"Prussian Reserve Regiments- standards or not?" Topic

Did the Prussian reserve regiments carry standards?

I believe not.

Distinctly unsporting of them as my rules prefer units to have command stands with flags.

What I have always found puzzling is how did any units rally around the flag when there wasn't one?

I believe certain flagless units may have, in difficult moments, chosen to rally around some distant inn but that's just my theory.

I do not have all of my resources at hand, but as I recall, no standards were issued to any of the landwehr or reserve battalions. That said, the units clearly did have a desire to carry a flag. Based upon some sources (admittedly unable to cite at this point), these units carried various homemade flags, many of which seemed to follow a pattern. You find standards with crosses and various patriotic statements. GMB (a good company whose product I consider reliable) sell these flags for use for Prussian landwehr and reserve units. I like the look of flags and feel that there is enough evidence of usage to add such unique standards to the units. But just me.

Others will have the exact references but I seem to recall a royal order that all unofficial colours of Reserve battalions be withdrawn – which would indicate that there were some at least.

And I'll second Esquire in that the ones proposed by GMB are too good not to use – in fact I just ordered a whole bunch of them.

they did not carry colours.

spoilsport!

See this link, contributions by Dal Gavan and Stephen Summerfield in particular:
TMP link

Nice link, Musketier.

And I think if you read between the lines on Von Winterfeldt's post, you'll see he leaves some grey areas.

Whether or not the Reserve Regiments actually carried flags in real life, in my 1813 Prussian army, they do – the Retirierfahnen of their Stamm (parent)Regiments – as Dal Gavan says in his post in the previously referenced link.

Jim

What Col Campbell said. I use the GMB products for my
Prussian Reserve and Landwehr units (I don't have any
Regulars).

Thanks for that link, Musketier!

Like many of you, I've given flags to all my Prussian regiments, Landwehr, reserve and regulars alike. My 15mm Prussians are among my oldest armies – I began collecting them in the late '70s. I don't claim them to be accurate, but I like 'em. I even painted the 28th in their old Berg colors, not knowing enough to put them in greatcoats or the officers and musicians in regulation uniforms.

Thank you gentlemen….I think i will give at least the 1st Battalion a colour…

cheers

FM

I don't have access to my library at the mo …But I am confident that I could lay my hands on at least a dozen contemporary prints and engravings showing Landwehr Battalions with Colours…

However personally I thinK the standard operating procedure of rallying around the nearest inn that serves good german beer is an important manoeuvre that should be frequently exercised!

As for Reserve Infantry, there is no grey area, of course artistical liscence excuses everything.

For Landwehr – for some units it is known that colours were made, even photos of then existing originals are available – but they were not allowed to be carried in the field.

They could be still carried along in a field waggon – and they also could be carried at the home receptein in 1814, I read it somewhere but cannot trace the source any longer.

I would be most interested to see contemporary drawings or paintings showing Landwehr in the field along with colours, or reserve infantry.

Two Landwehr meet. One says to the other:
"Is that a Colour in your pocket or are you just glad to see me?"

As my History professor used to say, any repetition of a decree is a fairly good indication that it is being widely ignored… So artistic licence in this case would seem to have at least a tenuous base.

Yes – what possible motive could there be for preventing a LW Bn from carrying a colour – I thought the whole point of the Reform process was to curb such snobbery?

@Sparker

You would have to ask the Prussian King for that.

Napoleon himself had no end of trouble trying to curb his colonels' prediliction to monkey with uniform regulations.
In terms of infantry flags, those of second and subsequent battalions in latter half of the wars,the French armies' were supposed to be plain and of no significance. But still they were decorated & venerated, against orders.

The question is, were the Prussians anymore successful than Napoleon at enforcing such regulations? As VW wrote, they carried standards in baggage wagons. And they weren't tempted to bring them out on a day of battle???

I will need to think if I should not go back & add a flag-bearer to my Prussian Reserve regiments.