Västgöta Horse
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Contents
Origin and History
A Västgotafana is mentioned before 1550. The regiment was raised in 1628 as Västgöta Ryttare. In 1691, it was incorporated to the Indelta system. It counted 8 companies for a total of 1,000 men. Exceptionally, it was organised as a dragoon regiment.
During the Great Northern War, the regiment took part at the landing in Själland in 1700, then in homeland. In the Scanian campaign of 1710 and then shipped to Germany in 1712. It was present at the Battle of Gadebusch on December 20 1712. Captured at Tönningen and rebuilt. In the Norwegian campaign of 1718.
During the Seven Years' War, the regiment was under the command of:
- in 1757: K. Hierta
Service during the War
In 1757, 4 companies (500 men) of the regiment were part of the expeditionary force sent to serve in the campaign in Pomerania under Field-marshal Mathias Alexander von Ungern Sternberg.
In 1758, 2 additional companies (300 men) of the regiment were sent to Pomerania to reinforce the Swedish expeditionary force operating against Prussia.
On August 27, 1759, during the campaign of Pomerania, the regiment formed part of the force who covered the assault and capture of the entrenchments of Swinemünde. On October 1, the regiment followed Fersen's Corps when it left the Oder Islands to join the Swedish Main Army in Pasewalk.
On August 22, 1761, part of the regiment fought in an engagement against the Pomeranian Provincial Hussars near Neubrandenburg, losing a standard.
Uniform
Privates
| Headgear | black tricorne without lace and with a brass button on the left side | ||||||||||||||
| Neck stock | black | ||||||||||||||
| Coat | medium blue lined yellow with 12 brass buttons down the front and 2 brass buttons in the small of the back
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| Waistcoat | yellow | ||||||||||||||
| Breeches | buckskin or reindeer skin | ||||||||||||||
| Leather Equipment |
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| Horse Furniture |
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Troopers were armed with a sword, a pair of pistols and a carbine. Exceptionally, this heavy cavalry regiment was armed with a bayonet and did not wear breastplates.
Officers
The officers wore the same uniform as the troopers with the following exceptions:
- a gold laced tricorne
- black breeches (sometimes)
- housings and holster caps laced gold
NCOs
The NCOS wore the same uniform as the troopers with the unique distinction of a narrow golden lace on the tricorne.
Musicians
The musicians wore medium blue uniforms with yellow swallow nests laced white at the shoulders. The uniform had no additional laces.
The drums were made of brass with yellow rims. The trumpets were made of brass with a medium blue banner.
Colours
The pikes used as staffs to carry the colours were always striped in blue and yellow. The standards had gold finials, and gold and silver cords, tassels and fringe.
Lifstandar (colonel standard): white field; borders heavily embroidered in gold and silver; centre device carried the crowned royal arms of Sweden flanked by 2 crowned golden lions; the upper inner corner carried a black lion with 2 silver stars.
Kompanistandar (ordonnance standard): field separated diagonally into 2 triangles, a black triangle along the pole and a yellow triangle
- Obverse: ; centre device consisting of a lion (lower part black, upper part gold) with 2 silver stars.
- Reverse: borders heavily embroidered in gold and silver; centre device consisting of the golden royal cipher “AF” on a light blue field, surmounted by a gold crown; 2 golden palm branches beneath tied with a red ribbon.
 Lifstandar - Source: rf-figuren using elements of a template by Hannoverdidi |
 Kompanistandar - Source: rf-figuren |
The colonel's squadron carried the Lifstandar, each other squadron had a Kompanistandar.
References
This article contains texts translated from the following books which are now in the public domain:
- 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
Other sources
Brolin, Gunnar: 18th C. Swedish Military Flags - Part I: Standards and Guidons, 18th Century Military Notes & Queries No. 5
Högman, Hans: Svenska regementen under indelningsverkets dagar
Höglund, Lars-Eric and Sallnäs, Ake: The Great Northern War 1700-1721, Colours and Uniforms, Acedia Press, Karlstadt, 2000
Pengel, R. D. and G. R. Hurt: Swedish Army in Pomerania – 1757-1763, Birmingham, 1983
Purky, Jim: Swedish Army Organization, Seven Years War Association Journal Vol. X No. 1
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
Schorr, Dan: Uniforms of the Swedish Army, 1757-1762, The Courrier, June-July 1979
Schorr, Dan: Swedish Cavalry Standards 1757-1762, The Courrier, December 1979-January 1980
N.B.: the section Service during the War is mostly derived from our articles depicting the various campaigns, battles and sieges.
