The only Infantry Regiment of the Imperial Army that did not wear a Pickelhaube…
108th Royal Saxon Schützen Fusilier Regiment “Prince Georg”
The Königlich Sächsiches Schützen (Füsilier)-Regiment Prinz Georg Nr.108 traced its official formation back to 1 October 1809 as the Saxon army formed its light infantry (Schützen) battalions into two regiments. These two light infantry regiments saw action on the invasion of Russia in 1812.
These were again split into four individual battalions of the Schützten-Brigade in the Saxon army reforms of 1850. The Schützten battalions all fought at the Battle of Königgrätz against Prussia in 1866. After the war, the 108th Fusilier Regiment (and the 1st and 2nd Saxon Jäger Battalions) were then formed from the light infantry battalions of the Schützten-Brigade.
While all other light infantry (Jäger and Schützen) units of the Imperial German army were organised as individual battalions, the 108th was the only light infantry unit listed among the line infantry regiments and as such it wore the dark green uniform and kepi style shako of the Saxon Jäger rather than the dark blue uniform and Pickelhaube of the other Saxon infantry regiments. Even then although it counted as regiment number 108 in the overall Prussian/German system, the regiment did not have a numbering in the Saxon system.
The 108th fought at the Battles of Beaumont and Sedan in the Franco-Prussian War. In 1871 Prince Georg of Saxony became colonel in chief and the regiment took his name as their title. Georg became King of Saxony 1902-04 but the regiment retained Prinz Georg as its title. In 1914 the regiment was garrisoned at Dresden as part of the XII Army Corps. During the First World War they served on the Western front notably at the Battles of the Marne and the Somme.
Shako Plate: Yellow metal Saxon star with a white metal crowned and wreathed shield of the House of Wettin. From 1909 a white metal hunters horn was added below the shield.
State Cockade: Saxon (white/green/white)
Cap Band: Black band with red piping
Tunic Buttons: Yellow metal
Shoulder Straps: Squared dark green, piped in red with a red hunting horn above the number 108
Collar: Black piped along the lower edge in red
Cuffs: Saxon style in black with red piping
Other Distinctions (I): Uniquely among the infantry regiments of the Imperial German Army, the 108th Saxon Fusilier Regiment did not wear the uniform of the infantry but of the Saxon Jäger Battalions. This consisted of a dark green Saxon tunic (made in Jäger grey-green for the M1910 field grey uniform).
Other Distinctions (II): The regiment wore a Saxon shako in the style of a kepi, with no rear peak, a flatter front peak and a black horsehair plume. It retained the rounded Saxon and Imperial cockades as worn under the chinstrap boss on the Pickelhaube. They were the only infantry regiment in the Imperial German army to not wear a Pickelhaube.
Other Distinctions (III): Their field cap had a black hatband with red piping. Again the 108th were unique among German infantry regiments to not wear a red hatband and piping.
Other Distinctions (IV): From 1896 the other ranks belt buckle bore the crowned double G monogram of Crown Prince Georg.
Photo from Kaisersbunker.com. Text from ‘Traditions of the Imperial German Infantry Regiments’ available worldwide on Amazon.