"Landwehr Cavalry Headgear?" Topic

Picked up a mixed bundle of used Minifigs Prussian figures. Some of the Landwehr cavalry are wearing the peaked cap. I cannot find a reference in my books or online to a Landwehr cav. unit wearing the cap. Anyone know of one, or is this poetic license on the part of Minifigs?

Foundry also has all their 25mm landwehr cavalry wearing the schirmuetze. They call them "reserve lancers," whatever that means. Nash/Rawkins say that it was worn, in blue with band of the provincial color, among various other types of headgear.

I haven't found a picture yet. Perhaps Dr. Summerfield has.

I had this same issue arise when I purchased Old Glory Landwehr cavalry in 25/28mm. If I am using the same definition of "peaked cap," it is the same cap as worn by the Landwehr infantry. Interestingly enough, through many resources that I have on Prussian uniforms (and I have many), I never found a good resource showing Landwehr cavalry in the cap. The best source for me? See the Calpe Miniature site. I do not know the gentleman involved in that line, but I think it is clear that he is an authority. He has a great section and discussion of Landwehr cavalry and specifically references a Brandenburg unit with the cap. He talks about the great variety found in the uniforms -- which is what I think is part of the fun of building a Prussian army for the 1813 or 1814 period. You probably have the website, but here it is:

link

Dear Dan
Quoted from a draft of my book on Landwehr.
REGULATION HEADGEAR FOR LANDWEHR CAVALRY
Shako without cover bearing the Landwehr Cross. The Schirmutze had a band in provincial colour

I have only found three units that wore them but they may have been others. It was not until

On 15 September 1814, English made uniforms were permitted to be delivered to some Landwehr units. Certainly Pommeranian Landwehr received English uniforms in late 1813. This was a regularisation. Need time to look into this.

Example of use of the stovepipe shako.
2nd Neumark LKR
I/ 2nd Neumark LKR (1814 )
HEADGEAR Brown or black fur caps with white cords.

II/, III/ & IV/ 2nd Neumark LKR (1814)
HEADGEAR English stovepipe shako with white lace around the upper edge, white or mixed red & white cords and white Landwehr Cross

1st Pommeranian LKR
HEADGEAR Black shako with white-black cockade, white cross and yellow metal chin scales. In 1814, English stovepipe shako with wax cover or high dark grey cap.

2nd Silesian LWIR
HEADGEAR: British stovepipe shako with red or white plume and white Landwehr cross.

Stephen

Hell, the 1813-1814 Prussians wore anything they could get. According to Nash, some reserve infantry wore fake shakos stuffed with straw.

Some battalions had different uniforms on different companies.

Yes that is the size of it. Side arms were very limited even in 1815. Muskets were French (2 types), British, Russian (5 types), Austrian (3 types) and Prussian (5 types).

People say that they were not colourful band of beggars. Certainly Bernadotte would agree. Bulow just replied they fight.

Stephen

Basically, in 1813-1815, the authorities tried to equip at least the Landwehr cavalry with shakos, as shakos gave a better protection against sword cuts than a simple cloth cap.

Still, period iconography, as for example the Elberfeld manuscript, shows some Landwehr cavalry men in caps.

There is no general rule, but each unit (and sometimes squadron) has to be researched individually. There is still a lot of info hidden in German books and articles in journals from the 19th century.

By 1815, definitely shakos. Don't know about earlier.

Check this site:

link

Dear Don
You must have better information than me. There was a great variation in headgear. The shakos were French, Prussian and British origins. The former had the badge and tresses removed.

Stephen

I recall a reference, unfortunately I can't find it, stating that some Landwehr Kavallerie used the schirmutze with a wire frame inserted to give it more of a resemblance to a shako.

I'd read that some wore a czapska?

Yes at least two LKR had Czapska

3rd Silesian LKR
HEADGEAR: Black leather czapska with upper half-covered in blue cloth piped yellow & Landwehr Cross. Yellow Cords & hangings. Black feather plume was worn on parade.

2nd Elbe LKR
HEADGEAR: Black leather czapska with upper half covered in blue cloth and Landwehr Cross. White Cords and hangings.

Yes wire was used to "strengthen" caps.

Stephen

Stephen, I don't know of any 2nd Elb Landwehr cavalry regiment – not even in 1815 ?

What is your source for the existence of this unit ?

Alas I cannot find the reference to this, I wrote these notes a decade ago. Now it could be the term Czapska was mistranslated. I will have a look through for you. I have three different desciptions of the 2. Elbe LKR and each noted with Czapska. It may have been notes from Mr Hofshroer. Sorry not a satisfactory reply.
Stephen

Stephen, the point is that there was alaways (up to the reorganisation of 1817) only one single Elb-Landwehr-Kavallerie-Regiment in the whole Prussian army, never a second one.

May be this alleged 2nd Elb regiment is one of the many errors in English or French literature which have been quoted so often, one author copying form the other without checking the sources, that it gained a life of its own right …

Dear Oliver
You are probably correct here. I made these notes a long time ago. It is a very complex and confusing subject.

Stephen

According to a thread that touched on this topic about a year ago, the czapkas were not issued until after Waterloo. As for different kinds of shakos, I only said, shakos; I didn't say they were all alike. Certainly some (a few) were British-made (stovepipe).

I believe the wire-reinforced soft caps were worn by some LW infantrymen, but have not heard (read) that the cavalry wore them.

Don
There was at least one LKR that wore Czapskas in 1814 possibly others.

Stephen

Thinking back about that previous thread, I guess it was the 7th Uhlans that we decided did not wear czapkas. So at least the 3rd Silesian LW evidently did wear them. I don't, offhand, recall any other regiment that wore them.

Anyway, I don't recall ever reading that any LW CAVALRY wore the soft cap in 1815.

Here is the link to the thread about the Prussian Ulanen Don mentioned:

TMP link

Here an image of 1815, the Westphalina Landwehr cavaly regiment:

picture

However, I beleive, this man is off duty, and therefore is wearing the field cap instead of his shako. And the Prussians in this series are generally not very well observed, at least in many details.

On the 19th August 1815, the Elberfeld manuscript depicts a soldier of this regiment with shako, but he is member of a small detachment of 48 men reinforcements sent from Westphalia to join the regiment. So his uniform is not necessarily the one worn by the regiment in the days of June.

According to Richard Knötel, the (lost) Kleist manuscript showed the regiment in shakos.

Garrelt's regimental history of the Landwehr units form East Frisia states shakos for the 3rd and 6th squadron of the Westphalian Landwehr cavalry regiment (and is silent about the other squadrons).

Oliver Schmidt wrote

However, I beleive, this man is off duty

If he's off duty why is he carrying his lance?

Good point – so maybe he is just preparing for drill.

Of course it is equally possible that at least the squadron of this Landwehr man did not have shakos at all.