter divisions and 4 rifle divisions, each with 2 companies. The 4 rifle divisions became the 5th – 8th in 1845. Hunters department converted. In 1848 the 8 hunter divisions were formed into 8 hunter battalions (4 companies, altogether 402 men). The I.–IV. Army corps received one hunter division each, the V. – VIII. Army corps received a rifle division.
Landwehr infantry
The Landwehr consisted of 26 to 40-year-old men who were too old or too weak for the line army. The Landwehr was not equipped by the War Ministry, but by their home provinces. Each province had a certain number of soldiers to recruit. This could be done voluntarily, if this was not enough it was decided by lot. With the introduction of compulsory military service by the law on compulsory military service of September 3, 1814, a form of unrestricted service sequence with long-term reserve obligations arose for those affected. After three years of service in the line army followed two years of membership in the war reserve. Subsequently, the conscript was from the 26th to 32nd year of age in the 1st Landwehr contingent, and from 33th to 39th year of age in the 2nd Landwehr contingent. Then from the 40th to 50th year of life followed the service in the Landsturm .
The 1st contingent of the Landwehr served to support the standing army at home and abroad. The Landwehr of the 2nd contingent should strengthen the garrisons during the war or be called in for occupation service.
The Landwehr was initially given an independent structure, but this was soon abolished because its military capabilities were still deficient. From July 27, 1813, the Landwehr regiments were incorporated into the line army by forming mixed brigades of line infantry regiments and Landwehr regiments (one brigade consisted of two line infantry regiments and one Landwehr infantry regiment). The aim was to give the Landwehr more military support by being closer to the battle-tested regiments of the standing army. The previous brigades were designated as Landwehr regiments from July 27, 1813 and were given provincial numbers.
Structure of the Landwehr Infantry 1813:
- East Prussia military district : 5 infantry Landwehr regiments
- Military district West Prussia : 3 infantry Landwehr regiments
- Military District Pomerania : 3 infantry Landwehr regiments
- Neumark Military District : 3 infantry Landwehr regiments
- Mark Brandenburg military district : 7 infantry Landwehr regiments
- Military district of Silesia : 17 infantry Landwehr regiments
Together the Landwehr formed 38 regiments or 149 battalions. A regiment had up to four battalions and a battalion averaged about 700 men.
Landwehr regiments for the Rhineland, Westphalia and the Elbe lands were added at the end of 1813.
After the end of the Wars of Liberation in 1815, the Landwehr regiments were demobilized and only a small number remained. In times of war it was planned that two Landwehr regiments should be added to each infantry regiment. This means that two Landwehr regiments should be merged into one in the event of war. For this reason, the regiments that were to be merged were given the same numbering, only distinguished with an a or b.
In 1817 there were 68 Landwehr regiments (1st – 34th a and b), which corresponded to the existing 34 line regiments. In 1840 the peacekeeping strength of the Landwehr was 2804 men.
cavalry
Line cavalry
A cavalry regiment in 1815 consisted of 400–600 men. The regiment was usually divided into 4 squadrons .
Line cavalry inventory, 1859:
- 6 Guards Cavalry Regiments
- 32 line cavalry regiments
Together: 23,000 men
1. Cuirassiers
The cuirassiers were still the cavalry elite. They had the highest standing in the army. In 1806 the Prussian army still had 13 cuirassier regiments, in 1813 there were only 5 cuirassier regiments. In 1819 4 more cuirassier regiments were added to 9 cuirassier regiments.
2. Dragoons
In 1819 5 of the 9 dragoon regiments were renamed cuirassier regiments. Since then the dragoons have been part of the light cavalry.
3. Uhlans
4. Hussars
Landwehr cavalry
The Landwehr cavalry was classified as light cavalry. Their armament consisted exclusively of lances and sabers , although they were hardly ever trained. In 1813 a total of 30 Landwehr cavalry regiments of 113 squadrons were formed. Together these were just under 11,000 men.
