Bavarians of the War of Spanish Succession

Bavarians of the War of Spanish Succession

Saturday, October 6, 2018

Pictures of my Bavarian Army

Maximillan Elector
My Bavarian Army
Arco Cuirassiers
Wolframsdorff Cuirassiers


Guards Brigade, consisting of the Garde Grenadiers, Garde Karbineers and Locatelli Hussars
Torring-Seefeld Dragoons

Monasreol Dragoons
LiebRegiment
IR Kurprinz
IR Tattenbach
IR Schellenberg
IR Maffei
IR Lutzelburg
IR Mercy

IR Bettendorf
IR d'Ocfort
Artillery




Wednesday, September 12, 2018

Cavalry of the Bavarian War of the Spanish Succession

The Bavarian cavalry at the start of the war had three Regiments of Dragoons, three of Cuirassiers and a number of Guard Regiments which only consisted of a few squadrons.  The Elector was told to raise his army to some 25,000 men and so all infantry regiments were brought up to 3 battalions and an extra cuirassier regiment was created(Wolframsdorff) which brought the army, along with militia battalions, up to around some 19,000 men.

After the battles of Schellensberg and Blenheim, only the the heavy and guard cavalry arm remained as a force of Bavarians along with the LeibGarde, Kurfurst and the Boismorel Grenadiers.  The replacements for losses was the disbanding of the Dragoons, which fed in replacements to the Cuirassiers and the Prinz Phillip Karbineers.

Major Battles of the Bavarian Cavalry

At Schellenburg, Monasterol's Dragoons 2 sqns & Santini's dragoons 1 sqn in Monasreol's Dragoon Bde ( along with 6 French Dragoon Sqn's deployed in support of the foot). Lt Gen Torring-Seefeld commanded 26 sqn's of Bavarian cavalry in support behind the Schellenburg - 6 sqn each of the 4 cuirassier regiments - Arco & Weickel in Weickel's Bde and Costa & Wolframsdorff along with 2 sqn of Locatelli Hussars in De Costa's Bde.

At Blenheim, Von Wolframsdorff commanded 23 sqn's of Bavarian Horse deployed between Oberglauheim & Lutzingen as part of the Cavalry under Compte d'Arco. In the 1st line Weickel's Bde consisted of 4 sqn each of Arco & Weickel Cuirassiers, and 3 sqn of Household Guard Horse - certainly the Garde Carabiniers (? 1 or 2 sqn) and Garde Grenadiers & probably also the Hartschiere Garde though Grant says these were palace ceremonial troops. In the 2nd line was de Costa's Bde with 5sqn Wolframsdorff Cuir., 4 sqn Costa Cuir. & 2 sqn Locatelli Hussars. The 3 Dragoon regiments appear to have been in Munich & Augsberg at the time.

At Ramilles, The Bavarians had Cavalry as part of 2 Bde's - 1st Line Santini's Bde 3 sqn each of Arco, Weickel & Garde brigaded with cavalry from Cologne & in 2nd line in Costa's Bde 3 sqn each of Wolframsdorff, Costa & Pr. Philip Carabiniers also with a unit from Cologne. reference = "Ramilles - Marlborough's Masterpiece" by Neil Litten by Partizan Press.

At Malplaquet there are 12 squadrons of unnamed Bavarian Horse present in the cavalry of the Left - 7 sqn in the 1st line & 5 in the 2nd. Reference = "Malplaquet 1709" by Christopher Scott also by Partizan Press.

The Dragoons
Guard Cavalry

The above Regiments are my interpretation based on the information found on the Internet.  Most are based on Anton Hoffmans excellent drawings and the colours are subject to various artist's interpretations of historical records.  So far as I am aware, there are no museum articles of clothing to verify the exact colours. My artwork is no means historically accurate.

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Cuirassiers of the Bavarian Army at the start of the War of Spanish Succession

At the outbreak of the War of Spanish Succession Bavaria had 3 cuirassier regiments: General de Cavalerie Johan Baptist Graf von Arco, GFML Graf von Thurn & Taxis (La Tour) & GWM Karl Johan Lothar von Wieckel von Wackerstein. Each regiment was of 12 companies in 6 squadrons. A company was of 75 men: 1 Rittmeister, 1 Oberleutnant, 1 Unterleutnant, 1 Kornett, 1 Wachtmeister, 1 Fourier, 3 Korporal, 1 Trompeter (Leibcompagnie +1), 1 Feldscherer, 1 Fahnensattler, 1 Fahnenschmied, 62 Gemeine. In April of 1701 cuirassier regiments were below authorized strength: Arco – 276, Wieckel – 275 & La Tour - 268. But by the opening of the hostilities in 1702 they reached the full staff. La Tour Cuirassier twice changed inhabers in 1702-03. First in 1702 it became obrist Gabriel Ferdinand Graf von Verita, then on 15 September 1703 – obrist Bartholomaus Graf von Costa.
The fourth cuirassier regiment was raised on 15 May 1702. Its inhaber became obrist Beit Heinrich Morits Graf von Wolframsdorff. Existing cuirassier & dragoon companies were reduced on 8 & 12 men respectively to create the new regiment, so now Bavarian cuirassier regiments became of 780 men.

