The Prussian Army under Frederick William I (1713 - 40) - Chapter 3 - The Infantry

The Prussian army was a land force, the core of which was the foot troops. According to a "Specification" of 24.07.1713 the old Prussian army comprised 255 infantry companies with 32,895 men and 60 cavalry companies and 45 dragoon companies with 8,748 men (each including non-commissioned officers and excluding the musicians), i.e. infantry and cavalry stood in relation to one another as 4:1. In addition there were the garrison troops, the artillery and the cadet institutions. In the course of the systematic strengthening of the army the infantry grew as follows: 21,746 (1713), 35,134 (1715), 48,967 (1731), 52,391 (1739); similarly the cavalry was increased: 7,737 (1713), 9,914 (1715), 15,876 (1731), 17,842 (1739).

At the death of King Frederick I the infantry counted 16 staffs, 156 "prime planen", 18,500 rank-and-file, amounting to a total of 21,746 soldiers. Among the 17 infantry units were, besides the Life Regiment (1,406) and the Crown Prince Regiment (2,082), the Swiss Guard (124), the Grenadier Guard (1,223) and the Fusilier Guard (2,136). In addition there were a number of garrison and free companies which together numbered 4,841 men¹. In the year of King Frederick William I's death (1740) the infantry comprised: the Life Grenadier Regiment or King's Regiment (No. 6) with 3 battalions, 30 infantry regiments each with 2 battalions (except No. 3, which also had 3 battalions) and the battalions von Lilien and von Raders, which subsequently formed Infantry Regiment No. 32. Regiments No. 28, 29, 30 and 31 had been raised in 1723, 1728 and 1729 as so-called fusilier regiments and in total consisted of soldiers of smaller stature. Thus in 1740 the infantry numbered 1,639 officers, 3,876 non-commissioned officers, 1,223 drummers, 6,495 grenadiers and 38,820 rank-and-file, together 52,053 soldiers², and had thereby experienced an increase of 42% relative to its earlier strength.

In the old Prussian army the regiment existed primarily as an administrative unit; the fighting unit was the battalion. The Ordre de Bataille therefore always referred only to the battalions. The tactical organization of the battalion differed completely from the administrative structure, for tactically the battalion was divided into four divisions, each of two platoons (pelotons). A battalion thus comprised tactically eight pelotons (numbered from 1–8 from the right wing). The conversion from 5 companies to 8 platoons before each exercise etc. was a highly cumbersome affair; it was not until the First Silesian War that, as part of an "Instruction for the infantry on their conduct during night attacks," the order was issued that in case of alarm each company should only be divided into 2 platoons³.

According to the regulation of 1714 (p. 3) the battalion comprised 5 companies, each company consisting of: 11 non-commissioned officers, 3 drummers, 12 grenadiers, 1 carpenter and 107 musketeers. One of the non-commissioned officers was always assigned to the grenadiers. Each regiment was to have 6 pipers, for which the corresponding companies had one musketeer fewer. In 1726 (Regulation of 1726, pp. 3 ff.) an infantry regiment numbered a total of 1,420 combatants, namely: 40 officers, 110 non-commissioned officers, 30 drummers, 1,080 musketeers, 130 grenadiers, 1 regimental quartermaster, 1 field preacher, 1 auditor, 1 regimental surgeon, 10 company surgeons, 1 regimental drummer, 6 oboists, 6 pipers, 1 gunsmith (from 01.06.1722), 1 stock-maker (from 01.06.1722) and 1 provost.

The battalion consisted of 5 companies and numbered 20 officers, 55 non-commissioned officers, 3 pipers, 15 drummers, 65 grenadiers and 540 musketeers (Regulation of 1726, p. 4). The company comprised 4 officers, 11 non-commissioned officers, 3 drummers, 13 grenadiers (including one carpenter), 108 musketeers and 1 surgeon (Regulation of 1726, p. 4). However, the establishment of the life company and of the first — i.e. oldest — company of the II Battalion deviated from this. The life company, always attached to the I Battalion, had the greatest headcount in the regiment. The Regulation of 1726 stipulated: "The regimental drummer and the 6 oboists stand by the life company, as does the rest of the regiment's subordinate staff." In the oldest company of the II Battalion "one drummer performs regimental-drummer duties during exercise, whereby the first company of the battalion has four drummers" (from 01.10.1735).

Already the general service regulation of 1726 regulated the distribution of companies in the regiment as follows: "The companies shall be allocated to the battalions so that not all the oldest fall to the first battalion, but the colonel or commander of the regiment's company shall be with the 2nd, the lieutenant-colonel's company with the 1st, and if there are 2 lieutenant-colonels with the regiment, his company shall again be with the 2nd battalion; likewise the oldest major's company shall be with the 2nd battalion; the remaining companies shall be distributed among the battalions so that the numbers of men are for the most part equal." (p. 6). Before 1740 it seems — as in the 1760s — to have been customary that company holders, when internally transferred from one battalion to another, kept their companies and these therefore likewise changed battalion.

