Prussian Garrison Regiment III

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Origin and History

The first battalion was raised in 1718 in Colberg (present-day Kołobrzeg) for garrison duty. Its recruiting canton was Pomerania and more precisely the towns of Colberg, Bublitz, Usedom and Bütow.

For the campaign of 1757, this garrison battalion was transformed into a regiment, receiving an additional battalion. The recruits for this new battalion came from Saxony. This newly raised garrison battalion had no grenadier company.

During the Seven Years' War, the regiment was under the command of:

• since October 10 1740: Colonel Volrath von Hellerman
• from December 21 1756 till May 2 1763: Colonel Georg Arnold von Grolmann

In 1763, at the end of the Seven Years War, the regiment garrisoned Colberg.

Service during the War

At the outbreak of the war, in 1756, the grenadiers of the regiment were garrisoning Treuenbrietzen in Brandenburg. On July 28, the regiment received orders to prepare itself to relieve regular field infantry regiments in Colberg.

In 1757, the newly raised battalion garrisoned Torgau.

In 1759, the regiment was taken prisoners at Torgau.

After the peace, only one battalion was re-established.

N.B.: During the war the grenadiers from the wing grenadier company were put together with the grenadiers of Garrison Regiment IV and New Garrison Regiment, forming the Standing Grenadier Battalion Nr. I (G-NG/G-III/G-IV Kahlden) (please refer to this article for the details of the service of the grenadiers during the war).

Uniform

The uniform depicted here is the uniform of the musketeers of the regiment. Exceptionally, the grenadiers of this regiment wore a different uniform which is depicted in the article dedicated to the I. Stehende Grenadier-Bataillon.

Privates

Uniform in 1756 - Source: Kronoskaf

Uniform Details

Headgear	Musketeer black tricone without lace with a brass button, 1 light blue pompom and 1 white tassel in each lateral corne Grenadier mitre with polished brass front plate; polished brass headband decorated with brass ornaments; red backing piped yellow; red within white pompom
Neck stock	black
Coat	Prussian blue lined red with 6 brass buttons on both sides on the chest, 2 brass buttons at the waist on the right side and 3 brass buttons on each side to fasten the skirts forming the turnbacks Collar none Shoulder Straps Prussian blue fastened with a brass button Lapels none Pockets horizontal pockets piped red, each with 2 brass buttons Cuffs Prussian blue "Prussian style" cuffs with 2 brass buttons on each sleeve Turnbacks red
Waistcoat	Prussian blue
Breeches	Prussian blue
Gaiters	black
Leather Equipment	Crossbelt one white belt over the left shoulder for the cartridge box and one narrower white belt over the right shoulder for the haversack Waistbelt white Cartridge Box black Bayonet Scabbard brown Scabbard none Footgear black

Privates were armed with a short musket and a bayonet.

NCOs

NCOs wore uniforms similar to those of the privates with the following distinctions:

• tricorne with wide gold lace and a black and white pompom
• no shoulder strap
• yellowish leather gloves
• black and white sabre tassel

NCOs were armed with a sabre and a white light half-pike measuring 7,5 Rhenish feet (2.37 m.).

NCOs also carried wooden canes (normally attached to a button at the top of the right front while carrying the half-pike).

Officers

Uniforms of officers were very similar to those of the privates with the following exceptions:

• black tricorne wearing a thin gold lace and 2 black and white quartered tasels, 1 in each side corne of the tricorne (officers always wore tricornes notwithstanding if they were commanding musketeers, fusiliers or grenadiers)
• black neck stock
• coat with no trimming
• no shoulder strap on the coat
• no turnbacks on the coat
• black and silver sash around the waist
• a silver and gold gorget

Officers carried white spontoons measuring 7 ½ Rhenish feet (2.36 m.) and an officer stick.

Musicians

Drummers wore uniforms to those of the privates with the following differences:

• no shoulder strap
• each shoulder decorated with a white swallow nest (4 vertical and 1 horizontal braids)

Drummers carried a sidearm.

The drum pattern had ???.

Colours

Colonel flag (Leibfahne): White field with black corner wedges. Centre device consisting of a golden “FR” monogram surrounded by a golden laurel wreath and surmounted by a gold crown. Grenades in gold.

Regimental flags (Kompaniefahnen): Blue field with black corner wedges. Centre device consisting of a golden “FR” monogram surrounded by a golden laurel wreath and surmounted by a gold crown. Grenades in gold.

Colonel Colour - Source: Digby Smith and Richard Couture from elements by Hannoverdidi

Regimental Colour - Source: Digby Smith and Richard Couture from elements by Hannoverdidi

References

Bleckwenn, Hans: Die friderizianischen Uniformen 1756-1783, Bd. II., Infanterie II, Osnabrück 1984

Duffy, Christopher: Friedrich der Große und seine Armee, Stuttgart, 2. Auflage 1983

Engelmann, Joachim and Günter Dorn: Die Infanterie-Regimenter Friedrich des Grossen, Podzun-Pallas, 2000, pp. 140-141

Grosser Generalstab Kriegsgeschichtliche Abteilung II: Die Kriege Friedrichs des Grossen, Part 3 Der siebenjährige Krieg 1756-1763, Vol. 1 Pirna und Lobositz, Berlin, 1901, p. 127, App. 1

Guddat, Martin: Die Infanterie Friedrichs des Großen, Herford 1986

Haythornthwaite, Philip: Frederick the Great (2), Men-at Arms-Series No. 240, Osprey

Hohrath, Daniel: The Uniforms of the Prussian Army under Frederick the Great from 1740 to 1786; Vol. 2; Verlag Militaria, Vienna: 2011, pp. 414-415

Horvath, Carl Christian: Friedrichs II. König von Preussen Armee-Montirungen, Potsdam 1789. Vierte Sammlung

Merta, Klaus-Peter: Das Heerwesen in Brandenburg und Preußen von 1640 bis 1806 - Die Uniformierung, Berlin 1991

N.B.: the section Service during the War is mostly derived from our articles depicting the various campaigns, battles and sieges.

Acknowledgments

Martina Hager for the initial version of this article.