Uniforms and Equipment of the Old Army - Cavalry - Heavy Riders - Saxony - Guard Rider Regiment

The accession to the throne of Friedrich August III (* 25.5.1865 Dresden) took place on 15 October 1904. As a consequence of the lost First World War he abdicated the throne on 13.11.1918. Friedrich August III was the last Saxon ruler and died in exile on 18.02.1932 in Sybillenort near Breslau. His coffin arrived in Dresden on 22 February 1932. About half a million people are said to have followed it. He was considered a very popular and beloved king. His failed marriage to Luise of Tuscany (02.09.1870 in Salzburg; † 23.03.1947 in Ixelles/Elsene near Brussels) occupied all of Europe. She fled in 1902 from the strict (conservative) court duties together with the tutor of her children, the 23-year-old Belgian language teacher André Giron. The marriage was annulled in 1903; afterwards Friedrich August III remained unmarried. Before his accession to the throne, the Saxon king held numerous military positions. He did not take an active part in the First World War, but his sons did (Crown Prince Georg and Prince Friedrich Christian).

The traditional Saxon cavalry in the Imperial Army comprised:

two regiments of Heavy Riders in Dresden and Borna.

three Hussar regiments in Großenhain, Grimma and Bautzen and

three Uhlan regiments in Oschatz, Leipzig and Chemnitz.

As part of the Imperial Army, the Kingdom of Saxony provided the XII Army Corps. The numbering of the units took place according to the sequence of the Prussian Army (unlike Bavaria).

At this point the Saxon "Guard Rider Regiment (1st Heavy Regiment)" is presented.

This designation was borne by the unit from February 1876.

The description follows primarily and largely:

Wolfgang Friedrich, Die Uniformen der Königlich Sächsischen Armee 1810 - 1867, Dresden 1997.

Herbert Knötel, Paul Pietsch, Baron Collas, Das Deutsche Heer. Friedensuniformen bei Ausbruch des Weltkrieges, Textband, Stuttgart 1982.

Hugo F. W. Schulz, Die Bayerischen, Sächsischen und Württembergischen Kavallerie-Regimenter 1913/14, Augsburg 1992.

R. v. Haber, Die Cavallerie des Deutschen Reiches. Derselben Entstehung, Etwicklung und Geschichte, nebst Rang-, Quartiers-, Anciennitäts-Liste und Uniformierung, 1877 (reprint Krefeld 1977),

as well as:

v. Hinüber, Stammliste des Kgl. Sächs. Garde-Reiter-Regiments 1680 - 1905, Berlin 1907.

Börries Freiherr von Münchhausen, Rittmeister der Reserve des ehemaligen Kgl. Sächs. Garde-Reiter-Regiments: "Das Königlich Sächsische Garde-Reiter-Regiment von 1880 bis 1918", Verlag und Buchdruckerei der Wilhelm und Bertha v. Baensch Stiftung, Dresden 1926.

The Saxon Guard Rider Regiment (1st Heavy Regiment) and its parent troop elements trace back to the year 1680.

As foundation days the 31.10. and the 10.11.1680 are given.

In 1877 the staff and the 1st, 2nd and 3rd squadrons were stationed in Dresden, the 4th and 5th squadrons in Pirna.

Later the regiment was only stationed in Dresden.

The regimental proprietor was the respective Saxon king.

The recruitment districts were the districts of the Royal Saxon 2nd and 4th Infantry Brigades No. 46 and No. 48, namely the Amtshauptmannschaften Pirna, Dippoldiswalde, Zittau, Löbau, Bautzen, Kamenz, Großenhain, Meißen, Roclitz, Borna and Döbeln.

In the First World War the unit belonged to the 8th Cavalry Division and after the outbreak of war initially performed border security measures in Lorraine.

From September the Saxon Guard Rider Regiment was transferred to the Eastern Front and fought in the Battle of the Masurian Lakes (09 - 15.09.1914).

"The Battle of the Masurian Lakes from 6 to 14 September 1914 was a battle between German and Russian troops in East Prussia in the First World War. It ended with the retreat of the Russian troops after heavy losses" (Wikipedia).

Subsequently the unit remained active as cavalry on the Eastern Front, in Poland and in Courland (1915) and at Jakobstadt (from 1917).

It returned home in January 1919 and was disbanded on 31.03.1919.

The losses of the Guard Rider Regiment are listed on the website: http://www.denkmalprojekt.org/. There 139 names are given.

The helmet of the Saxon Guard Rider Regiment was made of tombak. At the front it displayed a nickel silver star with the applied Saxon coat of arms made of tombak.

The tunic or koller had cornflower-blue as its base color and had a white collar and Swedish white sleeve cuffs.

The latter stood off from the sleeve by about 1.5 cm.

The tunic or koller had white facings

around the lower and rear skirt edges,

as well as on the pocket flaps with two buttons on each flap, in the back and sleeve seams, not at the upper sleeve attachment.

Furthermore facings of the base fabric around the collar and around the cuffs.

Similar to the Prussian cuirassiers, a white braid with cornflower-blue stripes ran down the front of the koller.

The loops were the color of the koller.

Next to them was a smooth button for the shoulder scales.

The buttons were yellow.

Characteristic for the Saxon heavy riders were their shoulder scales (epaulettes).

These consisted of brass with a crown and had a cornflower-blue lining.

At the upper edge of the flap there was a hook and a buttonhole.

In the above room scene the grey litewkas can also be seen. These had — like the cloak — white collar tabs.

For parade purposes a nickel silver lion was screwed onto the helmet.

The (white) riding breeches and the (high) boots corresponded to the pattern of the Prussian cuirassiers.

The bandolier and Pallasch belt were white as with the Prussian cuirassiers. The belt buckle, however, corresponded to that of the Saxon infantry.

The cartridge box had no lid ornamentation.

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In addition to the carbine and the steel-tube lance, the special Guard Rider saber M 79 was used as the edged weapon.

The trumpeters had a conspicuous trim of white braids on the front of the koller on the chest.

The helmet of the officers of the Guard Rider Regiment corresponded to that of the Prussian Guard Cuirassiers. The star and the lion mounted for parade were silver-plated.

The koller braid for officers was made of silver braid, not gold. The braid was interwoven with light blue silk.

The loops featured small gold chains.

The overcoat was also cornflower-blue and had white insignia. The color was often paler for officers than for the ranks.

The litewka had white collar tabs, likewise such facings.

The epaulettes were gilded.

The long cornflower-blue cloth trousers had for gala a white facing and a matching stripe.

As a cartridge box served a small metal box whose front and bottom were covered with black leather, otherwise gilded.

The lid showed the royal coat of arms with crown and laurel branches.

The narrower white belt had a rectangular buckle in gold.

The service blanket was dark blue. The saddlecloth showed in the rear corners a silver-plated star with a cornflower-blue center. This showed a silver-plated crown.

As armament the special guard officers' small sword was used.

The bridle had bumps of tombak on the browband and then on the curb. These displayed the royal coat of arms.