Draft:4th (3rd East Prussian) Grenadier Regiment

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4th (3rd East Prussian) Grenadier Regiment
Active1626–1918
Country Prussia
BranchPrussian Army

The 4th (3rd East Prussian) Grenadier Regiment "King Frederick the Great" was an East Prussian infantry regiment of the Prussian Army.

The 4th Grenadier Regiment was formed on 1 May 1626 and was part of the I Corps (1820–1849, 1851–1914), the II Corps (1850), the 2nd Division (1820–1849, 1856–1914) and the 4th Division (1850) as well as the 2nd Infantry Brigade [de] (1820–1849), the 4th Infantry Brigade (1850), the 1st Infantry Brigade (1851–1855), the 3rd Infantry Brigade (1856–1899, 1902–1914) and the 73rd Infantry Brigade (1899–1902).

History[edit]

17th century[edit]

Thirty Years' War (1616–1648)[edit]

1626[edit]

On 1 May 1626, George William, Elector of Brandenburg, granted Oberst (colonel) Hildebrand von Kracht [de] the Kapitulation [de] of a regiment of foot consisting of 3,000 men in 15 companies.[1][2] They were intended to be used in the fight against Albrecht von Wallenstein.[2]

On May 1, a muster took place for nine companies near Frankfurt (Oder), until June for the other companies in Spandau, Sommerfeld, Bernau and Fürstenwalde.[1]

On October 13, the Elector issued patents for 14 new companies due to the Swedish threat to Prussia, 5 of which were to form the Leib Regiment together with 5 of Kracht's regiment, while 9 others joined the Kracht Regiment, which thus had 19 companies. The Leib regiment reached the strength of nine companies. However, the regiment's formation (like that of the Leib Regiment) was hampered when the Elector took most of the troops from the Margraviate of Brandenburg to Duchy of Prussia in December 1626, namely the regimental staff and 12 companies of the Kracht Regiment, among others.

In 1627 Kracht returned to the Marches, and on 26 September (6 October) 1627 he was relieved of command of his regiment in Prussia.

1629[edit]

On 16/26 September 1629, the Truce of Altmark was signed, according to which Memel (now Klaipėda), Pillau (now Baltiysk) and other places remained in Swedish hands, in return for which the Elector received Marienburg (now Malbork), Stuhm (now Sztum) and other places previously occupied by this regiment. In 1629, the regiment's eight companies were in the Duchy of Prussia.[1]

On 28 November (8 December) 1629, the regiment's former Oberstleutnant (lieutenant colonel), Johann Streiff von Lauenstein, became its colonel; after its Kapitulation (19 February 1630), it was to have 8 companies; 3 of these were lost by 1632.

1 June 1635: these 5 remaining companies, of which the regiment currently consisted, came to Memel when the Elector regained its fortress through the Treaty of Stuhmsdorf.

Two companies moved to Pillau on 5/15 January 1636 and three more in 1639. According to Nelke, three of the regiment's companies were in Pillau in 1636.[1]

Late 17th century[edit]

After the Thirty Years' War, the regiment was involved in the Second Northern War (1658–1660) and the Great Turkish War (1684–1686; 1693–1698).

On 28 September 1657, the 2 companies in Memel left the regimental association with the 3 companies in Pillau. The two companies joined the four-company Electoral "Leibguardi" under Oberst de la Cave; this association was dissolved on 9 June 1660.

In 1675, the number of companies in Pillau was increased to 4, and in 1687 to 6 companies.

In January 1689, the colonel Johann Georg von Belling increases the regiment's three-company strength to eight and then ten companies.[1] That same year, the Elector often reorganised the fortress garrisons so that they formed two battalions (a field battalion and a garrison battalion), as a result of which the Pillau companies also became a regiment of two battalions of five companies each; the garrison battalion was later reduced in size. In 1689, the field battalion moves to the Rhine for the campaign against France in the Nine Years' War. This battalion besieged Bonn in 1689.[1] In 1691, one company went to fight in the Kingdom of Hungary and participated in the battles of Slankamen and Peterwardein.[1]

In 1692, three more companies joined the one in Hungary.[1] This battalion was separated from the battalion still in Pillau and was fully replenished by the 16th Infantry Regiment "Dohna".[1] On 1/11 April 1692, the Pillau battalion became an independent regiment when Pillau's former governor and its garrison's chief von Brandt relinquished governing Pillau, became Magdeburg's governor and received 3 companies of his regiment from his successor in Pillau, Count Alexander Dohna, in return for which the companies still in Pillau (3) became the 5th Regiment [de].

