Royal Prussian Army of the Napoleonic Wars
The
Prussia withdrew from the
War of the Fourth Coalition 1806–1807
He was succeeded by his son,
Reform
The defeat of the disorganized army shocked the Prussian establishment, which had largely felt invincible after the
The generals of the army were completely overhauled — of the 143 Prussian generals in 1806, only Blücher and
Scharnhorst advocated adopting the levée en masse, the military conscription used by France. He created the Krümpersystem, by which companies replaced 3–5 men monthly, allowing up to 60 extra men to be trained annually per company.[6] This system granted the army a larger reserve of 30,000–150,000 extra troops[3] The Krümpersystem was also the beginning of short-term compulsory service in Prussia, as opposed to the long-term conscription previously used.[9] Because the occupying French prohibited the Prussians from forming divisions, the Prussian Army was divided into six brigades, each consisting of seven to eight infantry battalions and twelve squadrons of cavalry. The combined brigades were supplemented with three brigades of artillery.[10]
Corporal punishment was by and large abolished, while soldiers were trained in the field and in tirailleur tactics. Scharnhorst promoted the integration of the infantry, cavalry, and artillery through combined arms, as opposed to their previous independent states. Equipment and tactics were updated in respect to the Napoleonic campaigns. The field manual issued by Ludwig Yorck in 1812 emphasized combined arms and faster marching speeds.[11] In 1813, Scharnhorst succeeded in attaching a chief of staff trained at the academy to each field commander.
Some reforms were opposed by Frederician traditionalists, such as Yorck, who felt that middle class officers would erode the privileges of the aristocratic officer corps and promote the ideas of the French Revolution.[12] The army reform movement was cut short by Scharnhorst's death in 1813, and the shift to a more democratic and middle class military began to lose momentum in the face of the reactionary government.
The reformers and much of the public called for Frederick William III to ally with the
French invasion of Russia
The Franco-Prussian treaty of 1812 forced Prussia to provide 20,000 troops to Napoleon's Grande Armée, first under the leadership of Grawert and then under Yorck. The French occupation of Prussia was reaffirmed, and 300 demoralized Prussian officers resigned in protest.[14]
During Napoleon's retreat from Russia in 1812, Yorck independently signed the Convention of Tauroggen with Russia, breaking the Franco-Prussian alliance. Stein arrived in East Prussia and led the raising of Landwehr (militia) to defend the province. With Prussia's joining of the Sixth Coalition out of his hands, Frederick William III quickly began to mobilize the army, and the East Prussian Landwehr was duplicated in the rest of the country. In comparison to 1806, the Prussian populace, especially the middle class, was supportive of the war, and thousands of volunteers joined the army. Prussian troops under the leadership of Blücher and Gneisenau proved vital at the Battles of Leipzig (1813) and Waterloo (1815). Later staff officers were impressed with the simultaneous operations of separate groups of the Prussian Army.