Structure of the Landwehr cavalry 1813:
- Military district of East Prussia : 5 cavalry Landwehr regiments
- Military district West Prussia : 3 cavalry Landwehr regiments
- Military District Pomerania : 3 cavalry Landwehr regiments
- Neumark Military District : 2 cavalry Landwehr regiments
- Kurmark Military District : 7 cavalry Landwehr regiments
- Military district of Silesia : 8 cavalry Landwehr regiments
- Military district of Westphalia : 1 cavalry Landwehr regiment
- Elbe military district: 1 cavalry Landwehr regiment
- Military district of Thuringia : 1 cavalry Landwehr regiment
- Military district of Rhineland : 3 cavalry Landwehr regiments (from November 1815)
In 1821, two Guard Landwehr cavalry regiments were formed. The last 12 Landwehr cavalry regiments were disbanded in 1866.
Landwehr cavalry inventory, 1859:
- 2 Guards Landwehr cavalry regiments
- 32 Landwehr cavalry regiments (trunk only)
Together: 750 men
artillery
The artillery was of Napoleon granted a troop strength of 6,000 men, was the actual strength without officers 6,300 men. The surplus was formed by the mounted and foot company of the guard, with which the armaments restrictions could be formally circumvented correctly, since these companies could not be counted as artillery, but as guard troops. On November 24, 1809, the artillery was reorganized into three brigades. A brigade consisted of 12 foot artillery companies and three horse artillery companies . An artillery brigade consisted of approx. 2,100 men. Each artillery brigade had to equip two troop brigades with artillery in the event of mobilization. Guns, as in the past, were no longer used in the infantry. All guns were assigned to the artillery.
Artillery Brigades:
- 1st Prussian Artillery Brigade
- 2nd Brandenburg Artillery Brigade
- 3rd Silesian Artillery Brigade
From each brigade 6 foot artillery companies were assigned to the fortress artillery.
After the mobilization in 1813 the size of the artillery was 15,300 men.
The material, which was heavily used after the Wars of Liberation and composed of variegated patterns, was replaced by new material from 1816. The cannons became even heavier, however, so a six-pounder cannon now weighed two tons. 1,831 artillery had 864 field protected . In 1870 the strength of the field artillery was 1284 guns.
Composition of the artillery in 1859, before the army reform :
- 1 guard regiment
- 8 artillery regiments
- 1 combined fortress artillery department
- 1 fireworks department
Altogether 17,000 men
Pioneers
In the course of the reorganization of the military in Prussia after 1807, the reformer, Lieutenant Colonel Gneisenau , was commissioned in 1809 to combine the previously independent mine , pioneer and pontooner corps and the fortress builders into one engineer corps.
Advances in technology resulted in new technical pioneer formations:
- 1. In 1830 the telegraph force , from which in 1899 a separate branch, the later intelligence force, emerged.
- 2. 1866 the railway pioneers
- 3. 1870 the airship force
Composition of the pioneers in 1859, before the army reform :
- 1 guard department
- 8 pioneer departments
2500 men in total
The training and equipment of the pioneer troops was also adapted to the technical progress. In 1867, for example, the new needle gun was introduced to the pioneer troops, the bridge device was expanded and uniform service regulations were introduced.
After the mobilization in 1914, the engineer force of the All-German Army had 218 engineer companies and 106 bridge trains with a total strength of 80,000 men. For comparison: in 1914 of 35 engineer battalions, 28 were from the Prussian army. By 1918, another 431 pioneer companies and 46 bridge trains were put into service.
A pioneer company was led by a captain , had four further officers, a doctor and 264 NCOs and men.
Train
The first standing train formations were set up in the Prussian army in 1853. From 1856 onwards, each army corps was assigned a train battalion with 2 companies. In 1859 there were a total of 9 train battalions (altogether 1200 men). By 1912, 20 train battalions had been set up. From the l. On April 1st, 1914, the train battalions were called train detachments and the companies were called squadrons . The Eskadronschefs also were named as the cavalry captain (equal to the captain).
The term train includes drivers, car drivers, cooks, bakers and butchers. So everyone who was responsible for supplying the army in the field. The crews of the train were mainly intended to be used as drivers and drivers in the event of mobilization.
Train, often not taken very seriously and mildly smiled at, if not despised, in peacetime was the real backbone of the army. As was painfully determined at the latest during the advance in France in 1914, every advance soon stalled if it was not possible to secure food and supplies of weapons.
See also
literature
- Curt Jany: History of the Prussian Army from the 15th century to 1914. Biblio Verlag, Osnabrück 1967.
- The Prussian Army in 1812. Volume 1: Great General Staff. Berlin 1912.