The infantry consisted of musketeers and (from 1723) fusiliers. In addition there were the grenadiers. The word grenadier derives from the Italian word granata (pomegranate). In the 17th century that name was given to soldiers who fought the enemy with hand grenades. Besides throwing grenades, grenadiers usually received special combat tasks in battle; they were often employed at the focal points of the engagement. France had grenadiers since 1667, the Austrian forces since 1670, the Brandenburg troops since 1675/6 and Bavaria since 1682. In 1681 the Great Elector decreed that in each company 6 men should be equipped with hand grenades. As the wide-brimmed hat hindered the swinging of the musket before throwing a hand grenade, the grenadier cap developed from the camp cap became characteristic for grenadiers. Even after hand grenades fell out of use, the designation "grenadier" remained. In the Prussian army the grenadiers were to be chosen from the 3rd rank, "they must be nothing but fellows who can march well, not over 35 years old, look robust, namely not short-nosed, thin or narrow-faced" (Regulation of 1726, p. 8). The grenadiers previously distributed among the individual companies were, according to an order of 01.05.1735, formed into two companies, one per battalion⁴. For the holders of the musketeer companies this meant a hardship: "it is a hard blow for the musketeer captains, but they shall this time bite the sour apple, and make the 99 men complete, without it costing the grenadier captains anything"⁵. Frederick William I commented on the requirements for the grenadiers in his peculiar style of writing to Leopold of Anhalt-Dessau: "... shall be well-made, hardy old soldiers and the grenadiers the colonel shall keep complete just as I set the norm for healthy people, but (they) not become taller"⁶. Concerning the composition of the grenadier companies a royal order of 07.08.1739 to Infantry Regiment No. 11 adds: "You shall take for the grenadier companies only people of good faces, no short-legged and no long-necked fellows, but people who are broad of shoulder and have good limbs. The first rank shall include men of 7 inches, the 3rd shall still have 8 men of 7 inches properly measured, the other men shall be of 6½ inches; in the 2nd rank shall still stand 5 men of 6½ inches, the remainder are of 6 inches, well measured"⁷. According to Berenhorst grenadiers were selected even after 1740 "not by height, they are even generally quite small, but one seeks sure, robust men, of mature age, and good marchers"⁸.

Two formations (No. 3 and 6) deviated from this establishment. The Infantry Regiment von Anhalt-Dessau (No. 3) comprised 3 battalions and belonged to the elite of the old Prussian infantry. According to a remark by Frederick William I this regiment was even "the norm" of the infantry⁹. According to Haller, "this brave corps for a long time was the model and the school of the Prussian foot soldiers; for it was drilled and formed under the eyes of the great Dessauer, many field marshals — excellent warriors — a Bredow, Kahlden, Mannstein, Schenkendorf and others came from this training school, and the honor of having served in it already counted as a good recommendation"¹⁰. The model regiment of the old Prussian army was raised in 1665 as the Fargel regiment on foot by recruitment in Regensburg, Nuremberg and Frankfurt am Main and had Prince Leopold von Anhalt-Dessau as chief from 1693–1747. In 1713 the regiment was in the Priegnitz and in the Magdeburg area; in 1715 the staff and 3 companies were garrisoned in Halle, 1 in Alsleben, 1 in Wettin, 1 in Kalbe, 1 in Staßfurt and Salze, 1 in Schönebeck and Frohsa, 1 in Egeln and Hadmersleben and 1 in Wanzleben (1720: 6 companies in Halle, 3 in Kalbe, one each in Wettin, Cönnern, Löbejün, Egeln, Staßfurt, Aken). At times some detachments were also stationed in Dessau. In the Halle garrison there were repeatedly conflicts between the university and the regiment; violent recruitings were on several occasions the cause of student uprisings, for example in 1717, 1719 and 1734. But personal disputes between military personnel on one side and students on the other also repeatedly led to conflicts; in 1723 the confrontation even assumed larger proportions¹¹. The Infantry Regiment von Anhalt-Dessau represented the high school of Prussian drill proficiency, but in the later Silesian Wars did not deliver the performances that, given its high level of training, one might have expected. It did prove itself in the battles of Hohenfriedberg and Soor, but failed in 1760 before Dresden and was punished by the king as an example. In the Battle of Leignitz the regiment, however, was able to rehabilitate itself¹². Besides Infantry Regiment No. 3 the elite King's Regiment (No. 6) also numbered 3 battalions. The next chapter reports on this elite unit.