1st Foot Guards (German Empire)

The 1st Foot Guard Regiment or 1st Guards Regiment of Foot () was an infantry regiment of the Royal Prussian Army formed in 1806 after Napoleon defeated Prussia in the Battle of Jena–Auerstedt. It was formed by combining all previous Foot Guard Regiments, especially the 6th and the 15th Infantry Regiments of the Old Prussian Army, the former were the famous Potsdam Giants of Frederick William I of Prussia, the latter was commanded and led by Frederick the Great as his life guard, and was, from its inception, the bodyguard-regiment of Kings of Prussia. Save William II, who also wore the uniforms of other regiments, all Prussian Kings and most Princes of Prussia wore the uniform of the 1st Foot Guard Regiment. All Princes of Prussia were commissioned lieutenants in the 1st Foot Guards upon their tenth birthdays. The King of Prussia was also the Colonel-in-chief of the regiment, as well as the Chief of the 1st Battalion and 1st Company of the regiment. Therefore, the regiment held the highest rank within the Prussian Army, which, among other things, meant that the officer corps of the regiment marched before the princes of the German Empire and the diplomatic corps in the traditional New Year's reception. Unofficially, the regiment was known as the "First Regiment of Christendom" ().

The regiment was disbanded in 1919 when the Imperial German Army was dissolved, with the Infantry Regiment 9 Potsdam of the new '' Reichsheer'' bearing its tradition. The ''Wachbataillon'' continues the tradition of this regiment in the ''Bundeswehr'' of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Regimental commanders

The first regimental commander of the 1st Foot Guards was Second Lt. Julius Ludwig von Pogwisch, who served from 4 November 1806 to 15 April 1807. He was followed by Col. Gustav Adolph von Kessel (16 April 1807—20 Jan 1813). Subsequent commanders through the first half of the 19th century were Major Ernst Ludwig von Tippelskirch (9 Feb—20 June 1813); Major Friedrich Johann Carl Gebhard von Alvensleben (20 June 1813—5 April 1814); Lt. Col. Carl Heinrich von Block (7 April 1814—13 Feb 1816); Lt. Col. Eugen Max von Röder (13 Feb 1816—1 June 1828); Col. Carl Ludwig Wilhelm Ernst von Prittwitz (1 June 1828—20 Sep 1835); Col. Franz Karl von Werder (20 Sep 1835—25 March 1841); Col. George Leopold Carl von Gayl II (25 March 1841—27 March 1847); and Col. Karl Eberhard Herwarth von Bittenfeld (27 March 1847—4 May 1850).

Between 1850 and the beginning of the Franco-Prussian War were Col. Eduard von Brauchitsch (4 May 1850—4 Nov 1851); Col. Count Count Albert von Blumenthal (4 Nov 1851—5 Aug 1856); Col. Friedrich Wilhelm Johann Ludwig Freiherr Hiller von Gaertringen (5 Aug 1856—22 March 1859); Col. Karl Graf von der Goltz (22 March 1859—7 March 1863); and Col. Bernhard von Kessel III (7 March 1863—18 May 1867).

Col. Victor Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Dietrich von Roeder's command, which started on 18 May 1867, extended into the start of the Franco-Prussian War. He was killed one month into the conflict on 18 August 1870 during the Battle of Gravelotte. Von Oppell served as acting commander until 11 December, when Col. Oktavio Philipp von Boehn took over. He held this position through the end of the war and was replaced by Col. Anton Wilhelm Karl von L'Estocq on 12 December 1874.

After the war, command of the 1st Foot Guards was held by Otto von Derenthall, first as an acting commander (28 Oct 1875—19 Oct 1876), then as commander (20 Sep 1876—23 Nov 1882). Following him were Col. Oskar von Lindequist (23 Nov 1882—27 Jan 1888); Col. Hans von Plessen (27 Jan 1888—9 Feb 1891); Col. Oldwig Wilhelm Ferdinand von Natzmer (9 Feb 1891—9 Feb 1893); Col. Gustav von Kessel (9 Feb 1893—21 March 1896); Col. Col Georg von Kalckstein (21 March 1896—15 June 1898); Lt. Col. Karl von Plettenberg (15 June 1898—22 March 1902); Gustav Freiherr von Berg (22 March 1902—16 October 1906); Karl Freiherr von Willisen (16 Oct 1906—22 March 1910); Friedrich von Kleist (22 March 1910—20 March 1911); and Friedrich von Friedeburg (20 March 1911—1 August 1914).

Prince Eitel Friedrich of Prussia began his command of the 1st Foot Guards on 1 August 1914, a few days after the beginning of World War I. He was replaced on 14 November by Friedrich von Bismarck, who was acting commander until his death in Bouvincourt-en-Vermandois. Siegfried Graf zu Eulenburg-Wicken and Friedrich Franz Adolf von Stephani alternated command through the end of the war: Eulenburg-Wicken (6 Nov 1916—28 April 1917); von Stephani (28 April 1917—7 July 1917); Eulenburg-Wicken (7 July 1917—27 Aug 1918); von Stephani (27 Aug—1 Sep 1918); Eulenburg-Wicken (1—26 Sep 1918); von Stephani (26—30 Sep 1918); and Eulenburg-Wicken (30 Sep—11 Dec 1918).

See also

* List of Imperial German infantry regiments

References

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Guards regiments of the Prussian Army
Military units and formations established in 1688
Military units and formations disestablished in 1919
Military units and formations established in 1806