Russian-German Legion
Encyclopedia
The Russian-German Legion was a military unit set up in 1812 by the banished Graf
Peter of Oldenburg
on the instigation of Tsar
Alexander I of Russia
.
von Arentsschild, and it was formed from German prisoners and deserters left behind in Russia after the French invasion
earlier that year.
It was formed to fight against Napoleon
as part of the Imperial Russian army
but was paid by Russia's ally, Great Britain
. Ernst Moritz Arndt
, the private secretary to the pro-Russian Heinrich Friedrich Karl vom und zum Stein, acted as head propagandist to entrants to the Legion. He stayed in Saint Petersburg
from 1812 onwards and attracted entrants by winning them over to fight to liberate Germany from its French occupying forces.
s, 2 regiments of hussars and two batteries of horse artillery.
Carl von Clausewitz
was among notable soldiers of the Legion.
was now put in command, and the Legion ventured to the lower Elbe
, fought at Mecklenburg
and Holstein
, attacked Harburg
and marched far as the Netherlands
. In mid March 1814 it crossed the Rhine and fought in Flanders
in order to blockade Antwerp.
After returning from France in 1814, the Legion was received by Prussia, where collaborators were viewed critically, and so on 2 June 1814 it was renamed the German Legion. The Legion moved to Kurhessen for exercises in 1814 and from then until 1815 took up quarters in the Bergischen.
After Napoleon's return from Elba on 26 February 1815, the soldiers of this unit were merged into the 30th and 31st infantry regiment, 8th (Russisch-Deutsche Legion) Ulanenregiment
and 18th and 19th horse-artillery batteries of the Prussian army. These units took part in the Waterloo campaign, known as the Hundred Days
, as part of the III Corps of the Prussian Army.
Graf
Graf is a historical German noble title equal in rank to a count or a British earl...
Peter of Oldenburg
Peter, Duke of Oldenburg
Peter I or Peter Frederick Louis of Holstein-Gottorp was the Regent of the Duchy of Oldenburg for his incapacitated cousin Peter Frederick William from 1785 to 1823, and then served himself as Duke from 1823-1829...
on the instigation of Tsar
Tsar
Tsar is a title used to designate certain European Slavic monarchs or supreme rulers. As a system of government in the Tsardom of Russia and Russian Empire, it is known as Tsarist autocracy, or Tsarism...
Alexander I of Russia
Alexander I of Russia
Alexander I of Russia , served as Emperor of Russia from 23 March 1801 to 1 December 1825 and the first Russian King of Poland from 1815 to 1825. He was also the first Russian Grand Duke of Finland and Lithuania....
.
Formation
Its first commander was OberstOberst
Oberst is a military rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark and Norway. The Swedish rank överste is a direct translation, as are the Finnish rank eversti...
von Arentsschild, and it was formed from German prisoners and deserters left behind in Russia after the French invasion
French invasion of Russia
The French invasion of Russia of 1812 was a turning point in the Napoleonic Wars. It reduced the French and allied invasion forces to a tiny fraction of their initial strength and triggered a major shift in European politics as it dramatically weakened French hegemony in Europe...
earlier that year.
It was formed to fight against Napoleon
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
as part of the Imperial Russian army
Imperial Russian Army
The Imperial Russian Army was the land armed force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the early 1850s, the Russian army consisted of around 938,731 regular soldiers and 245,850 irregulars . Until the time of military reform of Dmitry Milyutin in...
but was paid by Russia's ally, Great Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Ernst Moritz Arndt
Ernst Moritz Arndt
Ernst Moritz Arndt was a German nationalistic and antisemitic author and poet. Early in his life, he fought for the abolition of serfdom, later against Napoleonic dominance over Germany, and had to flee to Sweden for some time due to his anti-French positions...
, the private secretary to the pro-Russian Heinrich Friedrich Karl vom und zum Stein, acted as head propagandist to entrants to the Legion. He stayed in Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
from 1812 onwards and attracted entrants by winning them over to fight to liberate Germany from its French occupying forces.
Structure
The Russian-German Legion was 9,379 strong in total and consisted of 8 infantry battalions, 1 company of JägerJäger (military)
Jäger is a term that was adopted in the Enlightenment era in German-speaking states and others influenced by German military practice to describe a kind of light infantry, and it has continued in that use since then....
s, 2 regiments of hussars and two batteries of horse artillery.
Carl von Clausewitz
Carl von Clausewitz
Carl Philipp Gottfried von Clausewitz was a Prussian soldier and German military theorist who stressed the moral and political aspects of war...
was among notable soldiers of the Legion.
Campaigns
On 6 July 1812, after the contract of Peterswaldau, Great Britain received the task of providing for the Russian-German Legion and thus acquired the right to determine how and where it was to be deployed. Ludwig von Wallmoden-GimbornLudwig von Wallmoden-Gimborn
Ludwig Georg Thedel, Graf von Wallmoden was an Austrian "General of the Cavalry", best known for his training of light infantry and the refinement of the Tirailleur system.-Life:...
was now put in command, and the Legion ventured to the lower Elbe
Elbe
The Elbe is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Krkonoše Mountains of the northwestern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia , then Germany and flowing into the North Sea at Cuxhaven, 110 km northwest of Hamburg...
, fought at Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern...
and Holstein
Holstein
Holstein is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is part of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of Germany....
, attacked Harburg
Harburg
Harburg is a district in Lower Saxony, Germany. It takes its name from the town of Harburg upon Elbe, which used to be the capital of the district but is now part of Hamburg...
and marched far as the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. In mid March 1814 it crossed the Rhine and fought in Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
in order to blockade Antwerp.
After returning from France in 1814, the Legion was received by Prussia, where collaborators were viewed critically, and so on 2 June 1814 it was renamed the German Legion. The Legion moved to Kurhessen for exercises in 1814 and from then until 1815 took up quarters in the Bergischen.
After Napoleon's return from Elba on 26 February 1815, the soldiers of this unit were merged into the 30th and 31st infantry regiment, 8th (Russisch-Deutsche Legion) Ulanenregiment
Uhlan
Uhlans were Polish light cavalry armed with lances, sabres and pistols. The title was later used by lancer regiments in the Russian, Prussian, and Austrian armies....
and 18th and 19th horse-artillery batteries of the Prussian army. These units took part in the Waterloo campaign, known as the Hundred Days
Hundred Days
The Hundred Days, sometimes known as the Hundred Days of Napoleon or Napoleon's Hundred Days for specificity, marked the period between Emperor Napoleon I of France's return from exile on Elba to Paris on 20 March 1815 and the second restoration of King Louis XVIII on 8 July 1815...
, as part of the III Corps of the Prussian Army.
Sources
- Karl Schröder: Eitorf unter den Preußen, Heimatverein Eitorf 2002, ISBN 3-87710-321-9
- Helmert/Usczek: Europäische Befreiungskriege 1808 bis 1814/15, Berlin 1986