Brandenburg Dragoon Regiment 5 Prince Wilhelm
I have been quite this last 6 months as I have been on Holidays and renovating a house in Sunny Australia, the wife and I have purchased another property for our future retirement and generally visiting Family and friends from down under. I finally had some time and sat down and got out my brushes this week, I purchased some Elite miniatures for my birthday. I decided upon Prussian dragoons and Hussars from Nathan at Elite Miniatures Australia, and purchased the paints locally along with new brushes, all of which will return with me to France.
I do enjoy painting the 28mm Elite Miniatures, they have an old world charm to them and do look good ranked up for big battalion games. A majority of my Prussian army is made up of the figures. I have also added three freiwilliger Jager figures to the regiment, which I converted (added muskets) as additions to the regiment as skirmishers.
Painting guide
The biggest question for wargamers is which Blue for Prussian dragoons? The 1813 Prussian dragoon uniforms is the light uniform blue, I tried three different and settled on a mix Vallejo medium blue mixed with Andrea blue to have a light blue that I thought looks good.
Dragoon Uniform
The Brandenburg dragoons facings are black, with yellow buttons, the elite figures have Litkeva, so collars, cuff lace, epaulettes and the two stripes on the edge of the schabraque are the only facings locations. The figures are wearing overalls, so a red stripe down the leg with metal buttons, and black leather trouser cuffs. White belts, brass fittings and buckles, and black leather cartridge pouch.
Officers had silver sash with two black embroidered lines, silver or gold epaulettes depending upon rank with red lace edging, black eyes. Ncos had gold lace to the Litkeva collar on the forehead and lower edge, and gold lace on the epaulette edge. Musicians had gold lace on the collar to the front edge and upper edge, plus gold and black swallow nests, brass trumpets with black and gold cords.
All of the elite figures have covered shakos so only brass edging the peak and chinscales is required. I am tempted to add an officers plume to my colonel which would be a white plume with a black base, and his trumpeter in a red plume.
Frewiliger Hunter Uniform
The Jager contingents were made up of volunteers who were middle class gentlemen who supplied their own horse, uniform and equipment, in the main they seemed to have performed well and were used as the outriders and were attached to the twenty dragoons armed with muskets in each squadron who performed the picket and scouting duties.
The Brandenburg Jager wore hunting black green Litkeva uniforms with black facings on the collar, cuff lace, brass scaled epaulettes, with red lace edging. Black green schabraque with twin black lacing as per dragoons, black belts, tack and straps. Trumpeter, gold lace to collar front and upper edge, gold and black swallows nest Brass trumpets, with green and gold cords. Officers silver sash, and epaulettes as per rank.
Sabers
Officers gilt pommel, straight heavy blade, red leather scabbard
Ncos heavy sword, brass pommel, metal scabbard
ORs had english supplied light cavalry sabres, metal pommel and metal scabbard
The squadron sword knots; red leather straps with
1st squadron white tassel
2nd squadron yellow tassel
3rd squadron light blue tassel
4th squadron red tassel
Freiwilliger Jager black straps and tassel
Officers large Silver tassel
Ncos red strap with silver tassel
Horse Tack
The saddle is not visible on any figures, the stirrups are red leather, with metal stirrup irons. The bridles, breastplate, girth and crupper are black leather, along with the portmanteau straps, and stake, the raincape is light gray.
Horses
A note on horses, quite a few wargamers downgrade the Prussian dragoons for the 1813-15 campaign. I found a reference to the Brandenburg regiment receiving 315 horses from Poland for the 1813 campaign, all over 15.2 hands so decent sized so I have elected to mount this regiment on the larger heavy horse from Elite miniatures.
History
The Brandenburgisches Dragoner-Regiment Number 5 (Prinz Wilhelm) was formed on the 16 October, 1807, from the 1st and 2nd squadrons of the old 5th von Balliodz Kürassiere Regiment and the depot, 2nd, 3rd and 4th squadrons of the old 1st Prince William Dragoon Regiment. It was thus regarded as a "new" regiment rather than one of the surviving "old" regiments.
1809-20 Garrisons Schwedt, Pasewalk, Wriezen, Prenzlau
In 1812 the 1st and 3rd squadrons were merged with squadrons from the 2nd (1st West Prussian) Dragoons and sent to Russia, as part of the Prussian force accompanying Napoleon on his invasion of Russia. The regiment saw minor action in the campaign and lost 1 officer, 34 men and 86 horses. Eckau, Tomaszna, Dahlankirchen, Garrosenkrug.
In 1813, with the declaration of war on Napoleon, the regiment saw far heavier fighting. Part of 1. Brigade, III Corps Reserve Cavalry, it was part of Bernadotte's Army of the North and saw action at Stettin, Dannicow, Merseburg, Gröss Gorschen, Borna, Bautzen and Hanau. The regiment was heavily engaged in the defeat of the French at Dennewitz. It is credited with riding over three French squares and a Württemberg square, a French battery (capturing four guns), routing a Polish uhlan regiment and sharing the capture of 412 wagons and 4 (some sources say 7) flags with the 2nd Dragoons and 1st Pommerania Landwehr Cavalry. But the unit paid a price, losing 7 officers, 88 men and 156 horses.
In 1814 the regiment was present at Gorkum, Oudenarde, Antwerp, Lille, Deventer, Soisson and Laon.
1815 saw the regiment as part of the cavalry reserve of I Korps, fighting in Belgium and France. At Lambusart, ligny, La Belle Alliance (Waterloo), Villiers-Cotterets (the regiment caught the fleeing French and captured 3 guns, a howitzer and 22 ammunition wagons), Issay and La Fere.
Brandenburgisches Dragoner-Regiment Nr 5 fahne.
Information on the standard carried by the regiment, from an Article by Dallas Gavin
Alt, Redlin, Riehn, RWM, Wise: Carried a Regiments-Fahne of the Königin Dragoner-Regiment. Swallow-tailed, black field, white center and gold embroidery. Staff black (Redlin- natural wood) with gold trim, bandolier cornflower blue (Alt) or black (RWM) with gold trim
Nash, Over, Rawkins: As above but of FR pattern.
Conclusion: I believe this standard to be a dragoon pattern of the FWR type. The field was black with a silver center and gold embroidery.
I hope that is useful, next up the completed figures.
cheersMatt
