King's German Legion

The King's German Legion (KGL; ) was a formation of the British Army during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Consisting primarily of expatriate Germans, it existed from 1803 to 1816 and achieved the distinction of being the only German military force to fight without interruption against the French and their allies during the Napoleonic Wars.

Formed within months of the French dissolution of the Electorate of Hanover in 1803, the KGL was constituted as a combined arms corps by the end of the year. Although it never fought autonomously and remained a part of the British army for the duration of the Napoleonic Wars, the KGL played a vital role in several campaigns, most notably the Peninsular War, Walcheren Campaign and Hundred Days.

The KGL was disbanded in 1816, and many of its units were incorporated into the Royal Hanoverian Army, which later became part of the Imperial German Army after the unification of Germany into the German Empire 1871. The British German Legion, raised during the Crimean War, has sometimes been erroneously referred to as the "King's German Legion".

History

After the occupation of Hanover by Napoleonic troops the Convention of Artlenburg, also called the Convention of the Elbe, was signed on 5 July 1803 and formally dissolved the Electorate of Hanover. Consequently, the Elector's army was disbanded. Many former Hanoverian officers and soldiers fled the French occupation of Hanover to Britain; George III, the deposed Elector of Hanover, was also King of the United Kingdom.

The same year, Major Colin Halkett and Colonel Johann Friedrich von der Decken were issued warrants to raise a corps of light infantry, to be named The King's German Regiment. On 19 December 1803, Halkett's and von der Decken's levies were combined as a basis of a mixed corps (includes all arms: mounted, infantry, artillery) renamed the King's German Legion. The KGL infantry were quartered in Bexhill-on-Sea and the cavalry in Weymouth, Dorset. On 22 July 1806, several KGL units were involved in a street fight in Tullamore, Ireland with Irish militiamen in the so-called Battle of Tullamore.

The number of officers and other ranks grew over time to approximately 14,000, but during the 13 years of its existence, close to 28,000 men served in the legion at one time or another. Initially, most of the officers were appointed with temporary rank, but in 1812 all the officers of the legion were given permanent rank in the British Army for "having so frequently distinguished themselves against the enemy". It saw active service as an integral part of the British Army from 1805 to 1816, after which its units were disbanded. In November 1813 Hanover was liberated from French rule and the Hanoverian Army revived. At the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 two distinct Hanoverian forcesthe KGL and the Hanoverian Armyserved under the Duke of Wellington.

Organisation

Cavalry 1st Regiment of Dragoons (1804–1812, red jacket) changed into: 1st Regiment of Light Dragoons (1812–1816, blue jacket) 2nd Regiment of Dragoons (1805–1812, red jacket) changed into: 2nd Regiment of Light Dragoons (1812–1816, blue jacket) 1st Regiment of Hussars 2nd Regiment of Hussars 3rd Regiment of Hussars

Infantry 1st Light Infantry Battalion 2nd Light Infantry Battalion 1st Line Battalion 2nd Line Battalion 3rd Line Battalion 4th Line Battalion 5th Line Battalion 6th Line Battalion 7th Line Battalion 8th Line Battalion

Artillery and engineers King's German Artillery 2 horse batteries 4 foot batteries King's German Engineers

Campaigns

Although the legion never fought autonomously or as a single unit, its units participated in campaigns in Hanover, Pomerania, Copenhagen and , the Peninsular War under General John Moore; and the retreat to Corunna; the Peninsular War under the Duke of Wellington, including the battles of Bussaco, Barrosa, , , , , , , , , , , , Sicily, and the eastern parts of Spain, Northern Germany and .

In the Peninsular Campaign, the Germans enhanced the veteran core of the British army. At , in April 1811, several hundred German hussars augmented the Light Division, and the hussars found the proper ford of the river. At , KGL dragoons performed the unusual feat of smashing two French square formations in a matter of minutes.

At the Battle of Waterloo, the 2nd Light Battalionwith members of the 1st Light Battalion and the 5th Line Battaliondefended the farmhouse and road at . As the 5th Line Battalion under Colonel Christian Friedrich Wilhelm von Ompteda was on its way to reinforce the defenders of , the French cavalry attached to Jean-Baptiste Drouet, Comte d'Erlon's Corp I rode them down; only a few of the intended relievers survived. After a six-hour defence, without ammunition, or reinforcements, the Germans were forced to abandon the farm, leaving the buildings in shambles and their dead behind.

Legacy

The legion was known for its excellent discipline and fighting ability. The cavalry was reputed to be among the best in the British army. According to the historian Alessandro Barbero, the King's German Legion "had such a high degree of professionalism that it was considered equal in every way to the best British units." After the victory at Waterloo, the Electorate of Hanover was re-founded as the Kingdom of Hanover. However, the Army of Hanover had been reconstituted even before the final battle, so that there were two Hanoverian armies in existence including at the Battle of Waterloo. In 1816 the legion was dissolved and some officers and men were integrated into the new Hanoverian army.

Battle honours

Peninsular War Waterloo Battle of Venta del Pozo (1st and 2nd Light Infantry Battalion) García Hernández (near Salamanca) (1st Regiment of Dragoons ) El Bodón (1st Regiment of Hussars) Barrosa, near Cádiz, Spain (2nd Regiment of Hussars) Göhrde (3rd Regiment of Hussars)

Regimental colonels The following officers served as colonels of the regiment or colonels commandant to KGL units: The King's German Legion

1st Light Dragoons

2nd Light Dragoons

1st Hussars

2nd Hussars

3rd Hussars

1st Light Battalion

2nd Light Battalion

1st Line Battalion

2nd Line Battalion

3rd Line Battalion

4th Line Battalion

5th Line Battalion

6th Line Battalion

7th Line Battalion

8th Line Battalion

Foreign Veteran Battalion

King's German Artillery

Memorials Plaques on the outside wall of Monument opposite commemorating the dead of the KGL Hanover – the Waterloo Column Hanover – a statue of Carl von Alten stands in front of the archives near the Waterloo Plaza that surrounds the Waterloo Column Hanover – also near the archives is a plaque commemorating Major Georg Baring Hanover – the () crossing the river Ihme was originally named (), but was renamed for the KGL in 1945 Osnabrück – the , formally called () commemorating the officers and soldiers of the KGL Commemorative stone at Wittingen, Lower Saxony with inscription On the Gehrdener mountain is a stone commemorating Carl Ludewig von Holle, fallen in Waterloo On the monument for the Battle of Vittoria is a plaque for the KGL

German army

After the unification of Germany, some of the old KGL units that had served in the Hanoverian Army were perpetuated in the Imperial German Army, which eventually led to their serving in the and the . These were: Kavallerie-Regiment 13–1st Regiment of Light Dragoons Kavallerie-Regiment 13–2nd Regiment of Light Dragoons Kavallerie-Regiment 14–1st Regiment of Hussars Infanterie-Regiment 16–1st Line Battalion Infanterie-Regiment 17–1st Light Battalion

See also British military history Russian–German Legion Portuguese Legion (Napoleonic Wars)

References

Sources

King's German Legion

Bron en licentie