Ober Nord Westfalen

An Imagi-nation of the Emperor versus Elector Campaign

The Family

History

Building the Army

The Army of Ober Nord Westfalen

When the question of the Spanish Succession rose, Johannes' successor, Albrecht I, realised that a stance of neutrality would only result in the Margravate's extinction.  The army was expanded to one  regiment of Reiter (heavy cavalry), one regiment of Dragoner (Dragoons), one single battalion of Foot Guards, and three two-battalion regiments of Infantry, together with one battalion of artillery (three companies of six guns each), together with a company of pontoniers and a transport battalion. Always a realist, Albrecht knew that this force was too small be a viable army by itself, accordingly in 1701 he despatched his in troops  to the south to join the Anglo/Dutch forces of  the English Duke of Marlborough, thus beginning a long-lasting relationship between Ober Nord Westfalen and Britain.  In 1704 Marlborough united his force with that of Prinz Eugen von Savoy (Prince Eugene of Savoy).  

The Army was involved at Blindheim  in 1704 (Blenheim), Ramilles in 1706, Oudenarde in 1707, and Malplaquet in 1709.  Although the allies were successful in this last battle they suffered so many casualties that they were unable to wring any strategic advantage from the situation.  The army of Ober Nord Westfalen in particular were so weakened that they were withdrawn and employed as a composite regiment garrisoning the fortress of Namur.  The army continued to receive a trickle of reinforcements until by 1712 they were able to field two squadrons of Reiter and three battalions of Foot, but  before they were  committed to any further action, the war ended with the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713.

Albrecht  acknowledged that the army, as it stood, was too weak to either operate independently or to continue operations once it had taken moderate to heavy casualties.  Accordingly the army was re-organised and strengthened.  In 1716 it consisted of:

The question of Maria-Theresa's right to the Imperial throne was the pretext for Prussia's Friederich II to seize Silesia from Austria.  

Despite the long-term alliance with Prussia, Johannes II declined to participate in the "Silesian Piracy" and after much soul-searching joined forces with Austria, Great Britain, Hannover, the Dutch Republic, Saxony and Russia.

Once again the army marched south to join the allies, and saw action at Dettingen as well as a host of minor outpost and reconnaissance skirmishes. 

The years between 1748 and 1756 saw further reorganisation of the army.  In 1750, extrapolating from the success of the Leichtedragonen and from the lessons learned from other armies, including those of Prussia and particularly Austria, a Bataillon of Jager was raised, finding its personnel from game-keepers, hunters and foresters.  A further two regiments of Leichtedragoner were raised, as was a fourth Infanterieregiment.  Therefore on the outbreak of the Seven Years' War, the Ober Nord Westfalisches Armee consisted of the following regiments:

 Facings were worn on collar, cuffs, lapels, turn backs and shoulder straps. All belts were white, as were musket slings, except for the Jaegerbataillon whose leather-work was black.. Officers' sashes were deep yellow.

Both regiments of Ritter wore  a blue coat, buff breeches and black boots. All ranks wore buff gauntlets. Trumpeters wore reversed colours and epaulettes in the regimental lace.  Both regiments were traditionally mounted on black horses, except for trumpeters who rode greys.  Saddle furniture was a shabraque in the regiment's facing colour, trimmed with a double row of regimental lace.

 The Leichtedragoner Regimente uniform was a dark blue coat with buff breeches. Facings were worn on collar, cuffs, lapels, turn backs and shoulder straps.. Headgear was a black leather, low-crowned helmet with a black mane and a turban in alternating rows of facing and coat colour.  Trumpeters did not wear reversed colours. Horse furniture  was a dark blue shabraque with a double row of edging in the facing colour.  Leichte Dragoner, officially, rode bay or chestnut horses  Trumpeters rode grey horses..

The artillery uniform was dark blue throughout with scarlet facings and gold/yellow lace. 

