"FPW Wurttemberg flags" Topic

Did the FPW Wurttembergers still use regimentally coloured flags or were they all one colour?

All Wurttembergers Flags were a deep, Burgundy, red, with the Royal Monogram on one side and the Royal arms on the other. The regiments did, however, have different colour fringes around the edges of the flag.
These fringes were IR1 yellow, IR2 blue, IR3 orange, IR4 light green, IR5 dark green, IR6 White, IR7 red, IR8 pink. The cavalry standards were suspended from a cross pole, vexillum style, and their fringes were Regt1 yellow, Regt 2 green, Regt 3 white, Regt 4 orange. The coat of arms was on the front side of the Vexillum, the monogram on the rear. Hope this helps,

Mollinary

Wow! You are GOOD!

Thanks, that's a big help. Do you know what size they were?

No, not exactly. But many illustrations of them make the infantry flags appear to be at least five foot square. The cavalry ones are much smaller.
If you google wurttembergische infanterie Fahnen and look at images you'll see a number of them illustrated, many from old cigarette card series. The one from this period has a rather blockish, Gold Gothic W as the monogram.
Mollinary

Mollinary's expertise is one of the reasons why I keep coming back to TMP! My hat goes off to you, sir.

Mollers do you know what denier the silk yarn happened to be, just going for ultimate authenticity – as always :-)

Thanks for the compliment D! I just have a fascination with this period, and it's flags in particular, and it is great to have a forum to share this info with others.

Funnily enough, Rammers………….. Actually, I managed to pick up two framed samples online after an auction held by Hermann Historica in Munich. These were the samples designs submitted to the Wurttemberg government for the new flags in 1851, one sample for each side. They show the new technology which was able to weave the design directly into the silk at the time of manufacture, rather than stitch a separately made piece onto a silk sheet. They are lovely things….. And if I knew what a denier was I could probably go and look to answer your question!

On another tack…… Have just gone back to Hohenloh-Ingelfingen and he most definitely does not state that the Prussian guns had no shrapnel,in 1866, quite the opposite!

Mollinary

All of my 15mm FPW Wurttemberger regiments have the flag Mollinary described.

@Mollinary
Quite the opposite ? Where ?

One book I just got states that there was the coat of arms on one side and a monogramed W on t'other.

Pages 56-60 PFK's Letters on artillery. One of the reasons given for retaining the 12pdr smoothbore said is "their superior fire with case and shrapnel" Note "superior" not unique. On page 60 he describes the 3rd HA battery 12pdrs at Schweinschadel firing shrapnel. On page 56 he says "we had not yet succeeded in making a good shrapnel with a time fuse for rifled guns". He does not say that they had not made one, only that it was not 'good'. And Reilly's Memorandum's description of the amount of shrapnel fired by the rifled six pounders, and the diagram he includes, showing on its key the place of shrapnel in the 6pdrs limber, confirm the point.

Mollinary

PS Major Bloodnok, I think your book is just agreeing with what I put in my first post!

Yes but term "Royal Monogram" made me think it was a crowned CR rather than a W. Oh well live and learn.

Hi Major,

Sorry, this was really my fault. All Wurttemberger regiments, cavalry, and line infantry, received new flags in 1851, when William 1st was King. Although he died in 1864, and was succeeded by his son Karl (so K, not C!), no new flags were issued until 1874, when the monograms were changed. So in both the APW and the FPW the Wurttembergers had crowned 'W' on their flags. Sorry I should have checked back to my sources before posting originally, it must have been very confusing!

Mollinary