More Musicians

There is no hard and fast rule amongst the Ost-Pommern Infantry Regiments regarding uniform distinctions for musicians. It is left up to the individual Inhabers to 'tart them up a bit' as he sees fit. Some use varying amounts of lace, others reverse colors.


IR.2 'Markgraf Ludwig' makes use of much lace.


IR.3 'Schlammersdorf'


IR.4 'Steiner' Grenadier drummer


The Scots Battalion utilizes reversed colors on the coat.

Ludwig's FeldArtillerie and Pioniere Corps

Ost-Pommern's Feldartillerie Corps is commanded by Major Manfred Schilling. The Army of Ost-Pommern has always been short of field pieces. It has made a virtue of the shortage and has become known for the rapidity of its maneuver. Ludwig IV eschewed battalion guns and Ludwig V does not seem interested in changing that policy.

Possessed of only a dozen 12 pounder field guns, the state has been able to ensure that sufficient draught horses, limbers, ammunition carts and wagoners are provided to keep the artillery from lagging behind the infantry on the march. The small size of the corps also has enabled Major Schilling to be very selective in recruiting only literate recruits and officers well versed in mathematics. Major Schilling was also charged by Ludwig's father with bringing some semblance of organization to the bewildering array of guns in the fortresses.

The gun carriages and wagons are painted a greyish green color.


Foot Artilleryman

Ludwig V is carrying on his father's reorganization of the supporting services. The various pioneer, pontonier, sapper and miner corps are being consolidated into a single battalion regiment of 6 companies. Although the pontoniers distinguished themselves in the last war, the pioneers, sappers and miners' conduct left something to be desired. Major Erich Löenhaupt has been given command of the consolidated Pioniere Corps. He is imposing more rigorous discipline and infantry drill and tactics in the hope that the men will not scatter to the four winds at the first sight of a dozen hussars. The reforms appear to be going well and this summer the corps will take part in the summer maneuvers for the first time.


Pioniere


Pioniere Drummer


Pioniere Corps Regimentsfahne

More Uniforms for Ost-Pommern

Since I pestered David to publish uniform templates for officers and musicians, it would be bad form not to show what I've done with them.


Musician IR.1


Officer IR.3

More to follow...

Ludwig V comes into his own

It had been a long day of training. Ludwig V had been drilling with the men of his regiment. This would be the last season that he served as a Freikorporal carrying a musket amongst the common soldiers of the regiment that bore his name. The next year he would assume the commissioned rank of Leutnant, and Hauptman, the year after that. After the parole that Saturday afternoon Ludwig mounted his horse and rode to the hunting lodge his father had built in the woods near Alt-Schweinfeld. He was accompanied by his tutor and constant companion Leutnant Küster and a troop of the Garde du Corps, commanded by Leutnant Röbel.

That evening Ludwig dined together with his guardian General-Leutnant Krause and Leutnants Küster and Röbel upon venison and capers. Krause quizzed young Ludwig about his lessons and his progress with the regiment, alternately complimenting him and gently chiding him for any shortcomings. In truth, Ludwig was mastering his lessons much faster than Krause had anticipated and the General made a mental note to engage more tutors for the lad. In the distance, the chuch bells of Alt-Schweinfeld could be heard, tolling it was thought, for the passing of a burgher of some import.

Soon Ludwig and his companions realized that the bell must be for a fire or disturbance.

There was a knock at the door. No sooner had Leutnant Röbel risen from his chair than he was greeted at the door by one of his men, who informed him that indeed there was a great clamor in the town square.

“Milord,” he spoke, “a riot has erupted outside of the Green Dragon Inn in Alt-Schweinfeld. I am as yet unaware of the nature of the tumult.”

“Well then,” Ludwig began, “you should ride ahead to find out.”

Röbel blanched and Krause spat his claret across the room.

“Ahead Milord? Surely you don’t mean to go there yourself.”

“Of course. They are my people and I will not have the peace disturbed.”

“It could be quite dangerous,” Krause reminded him.