Bavarian cuirassiers during the WSS were dressed in grey coats with cuffs & lining in regimental colours:

regiment
Regimental colour
Kamisol
Arco
blue
blue
Wieckel
red
red
La Tour(Costa)
red
grey
Wolframsdorff
green
green

Bavarian cuirassiers didn’t suffer a lot during the campaign of 1704. In October of 1704 Arco & Wolframsdorff Cuirassiers were of 12 coys, Costa – 10, Wieckel – 8. By the 1 November of 1704 Arco & Costa were reduced to 5 squadrons (10 coys), Wieckel & Wolframsdorff – 4 (8).




Cuirassier Regimental Standards

Though the originals standards were kept as trophies, no records exist of what they actually looked like.  The above standards are my interpretation based on the facing colours of the Regiment and the family crest being placed in the center of the standard.  They are no means historically accurate.

Source: Staudinger K. Geschichte des kurbayerischen Heeres unter Kurfürst Max II Emanuel. B. 2. S. 774, 783-784, 792, 797.


Monday, August 27, 2018

Individual Regimental Colours Bavarians of the War of Spanish Succession

Greetings,

Here is my research based on all available information from various sources on the Internet.   Now I am not claiming to be 100% accurate, but the is the best I have come up with so far.













Monday, August 6, 2018

Bavarian Army Regiments up to and including the War of Spanish Succession


Bavarian Army Regiments up to and including the War of Spanish Succession
Year
I
II
III
IV
V
VI
VII
VIII
IX
X
1682
Berlo
Puech
Degenfeld
Montfort
Perouse
Steinau
Preysing



1683
Berlo/Mercy
Puech
Degenfeld/La Rosa
Montfort
Perouse/Rummel
Steinau
Preysing



1684
Mercy/Leibregiment
Puech
La Rosa/Gallenfels
Montfort
Rummel
Steinau
Preysing



1685
Leibregiment
Puech/Schwanenfeldt
La Rosa/Gallenfels
Montfort
Rummel
Steinau
Preysing/Seyboltsdorff



1686
Leibregiment
Schwanenfeldt
Gallenfels
Montfort
Rummel/Prinz Veldenz
Steinau
Seyboltsdorff



1687
Leibregiment
Schwanenfeldt
Gallenfels
Montfort
Prinz Veldenz
Steinau
Seyboltsdorff



1688
Leibregiment
Schwanenfeldt disbanded
Gallenfels
Montfort disbanded
Prinz Veldenz
Steinau
Seyboltsdorff



1689
Leibregiment
x
Gallenfels/Schwanenfeldt
x
Prinz Veldenz/Zacco
Steinau
Seyboltsdorff



1690
Leibregiment
x
Schwanenfeldt
x
Zacco
Steinau
Seyboltsdorff



1691
Leibregiment
x
Schwanenfeldt
x
Zacco
Steinau
Seyboltsdorff



1692
Leibregiment
x
Schwanenfeldt
x
Zacco
Steinau
Seyboltsdorff



1693
Leibregiment
x
Schwanenfeldt
Wollendorf-Kompagnien
Zacco
Steinau
Seyboltsdorff/Rivera



1694
Leibregiment
x
Kurprinz
Harthausen
Zacco
Steinau/Desprez
Rivera



1695
Leibregiment
x
Kurprinz
Harthausen/Rivera /Harthausen
Zacco
Desprez
Rivera/Tattenbach



1696
Leibregiment
x
Kurprinz
Harthausen
Zacco/Maffei
Desprez/Lützelburg
Tattenbach



1697
Leibregiment
x
Kurprinz
Harthausen
Maffei
Lützelburg
Tattenbach



1698
Leibregiment
x
Kurprinz
Harthausen
Maffei
Lützelburg
Tattenbach
Spilberg (formed out of troops of the Bavarian Circle)
1699
Leibregiment
x
Kurprinz
Harthausen
Maffei
Lützelburg
Tattenbach
Freikorps Spilberg und Batt. Bettendorff.

1700
Leibregiment
x
Kurprinz
Harthausen
Maffei
Lützelburg
Tattenbach
Freikorps Spilberg


1701
Leibregiment
x
Kurprinz
Harthausen
Maffei
Lützelburg
Tattenbach
Battaillon Spilberg
Battailon d’Ocfort

1702
Leibregiment
x
Kurprinz
Harthausen
Maffei
Lützelburg
Tattenbach
Spilberg
d’Ocfort
Bettendorf
1703
Leibregiment
x
Kurprinz
Mercy
Maffei
Lützelburg
Tattenbach
Spilberg
d’Ocfort
Bettendorf
1704
Leibregiment
x
Kurprinz
Mercy disbanded
Maffei
Lützelburg
Tattenbach disbanded
Schellenberg
d’Ocfort disbanded
Bettendorf disbanded
1705
Leibregiment
x
Kurprinz
x
disbanded
disbanded
x
disbanded


1706
Leibregiment
x
Kurprinz
Chevalier de Baviere
x
x
x
x


1707
Leibregiment
x
Kurprinz
Chevalier de Baviere
x
x
x
x


1708
Leibregiment
x
Kurprinz
Chevalier de Baviere
x
x
x
x


1709
Leibregiment
x
Kurprinz
1709 - 1716: In French Service as Royal Baviere, Commander Max II. Emanuel
x
x
x
x


1710

x

till 1718: Lerchenfeld
since 1722: Cano
since 1722: Seyboltsdorff
x
x



The Bavarian Army of the War of Spanish Succession

The Bavarian Army was the army of the Electorate (1682–1806) and then Kingdom (1806–1919) of Bavaria. It existed from 1682 as the standing a...