In 1696, the one company that was the regiment's first to fight in Hungary fought in the Duchy of Brabant.[1] In 1698, that same company returned to Prussia in 1698 to take Elbing from the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in a coup on 14 October 1698, which only succeeded on November 11 - with the secret consent of Augustus II the Strong, the ruler of Poland–Lithuania.[1]

18th century[edit]

The regiment fought in the War of the Spanish Succession (1702–1713). In 1702, the regiment had to give over some manpower to the 9th Infantry Regiment.[1] In 1703, it stormed Bonn during the siege.[1] The regiment fought in the Battle of Höchstädt in 1704 and suffered great losses while conquering Landau.[1] Then it fought in Cassano in 1705, Calcinato and Turin in 1706.[1] The regiment forced the French forces out of Mont de Vallon near Chiomonte (French: Chaumont) on 16 September 1711.

In early 1713, Frederick William I of Prussia permanently set the strength of most infantry regiments, including this regiment, at two battalions of 5 companies each.

The regiment was involved in the Great Northern War in 1715–16. In 1715, the regiment was moved to Pomerania and a company from the 3rd battalion landed on the island of Rügen in the Battle of Stresow.[1]

During the War of the Polish Succession, the regiment stood again on the Rhine in 1734–1735.[1] From 29 March 1735, the grenadiers, who had previously been distributed among the companies, were merged into 2 companies. So, the regiments now consisted of 2 battalions, each of one grenadier and 5 musketeer companies. In the event of mobilisation, the grenadier companies of two regiments each merged into one grenadier battalion.

Since 1719, the regiment's parts were garrisoning in these locations: staff and four companies in Bartenstein, three companies in Friedland, then Schippenbeil since 1751, grenadiers in Landsberg till 1770, thereafter Prussian Holland.[1] The regiment received its recruits from the districts south of Königsberg: Brandenburg, Bartenstein, Preußisch Eylau, Landsberg, Domnau and Zinten [de].[1]

Rule of Frederick the Great[edit]

During the rule of Frederick the Great, the regiment fought in all of his wars: the First (1742) and Second Silesian Wars (1745), the Seven Years' War (1757–1762), the War of the Bavarian Succession (1778–1779).

The regiment was not part of the invasion force of Silesia in 1740.[1] In April 1741, it joined the Dessau observation corps near Göttin which existed until late October.[1] On 17 May 1742, the regiment joined the final attack of the right wing in the battle of Chotusitz.[1]

At the battle of Hohenfriedberg on June 4, 1745, it was on the inner edge of the Prussian right wing.[1] Here it attacked the Austrian left wing near Günthersdorf.[1] On September 30, it repeled the attack of the enemy's left cavalry wing at the battle of Soor.[1]

The regiment was at the Battle of Gross-Jägersdorf on 30 August 1757.[1]

In 1758, in the two-day Battle of Zorndorf, it was on the right wing that the king initially held back, but was then hit by the Russian cavalry attack and still won.[1]

On 23 July 1759, the regiment suffered a bloody defeat at the battles of Kay, Kunersdorf am Mühlberg.[1] In the latter battle, it held out in Kuh-Grund extremely bravely and lost as many as 35 officers and 717 men.[1] Pushed northwards by the king to disrupt the allies' rear communications, threefold superior forces forced von Finck to surrender at the Battle of Maxen on November 20 in the snow-covered mountains.[1]

The king sent the regiment's remnants to the Stutterheim Corps in Pomerania in 1760 to replenish them with Mecklenburgian recruits.[1] From early June to mid-December 1761, it fought near Kolberg.[1] In 1762, it fought in the Battle of Freiberg in Saxony under Prince Henry of Prussia.[1]

1780s[edit]

There was a reorganization on 27 February 1787, when two musketeer companies were transformed into grenadier companies, so that the regiment now consists of one grenadier and two musketeer battalions, four companies each. On 14 February 1788, it was determined that each infantry regiment should receive a depot battalion on June 1, which would only accept those still able to serve in garrison and would serve as a replacement battalion in war. The garrison regiments that existed previously were disbanded, so the regiment received three companies of von Bose [de]'s 1st Garrison Regiment [de] as a depot battalion.