“Be that as it may, I am going to town,” Ludwig replied. “Have my horse saddled at once!”

Krause, Küster and Röbel, briefly exchanged looks and then rose to follow Ludwig out of the room and out to the courtyard. In the courtyard, all was a flurry of activity as the two dozen men of the Garde du Corps who were present checked their equipment and loaded their pistols and carbines. Ludwig’s massive black charger was led out of the stable by his servant Meyer while others scrambled to saddle General Krause’s mount. At Leutnant Röbel’s order, the trumpeter sounded ‘assembly’ and his men mounted their horses and formed in two ranks. No sooner than Ludwig was assisted into the saddle by Meyer, than he spurred his mount and dashed through the gate towards the sound of the bells still ringing in Alt-Schweinfeld, with General Krause, Röbel and his troopers riding hard to catch up.

In the fading light, General Krause grabbed the reins of Ludwig’s horse and pulled up to a stop.

“Milord, your father entrusted me with your safety and upbringing, just as he left the management of the state to Baroness Schroeder. It is my duty to stop you from pointlessly risking your life. These men,” Krause gestured to the men of the Guard du Corps surrounding them, “are sworn to protect you. I beseech you; let them do their job Milord.”

“You are right of course,” Ludwig nodded.

Leutnant Röbel asked, “Shall I continue ahead Milord?”

Krause nodded.

“Yes, ride ahead and determine the nature of the alarm,” Ludwig ordered.

Röbel pointed to two trusted NCO’s and shouted “With me!” The three of them galloped off. The remaining troopers formed up around Ludwig and General Krause and Leutnant Küster who had just caught up. Together they rode off at a canter towards the sound of the bells…

Leutnant Röbel and his men returned to the entourage just outside of the town.

“Milord,” he panted breathlessly, “as far as I may ascertain, the people of the town have some manner of criminal cornered in the Green Dragon. They seem agitated and I fear they might attempt something foolish.”

“General,” Ludwig spoke, “It would seem that the men are thirsty. I am told that the Green Dragon has some of the best beer in the land. Let us go there now. Leutnant Röbel, lead the way!”

The men gave a hearty cheer and the party set off through the narrow streets towards the town square and the Green Dragon Inn. As the little column rounded the last turn and came upon the square, the church on their left and city hall on their right, the crowd was gathered at the far end of the square around the inn with pitchforks and torches.

“Leutnant Röbel,” General Krause called out, “Perhaps you should announce our presence.”

Röbel unholstered one of his pistols and fired into the air. The shot echoed in the night and the crowd fell silent. The troopers formed a wedge and with Ludwig, Krause and Röbel at their head rode slowly forward across the square. The crowd gave way and they halted outside the inn.

“What troubles my people so,” Ludwig shouted to be heard among the assembled multitude.

Ludwig had until then not been noticed amongst the troopers of the Garde du Corps by the crowd, but upon the appearance of their sovereign, the crowd kneeled.

A fat burgher stepped forward with an elderly peasant, who looked vaguely familiar.

“Milord,” the burgher began “five men, strangers, in the tavern tried to abduct this man’s sons,” gesturing to the peasant. “A fight broke out. The people of the town stopped the men from taking them, but they barricaded themselves in the Green Dragon with the boys.”

The door of the tavern opened and two men stepped forth. They wore the uniform of Prussian officers. They were disheveled and had obviously been roughly handled by the crowd. Two sergeants and a drummer came out after them leading two ‘youths,’ bound and gagged behind them. The youths were easily 6’4”, lanky and ill clothed. Upon seeing them, Ludwig, Krause and everyone else recognized them as the Schmidt twins, Henrich and Karl Jr. They were renowned in this quarter of the Margraviate for their feats of strength at last year’s harvest festival. Their father Karl Sr, had been served valiantly in the regiment of Schlammersdorf some years before.

“What is the meaning of this,” Krause demanded.

“We have come to gather recruits for der Grosse Koenig, Freidrich II of Prussia,” replied the older of the officers replied.

“Cut them loose,” Ludwig commanded.

