As the 92nd Infantry seemed so popular last week, here’s their sister cavalry regiment.
17th Brunswick Hussar Regiment
The Braunschweigisches Husaren-Regiment Nr.17 was the only cavalry formation of the Duchy of Brunswick and traced their roots back to 1 April 1809 as the Husaren-Regiment der Schwarzen Schar under ‘The Black Duke’ Friedrich Wilhelm of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. As such, they served in alliance with Austria seeing action against Napoleon at the Battle of Wagram. After the Austrian defeat they escaped by ship to England to continue the fight against the French.
Under British command they fought in the Peninsular Campaign in Spain 1813-14 and were then deployed to Sicily to depose the Bonapartist monarchy and restore King Ferdinand III of Sicily (confusingly also known as King Ferdinand IV of Naples and after his restoration, King Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies). The regiment remained there until 1816, when they returned home and were disbanded.
In the meantime, the Black Duke had raised another hussar regiment in Brunswick, they then fought at Quatre-Bras and Waterloo. In 1825 this regiment was renamed Herzoglich Braunschweigisches Garde-Husaren-Regiment, although the Guard title was dropped in 1839. In 1849 the regiment deployed to Denmark but did not see action. In the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, Brunswick reluctantly joined the Prussian side but the regiment was only able to mobilise two of their three squadrons due to sickness among the horses. They saw little or no action.
After the war and subsequent the military alliance with Prussia in 1867, the regiment was added to Prussian system as the 17th Hussar Regiment. In the Franco-Prussian War they served at the battle of Battle of Spichern and led the charge into the last large scale cavalry melee of the day at the Battle of Mars la Tour on 16 August 1870, thus becoming the only regiment in the German army to have a battle honour on their headdress from the 1870-71 War.
When in response to the Boxer Rebellion, an East Asian Cavalry Regiment (Ostasiatische Reiter Regiment) was formed for deployment to China, the colonel of the 17th Hussars Oberstleutnant Arthur von Arnstedt was awarded the honour of commanding of the new East Asian Mounted Regiment (Ostasiatisches Reiter-Regiment) consisting of the best volunteers from all German cavalry regiments. As it happened, much of the rebellion was quashed before their arrival in China, though they did see action in skirmishes and patrolling duties.
The 17th Hussars were garrisoned at Brunswick as part of the X Army Corps. During the First World War they were deployed to the Western and Eastern Fronts before being effectively disbanded in October 1916, with their men either going to detached squadrons on occupation duties or the trenches as Kavallerie-Schützen.
Busby Plate: White metal Brunswick Death’s Head (from 1883 in commemoration of their former commander the Black Duke Friedrich Wilhelm, who was killed at the Battle of Quatre Bras in 1815) with a yellow metal scroll above bearing the battle honours PENINSULA, SICILIEN, WATERLOO and MARS-LA-TOUR (the last one added in 1873 was the only Franco-Prussian War battle honour worn by any regiment of the Imperial German Army).
Busby Bag: Red
State Cockade: Brunswick (yellow/ blue/ yellow) from 1897
Oval Cockade: Brunswick (yellow/ blue) from 1897
Parade Plume: White horsehair with lower part in red for other ranks, white horsehair with lower part in black for NCOs and heron feathers for officers
Attila: Black
Attila Lace: Yellow
Shoulder Strap: Double yellow cord
Pelisse: None
Field Cap: Black piped yellow, red hatband piped in yellow with a small white metal Brunswick Deaths Head badge between the cockades.
Other Distinctions (I): The officer’s busby was of black bearskin, while the busby cords of all ranks were yellow.
Other Distinctions (II): The unique Brunswick cartouche pouch bore the British Royal Coat of Arms, in reference to the regiment’s service under British command in the Napoleonic Wars.
Other Distinctions (III): As part of the Brunswick contingent they wore uniform details such as blue and yellow colours on insignia such as officers belts, one year volunteer shoulder straps, NCO and officers sword knots and so forth. Lance pennants were blue over white for other ranks and yellow with a red circle bearing a white horse and crown for NCOs.
*Text the forthcoming book ‘Traditions of the Imperial German Cavalry Regiments’
**Photo from the Fort de la Pompelle Museum
*** Painting by Richard Knötel