The
Wars of Liberation
The Prussian, and later German General Staff, which developed out of meetings of the Great Elector with his senior officers[13] and the informal meeting of the Napoleonic Era reformers, was formally created in 1814. In the same year Boyen and Grolman drafted a law for universal conscription, by which men would successively serve in the standing army, the Landwehr, and the local Landsturm until the age of 39.[16] Troops of the 136,000-strong standing army served for three years and were in the reserves for two, while militiamen of the 163,000-strong Landwehr served a few weeks annually for seven years.[17] Boyen and Blücher strongly supported the 'civilian army' of the Landwehr, which was to unite military and civilian society, as an equal to the standing army.[18]
The Convention of Tauroggen became the starting-point of Prussia's regeneration. As the news of the destruction of the Grande Armée spread, and the appearance of countless stragglers convinced the Prussian people of the reality of the disaster, the spirit generated by years of French domination burst out. For the moment the king and his ministers were placed in a position of the greatest anxiety, for they knew the resources of France and the boundless versatility of their arch-enemy far too well to imagine that the end of their sufferings was yet in sight. To disavow the acts and desires of the army and of the secret societies for defence with which all north Germany was honeycombed would be to imperil the very existence of the monarchy, whilst an attack on the wreck of the Grand Army meant the certainty of a terrible retribution from the new armies now rapidly forming on the Rhine.[19]
But the Russians and the soldiers were resolved to continue the campaign, and working in collusion they put pressure on the not unwilling representatives of the civil power to facilitate the supply and equipment of such troops as were still in the field; they could not refuse food and shelter to their starving countrymen or their loyal allies, and thus by degrees the French garrisons scattered about the country either found themselves surrounded or were compelled to retire to avoid that fate. Thus it happened that the viceroy of Italy felt himself compelled to depart from the positive injunctions of Napoleon to hold on at all costs to his advanced position at Posen, where about 14,000 men had gradually rallied around him, and to withdraw step by step to Magdeburg, where he met reinforcements and commanded the whole course of the lower Elbe.[20]
Hundred Days
Prussian Army (Army of the Lower Rhine)
This army was composed entirely of Prussians from the provinces of the Kingdom of Prussia, old and recently acquired alike. Field Marshal Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher commanded this army with General August Neidhardt von Gneisenau as his chief of staff and second in command.[21]
Blücher's Prussian army of 116,000 men, with headquarters at
- I Corps (Graf von Zieten), 30,800, cantoned along the Sambre, headquartered at Charleroi, and covering the area Fontaine-l'Évêque–Fleurus–Moustier.
- II Corps (Pirch I[22][23]), 31,000, headquartered at Namur, lay in the area Namur–Hannut–Huy.
- III Corps (Thielemann), 23,900, in the bend of the river Meuse, headquartered at Ciney, and disposed in the area Dinant–Huy–Ciney.
- IV Corps (Bülow), 30,300, with headquarters at Liège and cantoned around it.
German Corps (North German Federal Army)
This army was part of the Prussian Army above, but was to act independently much further south. It was composed of contingents from the following nations of the
Fearing that Napoleon was going to strike him first, Blücher ordered this army to march north to join the rest of his own army.[25] The Prussian General Friedrich Graf Kleist von Nollendorf initially commanded this army before he fell ill on 18 June and was replaced by the Hessen-Kassel General Von Engelhardt.[25][26] Its composition in June was:[27]
- Hessen-Kassel Division (Three Hessian Brigades) – General Engelhardt
- Thuringian Brigade – Colonel Egloffstein
- Mecklenburg Brigade – General Prince of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Total 25,000[28]
Prussian Reserve Army
Besides the four Army Corps that fought in the
This consisted of:[29]
- V Army Corps – Commanded by General Ludwig Yorck von Wartenburg
- VI Army Corps – Commanded by General Bogislav Friedrich Emanuel von Tauentzien
- Royal Guard (VIII Corps) – Commanded by General Charles II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Organization
Staff system
The Prussian General Quartermaster Staff (General-Quartiermeister-Stab) was initially established by Frederick William III in 1803. It was divided into three departments each corresponding with parts of the state. The Eastern Brigade covering the territory east of the Vistula, the Western Brigade covering the territory west of the Elbe and the Southern Brigade covering the south of the kingdom. It was headed by a General Quartermaster (General-Quartiermeister) while a Lieutenant (General-Quartiermeister-Lieutenant) headed each brigade. This lasted until 1807 when the three brigades were merged.
During peacetime they were to develop operational plans for defensive and offensive actions in any potential campaign. They were also to produce detailed maps. From 1808 they studied recent campaigns and considered potential future scenarios. In 1810 Frederick William decreed that staff officers serve with different branches so as to gain practical knowledge of soldiering. On mobilization staff officers would then be distributed among the personal staff of generals in various commands.[30]
Otto Von Bismarck generals
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Army General Headquarters
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Ranks of the Prussian Army
This chart shows the line infantry, cavalry, and light infantry ranking system for the Royal Prussian Army of 1808 onward. General der Infanterie and its equivalent, General der Cavallerie, were unused but still official from 1808 until December 1813. The ranks are in the contemporary German used by the Prussians, not modern German.
