Campaigns of the Prussian Army
1740-1763

 
Prussian grenadiers in the battle of Leuthen 1757

As an excursion from this site's focus on the Great Northern War, this page is a continuation of the page containing the Campaigns of the Prussian Army 1702-1715 and it cover the Prussian army during its age of greatness. That is the years 1740-1763 when the Prussian king Frederick the Great waged a series of wars that raised Prussia from a minor state into a great power. These wars are known as the First and Second Silesian Wars (1740-42 and 1744-45), which were parts of the Austrian War of Succession (1740-48), as well as the Seven Years War (1756-1763). The content on this page is almost exclusively taken from Philip Haythornthwaite's Osprey books: "Frederick the Great's Army" volumes 1-3 (1991-92).

The years 1740 and 1763 are not included in the table since no battles were fought in those years. The first Silesian War started 16 December 1740 when the Prussian army crossed the border to Silesia without a declaration of war. And the Seven Years War ended with the peace at Hubertusburg 16 February 1763. A much more eventful year was however 1757 when the biggest battles were fought, among others Frederick the Great's first defeat (Kolin) and his greatest victory (Leuthen). Between those battles he had also inflicted a crushing defeat on the French and the German Reichsarmee at Rossbach, and the Prussians had faced the Russians for the first time at Gross-Jägersdorf. Because of this density of battles there are two columns for 1757 (one for each half-year).

The wars fought by Frederick the Great were geographically limited, so in contrast to my other pages the colour codes in this page do not show which country the regiments were located in, but rather which opponents they fought against in the battles according to the following system:

The letters represent different battles and are explained further down on the page. The only exception is Schweidnitz 1761 (S) which was a fortress that fell to the Austrians.

The Prussian regiments were usually named after their "Inhaber" which were replaced several times during this period. I have for simplicity chosen to only use the official numbering of the Prussian regiments. In those cases when the regiments actually had a permanent name, then this is added in bold style. Otherwise I have instead of official names only noted in the name field which province the regiment was recruited from, or nick names if such existed. The third column notes which year the regiment was raised.

The difference between musketeers and fusiliers was that the latters were newly raised regiments with soldiers that did not meet the high standards as in the other regiments. They were for example shorter and were thus equipped with shorter muskets and had special fusilier caps which resembled the caps worn by grenadiers.

Infantry

Musketeers

1741

1742

1744

1745

1756

1757

1758

1759

1760

1761

1762

1

Brandenburg

1615

M

H

P

RL

H

LT

B

2

Ostpreussen

1655

C

HS

G

Z

Ka K

3

Magdeburg

1655

HS

L

PK

Ka

L

B

4

Ostpreussen

1672

C

S

G

Z

B

5

Magdeburg

1655

HS

RL

H

LT

B

6

Grenadier-Garde

1675

HS

RL

H

LT

B

7

Pommern

1676

M

C

H

L

K

Z

K

T

8

Pommern

1679

H

P

L

H

T

9

Westfalen

1679

L

P

R

Ka K

T

10

Westfalen

1683

M

C

L

B

11

Ostpreussen

1685

C

H

G

Z

12

Brandenburg

1685

M

H

P

K

B

13

Brandenburg

1686

M

H

L

RL

H

LT

B

14

Ostpreussen

1626

C

HS

G

Z

K

15

Regiment-Garde

1688

M

C

HS

K

RL

H

LT

B

16

Ostpreussen

1698

C

G

Z

Ka K

T

B

17

Pommern

1693

C

HS

L

PK

T

18

Brandenburg

1698

PL

ZH

LT

B

19

Brandenburg

1702

M

HS

P

RL

H

K

T

20

Magdeburg

1674

H

L

K

H

T

21

Halberstadt

1713

H

L

K

R

K

T

22

Pommern

1713

M

H

K

Z

T

B

23

Brandenburg

1713

M

HS

P

RL

ZH

LT

24

Brandenburg

1713

M

C

H

P

R

Ka K

LT

25

Brandenburg

1713

M

HS

K

L

Z

T

B

26

Brandenburg

1714

M

P

RL

H

LT

27

Brandenburg

1715

M

C

L

L

Z

28

Niederschlesien

1723

H

P

29

Niederschlesien

1723

C

H

PK

K

30

Pommern

1728

C

H

L

P

L

H

T

31

Niederschlesien

1729

P

G

K

LT

32

Niederschlesien (fusileesr 1743-45)

1743

P

Ka

34

Brandenburg

1740

C

L

L

Fusiliers

1741

1742

1744

1745

1756

1757

1758

1759

1760

1761

1762

33

Glatz

1740

P

La

35

Prinz Heinrich

1740

PK

L

K

T

36

Pommern

1740

L

K

L

M

S

37

Niederschlesien

1740

H

P

L

Z

K

La

S

B

38

Oberschlesien

1740

P

B

K

39

1740

P

L

H

40

(Transferred from Saxony-Eisenach army)

