Prussian Jager & Freiwilligen Jager 1813-15
The Uniforms of the Jager Infantry
The 10 company 'Jager' Regiments were the 1st Guard and 2nd East Prussian 'Jager' battalions, to which the Silesian 'Schutzen' (sharpshooter) battalion was added as the 3rd in 1813. They wore infantry uniforms in green with red facings (Silesians, black piped red) and shakos with cockades; the Guard battalions the 'Guard Star' badge and yellow loops on the collar and cuffs. In 1814 a Guard 'Schutzen' battalion was formed, uniformed like the Silesian but with the 'Guard Star' and lace. All battalions had black leather equipment.
The Guard also had a Jager battalion since 1806, their uniforms were similar to their line counterparts with the exception of the Guard Star in brass mounted on the front of the shakos and that their facings were scarlet with gold lace on the cuffs and collar in the form of two bands. See illustrations below:
The Freiwilligen Jager
The volunteer Jager were formed into detachments then were assigned to regular formations, either to regiments or battalions. The purpose of this was to give the foundation for a military education that would be able these volunteers to fulfil the duties of NCOs of officers, at a later date.
The Jager detachments were under the control of their own officers and they varied in size considerably. In August 1813, for instance, the Guard Jager Battalion's Detachment numbered 237, all ranks, whilst that of the Silesian Schutzen battalion had a strength of only 39. The average detachment however had, however, some 100 to 150 men, irrespective of whether they were attached to an infantry or to a cavalry formation.
More unusual were the brass-hilted sword-bayonets carried by many units. Normal infantry shakos were worn by most, though some (for example the Silesian Volunteer Jager companies attached to the 10th and 11th Regiments) wore cloth caps, in that case with yellow bands and piping. However there were exceptions to the general rules; Jagers of the 2nd Regiment had red piping to their white facings, and those of the 9th Regiment had cloth caps with red bands and piping, their grey overalls having a double red stripe down the outer seams.
in September 1813, the following regular units had a Freiwilligen Jager Detachment as part of their established strength:
1 Grenadier zu Fuß
2 Grenadier zu Fuß
Musketeer Regiments 1,2,3,4
Fusilier 4,5,6,
Fusilier 7:1
Fusilier I/8,II/8,
Fusilier 9/1
Fusilier 11
Fusilier 12
All Grenadier Battalions
Garde Jager and Silesian Schutzen Battalions
Kurassier Regiments 1,2 and 3
Dragoon Regiments 1,2,4 and 5
Hussar Regiments 1,2,3,4 and 5
Uhlan Regiments 1 and 2
The Guard Light Cavalry Regiment had two complete Voluntar-Jager Squadrons.
The Garde-Voluntar-Kosaken-Eskadron was an equivalent to the Volunteer Jager units. It was attached at different times to either the Garde du Corps ofo the Guard Light Cavalry Regiment.
In addition to the above, there were detachments under the command of the Lutzow Freikorps, the Auslandische Jager Battalion, the Elbe Infantry Regigent, the 1st and 5th Reserve Infantry Regiments and the 3rd West Prussian Landwehr Cavalry Regiment. In September 1813 these were the only non-regular units to have volunteer detachments, but as the number of volunteers rose, so new formations were attached to an increasing number of Reserve and Landwehr units.
The Volunteer Jager tended to be well equipped and clothed since they were from well-to-do families, and one of the conditions of service was that they provided the various items of clothing and equipment required. The armament was frequently the family's hunting rifle and the hunting knife (the Hirschfanger) was also frequently carried.
The regulations required that their uniforms should be similar to those of the units to which they were attached, but instead of the normal jacket, they were to wear a holly-green Kollet or Litewka, and a shako. The Litewka was invariably worn by the detachments of the Hussar regiments, in such acses being decorated with the facings and buttons as on the dolman. The shako was usually covered in a black oilskin. The infantry detachments wore blackened belts, often having a metal shield with pickers and chains on the front. In some units, the cartridge box was carried on the front of the waistbelt. Cavalry detachments were generally equipped in a regular fashion.
Owing to the rather loosely defined dress regulations, the uniforms of the Volunteer Jager varied considerably. Examples of the dress worn by specific detachments are noted below:
Erstes Garde Regiment zu Fuss - Black covered shako. Green Kollet with red facings and white or silver collar and cuff Litzen. White buttons and shoulder straps. Green Troddeln. Grey trousers worn with high high marching boots.