1790s[edit]

The regiment was heavily involved in fighting against the Polish-Lithuanian Uprising of 1794.[3]

.On 1 October 1797, the depot battalions were given a 4th company and (from January 1796) the name 3rd Musketeer Battalion, although their purpose remained essentially the same.

On 28 February 1799, the regiment was restructured by converting two grenadier companies into musketeer ones, meaning the regiment possessed only two grenadier companies and its 1st and 2nd musketeer battalions had 5 companies, while the 3rd musketeer battalion had 4. The grenadiers of two regiments unified to form a grenadier battalion. The regiment's grenadiers formed a battalion with those of the 5th Regiment, which was called von Fabecki in 1806.

19th century[edit]

Napoleonic Wars[edit]

The regiment fought against France in the War of the Fourth Coalition (1806–1807).[3] The regiment survived 1806 mostly unscathed.[3] The 1st battalion was with Anton Wilhelm von L'Estocq in East Prussia, the 2nd was at Graudenz and the 3rd at Danzig.[1] The regiment clashed at Graudenz, Gatsch, Waltersdorf, Wackern.[3] The grenadiers separated from the regiment fought at the battles of Eylau and Heilsberg.[3] The rest of the regiment also fought at Dirschau, Brandenburg, Tarpen, Braunsberg, Danzig, Neudorf, at the mouth of the Vistula, Gollau, Königsberg, and Mostbude.[4]

During the reforms of 1807–8, the 14th Infantry Regiment "von Besser", as it was previously known, was used to create the new 3rd East Prussian Infantry Regiment.[3] On 20 November 1807, the regiment had two grenadier companies and three battalions, of which two were musketeer and one was depot, to which was attached von Stutterheim's 21st Fusilier Battalion.[5] On 7 September 1808, these units were combined with the cantonists of the 51st Kauffberg and 55th Manstein infantry regiments into the 4th (3rd East Prussian) Infantry Regiment.[5]

In 1812, the regiment's 1st battalion was made part of the 2nd Combined Infantry Regiment in the Yorck Corps that invaded Russia alongside the French.[5] The regiment then fought in the War of the Sixth Coalition (1813–1814) against France in Bülow's (later the III) Corps in the following battles: Bautzen, Dennewitz, Leipzig, Laon and Paris.[5]

In 1813, a 3rd musketeer battalion and three reserve battalions were established and the musketeer battalion, the 1st and 2nd reserve battalions were transferred to another regiment.

On 14 October 1814, the two grenadier companies were transferred to the Alexander Regiment, where they became the 9th and 10th companies. This was followed in 1859 by heavy transfers (including of officers) to the 44th Regiment.

Unification of Germany[edit]

The regiment participated in the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 against the Austrian Empire and the Franco-Prussian War (1870–71).

On 27 September 1866, the 2nd, 14th and 15th companies were transferred to the 74th Regiment.

In the German Empire[edit]

Later detachments followed on 1 April 1881 (9th Company to the 128th Infantry Regiment [de]), on 1 April 1887 (11th Company to 135th Infantry Regiment [de]) and on 1 April 1897 (4th Battalion to the 147th Infantry Regiment). On 2 October 1893, a 4th (half-battalion) was formed.

World War I[edit]

On 17 August 1914, the regiment was mobilised in accordance with the mobilisation plan. It belonged to the 3rd Infantry Brigade, the 2nd Division, the 8th Army and the I Corps. In addition to the regiment moving into the field, it provided a replacement battalion of four companies and two recruit depots.

