The Royal Saxon Army (german: Königlich Sächsische Armee) was the military force of the

Electorate Electorate may refer to: * The people who are eligible to vote in an election, especially their number e.g. the term ''size of (the) electorate'' * The dominion of a Prince-elector in the Holy Roman Empire until 1806 * An electoral district or c ...

(1682–1807) and later the

Kingdom of Saxony The Kingdom of Saxony (german: Königreich Sachsen), lasting from 1806 to 1918, was an independent member of a number of historical confederacies in Napoleonic through post-Napoleonic Germany. The kingdom was formed from the Electorate of Sax ...

(1807–1918). A regular Saxon army was first established in 1682 and it continued to exist until the abolition of the German monarchies in 1918. With the formation of the

Confederation of the Rhine The Confederated States of the Rhine, simply known as the Confederation of the Rhine, also known as Napoleonic Germany, was a confederation of German client states established at the behest of Napoleon some months after he defeated Austria a ...

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

the Royal Saxon Army joined the French "

Grande Armée ''La Grande Armée'' (; ) was the main military component of the French Imperial Army commanded by Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte during the Napoleonic Wars. From 1804 to 1808, it won a series of military victories that allowed the French Em ...

" along with 37 other German states.

History

The army at the time of the Electorate of Saxony (1682–1807)

The founder of the standing army in Saxony was Elector Johann Georg III. He convinced the Saxon Estates in 1681 that the established practice of in case of war hiring

mercenaries A mercenary, sometimes Pseudonym, also known as a soldier of fortune or hired gun, is a private individual, particularly a soldier, that joins a military conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a memb ...

and dismissing them in peace, was as costly as the formation of a standing army. In 1682 the hitherto existing

home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or many humans, and sometimes various companion animals. It is a fully or semi sheltered space and can have both interior and exterior aspects to it. ...

troops and Guard and other small units were consolidated in line regiments. The army consisted of six

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...

regiments of eight companies and five

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry in ...

regiments. The

field artillery Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support armies in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, short range, long range, and extremely long range target engagement. Until the early 20t ...

consisted out of 24 guns. The

Northern War "Northern Wars" is a term used for a series of wars fought in northern and northeastern Europe from the 16th to the 18th century. An internationally agreed-on nomenclature for these wars has not yet been devised. While the Great Northern War is ge ...

proved the combat power of the Saxon army to be very low, so that after the war a military reform was enacted which aimed to increase their military efficiency. As part of this reform, the Saxon army was brought to a strength of 30,000, which consisted almost exclusively of Saxons. Thus it differed from the armies of other European states, which supplemented their staff frequently with foreigners. Following the reform, the army consisted of Guard Infantry, line infantry, and cavalry regiments (

Chevau-léger The Chevau-légers (from French ''cheval''—horse—and ''léger''—light) was a generic French name for several units of light and medium cavalry. Their history began in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, when the heavy cavalry forces o ...

Dragoon Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat w ...

s and

cuirassier Cuirassiers (; ) were cavalry equipped with a cuirass, sword, and pistols. Cuirassiers first appeared in mid-to-late 16th century Europe as a result of armoured cavalry, such as men-at-arms and demi-lancers, discarding their lances and adop ...

s) together. The artillery as a third independent branch of service and was made up of field artillery and in-house. Also belonging to the artillery, were Mineurs and pontoniers established companies. The army was divided into four General Houses and classified according to the state of Saxony into four military divisions. For the first time for the accommodation of the troops barracks were built. During the Second Silesian War, Saxony allied with Austria. The Saxon army suffered heavily under Friedrich August Graf Rutowski in the

battle of Kesselsdorf The Battle of Kesselsdorf was fought on 15 December 1745, between the Kingdom of Prussia and the combined forces of the Archduchy of Austria and the Electorate of Saxony during the part of the War of the Austrian Succession known as the Second Sil ...

against Prussia. The growing crisis bankrupted the state and forced the Saxon Prime Minister Graf Brühl in 1749 to reduce the army to 17,000 men. During the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754 ...

Saxony was again invaded by Prussia and the Saxon army was invested by the Prussian army in the

Siege of Pirna The siege of Pirna (or Investment of Pirna) took place in 1756 as part of the Prussian invasion of Saxony during the Third Silesian War (part of the Seven Years' War). Following the occupation of the capital Dresden by Frederick the Great on ...

where they had to capitulate on 16 October 1756. Only four cavalry regiments and two

Lancers A lancer was a type of cavalryman who fought with a lance. Lances were used for mounted warfare in Assyria as early as and subsequently by Persia, India, Egypt, China, Greece, and Rome. The weapon was widely used throughout Eurasia during the ...

formations, which were located in Poland, escaped the surrender.

