Poles in Kaisers Army On the Front of the First World War. Ryszard Kaczmarek

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СКАЧАТЬ origins of this formation dated back to the Napoleonic Wars; it was established on July 1, 1813, by order of Frederick William III. The reserve regiments (Reserveregimente) then emerged from the small number of line units in order to extend the Prussian army before the final battle with Napoleon I. The 10th Reserve Regiment under the command of Major von Sack formed in Kłodzko from the staffs and subunits of such three battalions. In 1813, it took part in the Battles of Dresden and Leipzig and, after the spring campaign of 1814, on the French border; its soldiers entered Paris in 1815. The same year, it received the name of the 22nd Infantry Regiment by royal order (22. Infanterie-Regiment). During the war with Austria in 1866, the 22nd fought in the Battle of Königgrätz, and a year later its battalion moved to Racibórz, Upper ←18 | 19→Silesia. Afterward, it operated during the war with France in 1870–1871, as well as in the Siege of Paris, and after moving to Baden, it remained in the garrison at Rastatt until 1888. In 1889, the cabinet order of Wilhelm II gave the regiment a new name: the 1st Upper Silesian Infantry Regiment “Keith” No. 22 (1. Oberschlesisches Infanterie-Regiment “Keith” Nr. 22). The name commemorated the field marshal of the Prussian army, James Keith, who died at the Battle of Hochkirch during the Seven Years’ War. In 1890, the regiment moved to Gliwice; or, to be precise, the staff and two battalions moved there, while the third battalion moved to Bytom, and in 1913 to Katowice.²⁸

      The 23rd Infantry Brigade of Gliwice also included the 3rd Silesian Infantry Regiment No. 156 (3. Schlesisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 156). The establishment of the regiment resulted from one of the successive reforms that aimed at increasing the number of infantry in the German Army. In 1896, the German Parliament decided to create thirty-three new regiments as a result of the merger of the former half-batallions; they consisted of about 500 soldiers and officers each. The Silesian regiment was created on March 1897, after the increase of the number of units and battalions. Initially, the regiment quartered in Brzeg. Then, its staff and two battalions moved to Bytom, while the third battalion to Tarnowskie Góry.

      The 24th Infantry Brigade of Nysa consisted of the 2nd Upper Silesian) Infantry Regiment No. 23 (2. Oberschlesisches Infanterie-Regiment “von Winterfeldt” Nr. 23). It was the second of the two oldest Upper Silesian infantry regiments, also created from a reserve regiment by the 1813 order. It operated in the Napoleonic Wars in the Battles of Dresden and Leipzig and, after the spring campaign of 1814, on the French border; its soldiers entered Paris in 1815. The same year it fought at the Battle of Ligny. In 1849, the Regiment suppressed the revolution in Wrocław during the Spring of Nations. In 1866, it took part in the Battle of Königgrätz and, in 1870, in the Siege of Paris. For its merits, the Regiment received the name “von Winterfeldt,” in honor of Hans Karl von Winterfeldt, a general of the Prussian Army during the Silesian Wars and the Seven Years’ War. Its garrison quartered in Nysa.

Moreover, the 24th Infantry Brigade of Nysa comprised the 3rd Upper Silesian Infantry Regiment No. 62 (3. Oberschlesisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 62). It was established on May 5, 1860, after von Moltke’s military reforms that aimed at extending the Prussian line units. In 1866, during the war with Austria, the Regiment operated in a military operation to eliminate the threat of an offensive ←19 | 20→on Upper Silesia from Galicia. While protecting the border, it fought in the Battle of Oświęcim on June 27. This was its baptism by fire.²⁹ During the Prussian-French War, the Regiment operated during the Siege of Paris and then the occupation of France. Its staff and two battalions quartered in Koźle, while the third battalion in Racibórz.