On 29 August 1918, the regiment received its own mine launcher company, which was formed from parts of 2nd Mine Launcher Company.

Garrisons[edit]

Naming[edit]

  • until 1808: according to the name of the regimental chief
  • from 7 September 1808: 3rd East Prussian Infantry Regiment
  • from 5 November 1816: 4th (3rd East Prussian) Infantry Regiment
  • from 10 March 1823: 4th Infantry Regiment
  • from 4 July 1860: 4th (3rd East Prussian) Grenadier Regiment
  • from 27 January 1889: 4th (3rd East Prussian) Grenadier Regiment King Frederick II
  • from 7 September 1901: 4th (3rd East Prussian) Grenadier Regiment King Frederick the Great

Chefs of the regiment[edit]

Regiment commanders[edit]

  • 1807–1811: von Wostrowski[6]
  • 1811–1816: von Sjöholm[6]
  • 1816–1830: von Braunschweig[6]
  • 1830–1837: von Dedenroth[6]
  • 1837–1841: von Freysleben[6]
  • 1841–1847: May[6]
  • 1847–1848: von Ostwien[6]
  • 1848–1850: von Olberg[6]
  • 1850–1851: von Trotha[6]
  • 1851–1853: Schonert[6]
  • 1853–1857: Breetz[6]
  • 1857–1860: von Seelhorst[6]
  • 1860–1865: Freiherr von Lyncker[6]
  • 1865–1869: von Wedell[6]
  • 1869–1872: von Tietzen-Henning[6]
  • 1872–1873: von Deutsch[6]
  • 1873–1879: Freiherr von Gayl[6]
  • 1879–1883: von Lettow[6]
  • 1883–1885: Freiherr von Eberstein[6]
  • 1885–1888: von Scholten[6]
  • 1888–1888: von Stuckradt[6]
  • 1888–1891: Keyler[6]
  • 1891–1895: von Kamptz[6]
  • 1895–1897: Werner[6]
  • 1897–1900: Alexander von Linsingen[6]
  • 1900–1903: Henzen[6]
  • 1903–1905: Raatz[6]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba Nelke 2005a.
  2. ^ a b Dorn & Engelmann 1989, p. 40.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Nafziger 1996, p. 58.
  4. ^ Gieraths 1964, p. 58.
  5. ^ a b c d Nafziger 1996, p. 79.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag Nelke 2005b.

Sources[edit]

  • Dorn, Günter; Engelmann, Joachim (1989). The Infantry Regiments of Frederick the Great, 1756–1763. Schiffer Publishing.
  • Gieraths, Günther (1964). Die Kampfhandlungen der Brandenburgisch-Preußischen Armee 1626–1807. Ein Quellenhandbuch (in German). Vol. 8. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter.
  • Nafziger, George F. (1996). The Prussian Army during the Napoleonic Wars (1792–1815). Vol. I: The Infantry. West Chester, OH.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Nelke, Reinhard (2005a). "Regimenter der preußischen Armee: Die altpreußischen Regimenter". preussenweb.de (in German). Archived from the original on 22 October 2005.
  • Nelke, Reinhard (2005b). "Regimenter der preußischen Armee: Die neuen preußischen Regimenter". preussenweb.de (in German). Archived from the original on 26 May 2007.
  • von Lossow, Rudolf Louis Oskar Kopka (1901). Geschichte des Grenadier-Regiments König Friedrich I. (in German). Vol. II: Zeitraum von 1713 bis 1815. Berlin: Ernst Siegfried Mittler & Sohn. OCLC 560420864.
  • Voigt, Günther (1980). Deutschlands Heere bis 1918: Ursprung und Entwicklung der einzelnen Formationen (in German). Vol. 1: Die Garde- und die Grenadier-Regimenter 1–12 der preussischen Armee. Osnabrück: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 3-7648-1199-4.

External links[edit]

  • "Gren.R 4". wiki-de.genealogy.net (Grenadier-Regiment König Friedrich der Grosse (3. Ostpreußisches) Nr. 4). GenWiki. 2019-03-13. p. 7. Retrieved 2019-11-25.
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