Frederick II of Prussia Frederick II (german: Friedrich II.; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was King in Prussia from 1740 until 1772, and King of Prussia from 1772 until his death in 1786. His most significant accomplishments include his military successes in the S ...

forced the Saxon regiments to swear an oath of allegiance to Prussia, which at least most of the officers refused. Ten infantry regiments and one battalion of Chevau-légers were provided with Prussian uniforms and placed in the hostile army. However, this was not successful because the majority of the troops deserted. From 1757, most of the "booty-regiments" dissolved, only three of which remained at war's end. The same year a Saxon corps under Prince

Prince Francis Xavier of Saxony Franz Xavier of Saxony ( pl, Ksawery Saski) (b. Dresden, 25 August 1730 – d. Dresden, 21 June 1806) was a Saxon prince and member of the House of Wettin. He was the fourth but second surviving son of Augustus III, King of Poland and Elector o ...

was raised in Hungary.For the unsuccessful integration of the Saxons in the Prussian army in detail see January 1967: 370 ff. The pro-Prussian historiography was amazed at the Saxon resistance: "The unfortunate Saxon army wasted its admirable loyalty to dire circumstances, .." Bleckwenn 1984: Volume IV, p. 74 After the war, Prince Francis Xavier as regent for the underage Elector Friedrich August III sought to reform the army to Prussian model, but failed because of the resistance of the estates because of high costs. Saxony fought in the

War of the Fourth Coalition The Fourth Coalition fought against Napoleon's French Empire and were defeated in a war spanning 1806–1807. The main coalition partners were Prussia and Russia with Saxony, Sweden, and Great Britain also contributing. Excluding Prussia, s ...

in 1806 initially on the side of Prussia. In the battles of Saalfeld and Jena–Auerstedt, the Saxon and Prussian armies were heavily defeated. After these defeats the French occupied Saxony.

The army at the time of the Kingdom of Saxony (1807–1918)

Napoleonic wars

Saxony became a member state of the

and on 20 December 1806 the Electorate was created a kingdom by the graces of

. The Saxon troops participated in

War of the Fifth Coalition The War of the Fifth Coalition was a European conflict in 1809 that was part of the Napoleonic Wars and the Coalition Wars. The main conflict took place in central Europe between the Austrian Empire of Francis I and Napoleon's French Empir ...

in 1809 against the Empire of Austria which made clear that the army needed to be reformed in order to build a modern and organized army in the French style. The 1810 reform was based on the 1804 drill book - which increased the rapid march to 90 steps from the previous 75 - and the 1808 French infantry regulations and led by General Lecoq, the Major-Generals , and

Johann von Thielmann Johann Adolf, Freiherr von Thielmann (27 April 176510 October 1824) was a Saxon soldier who served with Saxony, Prussia and France during the Napoleonic Wars. Biography Thielmann was born at Dresden. Entering the Saxon cavalry in 1782, he saw se ...

and Colonel Friedrich von Langenau. Further changes in the Saxon military reforms: # Rejuvenation of the officer corps # Reduction of the surgical staff at the same time improving the

Military Medicine The term military medicine has a number of potential connotations. It may mean: *A medical specialty, specifically a branch of occupational medicine attending to the medical risks and needs (both preventive and interventional) of sold ...

# Discontinuation of muskets for officers - instead, service with a drawn

sword A sword is an edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter blade with a pointed ti ...

# Creation of Battalion Staff in 1809 # Improvement of the military administration of justice with a ban on corporal punishment as a punishment measure # Changing the uniform to the French model and the introduction of new muskets, bayonets and side arms # Training in new combat methods: columns with skirmishers instead of the old, rigid form of Linear Tactics # Launching of a first drill regulations for the artillery # Instead of advertising in Germany using

recruitment Recruitment is the overall process of identifying, sourcing, screening, shortlisting, and interviewing candidates for jobs (either permanent or temporary) within an organization. Recruitment also is the processes involved in choosing individua ...

