1st Lithuanian Dragoon Regiment

1st Lithuanian Dragoon Regiment (Lithuanian: 1-as lietuvių dragūnų pulkas; German: Dragoner-Regiment „Prinz Albrecht von Preußen“ (Litthauisches) Nr. 1) was a Prussian Lithuanian dragoon regiment of the Royal Prussian Army.^[1] The regiment was formed in 1717 and disbanded in 1919. This regiment was one of the eldest in the whole Prussian army.

1st Lithuanian Dragoon Regiment
Lithuanian Dragoon Regiment in 1813
Active	1717-1919
Country	Kingdom of Prussia
Type	Dragoons

The regiment was recruited almost exclusively from volunteers from its immediate homeland, i.e. Lithuania Minor, and was well reputed in the army at all times for having the best horses and riders.^[2] In the memoirs of the inhabitants of Lithuania Minor it is written that they were proud of serving in this regiment.^[3]

18th century

On 19 April 1717, King Frederick William I of Prussia ordered major general Heinrich Jordan von Wuthenau [de] to form a regiment from 780 Saxon cavalrymen and dragoons, which Augustus II the Strong gifted the Prussian King. Already in May, von Wuthenau divided the regiment into eight companies.^[2] The uniform consisted of a white coat with light blue embroidering, because of which the regiment was called the "Porcelain regiment". In December, the regiment was ordered to march to Insterburg (Lithuanian: Įsrūtis), Tilsit (Lithuanian: Tilžė), Ragnit (Lithuanian: Ragainė), Goldap (Lithuanian: Geldapė), Stallupönen (Lithuanian: Stalupėnai) and Pillkallen (Lithuanian: Pilkalnis). In 1718, the whole regiment was assembled in its entirety to a single place for military exercise in Insterburg and by the August of that year, the regiment already had ten companies. In 1725, it was established that every company would have 110 dragoons, and each company was renamed to squadrons.

When general von Wuthenau died in 1727, the regiment was divided in two regiments, which were that of von Cosel [de] and von Dockum. The regiment von Cosel maintained the same uniform and was assigned all of the same garrisons except Tilsit. The dragoon regiment von Dockum remained in Tilsit with its five squadrons and received white coats with red embroidering. After a year, the regiment received silver timpani. The dragoon regiment von Dockum was later called the 7th Dragoon regiment.

In the period between 1734 and 1746, the regiment was often relocated to various places such as Berlin, Magdeburg, Potsdam or Tilsit. Finally, in 1746, Tilsit was established as the regiment's permanent garrison.

First Silesian War (1740-1742)

During the First Silesian War, the regiment fought in the Battle of Chotusitz with the Imperial and Royal von Birkenfeld Cuirassier regiment. The dragoon regiment's Leibstandarte was lost when the enemies grenadiers seized it from the seriously wounded junker von Roop. The regiment lost four officers and 152 soldiers, with six officers and 71 soldiers being wounded. In addition, three officers and 280 soldiers were taken prisoners of war.

Second Silesian War (1744–1745)

During the Second Silesian War, adjutant lieutenant von Blankenburg lost the timpani and flag in the skirmish near Niederzehren. However, in the battle of Kesselsdorf, the dragoon regiment attacked the Saxon Karabiniers-garde and mounted grenadiers. The Lithuanian dragoon regiment defeated the Saxon Foot Guard and also the Saxon infantry regiment Niesemeuschel. The victorious regiment took away the flags of both of these regiments. In addition, the regiment seized the flag and silver timpani of the Saxon Karabiniers-garde.

19th century

Napoleonic wars

After the Treaties of Tilsit and the cabinet's order of 14 September 1808, regiments were no longer named after their commanders. During the Prussian Army's reorganization, the regiment was initially called the East Prussian Dragoon Regiment (Ostpreußisches Dragoner-Regiment), and after the cabinet's order of 14 September 1808, the regiment was called the 3rd Dragoon Regiment. The Lithuanian Dragoon Regiment was at first established in Tilžė and Įsrūtis.

Two of the regiment's squadrons were made part of the 1st Mobile Dragoon Regiment, which was part of Yorck's Auxiliary Prussian Corps. This Corps fought on Napoleon's side in the French invasion of Russia in 1812. Later, the regiment fought in Germany and France in 1813 and 1814. In the Battle of Leipzig, the regiment captured a French Imperial Eagle.^[4]

After the Napoleonic wars

Circa 1815–1816, the regiment's soldiers were dispersed into other parts of the Prussian Kingdom, i.e. Berlin, Demmin or Tilžė. In between 1860 and 1866, the regiment was garrisoned in different parts of East Prussia, e.g. Įsrūtis or Ragainė. Finally, from 1879, the regiment was located only in Tilžė.

