The 11th Hussar Regiment, initially called the 2nd Westphalian Regiment, was a notable cavalry unit of the

Royal Prussian Army The Royal Prussian Army (1701–1919, german: Königlich Preußische Armee) served as the army of the Kingdom of Prussia. It became vital to the development of Brandenburg-Prussia as a European power. The Prussian Army had its roots in the co ...

and the

German Imperial Army The Imperial German Army (1871–1919), officially referred to as the German Army (german: Deutsches Heer), was the unified ground and air force of the German Empire. It was established in 1871 with the political unification of Germany under the l ...

. It was established in

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in th ...

in December 1807 and originally bore the name of 2nd Royal Westphalian Hussar Regiment. It was a continuation of an earlier unit, the Chevau-légers Uhlan Regiment of the

Duchy of Berg Berg was a state—originally a county, later a duchy—in the Rhineland of Germany. Its capital was Düsseldorf. It existed as a distinct political entity from the early 12th to the 19th centuries. The name of the county lives on in the modern ...

formed by

Joachim Murat Joachim Murat ( , also , ; it, Gioacchino Murati; 25 March 1767 – 13 October 1815) was a French military commander and statesman who served during the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars. Under the French Empire he received the ...

earlier during the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

. In 1906 the regiment gained the nickname of "Dancing Hussars of

Krefeld Krefeld ( , ; li, Krieëvel ), also spelled Crefeld until 1925 (though the spelling was still being used in British papers throughout the Second World War), is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located northwest of Düsseldorf, i ...

" (german: Krefelder Tanzhusaren) after

Emperor Wilhelm II Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor (german: Kaiser) and King of Prussia, reigning from 15 June 1888 until his abdication on 9 November 1918. Despite strengthening the German Empi ...

personally ordered the regiment to relocate from Düsseldorf to Krebs following that city's aristocracy's complaints that there were not enough bachelors to dance at the balls. Thereupon the Emperor promised to send appropriate dancers. What was at first thought of as a joke, was later the same day confirmed by General

Moritz von Bissing Moritz Ferdinand Freiherr von Bissing (30 January 1844 – 18 April 1917) was a German officer from Prussia. Life and pre-WWI army career Bissing was born at Ober Bellmannsdorf in the Province of Silesia. He was the son of Moritz von Bissing, ...

, the commanding officer of the 7th Army Corps. The regiment took part in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

as part of the 9th Cavalry Division. Initially at the Western Front, in late 1914 it was moved to the Eastern Front where it remained for the rest of the conflict (mostly in the region of

Polesie Polesia, Polesie, or Polesye, uk, Полісся (Polissia), pl, Polesie, russian: Полесье (Polesye) is a natural and historical region that starts from the farthest edge of Central Europe and encompasses Eastern Europe, including East ...

). Dismounted in 1916, the regiment was disbanded along with the rest of the division in early March 1918.

References

* Cavalry regiments of the Prussian Army Hussars {{Germany-mil-unit-stub

See also

References