Infantry Grenadiers were distinguished by their Grenadier Caps, Musketiers wore blue pom-pons on their hats, while Fusiliers wore green.

For most of the Army of Ober Nord Westfalen, with the French periodically threatening invasion, the Seven Years' War meant the joining  with an allied force, consisting of British, Brunswick, Hannoverian and Hessian Troops under the overall command of Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick.  However, in accordance with the terms of the Concord of Bremen, the newly-raised IR Nr 4 and LDR Nr 4 were posted to the Eastern operational area, where they came under command of Friederich II of Prussia (Friederich der Grosse, or Der Alte Fritz).

In accordance with the terms of the Treaty of Lunebeck (1766), Ober Nord Westfalen supplied a force of two regiments of infantry and a  regiment of cavalry to Great Britain for the war against the rebelling colonists in the new world.  These regiments were IR Nr 3, IR Nr 4 and LDR Nr 2.  The Grenadier companies of the two infantry regiments were converged into a single battalion.

This force, or elements of it, saw action at Fort Washington (Nov 1776), Ticonderoga (Jul 1777), Hubbardton (Jul 1777), Bennington (Aug 1777), Brandywine Creek (Sep 1777), Freeman's Farm (Sep 1777), Germantown (Oct 1777), Saratoga (Oct 1777), Monmouth (Jun 1778), Camden (1780) and finally at Yorktown (Oct 1781).     

Those officers who had been part of this force returned to Germany convinced of the need for regular, rifle-armed light troops, lighter, more mobile artillery and for the modernisation of uniforms, drill and tactics.  Prominent amongst the voices demanding reform was Hauptmann (Captain) Rheinhardt von Hasselblut, whose forcibly voiced opinions nearly cost him his commission!  However, the majority of opinion lay with the reformers, and in 1786 the Schuetzen Bataillon was formed, while at the same time, the fourth Company of each bataillon was designated 'Fusiliers' and trained to fight in skirmish order as well as in the line of battle.  Uniforms were simplified, coat tails became shorter, while the waistcoat was discarded and the coat was made to close from throat to waist.  The M1785 rifle was introduced, and the musket, originally issued in 1754 was modified, the wooden ramrods were replaced by steel and the stock and butt were slimmed down.  A shorter-barrelled version with a conical touch hole was issued to Fusiliers.

Tactics were modified in the light of experience in the Americas.  The firing line was reduced from three ranks to two, and greater use than before was made of troops trained to skirmish.

The excesses of the French Revolution saw the various rival powers of the eighteenth century put aside their differences and combine in opposition to France.   Once again the army of Ober Nord Westfalen joined a Prussian-led force under the command of the Duke of Brunswick, a Field-Marshal in the Prussian Army.  This force was the centre column of an allied army under the overall command of King Friederich-Wilhelm III of Prussia.  Lessons learned in North America served the army well, and the troops of Ober Nord Westfalen earned praise for their tactical acumen.

The planned invasion of France, with the object of restoring the imprisoned Louis XVI to power went well; the French army was disorganised by frequent changes of leadership, the emigration of a large number of its officers, revolutionary fervour and a dismal lack of supplies.  The fortress of Verdun fell and it seemed that Paris was at the mercy of the allies.  The French made one last attempt to stem the invasion at Valmy (20 Sep 1792), which thanks to the professionally-served guns of the French artillery, stopped the allied army in its tracks. 

 On 21 September 1792 the French Monarchy was declared abolished and the First republic was born.  Friederich-Wilhelm of Prussia disheartened by the realisation that the war was likely to prove longer and more costly than he had anticipated withdrew from the alliance.  The allied army dissolved and the army of Ober Nord Westfalen returned home.

The execution of Louis XVI reunited and strengthened the allied cause, and plans were made to punish France for its actions.  The army of Ober Nord Westfalen remained in the field, but saw little action this year.  In 1794 French forces  occupied the Rhineland, forcing Prussia and Spain to withdraw from the war under the terms of the Treaty of Basle (1795).  Unable to stand alone, Ober Nord Westfalen forces returned home, but without the Margraf being a signatory to the Treaty of Basle.