20th century

World War I

Even until the end of the First World War, the signs outside the soldiers' barracks were in Lithuanian and German languages.^[5]

Commanders

The regimental commanders were the following:^[6]

No.	Portrait	Commander	Took office	Left office	Time in office
1		von Krosigk, Anton LudolphOberst Anton Ludolph von Krosigk (1667–1737)	19 April 1717	31 March 1721	3 years, 346 days
2		von Friesenhausen, Franz ChristophOberst Franz Christoph von Friesenhausen	31 March 1721	15 June 1727	6 years, 76 days
3		von Rappe, WilhelmOberstleutnant Wilhelm von Rappe	15 June 1727	3 May 1737	9 years, 322 days
4		von Stosch, FriedrichOberst Friedrich von Stosch [de] (1689–1752)	3 May 1737	1 November 1744	<7 years, 5 months
5		von Waldburg, Friedrich Ludwig I. TruchseßOberstleutnant Friedrich Ludwig I. Truchseß von Waldburg [de] (1711–1777)	1 November 1744	19 January 1746	<1 year, 2 months
6		von Ahlimb, Joachim WilhelmOberstleutnant Joachim Wilhelm von Ahlimb [de] (1701–1763)	19 January 1746	17 April 1754	<8 years, 2 months
7		von Spaen, Johann Heinrich FriedrichMajor Johann Heinrich Friedrich von Spaen [de] (1705–1762)	17 April 1754	18 February 1759	<4 years, 10 months
8		von Pogrell, Carl SigismundMajor Carl Sigismund von Pogrell	1759	? (c.1760)	<10 months
9		von Loßberg, Heinrich ErnstMajor Heinrich Ernst von Loßberg	? (c.1760)	until September 1760	<8 months
10		von Massow, Joachim AntonOberst Joachim Anton von Massow	23 September 1760^[7]	29 November 1762	<2 years
11		von Eberstein, KarlMajor Karl von Eberstein	29 November 1762^[8]	27 October 1778	<15 years, 10 months
12		von Frankenberg und Proschlitz, SylviusMajor, then Oberstleutnant, later Oberst and then Generalmajor Sylvius von Frankenberg und Proschlitz [de] (1732–1795)	6 November 1778	26 September 1790	<11 years, 10 months
13		von Bieberstein-Pilchowsky, Joseph Albrecht ChristophOberst Joseph Albrecht Christoph von Bieberstein-Pilchowsky [de] (1730–1815)	26 September 1790	27 November 1793	<3 years, 2 months
14		von Quoos, FranzMajor, then Oberstleutnant, then Oberst Franz von Quoos	27 November 1793^[9]	25 September 1798	<4 years, 9 months
15		von Baczko, Joseph Theodor SigismundOberstleutnant, then Oberst Joseph Theodor Sigismund von Baczko [de] (1751–1840)	25 September 1798	18 November 1806	<8 years, 1 month
16		von Maltzahn, Helmuth DietrichOberst Helmuth Dietrich von Maltzahn [de] (1761–1826)	18 November 1806	1 February 1813	<6 years, 2 months
17		von Platen, Gottlieb Wilhelm ChristianOberst Gottlieb Wilhelm Christian von Platen [de] (1765–1819)	1 February 1813	30 June 1813	<4 months
18		von Below, TheodorOberstleutnant then Oberst Theodor von Below [de] (1765–1839)	30 June 1813	5 January 1816	<2 years, 6 months
19		von Gaertringen, Rudolph HillerOberst Rudolph Hiller von Gaertringen [de] (1771–1831)	5 January 1816	15 November 1827	<11 years, 10 months
20		von Tietzen und Hennig, WilhelmOberstleutnant Wilhelm von Tietzen und Hennig [de] (1787–1869)	30 March 1828	30 March 1836	<8 years
21		von Broesigke, KarlMajor Karl von Broesigke [de] (1790–1852)	30 March 1836	29 March 1839	<2 years, 11 months
22		Gregorovius, HeinrichHeinrich Gregorovius	30 March 1839	23 March 1841	<1 year, 11 months
23		von Auerswald, Hans Adolf ErdmannHans Adolf Erdmann von Auerswald (1792–1848)	23 March 1841		<6 years
24		von Dunker, KarlMajor Karl von Dunker	27 March 1847	8 March 1848	<11 months
25		von Trotta genannt Treyden, OttoMajor then Oberstleutnant, then Oberst Otto von Trotta genannt Treyden [de]	9 March 1848	7 August 1854	<6 years, 4 months
26		Kehler, EduardMajor then Oberstleutnant Eduard Kehler	5 October 1854	13 March 1857	<3 years, 2 months
27		von Kalckreuth, RichardMajor then Oberstleutnant then Oberst Richard von Kalckreuth [de] (1808–1879)	14 May 1857	15 September 1862	<5 years, 4 months
28		von Bernhardi, OttoMajor then Oberstleutnant then Oberst Otto von Bernhardi [de] (1818–1897)	16 September 1862	21 March 1868	<5 years, 6 months
29		Oberstleutnant then Oberst Ferdinand von Massow [de] (1830–1878)	22 March 1868	1 December 1871	<3 years, 8 months
30		von Egloffstein, AugustOberstleutnant then Oberst August von Egloffstein	17 December 1871	15 October 1873	<1 year, 9 months
31		von Holtzendorff, OttoOberstleutnant then Oberst Otto von Holtzendorff	16 October 1873	4 August 1875	<1 year, 9 months
32		Manché, RichardMajor then Oberstleutnant then Oberst Richard Manché	5 August 1875	4 July 1883	<7 years, 10 months
33		von Kemnitz, AlbertOberstleutnant then Oberst Albert von Kemnitz	5 July 1883	16 January 1888	<4 years, 6 months
34		von Meyer, HansOberstleutnant then Oberst Hans von Meyer	17 January 1888	27 July 1892	<4 years, 6 months
35		Kühls, GustavOberstleutnant then Oberst Gustav Kühls	28 July 1892	13 May 1894	<5 years, 4 months
36		von Gersdorff, HansMajor then Oberstleutnant then Oberst Hans von Gersdorff (General) [de] (1847–1929)	14 May 1894	17 August 1898	<5 years, 4 months
37		von Ruppert, KunoOberstleutnant then Oberst Kuno von Ruppert	18 August 1898	21 April 1901	<2 years, 8 months
38		von Platen, JuliusOberstleutnant then Oberst Julius von Platen [de] (1853–1922)	22 April 1901	9 September 1908	<7 years, 4 months
39		von Glasenapp, WedigOberstleutnant then Oberst Wedig von Glasenapp	10 September 1908	3 April 1913	<4 years, 6 months
40		von Eicke und Pollwitz, GeorgOberstleutnant Georg von Eicke und Pollwitz	4 April 1913	11 December 1913	<8 months
41		von Kanitz, KarlOberstleutnant then Oberst Karl von Kanitz	12 December 1913	21 March 1918	<4 years, 3 months
42		Osterroht, HermannOberstleutnant Hermann Osterroht	22 March 1918	June 1919	<1 year, 2 months

