The King's German Legion (KGL; german: Des Königs Deutsche Legion,

semantically Semantics (from grc, σημαντικός ''sēmantikós'', "significant") is the study of reference, meaning, or truth. The term can be used to refer to subfields of several distinct disciplines, including philosophy, linguistics and comput ...

erroneous obsolete German variations are , , ) was a

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

unit of mostly expatriated

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

personnel during the period 1803–16. The legion achieved the distinction of being the only German force to fight without interruption against the French 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 ...

. The legion was formed within months of the dissolution of the Electorate of Hanover in 1803 and constituted as a mixed corps by the end of 1803. Although the legion never fought autonomously and remained a part of the British Army during the

(1804–15), it played a vital role in several campaigns, most notably the

Walcheren Campaign The Walcheren Campaign ( ) was an unsuccessful British expedition to the Netherlands in 1809 intended to open another front in the Austrian Empire's struggle with France during the War of the Fifth Coalition. Sir John Pitt, 2nd Earl of Chatham ...

, the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain ...

, and the

Hundred Days The Hundred Days (french: les Cent-Jours ), also known as the War of the Seventh Coalition, marked the period between Napoleon's return from eleven months of exile on the island of Elba to Paris on20 March 1815 and the second restoration ...

(1815). The legion was disbanded in 1816. Several of the units were incorporated into the army of the

Kingdom of Hanover The Kingdom of Hanover (german: Königreich Hannover) was established in October 1814 by the Congress of Vienna, with the restoration of George III to his Hanoverian territories after the Napoleonic era. It succeeded the former Electorate of Han ...

, and became later a part of the

Imperial German 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 ...

after unification in 1871. The

British German Legion The British German Legion (or Anglo-German Legion) was a group of German soldiers recruited to fight for Britain in the Crimean War. It is not to be confused with the King's German Legion, which was active during the Napoleonic Wars. Great Britain ...

, recruited for the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the de ...

, is sometimes erroneously referred to as the "King's German Legion".

History

After the occupation of Hanover by Napoleonic troops the

Convention of Artlenburg The Convention of Artlenburg or Elbkonvention was the surrender of the Electorate of Hanover to Napoleon's army, signed at Artlenburg on 5 July 1803 by ''Oberbefehlshaber'' Johann Ludwig von Wallmoden-Gimborn. It disbanded the Electorate of Hanove ...

, also called the Convention of the Elbe, was signed on 5 July 1803 and formally dissolved the

Electorate of Hanover The Electorate of Hanover (german: Kurfürstentum Hannover or simply ''Kurhannover'') was an electorate of the Holy Roman Empire, located in northwestern Germany and taking its name from the capital city of Hanover. It was formally known as ...

. Consequently, the Elector's army was disbanded. Many former Hanoverian officers and soldiers fled the French occupation of Hanover to

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

;

George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...

, the deposed

Elector of Hanover The Electorate of Hanover (german: Kurfürstentum Hannover or simply ''Kurhannover'') was an electorate of the Holy Roman Empire, located in northwestern Germany and taking its name from the capital city of Hanover. It was formally known as ...

, was also

King of the United Kingdom The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional form of government by which a hereditary sovereign reigns as the head of state of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies (the Bailiwi ...

. The same year, Major

Colin Halkett General (United Kingdom), General Sir Colin Halkett (7 September 1774 – 24 September 1856) was a British Army officer who became Lieutenant Governor of Jersey. Family Halkett came from a military family. His father was Major General Frederick ...

and Colonel

Johann Friedrich von der Decken Johann Friedrich or Joh(an)n Frederick may refer to: * Johann Friedrich (theologian) *Johann Friedrich, Duke of Pomerania John Frederick (german: Johann Friedrich; 27 August 1542 – 9 February 1600) was Duke of Pomerania from 1560 to 1600, and B ...

were issued warrants to raise a corps of

light infantry Light infantry refers to certain types of lightly equipped infantry throughout history. They have a more mobile or fluid function than other types of infantry, such as heavy infantry or line infantry. Historically, light infantry often fought ...