, a nationwide recruiting circuit with commissions was established. Soldiers were enlisted for fixed period of service of eight to ten years. The new army administration brought totally different conditions, especially in relation to food, clothing and equipment of the troops. The command of the renewed army was nominally the King. In 1810, Major General was Minister of War and General von Gersdorff chief of the

General Staff A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, enlisted and civilian staff who serve the commander of a division or other large military ...

. As a result of military reform, the Royal Saxon Army was formed along the following structure: * The first Cavalry Division with three brigades, one regiment of Hussars and the Garde du Corps. * The first Infantry division with two brigades and a regiment of Grenadier Guards, * The second Infantry division with two brigades and one light infantry brigade. To these were added: * Artillery units (horse and foot artillery) and * Special corps, which were subordinated to the chief of staff. These were: ** an engineer corps of sappers and pontoniers (later the engineer units) ** garrison companies such as the semi-invalids from companies not fit for field service, Cadet Corps and the Royal Swiss Guard. After the reforms of 1810 the army consisted of 31 infantry battalions and artillery brigades (24,937 men), 36 squadrons of

(6,577 men) and an engineering corps (266 men); all in all 31,780 men. On 15 February 1812 the army was mobilized for the upcoming

French invasion of Russia The French invasion of Russia, also known as the Russian campaign, the Second Polish War, the Army of Twenty nations, and the Patriotic War of 1812 was launched by Napoleon Bonaparte to force the Russian Empire back into the continental block ...

. The Saxon contingent was formed as the 21st and 22nd Division of the VII Army Corps of

under the command of the French General of Division

Jean Reynier Jean Louis Ebénézer Reynier (14 January 1771 – 27 February 1814) was a Swiss- French military officer who served in the French Army under the First Republic and the First Empire. He rose in rank to become a general during the French Revoluti ...

. The Saxons fielded 18 infantry

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions ...

s, 28 Cavalry squadrons, 56 (six and four-pounder) guns, together 200 men and 7,000 horses. The Saxons fought in the battles of Kobrin and Gorodechno before joining the Grande Armée in its retreat. A detachment of cuirassiers was separated from the main army and placed in a different corps and participated in the Battle of Borodino. After the failure of the invasion, the campaign of 1813 mainly centered around Saxon territory. When the Russo-Prussian armies invaded Saxony, King Frederick Augustus fled to

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...

. The Saxon army was then invested in the fortress of

Torgau Torgau () is a town on the banks of the Elbe in northwestern Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district Nordsachsen. Outside Germany, the town is best known as where on 25 April 1945, the United States and Soviet Armies forces fi ...

. After the defeat of the Allies at Lützen and

Bautzen Bautzen () or Budyšin () is a hill-top town in eastern Saxony, Germany, and the administrative centre of the district of Bautzen. It is located on the Spree river. In 2018 the town's population was 39,087. Until 1868, its German name was ''Budi ...

and due to the hesitant attitude of Austria, Frederick Augustus had no choice but to support Napoleon. Thus the Saxon army fought during the 1813 Autumn campaign on the French side. In the

Battle of Leipzig The Battle of Leipzig (french: Bataille de Leipsick; german: Völkerschlacht bei Leipzig, ); sv, Slaget vid Leipzig), also known as the Battle of the Nations (french: Bataille des Nations; russian: Битва народов, translit=Bitva ...

on the third day of battle a major part of the Saxon contingent defected to the Allies and Frederick Augustus was taken prisoner. The Saxon army was reorganized in 1813 at Merseburg then at 1814 at Flanders by Johann von Thielmann and participated in the occupation of the Netherlands. The

Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna (, ) of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon ...

decided in favor of dividing Saxony by giving Prussia a large portion of its population and parts of his army. Protests of the Saxon troops handed over to and integrated in the Prussian army were violently suppressed by the Prussians. The scaled down Saxon Corps took part in the 1815 campaign under Seventh Coalition command in the Upper Rhine. The Saxons continued to occupy France with the allies until 1818.

German Confederation

In the Armed Forces of the

German Confederation The German Confederation (german: Deutscher Bund, ) was an association of 39 predominantly German-speaking sovereign states in Central Europe. It was created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 as a replacement of the former Holy Roman Empire, w ...