Legacy

A statue commemorating the regiment's fallen soldiers was built after World War I.^[5]

See also

• List of Imperial German cavalry regiments

References

1. Matulevičius 2020.
2. Goetzke 2003.
3. Rėklaitis 1968.
4. Haber, R. von (1877). Die Cavallerie des Deutschen Reiches: Derselben Entstehung, Entwickelung und Geschichte nebst Rang-, Quartier-, Anciennitäts-Liste und Uniformirung (in German). Helwing'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung (Th. Mierzinsky). pp. 101–103.
5. Jakužaitis 1952.
6. Günter Wegmann (Hrsg.), Günter Wegner: Formationsgeschichte und Stellenbesetzung der deutschen Streitkräfte 1815–1990. Teil 1: Stellenbesetzung der deutschen Heere 1815–1939. Band 3: Die Stellenbesetzung der aktiven Regimenter, Bataillone und Abteilungen von der Stiftung bzw. Aufstellung bis zum 26. August 1939. Biblio Verlag, Osnabrück 1993, ISBN 3-7648-2413-1, S. 44–46.
7. Sammlung ungedruckter Nachrichten. Band 3, S. 19.
8. Louis Ferdinand Eberstein: Geschichte der Freiherren von Eberstein. Band 1, S. 1185.
9. Gothaisches genealogisches Taschenbuch der adeligen Häuser. Gotha 1904, S. 689.

Sources

• Rėklaitis, P. (November 1968). "Mažosios Lietuvos Dragūnų Pulkas". Karys (in Lithuanian). 9: 307–311.
• Jakužaitis, Hermanas, ed. (1952). "Prūsų Lietuvių Pulkai ir Batalionai". Keleivis (in Lithuanian). 1–2: 7, 14.
• Matulevičius, Algirdas (2020). . Mažosios Lietuvos enciklopedija (in Lithuanian). Archived from the original on 2020-10-29.
• Goetzke, Harry (2003). . Tilsiter Rundbrief (in German). 33. Archived from the original on 2014-01-17.
• "Die neuen preußischen Regimenter 1808 - 1918 ; Dragoner" (in German). from the original on 6 July 2005.