No. 2 Erstes Pommersches Infanterie Regiment - Shako with cloth cockade and yellow lace, peak bound in brass, green cords and plume. Green Kollet with the collar, Swedish cuffs and shoulder straps coloured white, piped with red. Brass buttons.
No. 3 Zweiter Ostpreussisches Infanterie Regiment - Green Kollet with orange collar and cuffs, the latter with a green cuff patch. Red coat-tail turnbacks and shoulder straps. Blackened equipment, cartridge box being worn at the front of the waist belt; it was decorated with a brass bugle horn.
No. 9 Colbersches Infanterie Regiment - A green cap, similar to the traditional German student's cap, with band and piping in red and with a black peak. Green Kollet with the regimental facings. Grey pantaloons with a double red stripe down the outside seams.
No. 1 Dragoner-Regiment Konigen - Green Kollet with red collar, cuff and coat-tail turnbacks. Leather-reinforced shako with a Prussian pompon and cockade, yellow cockade loop and white cords. Grey cavalry overalls. White waist and shoulder belts. Green saddle cloth edged in red.
No. 1 Westpreussische Ulanen Regiment - Shako in a black waxed cover. Green Kollet with white facings. Brass buttons. White cloth, brass-trimmed epaulettes. Green trousers with a broad white stripe down the outside seams. Blackened belts with brass mountings. Green saddle cloth with a double white trim. A short carbine was carried in place of the lance.
Westphalisches Landwehr Kavallerie Regiment - Green Kollet with bright green facings. Green epaulettes with a bras half-moon. Overalls with a double bright green stripe _ divided with a line of white _ down the outside seams. Shako with white metal chin scales, a black feather Busch and green hangings. Black waist and shoulder belts.
Garde-Voluntar-Kosaken - Uniformed similarly to the Garde-Kosaken-Eskadron, but with a red girdle.
The Freikorps and the Forreign Battalions - The emmergence of the Freikorps in 1813 evidenced the intense feeling of patriotism that existed at that time in Germany. Even in late 1812 there were tentatitve moves towards the recruiting of these volunteer units, and the first raised formations seem to have been the Westphalian Legion and the Pommeranian Freikorps, both of which were swallowed up in the reorganization of 1813.
The units of the Prussian Army that have not been covered so far in these pages come broadly under three headings __ they were recruited from either irregularly raised volunteers, or from non-Prussians, or the formation itself was of foreign origin. The organization, history and uniforms of the various units differed so widely that it is impossible to make any further generalization other than to note that most of these Freikorps, Legions and other formations were absorbed into the regular Prussian Army in 1815. Details relating to each of these units are set out below.
The Jager detachments were under the control of their own officers and they varied in size considerably. In August 1813, for instance, the Guard Jager Battalion's Detachment numbered 237, all ranks, whilst that of the Silesian Schutzen battalion had a strength of only 39. The average detachment however had, however, some 100 to 150 men, irrespective of whether they were attached to an infantry or to a cavalry formation.
Generally speaking, the volunteer 'Jager' companies wore dark green jackets, with the facing colours of the Regiment to which they were attached; Equipment was usually of the same pattern as that of the infantry, but of black leather, and sometimes brass powder-flasks were worn attached to the front of the cross-belts.
More unusual were the brass-hilted sword-bayonets carried by many units. Normal infantry shakos were worn by most, though some (for example the Silesian Volunteer Jager companies attached to the 10th and 11th Regiments) wore cloth caps, in that case with yellow bands and piping. However there were exceptions to the general rules; Jagers of the 2nd Regiment had red piping to their white facings, and those of the 9th Regiment had cloth caps with red bands and piping, their grey overalls having a double red stripe down the outer seams.
in September 1813, the following regular units had a Freiwilligen Jager Detachment as part of their established strength:
1 Grenadier zu Fuß
2 Grenadier zu Fuß
Musketeer Regiments 1,2,3,4
Fusilier 4,5,6,
Fusilier 7:1
Fusilier I/8,II/8,
Fusilier 9/1
Fusilier 11
Fusilier 12
All Grenadier Battalions
Garde Jager and Silesian Schutzen Battalions
Kurassier Regiments 1,2 and 3
Dragoon Regiments 1,2,4 and 5
Hussar Regiments 1,2,3,4 and 5
Uhlan Regiments 1 and 2
The Guard Light Cavalry Regiment had two complete Voluntar-Jager Squadrons.
The Garde-Voluntar-Kosaken-Eskadron was an equivalent to the Volunteer Jager units. It was attached at different times to either the Garde du Corps ofo the Guard Light Cavalry Regiment.