The 78th Infantry Brigade comprised of the 4th Upper Silesian Infantry Regiment No. 63 (4. Oberschlesisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 63). The regiment was established at the beginning of the 1860s, as a part of the enlargement of the Prussian Army after von Moltke’s reforms. The cabinet order of July 1859 partly extended the military duty of the younger Landwehr’s year groups and the Storm Battalions (Landwehrsturmbataillone), established by its battalions in Nysa, Strzelce Opolskie, and Opole, which received the name of the 23rd Combined Infantry Regiment (23. Kombinierte Infanterie-Regiment). In July 1860, it became the 4th Upper Silesian Infantry Regiment No. 63 and received a flag half a year later.³⁰ The regiment’s staff initially quartered in Nysa. In 1866, its soldiers fought in the war with Austria. During the French campaign, they participated in the Battle of Sedan and the Siege of Paris. In 1900, after the outbreak of the Boxer Rebellion in China, they departed for Asia as part of the German Expeditionary Forces.³¹ The staffs of the regiments and its two battalions quartered in Opole, while the third battalion in Lubliniec. During the First World War, the Regiment received the name of “Charles I” of Austria. After a successful campaign in Italy in October 1917, the German High Command sent a special letter about this matter to the Habsburg at the request and on behalf of Wilhelm II:

Inspirited by the desire to start a new chapter of faithful brotherhood of arms between our armies in these great times, I ask Your Highness to assume – among other positions in my navy and army – the position of commander of the 4th Upper Silesian Infantry Regiment No. 63. The Regiment demonstrated the old brotherhood of arms during the Battles of Isonzo against a treacherous former ally. It supported the offensive and exceeded during the assault of Monte Matajur [a peak in the Julian Alps]. Please allow this brave regiment from now on to fight under the name of Your Imperial and Royal Highness and their epaulettes to bear the initials of Your Highness. I would like to assure you, Your Majesty, that this regiment will continually prove that it deserves this honor.³²

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      The epaulettes of soldiers and officers of the regiment indeed bear the letter “K” in the crown.

Furthermore, the 78th Infantry Brigade consisted of the 4th Silesian Infantry Regiment No. 157 (4. Schlesisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 157). The regiment was a result of another reform that aimed at increasing the number of the infantry in the German Army and the decision of the German Parliament to create thirty-three new regiments. It comprised delegated soldiers and officers of the following Upper Silesian regiments: 22nd, 23rd, 62nd, and 63rd. In 1907, it received the name of the 4th Silesian Infantry Regiment No. 157. The volunteers from this regiment also participated in suppressing the Boxer Rebellion in China. Still, the regiment was officially formed as late as in April 1, 1897. Initially, its headquarters were in Nysa and then in Brzeg, where the staff and two battalions quartered, while the third battalion remained in Nysa. Until 1913, together with its original brigade, the regiment belonged to the 11th Infantry Division of Lower Silesia, and it entered the 78th Infantry Brigade after its establishment as the third brigade in the 12th Infantry Division.³³

      The 12th Cavalry Brigade comprised the 1st Silesian Hussars Regiment “von Schill” No. 4 (1. Schlesisches Husaren-Regiment “von Schill” Nr. 4). It was one of the oldest Silesian cavalry regiments, established during the First Silesian War in 1741. It participated in the Napoleonic Wars of 1813–1815 – including the Battles of Dresden and Leipzig – and entered Paris in March 1815. It received its name after Ferdinand von Schill, a hero of Prussian resistance against France. The regiment suppressed the Greater Poland uprising of 1848. It participated in the Battle of Königgrätz during the Austrian-Prussian War of 1866, while during the Franco-Prussian War in the Battle of Königgratz and the Siege of Paris. It was stationed in Oława.

      Moreover, the 12th Cavalry Brigade consisted of the 2nd Silesian Hussars Regiment “Graf Götzen” No. 6 (2. Schlesisches Husaren-Regiment “Graf Götzen” Nr. 6). Its tradition also dated back to the Napoleonic Wars, when it participated in the Russian campaign. It was created in 1808. The regiment fought in the Battle of Leipzig and in the spring campaign of 1814 at the French border. The regiment suppressed the Greater Poland uprising of 1848. It fought in the Battle of Königgrätz in 1866 and СКАЧАТЬ