“On whose authority,” the younger of them demanded?

As one, the sound of 24 swords being unsheathed rang out and the Garde du Corps troopers glared menacingly at the interlopers.

“On my authority,” shouted Ludwig, “rightful lord of these lands and protector of these people!”

Several troopers quickly dismounted and shoved the Prussians aside and cut the boys loose.

Eyeing the two officers, Ludwig asked, “What are your names?”

“Hauptman Manstein and Leutnant Rohleder.”

Ludwig raised his voice to be heard across the square, “Hauptman, the soldiers of the great and illustrious Frederick may do as they please in his lands BUT may not do so in mine.”

A great cheer rose from the crowd.

“Hauptman, you and your men have my leave to return to your king, but keep in mind what I have said and in the future restrict your recruiting to your sovereign’s subjects, not mine.”

With that, Manstein and his men left town on foot (their horses having mysteriously gone missing in the riot) with as much dignity as they could muster, followed by the raucous laughter of the crowd.

The crowd shouted, “Long live the Margrave! Long live Ludwig!” Even the troopers joined in the cheers. “Long live the Margrave! Long live Ludwig!”

“Leutnant Röbel.”

“Yes Milord.”

“Perhaps the men would care for some refreshment before we return home.” He tossed him a purse full of coins.

The old peasant Karl Sr approached Ludwig and thanked him profusely. “Thank you for the return of my sons your Milord.”

“Loyal service should always be rewarded,” replied Ludwig and he handed the man a couple of gold thalers. “Don’t you agree General Krause?”

“Indeed Milord.”

More Foreigners Arrive

In the last few days, several ships have arrived at the Margraviate's principal port, Ludwigshaven bearing soldiers. Taking advantage of post-war austerity measures imposed by the great powers of Europe since the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, Baroness Schroeder has managed to hire many Scots and Irish veterans of Dutch, Spanish and French service. Messrs James Fraser and Thomas O'Kane, both confidants of the Baroness, have been scouring the Continent for likely recruits for some months now. Their labors are being handsomely rewarded by commissioning them both as Obersts of their respective regiments. Both the Scots and the Irish are being taken into the Ost-Pommern regular establishment as single battalion regiments of five musketeer companies each.

Scots Battalion Uniform

Scots Battalion Regimentsfahne

The arrival of the foreign battalions has caused considerable resentment among the rest of the Ost-Pommern anmy. The senior officers who have been paying out of their own pocket to maintain their units are incensed by the Regent, Baroness Schroeder, paying such exhorbitant sums to hire the foreigners. Even Albrect von Steiner, Inhaber of IR.4, normally very sympathetic to the Baroness, has been alienated by this due to the officers and men of his regiment losing a great many of their billets to the Scots Battalion. The soldiers themselves are envious of the lace encrusted uniforms of the newcomers.

Irish Battalion Uniform

Irish Battalion Regimentsfahne

A New Leibfahne for all of Ludwig V's Infantry

After much consideration and consultation with his guardian and mentor General-Leutnant Krause, young Ludwig V has decided to issue a new Liebfahne to all of his infantry regiments.

New Colors for the Infantry

Infantry Leibfahne (IR.1, IR.2, IR.3)

Infantry Leibfahne (IR.4)

IR.1 Regimentsfahne

IR.2 Regimentsfahne

IR.3 Regimentsfahne

IR.4 Regimentsfahne

Jagers and Grenadiers

A Jäger Corps has existed in Ost-Pommern for many years now. It is recruited from the sons of gamekeepers and woodsmen. When not on campaign, the men of the Jäger Corps assist customs agents suppressing smuggling, a practice which prepares them for their war-time task of scouting for the army, by familiarizing them with roads and paths throughout the realm’s border regions, from which an invader might debouch. The Jäger Corps due to its peacetime role has not suffered from the Baroness von Schroeder’s neglect, if anything its ranks have swelled. The corps currently musters 200 men under the command of Hauptman Günther Plaschcke. Plaschke, is an abrasive man who once lost an eye in a duel, which has done little to improve his humor.