Saxony provided the fourth largest contingent, after Austria, Prussia and Bavaria. The Saxon troops, together with the quotas from

Hesse-Kassel The Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel (german: Landgrafschaft Hessen-Kassel), spelled Hesse-Cassel during its entire existence, was a state in the Holy Roman Empire that was directly subject to the Emperor. The state was created in 1567 when the L ...

and

Nassau Nassau may refer to: Places Bahamas *Nassau, Bahamas, capital city of the Bahamas, on the island of New Providence Canada *Nassau District, renamed Home District, regional division in Upper Canada from 1788 to 1792 *Nassau Street (Winnipeg), ...

, formed the mixed IX. Army Corps. Royal Saxon Army 20 June 1866

When the

Austro-Prussian War The Austro-Prussian War, also by many variant names such as Seven Weeks' War, German Civil War, Brothers War or Fraternal War, known in Germany as ("German War"), (; "German war of brothers") and by a variety of other names, was fought in 186 ...

in 1866 began, Saxony supported Austria and mobilized its 32,000-strong army around

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...

under the command of Crown Prince Albert. After the declaration of war the

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 ...

crossed the border on 16 July 1866 near

Strehla Strehla ( hsb, Strjela) is a small town in the district of Meißen, Saxony, Germany. It is located on the river Elbe, north of Riesa. This place name means ''arrow'' in Sorbian. Strehla includes the following subdivisions: *Forberge *Görzig/ ...

and Löbau. Saxony unsuccessfully called for the support of the army of the Confederation and of Austria but the Saxon army was forced to pull back because of the military situation into Bohemia and effected a junction with the

Austrians , pop = 8–8.5 million , regions = 7,427,759 , region1 = , pop1 = 684,184 , ref1 = , region2 = , pop2 = 345,620 , ref2 = , region3 = , pop3 = 197,990 , ref3 ...

. The Saxon army took a prominent part in the battles by which the Prussians forced the line of the Jizera and in the

Battle of Jičín The Battle of Gitschin or Jičín (german: Schlacht bei Gitschin) was a battle of the Austro-Prussian War on 29 June 1866, ending with a Prussian victory over the Austrian forces. There is a memorial there today at Jičín in the Czech Repub ...

. The Crown Prince, however, succeeded in effecting the retreat in good order, and with his troops took part in the decisive

Battle of Königgrätz The Battle of Königgrätz (or Sadowa) was the decisive battle of the Austro-Prussian War in which the Kingdom of Prussia defeated the Austrian Empire. It took place on 3 July 1866, near the Bohemian city of Hradec Králové (German: Königg ...

(3 July 1866) where the Saxons held the extreme left of the Austrian position. The Saxons maintained their post with great tenacity, but were involved in the disastrous defeat of their allies.

North German Confederation

After the peace Saxony was forced to join the

North German Confederation The North German Confederation (german: Norddeutscher Bund) was initially a German military alliance established in August 1866 under the leadership of the Kingdom of Prussia, which was transformed in the subsequent year into a confederated st ...

. According to the Military Convention of 7 February 1867 its army formed the XII Corps, which was placed under Prussian command. Saxony had to hand over the Fortress Königstein to Prussia. The Kingdom of Saxony took part in the 1870 Franco-Prussian War on the side of Prussia. On the outbreak of the war Prince Albert again commanded the Saxons, who were included in the 2nd army under

Prince Frederick Charles of Prussia A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

, his old opponent. At the

Battle of Gravelotte The Battle of Gravelotte (or Battle of Gravelotte–St. Privat) on 18 August 1870 was the largest battle of the Franco-Prussian War. Named after Gravelotte, a village in Lorraine, it was fought about west of Metz, where on the previous day, h ...

, they formed the extreme left of the German army, and with the Prussian Guard carried out the attack on St Privat, the final and decisive action in the battle. In the re-organisation of the army which accompanied the march towards Paris the Crown Prince gained a separate command over the 4th army (''Army of the Meuse'') consisting of the Saxons, the Prussian Guard corps, and the IV (

Prussian Saxony The Province of Saxony (german: link=no, Provinz Sachsen), also known as Prussian Saxony () was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and later the Free State of Prussia from 1816 until 1944. Its capital was Magdeburg. It was formed by the m ...

