Blå Hussars
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Origin and History
On December 19, 1757, Baron Ungern-Sternberg mandated Count Fredrik Ulrik von Putbus of Posseska Infantry and Filip von Platen from Drottningens Livregemente to raise in Swedish Pomerania, by the end of April 1758, two hussar squadrons counting 100 men each.
On April 24, 1758, the creation of the Kronprinsens husarregemente (Crown Prince's Hussar Regiment), commanded by Baron Georg Gustav Wrangel, was authorized.
It should be noted that there is some contradictory writings on when the Platen and Putbus squadrons from the Swedish Hussar Corps were integrated into the Kronprinsens husarregemente. June 20, 1758 becomes the widely accepted date. By that date, Baron Wrangel had raised a hussar regiment of 10 squadrons of 100 men each, known as the "Blue Hussars". The squadrons raised earlier by Count Putbus and von Platen were incorporated into this new regiment. Recruitment took place in Danzig and Lübeck, and partially in Sweden. The regiment was organised along the Prussian model and the language of command was German.
On October 21, 1761, Baron Georg Wrangel was authorized to raise a second regiment of hussars: the Gula Husarenregiment.
During the spring of 1762, five squadrons of the Kronprinsens husarregemente (approximately 350 men) were transferred to the newly raised Gula Husarenregiment, while receiving an additional squadron. It now consisted of six squadrons for a total of 800 troopers.
During the Seven Years' War, the regiment was under the command of:
- from June 20 1758: Baron (friherre af Adinal) Georg Gustaf Wrangel
- from 1759: J. Sparre
- from October 10, 1761 to 1764: Colonel Count Fredrik Ulrik Putbus
In 1766, the present regiment and the Gula Husarenregiment were merged back into a single regiment and renamed the Hussar Regiment under the command of Mörner.
Service during the War
| Did you know that... |
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| The famous Prussian General von Blücher originally served with the Blå Hussars during the first campaigns of the Swedish Field Army in Pomerania?
Gebhardt Leberecht von Blücher was born in Rostock in Mecklenburg but belonged to an old Pomeranian family. He joined the Swedish Blå Hussars at the age of 16. When he was around 18, he served in the vanguard of a Swedish force under Colonel Count Johan Sparre. On August 29 1760 (or September 1 according to Lantingshausen's journal), this vanguard gave chase to a couple of squadrons belonging to Belling Hussars driven out of their position in Friedland (in present-day Mecklenburg). The Prussian hussars tried to escape to the woods of Galenbeck but some Swedish hussars managed to attack them on the road to Lübbendorf and Blücher was taken prisoner. Then, according to the legend, the young von Blücher got scared to death by a bearded and wild hussar who shouted at him "Young man, I will devour you!" (in German "Jung ich fress dich auf!"). If we ignore this traditional anecdote, it seems that Lieutenant-colonel Wilhelm Sebastian von Belling became fond of the young boy and persuaded him to abandon the Swedish service and to join his regiment of "Black Hussars" (or more precisely "New Black Hussars"). Acknowledgement: Gunnar W. Bergman for this interesting anecdote |
In 1758, the regiment, raised in Pomerania, reinforced the Swedish expeditionary force operating against Prussia. It was initially used to screen the flanks, rear and front of the army. On November 18, a detachment of the regiment was part of general von Lingen's force at the combat of Güstow.
The regiment was not very successful until the Swedes formed a special light brigade consisting of hussars, horse-jägers, grenadiers, free-corps infantry along with a special light horse-drawn field artillery (3 pdr guns better than their Prussian equivalents). The commander of this light brigade was the young multi-talented (he was earlier with the fortress artillery and made some exquisite drawings of Pomerania) grenadier-major Jacob Magnus Sprengtporten.
To do: campaigns from 1759 to 1762
Uniform
Privates
| Headgear | yellow mirliton with a black scarf edged yellow, yellow cords and a small yellow rosette on the front of the hat. | ||||||||
| Pelisse | cornflower blue
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| Dolman | cornflower blue with yellow braids and yellow buttons
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| Cloak | cornflower blue | ||||||||
| Breeches | straw with dark cornflower blue overtrousers edged yellow | ||||||||
| Leather Equipment |
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| Horse Furniture |
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Troopers were armed with a short, curved sabre, two pistols and a carbine.
Officers
The officers had gold lace trim and buttons rather than yellow lace trim and yellow buttons.
Musicians
Trumpeters wore uniforms similar to those of the troopers with gilt decorations replacing yellow braids and laces.
Brass trumpets with yellow cords.
Colours
This unit did not carry any standard.
References
Brolin, Gunnar: 18th C. Swedish Military Flags - Part I: Standards and Guidons, 18th Century Military Notes & Queries No. 5
Großer Generalstab: Die Kriege Friedrichs des Großen - Dritter Teil: Der Siebenjährige Krieg 1756–1763. Vol. 6 Leuthen, Kriegsgeschichtliche Abteilung II (Publisher), Berlin 1904, pp.92-107, Annex pp. 11-16
Gülzow, Erich: Präpositus Picht und General von Dycke, zwei Vorläufer E. M. Arndts im Kampf gegen die Erbuntertänigkeit, in: Rügisch-Pommerscher Geschichtsverein (Hrsg.): Pommersche Jahrbücher. Bd. 29, L. Bamberg, Greifswald 1935
Högman, Hans: Svenska regementen under indelningsverket (broken link)
Jönköping War Museum, Sweden
Kjellander, Rune: Sveriges regementschefer 1700-2000: chefsbiografier och förbandsöversikter 2003
O'Hara, Danny: Eighteenth Century Wargaming Resources On-Line (broken link)
Säwe, Teofron: Sveriges deltagande i Sjuåriga Kriget Åren 1757-1762, Beijers Bokförlagsaktiebolag, Stockholm, 1915
Schirmer, Friedrich: Die Heere der kriegführenden Staaten 1756-1763, published by KLIO-Landesgruppe Baden-Württemberg, Neuauflage 1989
N.B.: the section Service during the War is mostly derived from our articles depicting the various campaigns, battles and sieges.
Acknowledgements
Jeffrey M. Johnson for additional information on this regiment