When on campaign, the grenadier companies of the Infantry Regiments are formed into converged grenadier battalions. The grenadiers of IR.1 Norbecker and IR.4 von Steiner are commanded by Major Karl Hausser of IR.1 and Major Heinz Eckhardt of IR.3 commands the grenadiers of IR.2 Markgraf Ludwig and IR.3 von Schlammersdorf. Major Hausser fancies himself quite the ladies’ man and can be found wherever beautiful women are. He is quite smitten with Katerina, the daughter of Baroness von Schroeder. Major Eckhardt on the other hand is studious and bookish, which belies his skill with the sword. He is fluent in several languages including Latin, French, and Italian as well as his native German.

Ludwig V would once again like to thank David Linienblatt of http://nba-sywtemplates.blogspot.com/ for his all of his work. Any uniform plate or flag seen here unless otherwise specified is derived from his excellent site.

The Young Margrave's Forces-Part 2 The Foot

There are 4 regiments of foot under Ludwig’s banners. Each regiment is comprised of 12 musketeer companies and 2 grenadier companies. Total strength is 2,100 officers and men. When on campaign, the musketeer companies form 2 battalions of 5 companies each. The grenadier companies are stripped away to form composite battalions. The two remaining musketeer companies remain in their depot as a garrison and source of replacements for their regiment.

The most senior regiment, Norbecker, was formed in 1621 from Bohemian exiles, refugees from the debacle at White Mountain. Adolph Norbecker is a career soldier who rose from the ranks. He was commissioned by Ludwig IV in 1745 after he single handedly rallied his battalion after all the officers were killed or wounded. Despite the fact that Norbecker and his men were later surrounded and captured, Maurice de Saxe was so impressed that the survivors were allowed to return to the Pragmatic Army with their colors and two gold coins each. The regiment, although well drilled, is suffering under the regency of Baroness Schroeder. She has recently been diverting funds meant for the upkeep of the army to raising a series of new Freikorps to serve her aims. Unlike the other Inhabers of the Margraviate army, Oberst Norbecker, not being born to a noble house, lacks the personal wealth to make up for the shortfall in funding, consequently recruiting efforts have suffered.
The next regiment is that of Ludwig V himself. Regiment Markgraf Ludwig was formed in 1638 from the garrison of Odinburg. Although young Ludwig is not yet old enough to fulfill his duties as Inhaber, his guardian and mentor General-Leutnant Albert von Krause, used the chaos in the court surrounding Ludwig IV’s passing to secure for the youth the proprietorship and command of his father’s regiment, in order to ensure that the Baroness did not appoint some pox-ridden foreigner to the post. Young gentlemen normally do not join their regiments until age 12. Ludwig, barely 9 seems to be learning quickly. He mastered the manual of arms despite the musket being larger than he is. Major von Furstenburg, a protégé of Krause exercises command in all but name until such time as Ludwig V is able to assume the post.

The third regiment is that of Lothar, Freiherr von Schlammersdorf. This regiment’s appearance and performance routinely set the standard for the rest of the army. Ludwig IV recognized Schlammersdorf’s keen eye for detail when he appointed him Inspector General for the entire army. Schlammersdorf, despite his reputation as a stern taskmaster, abhors corporal punishment and will only flog the most incorrigible rogues, preferring instead to “Run them ‘til they vomit and then run them some more.” Because of this, the regiment is also the swiftest marching in the army and can often be found in the vanguard.

The Inhaber of the last regiment is Albrecht von Steiner. Steiner is an ambitious man, eager to cover himself in glory. He spent most of the last war confined to his bed with a broken leg and then a series of fevers that nearly cost him his life. An able soldier and administrator, Albrecht is also somewhat vain and takes with him on campaign enough baggage for a whole general staff. Oberst Steiner’s regiment is billeted in the capital Odinburg. Albrecht has lately been seen in the company of Katerina, the daughter of Baroness Liesel von Schroeder. General-Leutnant von Krause is sure to keep an eye on him for the immediate future.