) corps. Albert was succeeded in command of the XII Corps by his brother Prince George. Albert and the Saxons took a leading part in the operations which preceded the battle of Sedan, the 4th army being the pivot on which the whole army wheeled round in pursuit of Mac-Mahon; and the actions of Buzancy and Beaumont on 29 and 30 August 1870 were fought under his direction; in the

Battle of Sedan The Battle of Sedan was fought during the Franco-Prussian War from 1 to 2 September 1870. Resulting in the capture of Emperor Napoleon III and over a hundred thousand troops, it effectively decided the war in favour of Prussia and its allies, ...

itself (1 September 1870), with the troops under his orders, Albert carried out the envelopment of the French on the east and north. Albert's conduct in these engagements won for him the complete confidence of the army, and during the Siege of Paris his troops formed the north-east section of the investing force. After the conclusion of the

Treaty of Frankfurt (1871) The Treaty of Frankfurt (french: Traité de Francfort; german: Friede von Frankfurt) was a peace treaty signed in Frankfurt on 10 May 1871, at the end of the Franco-Prussian War. Summary The treaty did the following: * Established the fron ...

, he was left in command of the German army of occupation, a position which he held till the fall of the

Paris Commune The Paris Commune (french: Commune de Paris, ) was a revolutionary government that seized power in Paris, the capital of France, from 18 March to 28 May 1871. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard had defende ...

. On the conclusion of peace he was made an inspector-general of the army and a ''

Generalfeldmarschall ''Generalfeldmarschall'' (from Old High German ''marahscalc'', "marshal, stable master, groom"; en, general field marshal, field marshal general, or field marshal; ; often abbreviated to ''Feldmarschall'') was a rank in the armies of several ...

''. Saxony also financially benefited from the campaign: its share of the French reparations flowed in part in the construction of

Albertstadt The Albertstadt is a neighborhood of Dresden, Germany. It was named after Albert of Saxony en, Frederick Augustus Albert Anthony Ferdinand Joseph Charles Maria Baptist Nepomuk William Xavier George Fidelis , image = Albert of Saxony by ...

, a modern complex of barracks in Dresden, which contains nowadays the Bundeswehr Military History Museum and the Army Officer Training School as only military units left.

German Empire

After the founding of the

German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...

on 18 January 1871, the Kingdom of Saxony kept the limited autonomy in military matters which it had under the Convention of 1867. It retained, despite certain jurisdictional disputes in the postwar period, a separate Ministry of War, general staff and military academy. The Saxon army continued in 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 ...

as the XII (1st Royal Saxon) Corps, based in Dresden. The Corps consisted out of the

1st First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...

and 2nd Division. In 1889, the Saxon Corps raised a 3rd Division, and in 1899 a 4th Division. In 1899, the creation of the two new divisions caused a reorganization of the Saxon army in two army corps, the existing XII, based in Dresden, and the newly formed XIX (2nd Royal Saxon) Corps to be based in

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as ...

. Saxon troops also provided a share of the occupation forces in Alsace-Lorraine (

XV Corps 15th Corps, Fifteenth Corps, or XV Corps may refer to: * XV Corps (British India) *XV Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army prior to and during World War I *15th Army Corps (Russian Empire), a unit in World War I * XV Royal Bav ...

). Of technical troops until the First World War the Saxon Army consisted of: * 2 Königl. Battalion of the Royal Saxon. Prussian Railway Regiment 1 * Royal. Saxon fortress Telephonic Company No. 7 * 3 Königl. Saxon Airship Company of the Battalion 2 * 3 Königl. Saxon Company of Battalion No. 1 Flyer * Royal. Saxon Detachment of the 2nd Company of the battalion motor vehicles * Royal. Detachment at the Royal Prussian Saxony Traffic Technical Examination

World War I

When the First World War started, the two Saxon Army Corps, and the

XII (Royal Saxon) Reserve Corps The XII (Royal Saxon) Reserve Corps (german: XII. (Königlich Sächsisches) Reserve-Korps / XII RK) was a corps level command of the German Army in World War I. Formation XII Reserve Corps was formed on the outbreak of the war in August 1914 ...

were mobilized as part of the 3rd Army under command of the former Saxon War Minister, Generaloberst

Max von Hausen Max Clemens Lothar Freiherr von Hausen (December 17, 1846 – March 19, 1922) was a German army commander. He participated in the Austro-Prussian and Franco-German Wars and became ''Generaloberst'' of Saxon troops and War Minister in the Kingdo ...

. The 3rd Army fought in the battle of the Frontiers, mainly in the battles of

Dinant Dinant () is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Namur, Belgium. On the shores of river Meuse, in the Ardennes, it lies south-east of Brussels, south-east of Charleroi and south of the city of Namur. Dinant is situ ...

and

Charleroi Charleroi ( , , ; wa, Tchålerwè ) is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. By 1 January 2008, the total population of Charleroi was 201,593.