, to be named "The King's German Regiment". On 19 December 1803, Halkett's and von der Decken's levies were combined as a basis of a mixed corps (includes all arms: mounted, infantry, artillery) renamed the King's German Legion. The KGL infantry were quartered in

Bexhill-on-Sea Bexhill-on-Sea (often shortened to Bexhill) is a seaside town and civil parish situated in the county of East Sussex in South East England. An ancient town and part of the local government district of Rother, Bexhill is home to a number of arc ...

and the cavalry in

Weymouth, Dorset Weymouth is a seaside town in Dorset, on the English Channel coast of England. Situated on a sheltered bay at the mouth of the River Wey, south of the county town of Dorchester, Weymouth had a population of 53,427 in 2021. It is the third l ...

. Some units were involved in a street fight in

Tullamore Tullamore (; ) is the county town of County Offaly in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is on the Grand Canal (Ireland), Grand Canal, in the middle of the county, and is the fourth most populous town in the Midland Region, Ireland, midlands reg ...

, Ireland with a British Light infantry unit in the so-called ''Battle of Tullamore.'' The number of

officers An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

and other ranks grew over time to approximately 14,000, but during the 13 years of its existence, close to 28,000 men served in the legion at one time or another. Initially, most of the officers were appointed with temporary rank, but in 1812 all the officers of the legion were given permanent rank in the British Army for 'having so frequently distinguished themselves against the enemy.' It saw active service as an integral part of the British Army from 1805 to 1816, after which its units were disbanded. King George III by Sir William Beechey (2)

King George III by Sir William Beechey (2)

Organisation

Cavalry

* 1st Regiment of Dragoons (1804–1812, red jacket) ** ''changed into:'' 1st Regiment of Light Dragoons (1812–1816, blue jacket) * 2nd Regiment of Dragoons (1805–1812, red jacket) ** ''changed into:'' 2nd Regiment of Light Dragoons (1812–1816, blue jacket) * 1st Regiment of Hussars * 2nd Regiment of Hussars * 3rd Regiment of Hussars

Infantry

* 1st Light Infantry Battalion * 2nd Light Infantry Battalion * 1st Line Battalion * 2nd Line Battalion * 3rd Line Battalion * 4th Line Battalion * 5th Line Battalion * 6th Line Battalion * 7th Line Battalion * 8th Line Battalion

Artillery and engineers

* King's German Artillery ** 2 horse batteries ** 4 foot batteries * King's German Engineers

Campaigns

Although the legion never fought autonomously, its units participated in campaigns in Hanover,

Pomerania Pomerania ( pl, Pomorze; german: Pommern; Kashubian: ''Pòmòrskô''; sv, Pommern) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The western part of Pomerania belongs to ...

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

and

Walcheren Walcheren () is a region and former island in the Dutch province of Zeeland at the mouth of the Scheldt estuary. It lies between the Eastern Scheldt in the north and the Western Scheldt in the south and is roughly the shape of a rhombus. The two ...

, the

under General Sir John Moore; and the retreat to Corunna; the Peninsular Campaign under the

Duke of Wellington Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, (1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and Tory statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures of 19th-century Britain, serving twice as prime minister of ...

, including the battles of Bussaco, Barrosa, Fuentes de Onoro,

Albuera La Albuera is a village southeast of Badajoz, Extremadura, Spain. it had a population of c. 2,000 inhabitants. History It was scene of the Battle of Albuera (16 May 1811) between Spanish, Portuguese and British troops under William Carr Beresf ...

Ciudad Rodrigo Ciudad Rodrigo () is a small cathedral city in the province of Salamanca, in western Spain, with a population in 2016 of 12,896. It is also the seat of a judicial district. The site of Ciudad Rodrigo, perched atop a rocky rise on the right bank ...

Salamanca Salamanca () is a city in western Spain and is the capital of the Province of Salamanca in the autonomous community of Castile and León. The city lies on several rolling hills by the Tormes River. Its Old City was declared a UNESCO World Heritag ...

, Garcia Hernandez,

Burgos Burgos () is a city in Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the province of Burgos. Burgos is situated in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, on the confluence of t ...

, Venta del Pozo, Vittoria, San Sebastian,

Nivelle Nivelle () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. Heraldry See also *Communes of the Nord department * Nivelle Offensive The Nivelle offensive (16 April – 9 May 1917) was a Franco-British operation on the Western Front ...

Orthez Orthez (; eu, Ortheze; oc, Ortès, ) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, and region of New Aquitaine, southwestern France. It lies 40 km NW of Pau on the Southern railway to Bayonne. The town also encompasses the sma ...

