Kronprinzen Infantry
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Origin and History
In 1675, during the Swedish invasion of Brandenburg, the Electorate of Mark raised a regiment of two battalions for Hereditary Prince Frederick. Upon his accession to the electoral throne as Frederick I, the regiment became the Königs Regiment (King's Regiment).
In 1677, the regiment took part in the campaign in Pomerania.
In 1686, as part of the Holy League's army, the regiment took part in the reconquest of Ofen (present-day Buda) in Hungary.
During the Nine Years' War, the regiment was at the actions of Kaiserwerth and Bonn (1689), Leuze (1691), Steenkerken (1691), Namur (1695), Gent (1696) and Oudenarde (1697).
In 1702, the regiment contributed two companies to the new regiment Markgraf Albrecht Infantry. In 1703, two new companies were raised to replace them. In 1704, it received a third battalion; and in 1710, a fourth (the famous "Red Bataillon" aka "Die langen Kerls").
During the War of the Spanish Succession, the regimental Chefs were:
- from 10 May 1688: Friedrich Wilhelm Heir-Elector of Brandenburg (the regiment was then known as “Kurprinz Infanterie”)
- from 18 January 1701 to 23 February 1713: Friedrich Wilhelm Crown Prince in Prussia (the regiment was then known as “Kronprinzen Regiment”)
During the War of the Spanish Succession, the effective commanders were:
- from 1689: Albert Conrad Fink von Finkenstein
- from 1711: Friedrich Wilhelm Crown Prince in Prussia
In 1713, when Friedrich Wilhelm became king of Prussia, the regiment was initially stationed in Potsdam.
Service during the War
In 1704, the regiment took part in the siege of Geldern and in the Battle of Blenheim.
From 1706 to 1712, the regiment was involved in various battles and sieges: Menin, Oudenarde, Ghent, Malpaquet, Tournai, Mons, Bethune, Douai, Landrecy and Meurs.
In 1710, the Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm I raised the famous "Red Bataillon" or "Die langen Kerls".
In 1711, the Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm I took over command himself. The regiment was used for intensive tactical training and implementation of new concepts.
Uniforms
From 1700, each Prussian unit started to wear a distinguishing uniform. A regulation was issued in 1709 to standardize the uniform and equipment.
Privates
| Headgear |
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| Neck stock | white | ||||||||||||
| Coat | blue with 1 yellow button on each side in the small of the back
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| Waistcoat | red | ||||||||||||
| Breeches | red | ||||||||||||
| Stockings | red | ||||||||||||
| Gaiters | white | ||||||||||||
| Leather Equipment |
|
Armaments consisted of a musket, a bayonet and a sabre. Grenadiers were also armed with hand grenades.
NCOs
To do
Officers
Uniforms of officers were always of finer cloth, better cut and better embroideries than those of the privates.
Officers carried a spontoon, an epee and a black and silver sash. From 1709, they also had a black and silver porte-epee and a gorget.
Musicians
To do
Colours
References
Fahnen und Standarten der brandenburgisch preussischen Armee, 1623-1713; Redlin, Reinhold, compiler & publisher 1975
Les Triomphes de Louis XIV, a collection of five books now kept at the Cabinet des Estampes of the Bibliothèque Nationale de Paris
Hohrath, Daniel: The Uniforms of the Prussian Army under Frederick the Great from 1740 to 1786; Vol. 2; Verlag Militaria, Vienna: 2011, p. 42
Merta, Klaus-Peter: Das Heerwesen in Brandenburg und Preußen von 1640 bis 1806, Bd. 2, die Uniformierung, Berlin 1991
Seyfart, F.: Kurzgefassete Geschichte aller königlichen preussischen Regimented, welche bis in dem September 1760 fortgesetzet, Nuremberg, 1760, pp. 9-10
Wikipedia
- German Wikipedia
