8th Bohemian Dragoons (Count Montecuccoli's)

Named after regimental colonel,
later 8th Regiment of Dragoons
(Dragoner-Regiment Nr.8)

The Imperial Cuirassier Regiment, the Young Savoys (Eugene John, Prince of Savoy) (K 2) in the War of the Polish Succession in 1734
Active 1619 or 1683 to 1918
Country Habsburg States
Type cavalry
Garrison/HQ see article
Engagements Austrian War of Succession, Seven Years' War, Napoleonic Wars
Historic portrait of the founder
Raimondo Montecuccoli

The regiment was a cavalry unit raised in the 17th century for the Imperial Habsburg Army. Over the course of time, this unit became the 8th Bohemian Dragoons (Count Montecuccoli's) (Böhmischen Dragoner-Regiment „Graf Montecuccoli“ Nr. 8) within the "Common Army" that formed part of the Austro-Hungarian Army. From 1888 the unit was to bear this new title "in perpetuity".[1]

In 1769 the regiment was placed in the order of precedence as the 4th Cavalry Regiment (Cavallerie-Regiment Nr. 4) and in 1798 it became the 6th Cuirassier Regiment (Cürassier-Regiment Nr. 6).

By way of classification the unit was also subsequently given the following numbers: 1683/1 (by Tessin),[2] Kürassierregiment K 2 (by Bleckwenn).[3]

Until 1798 the regiment was named after its various Inhabers or colonels of the regiment, who were not necessarily its commanders. There was no authoritative naming system (e.g. Regiment Graf Serbelloni or Regiment Serbelloni). Regiments changed their names with each change of colonel. After 1798, the number of the unit took precedence, but could in certain circumstances be combined with the name of the regimental colonel. Because of this constant renaming of units, the regimental histories of Austro-Hungarian cavalry are very difficult to trace. In addition, there was a constant, and apparently arbitrary, sometimes repeated, redesignation of units (e.g. the 14th Regiment of Bohemian Dragoons (Prince of Windisch-Gratz, Böhmisches Dragoner-Regiment „Fürst zu Windisch-Graetz“ Nr. 14).

History

The 8th Bohemian Dragoons is the oldest, regular regiment of horse in the Imperial-Royal, later Imperial and Royal (k. k. and k.u.k.), Cavalry. According to the tradition decree (Traditionserlass) of the 19th century it existed for a total of 299 years. Other historic records consider the regiment's history to begin with its reformation in 1683, because the unit had been first disbanded in 1679.

In 1619, the Lower Austrian Protestant estates tried to obtain concessions from Emperor Ferdinand II at Hofburg Palace through the so-called storm petition (Sturmpetition). On that occasion, three squadrons (Fähnlein) of Dampierre's Regiment of Arquebusiers stationed in Krems and a squadron of "Dampierre's Regiment of Cuirassiers" under the commander of the arsenal, Colonel Gilbert of St. Hilaire, deployed to Vienna. Embarked on boats (so-called Tschaiken) on the River Danube, they arrived on 5 June 1619 at Vienna, entered the Residenz through the Fishermen's Gate (Fischertor) and intimidated the Protestants into abandoning their undertaking.

For this action, Emperor Ferdinand II bestowed on the regiment the following privileges, which were confirmed by Emperor Francis I during the secular celebrations of 1810:

The regiment may march when on duty to the sound of trumpets and with standards flying through the Imperial and Royal Hofburg Palace and the Imperial capital and Residenz city of Vienna, and may also set up on the imperial palace forecourt (the Franzensplatze) and recruit there for three days. The guard is then to be drawn from the regiment in front of the apartment granted pro forma to the regimental commander in the Hofburg Palace, to where the regimental standards are to be brought, and the respective regimental commander is permitted on such an occasion to appear, unannounced, in full dress before His Majesty the Emperor.

The regiment also has the assurance that it will never be disbanded or reduced, as long as it continues to maintain its current glory, and finally the distinction that no man of the regiment, for a crime punishable by death, shall be executed for the same, but in such cases the culprit will be transferred to another regiment where such penalty may be carried out at any time.