Prussian line infantry rank | Cavalry equivalent | Light infantry equivalent |
---|---|---|
General-Feldmarschall | N/A | N/A |
General der Infanterie | General der Cavallerie | N/A |
General-Lieutenant | N/A | N/A |
General-Major | N/A | N/A |
Oberst | Oberst | N/A |
Oberst-Lieutenant | Oberstlieutenant | N/A |
Major | Major | Major |
Capitän | Rittmeister | Hauptmann |
Premier-Lieutenant | Premier-Lieutenant | Premier-Lieutenant |
Seconde-Lieutenant | Seconde-Lieutenant | Seconde-Lieutenant |
Fähnrich | Fähnrich | Fähnrich |
Feldwebel | Wachtmeister | Feldwebel |
Sergeant | Unterwachtmeister | Sergeant |
Unterofficier | Unterofficier | Unterofficier |
Gefreiter | Gefreiter | Oberjäger or Oberschütze |
Soldat (i.e. Musketier, Grenadier, etc.) | Reiter | Jäger or Schütze |
The king could also serve as a military commander.
Organization of Army
Royal Guard
As of 1813, the Royal Prussian Army's Royal Guard consisted of the following regiments:
Regiment name | In contemporary German | Regimental role |
---|---|---|
1st Guard Regiment on Foot | 1. Garde-Regiment zu Fuß | Guard infantry, 2 guard grenadier battalions and 1 fusilier battalion |
2nd Guard Regiment on Foot | 2. Garde-Regiment zu Fuß | Guard infantry, 3 guard grenadier battalions |
Guard Hunter Battalion | Garde-Jäger-Bataillon | Guard riflemen, 1 battalion of riflemen |
Regiment of Guard Foot Artillery | Garde-Fuß-Artillerie-Regiment | Guard foot artillery, 2 batteries |
Battery of Guard Horse Artillery | Garde-Reitende-Artillerie-Batterie | Guard horse artillery, 1 battery |
Horse Guards | Regiment der Gardes du Corps | Guard heavy cavalry, 4 squadrons |
The following regiments were raised after Napoleon's exile in 1815, with the exception of the 2 grenadier regiments which were created in 1814 as a result of merging the provincial grenadier battalions:
Regiment name | In contemporary German | Regimental role |
---|---|---|
Guard Riflemen Battalion | Garde-Schützen-Bataillon | Guard riflemen, 1 battalion of riflemen |
Guard Uhlan Regiment | Garde-Ulanen-Regiment | Guard lancer cavalry, 2 squadrons |
Guard Hussar Regiment | Garde-Husaren-Regiment | Guard hussars, 2 squadrons |
Guard Dragoon Regiment | Garde-Dragoner-Regiment | Guard dragoons, 2 squadrons |
1st "Emperor Alexander" Grenadier Regiment | 1. Grenadier-Regiment "Kaiser Alexander" | Guard grenadiers, 3 battalions |
2nd "Emperor Franz" Grenadier Regiment | 2. Grenadier-Regiment "Kaiser Franz" | Guard grenadiers, 3 battalions |
Uniforms
Royal Prussian Army uniforms consisted of a variety of colors. The Regimental colors determined the colors of one's facing color (collar, cuffs, lapels before 1809) and button color.
See also
Notes
- ^ Citino 2005, p. 110.
- ^ Citino 2005, pp. 108–109.
- ^ a b c Citino 2005, p. 128.
- ^ Craig 1964, p. 40.
- ^ Craig 1964, p. 41.
- ^ a b Koch 1978, p. 183.
- ^ Craig 1964, p. 42.
- ^ Koch 1978, p. 181.
- ^ Citino 2005, p. 130 cites Walter 2003.
- ^ Craig 1964, p. 46.
- ^ Citino 2005, p. 130.
- ^ Koch 1978, p. 186.
