Prinz Friedrich Wilhelm Infantry
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Contents
Origin and History
The regiment was created in 1759.
In 1759, the regiment was subsidised by France.
In April 1761, when his current owner was transferred to another regiment, the unit was designated as vacantes Regiment von Roman until 1763 when it became the property of von Stain.
From 1760, the regiment was subsidised by Austria. The Württemberger contingent now now formed part of the Reichsarmee.
The regiment was organised in 2 battalions with 5 musketeer and 1 grenadier companies per battalion. Each company counted some 100 men for a total book strength of 1,219 men including staff. Furthermore, each battalion had a 3-pdrs gun.
During the Seven Years' War, the regiment was owned by:
- 1759: prince Friedrich Wilhelm von Württemberg
- January 1 to April 1761 major-general Philipp Joachim von Roman
- April 1761: vacant
- 1763: major-general Friedrich Karl von Stain
During the Seven Years' War, the successive Kommandeure of the regiment were:
- 1759: colonel Karl August von Gemmingen
- from 1762 to 1765: colonel Conrad Otto Christoph Marschall von Biberstein
In 1767, the regiment was incorporated into the Kreisinfanterieregiment Württemberg.
Service during the War
When created, in 1759, the regiment was in the French service and took part to the campaign in Hessen. On November 3, the Duke of Württemberg was instructed by Broglie to march to Gemünden with his contingent. On November 11, the Württemberger Contingent arrived at Gemünden. The duke then sent his hussars on the Kinzig river. On November 19 and 20, the Württemberger Contingent (about 10,000 men), led personally by the duke, arrived at Fulda and took up its winter-quarters to assist the French army. On Friday November 30, an Allied force under the Hereditary Prince of Brunswick launched a surprise attack on Fulda, forcing the Würtemberger Contingent to retreat precipitously southwards on Bruckenau in the general direction of Frankenland and Württemberg. From December 19 to 23, the Württemberg Contingent (now only 7 bns) was at Steinberg. On December 25, the Duke of Württemberg marched to Schotten.
From 1760, the regiment joined the Reichsarmee and was subsidized by Austria. The same year, it took part to the campaign in Silesia against Prussia.
Uniform
Privates
| Headgear |
| ||||||||||||
| Neckstock | black | ||||||||||||
| Coat | dark blue in Prussian cut
| ||||||||||||
| Waistcoat | white | ||||||||||||
| Breeches | white | ||||||||||||
| Gaiters | black | ||||||||||||
| Leather Equipment |
|
Troopers were armed with a musket and a sword.
Officers
Officers wore a uniform quite similar to the troopers with the following exceptions:
- no turnbacks
- black and gold sash
- beige gloves
Musicians
no information available yet
Colours
Information about the colours of the Württemberger infantry regiments are very scarce. The following descriptions represent an "educated guess" based on these few sources
Both Leibfahne and Ordinarfahne would have the same design :
- on the obverse side, a red ribbon with the motto "Provide et constanter", the arms of the duke of Württemberg, surmounted by a gold and red ducal crown. The arms consisted of an oval shield surrounded by a "Ordenskette" necklace holding the "Militär Carls Orden" star.
The oval shield with the armories had 5 fields : Upper left canton: yellow and black checkerboard pattern (Teck arms), Upper right canton: yellow flags on a blue field (Reichssturm), Lower right canton: brown head with a red bonnet on a yellow field (Heidenheim arms), Lower left canton: two gold fish on a red field (Monbéliard arms), Central escutcheon: left side = 3 black stag antlers, right side = a black eagle, both sides on a yellow field
The necklace had 8 blue 'W' depicting precious stones, each linked with a golden eagle
- on the reverse side : a gold "mirrored CE" monogram with a gold and red ducal crown. A gold "mirrored C" monogram with a gold and red ducal crown on each corner.
Leibfahne: white field with gold fringes
File:Württemberg IR Leibfahne Gold Flag.jpg Prinz Friedrich Wilhelm Leibfahne - Source: Frédéric Aubert |
Ordinarfahne: carmine red field with gold fringes
File:Prinz Friedrich Wilhelm Regiment Flag.jpg Prinz Frioedrich Wilhelm Ordinarfahne - Source: Frédéric Aubert |
References
Becher, Johann Christian: Wahrhaftige Nachricht derer Begebenheiten, so sich in dem Herzogthum Weimar by dem gewaltigen Kriege Friedrichs II., Königs von Preußen, mit der Königin von Ungarn, Marien Theresen, samt ihren Bundesgenossen zugetragen, Weimar, ca. 1760 (Stiftung Weimarer Klassik)
Deutsche Uniformen, Bd. 1, Das Zeitalter Friedrich des Großen, 240 Bilder von Herbert Knötel d. J., Text und Erläuterungen von Dr. Martin Letzius, hrsg. von der Sturm-Zigaretten GmbH, Dresden 1932
Frederic, Jacques André, Etat des Trouppes de S.A.S. Monseigneur le Duc de Virtemberg et Theck sur pié en 1759, Augsburg, 1759
Knötel, R.: Farbiges Handbuch der Uniformkunde: Die Entwicklung der militärischen Tracht der deutschen Staaten, Österreich-Ungarns und der Schweiz. Begründet von Prof. Richard Knötel. Grundlegend überarbeitet und bis zum Stand von 1937 fortgeführt von Herbert Knötel d.J. und Herbert Sieg. Dem Stand der Forschung angepaßt und ergänzt von Ingo Pröper, überarbeitete Neuauflage, Stuttgart 1985
Zahn, Michael, Die Herzoglich Württembergische Armee im Siebenjährigen Krieg, Manuskript, Stuttgart: January 2008