, Sicily, and the eastern parts of

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, Northern

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and

Göhrde Göhrde is a municipality in the district of Lüchow-Dannenberg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. The municipality was named after the Göhrde State Forest, which has an area of about , famous for its oaks, beeches and game preserves. The hunting lodge s ...

In the Peninsular Campaign, the Germans enhanced the veteran core of the British army. At Sabugal, in April 1811, several hundred German hussars augmented the Light Division, and the Hussars found the proper ford of the Coa River. At the

Battle of Garcia Hernandez A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

, the Dragoons performed the unusual feat of smashing two French square formations in a matter of minutes. At the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (at that time in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium). A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armie ...

, the 2nd Light Battalion – with members of the 1st Light Battalion and the 5th Line Battalion – defended the farmhouse and road at "

La Haye Sainte La Haye Sainte (named either after Jesus Christ's crown of thorns or a bramble hedge round a field nearby) is a walled farmhouse compound at the foot of an escarpment on the Charleroi-Brussels road in Belgium. It has changed very little since it ...

." As the 5th Line Battalion under

Oberst ''Oberst'' () is a senior field officer rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, and Norway. The Swedish ...

Ompteda was on its way to reinforce the defenders of Haye Sainte, the French cavalry attached to

Jean-Baptiste Drouet, Comte d'Erlon Jean-Baptiste Drouet, Comte d'Erlon (29 July 176525 January 1844) was a Marshal of France and a soldier in the Grande Armée during the Napoleonic Wars. He notably commanded the I Corps of the '' Army of the North'' at the Battle of Waterloo. Ear ...

's Corp I rode them down; only a few of the intended relievers survived. After a six-hour defence, without ammunition, or reinforcements, the Germans were forced to abandon the farm, leaving the buildings in shambles and their dead behind.

Legacy

The legion was known for its excellent discipline and fighting ability. The cavalry was reputed to be among the best in the British army. According to the historian Alessandro Barbero, the King's German Legion "had such a high degree of professionalism that it was considered equal in every way to the best British units." After the victory at Waterloo, the Electorate of Hanover was re-founded as the

. However, the army of Hanover had been reconstituted even before the final battle, so that there were two Hanoverian armies in existence. In 1816 the legion was dissolved and some officers and men were integrated into the new Hanoverian army.

Battle honours

* Waterloo *

Battle of Venta del Pozo The Battle of Venta del Pozo, also known as the Battle of Villodrigo by the French and Spanish, was a rear-guard action fought as part of the Peninsular War on 23 October 1812 between an Anglo-German force led by Major-General Stapleton Cot ...

(1st and 2nd Light Infantry Battalion) * García Hernández (near Salamanca) (1st Regiment of Dragoons ) * El Bodón (1st Regiment of Hussars) * Barrosa, near Cádiz, Spain (2nd Regiment of Hussars) *

(3rd Regiment of Hussars)

Memorials

* Plaques on the outside wall of '

' * Monument opposite 'La Haye Sainte' commemorating the dead of the KGL *

Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

– the Waterloo-column * Hanover – near the Waterloo Square in front of the archives stands a statue of Carl von Alten * Hanover – also near the archives is a plaque commemorating Major Georg Baring * Hanover – the ''Legion’s-bridge'' crossing the river

Ihme Ihme (in its upper course: Wennigser Mühlbach) is a river of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a left tributary of the Leine. The Ihme is long. Its source is in the village , a district of Wennigsen. After about , the Ihme reaches the city of Hanov ...

, was originally named Waterloo-Bridge and is now renamed for the King's German Legion *

Osnabrück Osnabrück (; wep, Ossenbrügge; archaic ''Osnaburg'') is a city in the German state of Lower Saxony. It is situated on the river Hase in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest. With a population ...

– The ''Heger Tor'', formerly called ''the Waterloo Tor'', or the Waterloo Gate, commemorating the officers and soldiers of the KGL * Commemorative stone at

Wittingen Wittingen () is a town in the district of Gifhorn, Lower Saxony, Germany. It is about northeast of Gifhorn, and southeast of Uelzen. Division of the town Wittingen consists of 27 districts: History The earliest identified record of Wittin ...

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...

