Lehr Infanterie Regiment

[Chris Boonzaier]

It was part of the 3rd Garde Division.... but what was the prewar rationale behind the regiment?

What did it do? did it have selected members?

All the best

Chris

[Naxos]

I have the pre war history of the Lehr-Infanterie-Bataillon.

Will that help?

[Naxos]

PDF file sent

[Chris Boonzaier]

Thank ye!

[Tom Y]

Inquiring minds want to know :cheeky:

[Chris Boonzaier]

Check the kaiserscross update ;-)

[bob lembke]

I wrote the below response about 10 days ago, but for some reason I was locked out of this Forum and another for about a week. I hope that it is useful. A bit of fluff on the Lehr units.

I am going to venture an answer, although I do not know this for sure. Poking in my 1912 preuss./wuerttem. Rangliste as a guide to the relationships between units; The Feldartillerie=Scheissschule at Jueterbog had a Lehr=Regiment of nine batteries, and the Fuss=Artillerie=Scheissschule at Jueterbog had a Lehr=Bataillon of four batteries. Artillery training generally was more complex than infantry training (one reason for the three years of typical artillery EM active service vs. two years for the infantryman), and these units were probably large enough to cycle many, most, or all artillerymen in the Prussian Army thru them for some level of training. On the other hand, in 1912 there was a single Lehr=Infanterie=Bataillon of four companies, based at Potsdam, and also part of the 1st brigade of 1. Garde=Infanterie=Division. Now, it was not likely that a battalion could have much of a direct role in training the infantry in an army of 150 plus infantry regiments. Being near Berlin, and in the Garde, suggests a role in the development of new infantry concepts, tactics, etc.; in testing new weapons, etc. The Pioniere had an important role in testing new weapons, even artillery, and an important unit for this role was a pioneer company which was not formally titled a Guards unit, but which was actually the fifth company of the Garde=Pionier=Bataillon. (I am having a senior moment in remembering the formal title of this company.) The various engineering and proofing commissions and committees were based in Berlin and perhaps Potsdam, and other related activities and organizations, like the Feuerwerk=Labratorium, in nearby Spandau. The whole question of the Prussian units, structures, committees, and procedures for developing, testing, and approving new weapons and the like is quite interesting (to me); and quite complex, as is, of course, almost anything to do with the Imperial Armies.

Bob Lembke