principally formed of the landwehr,. and existing only in cadre in peace time, but who are embodied and take up the garrison duties and home defence when the active army
takes the field, and also occasionally reinforce it.The field troops consist of—
115 Regiments of Infantry.
14 Battalions of Rifles.
73 Regiments of Cavalry.
14 Brigades of Artillery.
14 Battalions of Pioneers.
14 Battalions Military Train.
Infantry.—The infantry is classed as guards, grenadiers, fusiliers, and line. The nine regiments of guards are com posed of picked men, and are in every way troupes d elite; four of them are maintained at a special increased peace establishment. The grenadier regiments only differ from the line in name and in some trifling badges, relics of former times. The fusiliers are the representatives of the old light infantry, and are specially intended for outpost duty, skir mishing, &c. The men are chosen for activity and intelli gence, and their armament differs slightly, but in organi sation they are the same as the line. A fusilier regiment is attached to each army corps.
An infantry regiment has three field battalions, of which the third is called the fusilier battalion. A battalion con sists of four companies, and has a peace strength of 552 of all ranks, and a war strength of 1022. A regiment on war footing numbers 60 officers, 3000 men, 73 non-combatants, with 105 horses and 19 waggons. Besides the three field battalions, a fourth or depot battalion, 1240 strong, is formed on mobilisation. This includes a company of trades men 200 strong, who are required to supply all clothing, &c., and execute all repairs required by the battalions in the field. The depot battalion is formed partly of the next contingent of recruits, who are called out at once on mobilisation, and partly of the oldest classes of reserve men, or, if these do not suffice, of the youngest class of landwehr; any men in the field battalions who, from want of instruction or other causes, are not considered fit for immediate service, are also transferred to the depot. The field battalions always maintain direct communication with it, and as soon as their losses amount to 10 per cent, of their strength, draw on it for the necessary reinforcements.
The Prussian infantry stands in three ranks on parade, the third rank being composed of picked shots (Schutzeii), who formerly did all the skirmishing. But for drill and manoeuvring the common formation is that of company columns, the company being divided into two " Zugs" or subdivisions, standing at six paces distance, and the third rank being withdrawn and formed into a separate Zug (Schutzenzug), two deep, in rear of the others. The Prussian drill, which for many years was the model for Europe, has lately become so again, and since 1866 the company column formation, by which more independence is given to the captains, and greater freedom of move ment to the battalion generally, has been adopted by most armies.
The Prussians were also the first to adopt the breech loader, which they used with mark ed success against the Danes in 1864 and the Austrians in 1866. Up to 1870 they were armed with the needle-gun, the earliest, but pro bably also the worst, form of breech loader; but their losses from the French chassepot convinced them of the necessity of an improved weapon, and the infantry is now being armed with the Mauser rifle. The infantry soldier of the line carries a long breech-loading rifle, with bayonet always fixed, a short sword, and 80 rounds of ammunition ; a reserve of 20 rounds per man is also carried in the bat talion ammunition waggon. Fusilier regiments, and fusilier battalions of other regiments, are armed with a shorter rifle without bayonet, but carry a sword which can be fixed and used as such when required. The uniform is a dark- blue tunic, grey trousers with red stripe, helmet of black leather, with brass ornaments and spike (Pickelhatibe), and boots into which the trousers are generally tucked for marching. The different army corps are distinguished by the colour of the shoulder cords. The knapsack is of brown calfskin, rather large, but shaped to fit the back. The belts of grenadier and line regiments are white, those of fusilier regiments black.
Rifles.—The rifles (Jdger and Schiitzen) are not organised in regiments, but form independent battalions, of which the guard corps has two and the other army corps one each. Their organisation, and peace and war establishment, are almost identical with that of a line battalion, but on mobilisation each battalion forms a fifth or depot company, which performs the same duties as the depot battalion does for the line regiments. They are recruited by picked men chosen throughout the army corps district. Unlike the rest of the infantry, they always stand in two ranks ; and they are further distinguished by carrying a short rifle, and by their green tunics with black belts. The rifle battalions of the guards are mainly recruited from the rangers of the royal forests.
Cavalry.—The cavalry consists of 73 regiments, of which 10 are cuirassiers, 26 dragoons, 19 uhlans (or lancers), and 1 8 hussars. The cuirassiers and lancers are classed as heavy cavalry, dragoons and hussars as light cavalry. The cavalry of the guard numbers 8 regiments, of which 2 are cuirassiers, 2 dragoons, 3 uhlans, and 1 hussars, and are all carefully- picked men.
The organisation and establishments of all cavalry regi ments are alike. In peace time they consist of 5 squadrons of 4 officers and 135 men each; in war the regiment takes the field with 4 squadrons of 150 men each, while the fifth squadron remains behind to form the depot. The total strength of the 4 field squadrons is 677 men and 706 horses, and of the depot squadron 267 men and 112 horses. The depot includes an artificers detachment of 54 men. A cavalry regiment thus requires a very small augmentation in war, and the field squadrons are completed at once from the fifth or depot squadron, they sending to it their recruits and untrained or unserviceable horses. Owing to the terms of service usual in the cavalry, the actual pro portion of "reservists" is much smaller than in the infantry, but they still far exceed the number required to complete the regiments, and accordingly are used to form the staff escort, field gendarmerie, field post and other special corps,, and to furnish non-commissioned officers to the military train.
The Prussian cavalry first won its reputation under Frederick the Great, and his brilliant cavalry leaders Ziethen and Seydlitz. In the battles of Hohen Friedberg, Rossbach, and. Zorndorf the cavalry decided the fortunes of the day, and gloriously verified their old motto—
"Wenn alles wankt imd schwankt Dann wage nicht und zahle nicht, dann d rauf ![1]
In recent campaigns they have more especially distinguished themselves by their intelligence and enterprise as scouts and outposts, covering the movements of their own armies with an impenetrable screen, while constantly feeling the enemy and reporting his movements. But their desperate charges at Mars la Tour and Rezonville, where they sacri ficed themselves to check the enemy and give breathing- time to their own overmatched and exhausted infantry, will always be classed among the most heroic deeds in the annals of cavalry.
- ↑ " When fortunes are shaking and brave men are quaking^ Then stay not and weigh not, but down on the foe 1 "