When Napoleon Bonaparte stripped Friederich-Wilhelm III of Prussia of his recently acquired Hannoverian territories, Prussian declared war on France.  Prussia's allies included Ober Nord Westfalen and Brunswick, both of which states sent contingents to join the Prussian Army.  The allied army, commanded by Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick, was shattered at Jena (Oct 1806).   The remnants of the army of Ober Nord Westfalen staged a fighting retreat North West, until it was finally brought to bay at the City of Oldenburg, where after an 84 day siege it was compelled to surrender on terms.  The articles of Surrender compelled the Margrave to submit to Napoleon and join the French-sponsored confederation of the Rhine.  Many officers and men refused to serve a French satellite state and fled the country, some 400 of these 'refugees' found their way to Austria where the majority of them later enlisted in the Duke of Brunswick's 'Black Horde', others made their way to Britain, where they were enlisted into the King's German Legion.

The shock generated by the catastrophe of the 1806 campaign gave birth to a thorough examination of the Margravate's military system.   As a result of analysis, several reforms were implemented.  First and foremost, a revised system of command and control was instituted, with Regiments permanently allocated to a Brigade.  Three infantry brigades and three cavalry brigades were formed, as follows:

In addition to these brigaded units were the Pionierregiment and the Ponton Bataillon and 6 further companies of the Military Transport Korps.  The Jäger zu Pferde and Feldjäger units combined the duties of Headquarters Orderlies, despatch riders and military police. 

Reiter, Reiter-Regiment Nr 2 1807-1815	Dragoner, L-D-R Nr 4 1807-1813	Jäger-zu-Pferd-Regiment 1807-1815	Kanonier, Reitende-Artillerie 1807-1813

Concurrent with the reorganisation was a complete change in the style of uniform.  The infantry were now to be clothed in a tailless jacket, similar in cut to an Hussar's dolman, while the cavalry coat was now closed to the waist, with short tails and plastron lapels.  The cocked hat was replaced by a shako for all troops other than the Reiteregimente, who adopted a high-crested brass helmet in neo-classical style.    Similarly, the old-fashioned breeches and gaiters were replaced by in the infantry loose trousers, and by overalls by mounted troops  for use in the field.  Other uniform changes were to the dress of the Garde Regiment zu Fuss, whose epaulettes were removed, but a large, black drooping horsehair plume was added to the shako. Grenadier Regiment Nr 1 was similarly dressed to the GRzF, but their facings were black, while the shako plume was white. 

Garde-Regiment-zu Fuss  1807-1815	Feld-Artillerieregiment 1807-1815	Grenadier-Regiment Nr 1 1807-1815

The newly raised Uhlans were uniformed in the traditional manner, with czapkas and kurtkas.  The Garde Uhlan Eskadron  had dark blue tops to their czapkas  with yellow piping and a long yellow plume.  Their kurtka and overalls were dark blue, with plastron, collar cuffs and shoulder-straps of crimson piped in yellow.  The Uhlan Regiment wore a similar uniform, except that they wore czapkas with a light blue upper, piped white, while their facings were light blue, also piped white.  Lances were 3m long and bore pennons of yellow over light blue.

The Jäger zu Pferde, Feldjäger and Schützenbataillon all wore the Prussian-style Kollets in 'Forest Green' and grey overalls or trousers.  Facings were scarlet piped yellow for the first two units and scarlet piped white for the Schützenbataillon.