1740

PK

Z

Ka

L

41

Westfalen (from Württemberg army)

1741

PK

K

LT

42

Oberschlesien

1741

P

La

43

Niederschlesien

1741

P

K

44

1742

F

45

1743

M

46

(Raised only with foreign recruits)

1743

P

L

Z

K

47

Oberschlesien (from Holstein-Gottorp)

1743

KM

48

(Recruited from the Minden garrison)

1756

49

Niederschlesien (pioneers 1742-58)

1758

Z

Ka K

T

50-9

In October 1756 ten captured Saxon regiments were forced into Prussian service. Desertions resulted however in that all regiments except IR 54-56 ceased to exist after barely a year. The remaining regiments were disbanded after the war and their men were transferred to IR 33 and IR 36. Their numbers would be reclaimed by new regiments raised 1773-74 in Oberschlesien (50) and Westpreussen (51-55).

1741

1742

1744

1745

1756

1757

1758

1759

1760

1761

1762

Cavalry

Cuirassiers

1741

1742

1744

1745

1756

1757

1758

1759

1760

1761

1762

1

1666

C

HSK

PK

BL

H

Ka K

T

F

2

1666

C

HS

L

K

B

Z

K

LT

3

Leibregiment zu Pferde

1672

K

L

PK

RL

K

LT

F

4

1674

C

HS

P

BL

H

T

F

5

1683

M

HK

P

BL

Z

Ka K

LT

6

1688

HK

L

K

BL

M

7

1688

C

HK

L

PK

RL

KM

8

1691

C

HSK

L

K

RL

ZH

LT

9

1691

C

HS

P

BL

H

M

10

Regiment Gens d'Armes

1691

M

HS

L

RL

ZH

LT

11

Leib-Carabinier Regiment

1691

M

HK

L

PK

BL

ZH

LT

12

1704

C

HSK

PK

L

H

Ka K

T

13

Garde du Corps

1740

HS

L

PK

RL

ZH

LT

Dragoons

1741

1742

1744

1745

1756

1757

1758

1759

1760

1761

1762

1

1689

M

H

PK

BL

ZH

LT

2

1689

H

PK

BL

H

K

LT

3

1704

M

C

HS

L

PK

R

K

4

1704

M

HK

L

PK

RL

ZH

LT

5

1717

M

C

HK

L

BL

T

6

"Porcelain Dragoons"

1717

H

G

Z

K

F

7

1727

C

K

G

Z

F

8

1744

K

G

Z

K

T

F

9

1741

K

G

K

Mi

L

10

1743

K

G

K

Mi

L

11

1740

H

PK

L

KM

T

F

12

1742

S

PK

BL

M

T

Hussars

1741

1742

1744

1745

1756

1757

1758

1759

1760

1761

1762

1

Preussisches Husaren (Green)

1721

C

H

L

K

RL

K

T

F

2

Leib-Husaren (Red)

1730

M

H

PK

BL

ZH

Ka K

LT

3

1740

PK

L

LT

4

White Hussars

1741

HS

PK

L

H

Ka K

5

Totenkopf (Death skull or Black)

1741

H

G

KZ

Ka Mi

6

Brown Hussars

1741

HK

PK

L

H

T

7

Yellow Hussars

1743

K

P

GL

Z

Ka Mi K

8

Red husarerna

1743

H

KB

RL

M

9

Der ganze tod (Whole Dead or New Black)

1758

K

F

1741

1742

1744

1745

1756

1757

1758

1759

1760

1761

1762

In addition to the above mentioned units there were also temporary grenadier battalions in each war which were raised by pairing the grenadier companies from two infantry regiments. There were also up to 17 garrison regiments and special units such as two jäger corps and 23 free corps. These are not included in the list since I have no information about which battles they participated in.

B = Breslau (1757), Burkersdorf (1762)
C = Chotusitz (1742)
F = Freiberg (1762)
G = Gross-Jägersdorf (1757)
H = Hohenfriedeberg (1745), Handkirch (1758)
K = Kesselsdorf (1745), Kolin (1757), Krefeld (1758), Kunersdorf (1759)
Ka = Kay (1759)
L = Lobositz (1756), Leuthen (1757), Liegnitz (1760)
La = Landeshut (1760)
M = Mollwitz (1741), Maxen (1759)
Mi = Minden (1759)
P = Prag (1757)
R = Rossbach (1757)
S = Soor (1745), Schweidnitz (1761)
T = Torgau (1760)

Return to Armies of the Great Northern War or to Campaigns of the Prussian Army 1702-1715.