In addition to the above, there were detachments under the command of the Lutzow Freikorps, the Auslandische Jager Battalion, the Elbe Infantry Regigent, the 1st and 5th Reserve Infantry Regiments and the 3rd West Prussian Landwehr Cavalry Regiment. In September 1813 these were the only non-regular units to have volunteer detachments, but as the number of volunteers rose, so new formations were attached to an increasing number of Reserve and Landwehr units.
The following infantry regiments, for example, had volunteer 'Jager' companies in the Waterloo Campaign of 1815: 2nd, 6th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 14th, 15th, 24th, 25th, 27th and 28th.
The Volunteer Jager tended to be well equipped and clothed since they were from well-to-do families, and one of the conditions of service was that they provided the various items of clothing and equipment required. The armament was frequently the family's hunting rifle and the hunting knife (the Hirschfanger) was also frequently carried.
The regulations required that their uniforms should be similar to those of the units to which they were attached, but instead of the normal jacket, they were to wear a holly-green Kollet or Litewka, and a shako. The Litewka was invariably worn by the detachments of the Hussar regiments, in such acses being decorated with the facings and buttons as on the dolman. The shako was usually covered in a black oilskin. The infantry detachments wore blackened belts, often having a metal shield with pickers and chains on the front. In some units, the cartridge box was carried on the front of the waistbelt. Cavalry detachments were generally equipped in a regular fashion.
Owing to the rather loosely defined dress regulations, the uniforms of the Volunteer Jager varied considerably. Examples of the dress worn by specific detachments are noted below:
Erstes Garde Regiment zu Fuss - Black covered shako. Green Kollet with red facings and white or silver collar and cuff Litzen. White buttons and shoulder straps. Green Troddeln. Grey trousers worn with high high marching boots.
No. 2 Erstes Pommersches Infanterie Regiment - Shako with cloth cockade and yellow lace, peak bound in brass, green cords and plume. Green Kollet with the collar, Swedish cuffs and shoulder straps coloured white, piped with red. Brass buttons.
No. 3 Zweiter Ostpreussisches Infanterie Regiment - Green Kollet with orange collar and cuffs, the latter with a green cuff patch. Red coat-tail turnbacks and shoulder straps. Blackened equipment, cartridge box being worn at the front of the waist belt; it was decorated with a brass bugle horn.
No. 9 Colbersches Infanterie Regiment - A green cap, similar to the traditional German student's cap, with band and piping in red and with a black peak. Green Kollet with the regimental facings. Grey pantaloons with a double red stripe down the outside seams.
No. 1 Dragoner-Regiment Konigen - Green Kollet with red collar, cuff and coat-tail turnbacks. Leather-reinforced shako with a Prussian pompon and cockade, yellow cockade loop and white cords. Grey cavalry overalls. White waist and shoulder belts. Green saddle cloth edged in red.
No. 1 Westpreussische Ulanen Regiment - Shako in a black waxed cover. Green Kollet with white facings. Brass buttons. White cloth, brass-trimmed epaulettes. Green trousers with a broad white stripe down the outside seams. Blackened belts with brass mountings. Green saddle cloth with a double white trim. A short carbine was carried in place of the lance.
Westphalisches Landwehr Kavallerie Regiment - Green Kollet with bright green facings. Green epaulettes with a bras half-moon. Overalls with a double bright green stripe _ divided with a line of white _ down the outside seams. Shako with white metal chin scales, a black feather Busch and green hangings. Black waist and shoulder belts.
Garde-Voluntar-Kosaken - Uniformed similarly to the Garde-Kosaken-Eskadron, but with a red girdle.
The Freikorps and the Forreign Battalions - The emmergence of the Freikorps in 1813 evidenced the intense feeling of patriotism that existed at that time in Germany. Even in late 1812 there were tentatitve moves towards the recruiting of these volunteer units, and the first raised formations seem to have been the Westphalian Legion and the Pommeranian Freikorps, both of which were swallowed up in the reorganization of 1813.
The units of the Prussian Army that have not been covered so far in these pages come broadly under three headings __ they were recruited from either irregularly raised volunteers, or from non-Prussians, or the formation itself was of foreign origin. The organization, history and uniforms of the various units differed so widely that it is impossible to make any further generalization other than to note that most of these Freikorps, Legions and other formations were absorbed into the regular Prussian Army in 1815. Details relating to each of these units are set out below.
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