- ^ a b Koch 1978, pp. 190–191.
- ^ Craig 1964, p. 58.
- ^ Citino 2005, p. 143.
- ^ Craig 1964, p. 69.
- ^ Koch 1978, p. 216.
- ^ Craig 1964, p. 70.
- ^ Maude 1911, pp. 228–229.
- ^ Maude 1911, p. 229.
- ^ Bowden 1983, Chapter 2.
- ^ Hofschroer 2005, p. 49.
- ^ "Pirch I", the use of Roman numerals being used in Prussian service to distinguish officers of the same name, in this case from his brother, seven years his junior, Otto Karl Lorenz "Pirch II"
- ^ Plotho 1818, p. 54.
- ^ a b Hofschroer 1999.
- ^ Pierer 1857, p. 605, 2nd column.
- ^ Plotho 1818, p. 56.
- ^ Chandler 1981, p. 30.
- ^ Plotho 1818, pp. 36–55.
- ^ Schmidt 2011, pp. 98–99.
References
- Bowden, Scott (1983). Armies at Waterloo: A Detailed Analysis of the Armies That Fought History's Greatest Battle. Empire Games Press. ISBN 0-913037-02-8.
- ISBN 0-7006-1410-9.
- ISBN 0-19-500257-1.
- Koch, H.W. (1978). A History of Prussia. New York: Barnes & Noble Books. p. 326. ISBN 0-88029-158-3.
- Hofschroer, Peter (2005). Waterloo 1815: Quatre Bras: Quatre Bras. Pen and Sword. ISBN 9781473801240.
- Hofschroer, Peter (1999). 1815: The Waterloo Campaign: The German victory, from Waterloo to the fall of Napoleon. Vol. 2. Greenhill Books. ISBN 1-85367-368-4.
- Pierer, H. A. (1857). "Russisch-Deutscher Krieg gegen Frankreich 1812-1815". Pierer's Universal-Lexikon (in German). Vol. 14. p. 605, 2nd column.
- Plotho, Carl von (1818). Der Krieg des verbündeten Europa gegen Frankreich im Jahre 1815. Berlin: Karl Freidrich Umelang.
- Maude, Frederic Natusch (1911). Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 19 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 216–236. . In
- Schmidt, Oliver (2011). Armies of the Napoleonic Wars. Pen and Sword. pp. 98–99, 110–111.
- Smith, Digby (2015). Uniforms of the Napoleonic Wars. London: Lorenz Books. p. 211.
Further reading
- Blackbourn, David (2003). History of Germany, 1780–1918: The Long Nineteenth Century. Blackwell Publishing. p. 544. ISBN 0-631-23196-X.
- Chandler, David (1981) [1980]. Waterloo: The Hundred Days, Osprey Publishing.
- ISBN 0-674-02385-4.
- Fulbrook, Mary (1983). Piety and Politics: Religion and the Rise of Absolutism in England, Wurttemberg and Prussia. Cambridge University Press. p. 223. ISBN 0-521-27633-0.
- MacDonogh, Giles (2001). Frederick the Great: A Life in Deed and Letters. New York: St. Martin's Griffin. p. 436. ISBN 0-312-27266-9.
- Reiners, Ludwig (1960). Frederick the Great, a Biography. Translated by Lawrence P. R. Wilson. New York: G. P. Putnam & Sons.
- ISBN 0-520-02775-2.
- Summerfield, Stephen (2009). Prussian Infantry 1808-1840: Volume 1 Line and Guard 1808-1814. Partizan Press. ISBN 978-1-85818-583-5.
- Summerfield, Stephen (2009). Prussian Infantry 1808-1840: Volume 2 Jager, Reserve, Freikorps and New Regiments. Partizan Press. ISBN 978-1-85818-584-2.
- Walter, Dierk (2003). Preussische Heeresreformen 1807–1870: Militärische Innovation und der Mythos der "Roonschen Reform". Paderborn: Schöningh. OCLC 249071210. – dissertation of the University of Bern (2001)