. Inscription: Des Königs Deutsche Legion 1803–1815 – Peninsula, Waterloo, Göhrde * On the Gehrdener mountain is a stone commemorating Carl Ludewig von Holle, fallen in Waterlootext and picture in Pfannkuche p. 108,109 * On the monument for the Battle of Vittoria is a plaque for the KGL File:Ferme de la Haie Sainte 12.JPG, Plaque on the outside wall of La Haye Sainte File:Ferme de la Haie Sainte 11.JPG, second Plaque on the wall of La Haye Sainte File:Belgium-Waterloo-The-Thombs-1900.jpg, Monuments next to La Haye Sainte – the one on the left is for the KGL File:Heger-Tor-os.JPG, The Heger Tor – formerly called 'The Waterloo-Tor'. Memorial to the KGL in

File:Waterloosäule sst.jpg, Waterloo-column in Hannover File:Carl von Alten Denkmal.jpg, Statue of Charles Alten in Hannover, Germany (Sculptor:

Heinrich Kümmel Heinrich may refer to: People * Heinrich (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) * Heinrich (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) *Hetty (given name), a given name (including a list of peo ...

) File:Hannover Gedenkstein Georg Freiherr von Baring 2012.jpg, Plaque to Georg Baring in Hanover File:Deutsche Legion Denkmal Wittingen.jpg, Stone in

, Lower Saxony

German army

After the

unification of Germany The unification of Germany (, ) was the process of building the modern German nation state with federalism, federal features based on the concept of Lesser Germany (one without multinational Austria), which commenced on 18 August 1866 with ad ...

, some of the old KGL units that had served in the Hanoverian Army were perpetuated in the

, which eventually led to their serving in the

Reichswehr ''Reichswehr'' () was the official name of the German armed forces during the Weimar Republic and the first years of the Third Reich. After Germany was defeated in World War I, the Imperial German Army () was dissolved in order to be reshaped ...

and the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...

. These were: * Kavallerie-Regiment 13–1st Regiment of Light Dragoons * Kavallerie-Regiment 13–2nd Regiment of Light Dragoons * Kavallerie-Regiment 14–1st Regiment of Hussars * Infanterie-Regiment 16–1st Line Battalion * Infanterie-Regiment 17–1st Light Battalion

Sources

References

Bibliography

* Adkin, Mark. ''The Waterloo Companion'' London: Aurum Press, 2001 * Barbero, Alessandro. ''The Battle of Waterloo.'' Walker and Company, 2005, . * Beamish, N. Ludlow. ''History of the King's German Legion'' vol 1,1832 reprint Naval and Military Press, 1997 * Beamish, N. Ludlow. ''History of the King's German Legion'' vol 2,1832 reprint Naval and Military Press, 1997 * Chappell, Mike. ''The King's German Legion (1) 1803–1812.'' Botley, Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2000. . * Chappell, Mike. ''The King's German Legion (2) 1812–1815.'' Botley, Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2000. . * Lindau, Friedrich ''A Waterloo Hero: The Adventures of Friedrich Lindau.'' Pen and Sword 2009. . * Mastnak, Jens. ''Die King's German Legion 1803–1816: Lebenswirklichkeit in einer militärischen Formation der Koalitionskriege.'' Celle: Bomann-Museum, 2015. (Forschungen zur Hannoverschen Militärgeschichte, 2; Zugl.: Vechta, Univ., Diss., 2013) * McGrigor, Mary: ''Wellington's Spies'' Pen and Sword Books Barnsley 2005 * Pfannkuche, Adolf: Die Königlich Deutsche Legion 1803–1816. 2. Auflage, Helwingsche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Hannover 1926 (de) * Smith, Digby. ''The Napoleonic Wars Data Book.'' London: Greenhill, 1998. * Urban, Mark. ''Wellington's Rifles: Six Years with England's Legendary Sharpshooters.'' 2004.

External links

King’s German Legion
(in German) 2nd light battalion and 5th line battalion re-enactment society
King’s German Legion
(in German) 5th line battalion re-enactment group
King´s German Legion
(in German) 5th line battalion (grenadier company) re-enactment group
King’s German Legion
(in German & English)
King's German Legion
English) Memoirs of Baron von Ompteda (download)
King's German Legion
English)"Journal of an officer in the King's German Legion" {{Authority control Military units and formations disestablished in 1816 Regiments of the British Army 19th-century military history of the United Kingdom German military units and formations of the Napoleonic Wars British military units and formations of the Napoleonic Wars Military units and formations established in 1803 German regiments in British Service Foreign regiments in British Service