Chris’ Curious Regiments
Here’s one you might not have been expecting…
East Asian Cavalry Regiment
The Ostasiatische Reiter Regiment was formed at Sennelager training camp in the Summer of 1900. The purpose of the regiment was to take part in the suppression of the Boxer Rebellion in China as part of the 15,000 strong German East Asian Expeditionary Corps (Ostasiatische Expeditionskorps). The four squadron regiment was a composite of the best volunteers from the different cavalry regiments of the Imperial Army under Oberstleutnant von Arnstedt, who was up until then the commander of the 17th Brunswick Hussars.
When the volunteers from the various German cavalry regiments arrived at Sennelager, they needed to be uniformly dressed as one unit. This was done by simplifying their uniforms. All now wore the grey Litewka (with red shoulder straps and collar patches) and the Pickelhaube of the Prussian Guard Dragoons (with yellow metal Prussian Guards Eagle and white metal star). All cockades and insignia were in Prussian and Imperial colours by regulation. For tropical wear they were issued a simple khaki uniform with a unique straw hat bearing a large Imperial and small Prussian cockade holding up the right hand side. The straw hat was soon replaced by a khaki peaked cap but many of these straw hats were later issued to units in Macedonia during the First World War.
On the day of Kaiser Wilhelm II’s infamous ‘Hun’ speech, 27 July 1900, the regimental staff and the II. Squadron departed Bremerhaven on board the steamer Dresden. On 4 August, the I. Squadron departed on board the H.H. Meyer and on 31 August the IV. Squadron departed on board the Andalusia.
By the time they began to arrive in China in September, the Siege of the Legations at Peking had been lifted and the rebellion largely defeated. The East Asian Expeditionary Corps took part in ruthlessly crushing the last of the Boxer hold outs and then settled into occupation duties. During this time, the cavalry squadrons performed scouting and reconnaissance duties, which often brought them into contact with the enemy. Two men from the I Squadron were killed on patrol 18 April 1901 near the Great Wall of China but the regiment’s worse day in action was 13 March 1901, when seven men of the II. Squadron were killed and four wounded in an explosion, while on patrol in Kalgan (now known as Zhangjiakou). Among the wounded that day were Leutnant Wilhelm von Kummer (formerly of the 12th Lithuanian Ulan Regiment).
On 17 May 1901, East Asian Expeditionary Corps was officially replaced by the much smaller East Asian Occupation Brigade (Ostasiatische Besatzungsbrigade). The units were mostly returned to Germany and disbanded, including the Reiter Regiment. The East Asian Occupation Brigade retained a single mounted infantry squadron (Ostasiatische Eskadron Jäger zu Pferd) with Chinese ponies as their mounts until it too was disbanded on 6 March 1906.
* For more on their uniforms see my website at- www.germancolonialuniforms.co.uk
* Also very highly recommended for organisation and unit lists- www.boxeraufstand.com
* Photo from Joe Robinson Collection
* Illustrations from “Deutsche Expeditionstruppen und Schutztruppen” by Edgar Graf von Matuschka