Some order of battle/state of origin questions

[Dave Danner]

Some order of battle/state of origin-type questions, to try to better clarify which regiment were or considered themselves to be affiliated with particular states of the German Empire:

I.

First questions revolve around Infanterie-Regiment L?beck (3. Hanseatisches) Nr. 162. In this thread - http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=15514 - Tom Y mentions that Hessenthal states that only II./IR 162 was from L?beck. I don't have the source and I can't remember, but for some reason that sounds right. I./IR 162 was also garrisoned in L?beck, though. III./IR 162 was garrisoned in Eutin.

So question #1 is, was I./IR 162 indeed a Prussian regiment garrisoned in L?beck but raised elsewhere (and if so, where)?

And question #2: Eutin is a town north of Hansastadt L?beck in the F?rstentum L?beck. The F?rstentum L?beck belonged to the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg. Was there any connection between III./IR 162 and Oldenburg? It is not identified as an "Oldenburgisches" battalion, but not all battalions are so identified. Oldenburg House and Merit Orders aren't that common in the regiment, and the only holders in the 1914 rank list weren't in the III. Bataillon.

II.

Next question relates to 4. Hannoversches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 164. The regiment was headquartered and mostly garrisoned in Hameln, but the III. Bataillon was in Holzminden. Holzminden was in the Duchy of Braunschweig (Brunswick). Was this a Hannoverian (Prussian) battalion that just happened to be garrisoned in Braunschweig? There doesn't appear to otherwise be a Braunschweig connection. Of all the ruling princes, the Duke of Braunschweig seems to have been the most liberal with awards of his house order (the House Order of Henry the Lion) to members of "his" regiments. But only one captain, one Oberzahlmeister and one Zahlmeister have the order in the 1914 rank list, which is significantly less than one sees in IR 92, HR 17 and FAR 46.

III.

Next 7. Th?ringisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 96. Just to confirm, although both I. and II./IR 96 were based in Gera, only II./IR 96 was a Reu? unit, while the other was Prussian?

IV.

8. Th?ringisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 153: Two of IR 153's battalions were based in Altenburg while the third was a Prussian battalion in Merseburg. But were both I. and II./IR 153 made up of Altenburgers, or was this another case of a Prussian battalion garrisoned with a local one?

Thanks!

[Glenn J]

Dave,

1. Both I./ & II./I.R. 162 wore the cockade of the Free and Hanseatic City of L?beck. The 81st Infanterie-Brigade of which I.R. 162 was a component recruited both in L?beck and the Duchy of Lauenburg, which although a part of Schleswig-Holstein was a part of Prussia and this is presumably where III. drew its recruits.

2. Apart from its III. Bataillon being stationed in Holzminden, I.R. 164 did not have any Brunswick connection. It was a Prussian regiment.

3. 7. Th?ringisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 96:

I./96 = Prussian

II./96 = Reu?

III./96 = Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt

The I. Bataillon guys were probably recruited from the Erfurt area of the corps district.

4. Th?ringisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 153: Both the I. & II. were Altenburg and the III. was Prussian. The III. Bataillon guys would have been recruited generally from Landwehrbezirk Wei?enfels which was part of Prussia.

Regards

Glenn

[Dave Danner]

Thanks Glenn!

One other I forgot: III./IR 75 was garrisoned in Stade in the Prussian province of Hannover. Was it Prussian? Same goes for III./RIR 75, also in Stade.

So for mixed prewar regiments and those formed on mobilization (wartime mixing is a mess to follow), I think I have these so far:

IR 55 - Prussia and Lippe-Detmold

IR 71 - Prussia and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen

[iR 75 - Bremen and Prussia][?]

IR 83 - Prussia and Waldeck

GR 89 - Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Mecklenburg-Strelitz

IR 95 - Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha and Sachsen-Meiningen

IR 96 - Prussia, Reu?, Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt

IR 153 - Sachsen-Altenburg and Prussia

IR 162 - L?beck and Prussia

RIR 15 - Prussia and Lippe-Detmold

RIR 31 - Hamburg and Bremen

RIR 32 - Reu?, Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, Prussia

RIR 36 - Prussia and Anhalt

RIR 66 - Prussia and Sachsen-Altenburg

RIR 71 - Prussia and Sachsen-Meiningen

RIR 73 - Prussia and Braunschweig

RIR 74 - Prussia and Oldenburg

[RIR 75 - Bremen and Prussia][?]

RIR 78 - Braunschweig and Prussia

RIR 79 - Oldenburg and Prussia

RIR 82 - Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, Prussia and Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha

RIR 83 ? Prussia and Waldeck

RIR 84 - Prussia and Mecklenburg-Strelitz

RIR 88 ? Prussia and Hessen-Darmstadt

LIR 32 - Sachsen-Meiningen and Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach

LIR 36 - Sachsen-Altenburg and Prussia

LIR 71 ? Prussia and Reu?

LIR 74 ? Prussia and Braunschweig

LIR 75 ? Hamburg and Bremen

LIR 76 - Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Mecklenburg-Strelitz and Prussia

LIR 78 ? Prussia and Braunschweig

FAR 24 - Prussia and Mecklenburg-Strelitz

FAR 46 - Prussia and Braunschweig

FAR 62 - Prussia and Oldenburg

The other odd-man out is the family of "40"s - FR 40, RIR 40 and LIR 40. F?silier-Regiment Nr. 40 was at least notionally "Hohenzollernsch" but was garrisoned in Baden. But RIR 40 and LIR 40 seem more like Tochterformationen of GR 110 rather than FR 40, and more likely to have been mainly Baden in 1914. Any ideas here? I suppose from a limited military collector's perspective it doesn't matter, since if the regiments were considered "Hohenzollernsch", soldiers serving in them might have received the various grades of the Princely House Order and its medals whether they were from Sigmaringen, Mannheim, Cologne or Berlin.

[Glenn J]

Dave,

III./I.R. 75 was Prussian. It's two sister battalions being affiliated to the Free and Hanseatic City of Bremen. According to the Wehrordnung, Stade belonged to the Prussian Regierungsbezirk of Stade.

Regards

Glenn