Far more reaching were the changes to organisation.  The Garde Jäger Bataillon, the Uhlans and the Feldjägerkorps were all newly formed units.  From 1807 the Infantry of the Line would number four regiments.  Infantry Regiments were to consist of 12 Companies:  3 each  of Grenadiers, 6 of Musketeers and 3 of Fusiliers (Light Infantry).  Regiments were to be divided into three battalions, each consisting of 1 Company of Grenadiers, 2 of Musketeers and 1 of Fusiliers for a total strength of 960 bayonets.  The Garde Jägerbataillon was formed from picked men selected from line Fusilier Companies.  Each Regiment was also to form two Depot Companies, responsible for the equipping and training of new recruits. 

In 1808 the Grenadier Companies of all  regiments were taken from the Line Battalions and combined to form Grenadierregiment Nr 1.  The senior Musketier Company of each battalion then became a Grenadier Company.

The Cavalry were also re-organised.  Each Regiment was to consist of four Field squadrons of 160 sabres each and two Depot Squadrons.  The one exception to this regulation was Garde Uhlaneskadron, which was to have a strength of 240 sabres.

Jäger zu Pferde Eskadrons and Feldjäger Kompagnies were to reflect the organisation of Infantry battalions and cavalry regiments as appropriate.

The artillerieregiment was split into three distinct branches.  Those officers and men no longer capable of withstanding the rigours of active service were formed into Garrison Artillery Companies, while the fittest, most active and most expert individuals were formed into Reitenderartillerie Batteries.

Together with the changes to organisation and uniforms, the tactics to be used by the army were subjected to rigorous analysis.  Although recognising that the failings of 1806 were due mainly to poor staff-work and leadership rather than the fault of the troops, a new system of tactics, intended to counter the French use of columns screened by skirmishers was developed.   The new system, divided the infantry into skirmishers, supports and reserves.  While retaining elements of the previous linear system of tactics in defence, the new deployment emphasised the use of skirmishers to screen the battle line, and in the assault to reduce the enemy line's firepower prior to an assault by columns of the reserve. 

It took time for the reorganisation to be completed, and the army of ONW next took the field in the 1809 campaign against Austria, where its performance and enthusiasm, were, at the best, questionable.  Their unenthusiastic performance during the pursuit of the Duke of Brunswick's "Black Horde" led them to be viewed with marked disapprobation by Bonaparte, and the occupation of key towns and cities by French forces.  The occupation, the cost of which was borne by ONW, coupled with the French demands for  "reparations" almost bankrupted the state, and led to approximately 1/3 of each unit being placed on unpaid leave.  

In 1809 Infanterieregiment Nr 2 was sent to Spain as part of the French/allied forces in that country.  Brought up to strength by drafts from other regiments, it never really became a cohesive whole.  Once in Spain, its men  deserted in droves to the Anglo/Portuguese army, where they joined their compatriots  in the King's German Legion or the Brunswick Õls Jägers.  Eventually, reduced to a weak battalion, the remnants of the regiment surrendered in the aftermath of Salamanca in 1812, and were absorbed into these two formations of the allied army.

IR Nr 2 was replaced in ONW by new recruits absorbed by that unit's depot companies.

Their places in the Order of Battle were taken up by newly raised troops who were recruited by the depots of the units concerned, and a certain amount of inter-posting between squadrons and battalions.

The ONW contingent fought well under Prussian leadership, the two countries having a long history of military alliances between them, and continued to follow Yorck after the signing of the Convention of Tauroggen. 

In 1815, Bonaparte's escape from the island of Elba led to Louis XVIII fleeing France and a re-establishment of the Empire.  Ober Nord Westfalen despatched its entire regular army, under the command of Generalleutnant von Hasselblut, to join Wellington in Belgium. Unfortunately en-route it collided with a French Corps under the command of General de Division Jean-Luc Picard. In a bitterly fought encounter at Hoelbeek, near Hasselt, just North of Maastricht, von Hasselblut defeated Picard, but his force had taken heavy casualties and was in no fit state to continue operations until it had reorganised. Reorganisation completed. von Hasselblut reached Wellington on the 20th June 1815, where his advance guard was fired upon by nervous British troops, who took the Ober Nord Westfalen blue uniforms for those of the French!