In 1619, under the Imperial Commission of 16 March, 500 men were recruited by Grand Duke Cosmos II of Medici at his own expense (300 men as arquebusiers in the Netherlands and 200 men as cuirassiers in the imperial dominions). In 1621, this regiment was in imperial service under the name of the "Florentine Horse" (Florentinische Reiter). Generalfeldwachtmeister Dampierre, who had already been the proprietary colonel (Inhaber) and commander of a musketeer regiment since 1616, was appointed colonel of this new regiment.

Cavalry barracks in Jaroslau

Main and supplementary recruiting districts

Peacetime garrisons

I. II. III.

Colonels of the Regiment

As Grand Duke Maximilian's Regiment of Cuirassiers, 1761-1780
Battle of White Mountain, 1620

Regimental commanders

Operations

Uskok War

Thirty Years' War

After the wars:

Austro-Turkish War (1663–64)

Siege of Philippsburg Fortress

Franco-Dutch War

Great Turkish War

Spanish War of Succession

Austro-Turkish War of 1716–1718

War of the Polish Succession

Austro-Russian–Turkish War (1735–39)

Austrian War of Succession

Seven Years' War

Bavarian War of Succession

→Napoleonic Wars

Battle of Dresden 1813

German campaign of 1813

Hundred Days

Revolutions of 1848 in the Austrian Empire

Austro-Prussian War

Parent formation and status in July 1914

X Corps – 6th Cavalry Division
5th Cavalry Brigade
Nationalities: 58 % Czechs - 42 % various
Garrison: Staff:, I Div: Jaroslau - II Div: Radymno
Commandant: Colonel Viktor Bauer von Bauernthal
Regimental language: Czech

First World War

Fate

After the so-called successors states to the imperial and royal monarchy had declared their independence in October 1918, soldiers of the new nationalities were called upon by their interim governments to cease fighting and return home. As a rule, this request was obeyed by the Czech and certain non-German members of the Regiment. Constitutionally it also applied to German-Bohemian soldiers, who suddenly found themselves as Czech citizens. How far they complied with this request is no longer clear, but those that did may have been the exception. The core of the Regiment was maintained to the end of the war by the returning German Austrian dragoons. It was now called the 2nd Regiment of Dragoons (Field Marshal Montecuccoli's). The regimental staff were based in Enns.

After the Austria's Anschluß to the German Reich, the Regiment was disbanded in 1938 and its members formed part of the 11th Cavalry (Kavallerie-Regiments 11) within the German Wehrmacht.

Uniforms of the Regiment

Cuirassier Regiment K 2

1738: white coats, red facings
1765 (1767): white coats and trousers, poppy red facings, white buttons

6th Cuirassier Regiment

1798: white coats, scarlet facings, white trousers, yellow buttons
1850: white jackets, scarlet facings, light blue pantaloons, yellow buttons

8th Regiment of Dragoons

From 1868: light blue coats, scarlet facings, madder red breeches, yellow buttons

Structure

Originally a regiment in the Austro-Hungarian cavalry usually consisted of three to four (exceptionally more) divisions. By division was is meant a unit of battalion strength. A proper division was called an infantry or cavalry division. Each division had three squadrons (Eskadronen) each of which comprised two companies (Kompanien). The number of horsemen in the individual subunits varied, but was normally around 80 riders per company.

The individual divisions were named after their official commanders:

Under the Army reform begun by Emperor Joseph II, the cavalry abandoned the company subunit with its structure.

In the wake of the Army reform of 1860, the cavalry regiments that to that point consisted of three divisions were reduced in size to two divisions.

All regimental honorary titles were cancelled in 1915.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Austrian cavalry 1762.

Literature

References

  1. ↑ From 1798 to 1801, what later became the 11th Regiment of Dragoons and, to 1860, the subsequently disbanded Hereditary Grand Duke of Toscana's Dragoons bore the designation 8th Regiment of Dragoons (Dragoner-Regiment Nr. 8).
  2. ↑ Tessin 1986 Bd.1: 40
  3. ↑ Bleckwenn
  4. ↑ Following English practice, the unit titles are shortened e.g. in this instance to "Coneberg's Cuirassiers". The full translated title would be of the form "Coneberg's Regiment of Cuirassiers".
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