. After the Second Army's retreat after the

First Battle of the Marne The First Battle of the Marne was a battle of the First World War fought from 5 to 12 September 1914. It was fought in a collection of skirmishes around the Marne River Valley. It resulted in an Entente victory against the German armies in the ...

, Hausen saw his own flank exposed and ordered a retreat. After the stabilization of the front on the

Aisne River The Aisne ( , , ) is a river in northeastern France. It is a left tributary of the Oise. It gave its name to the French department of Aisne. It was known in the Roman period as Axona. The river rises in the forest of Argonne, at Remberc ...

, on September 9, 1914, Hausen was relieved of his command due to illness and replaced by General Karl von Einem. The Saxon troops were used mostly at the

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers * Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a maj ...

. As the war progressed, through the necessary additions the units becoming increasingly mixed with troops from the other German states. During the war Saxony mobilized a total of about 750,000 soldiers, of whom about 229,000 did not return.

Army Organization

During the Napoleonic Wars

Ranks of the Royal Saxon Army in 1810 The General of the Infantry, General of the Cavalry, and General of the Artillery did not have much involvement on the actual battlefields during the Napoleonic Wars, command was mainly done by the Lieutenant and Major Generals.

Organization of the Royal Saxon Army in 1810

A common misconception about the Saxon infantry regiments is that they were numbered, there is no evidence of any of the line infantry regiments being numbered, however the light infantry regiments were assigned numbers. Additionally, there were also garrison companies for fortresses and other defensive structures. In Dresden, there was a Swiss Guard, Cadet Corps, and an artillery academy. These units were divided into brigades and divisions, being organized as follows: * 1st Infantry Division - Lieutenant General von Zeschau ** Life Grenadier Guard Regiment ** 1st Brigade - Major General von Dryherrn *** Infantry Regiments "König" and "von Niesemeuschel" *** Grenadier-Battalion "von Brause" ** 2nd Brigade - Major General von Nostitz *** Infantry Regiments "Prinz Anton" and "von Low" *** Grenadier-Battalion "von Anger" * 2nd Infantry Division - Lieutenant General Edler von Le Coq **1st Brigade - Major General von Klengel *** Infantry Regiments "Prinz Maximilian" and "von Rechten" *** Grenadier-Battalion "von Spiegel" ** 2nd Brigade - Major General von Steindel *** Infantry Regiments "Prinz Friedrich August" and "Prinz Clemens" *** Grenadier-Battalion "von Liebenau" * Light Infantry Brigade - Major General Saher von Sahr ** Light Infantry Regiments "von Le Coq" and "von Sahr" ** Rifle Corps * Cavalry Division - Lieutenant General Freiherr von Gutschmidt ** Garde du Corps Regiment ** 1st Brigade - Lieutenant General von Funck *** Chevauxleger Regiments "Prinz Clemens" and "von Polenz" *** Hussar Regiment ** 2nd Brigade - Lieutenant General von Thielemann *** Life Cuirassier Guard *** Cuirassier Regiment "von Zastrow" ** 3rd Brigade - Major General von Barner *** Chevauxleger Regiments "Prinz Johann" and "Prinz Albrecht" *** Reitende-Artillerie-Brigade Some units were also maintained in Dresden and subordinate to the General staff members present in the city. These were the following: * Foot Artillery Regiment * Cadet Corps * Royal Swiss Guard * Engineer Corps * Sappers and Pontoniers * Garrison Companies

Organization of the Royal Saxon Army in 1812 at the Beginning of the Russian Campaign

The other regiments of the Royal Saxon Army had either stayed in Saxony or defended other garrisons and supply depots which were responsible for supplying the Grande Armée. The Garde du Corps, and Zastrow cuirassiers were sent to a different corps and participated in the charge of the Great Redoubt during the Battle of Borodino, and rescued Napoleon from the cossacks. The commanding staff of the Saxon divisions is listed as follows: * Commander: Lieutenant General Edler von Le Coq * Chief of Staff: Colonel von Langenau * Intendant: Major von Ryssel * Artillery Commander: Lieutenant Colonel von Hoyer * Senior Engineer Officer: Captain Damm

Organization of the Royal Saxon Army in June 1814 at Flanders

For its artillery, the Royal Saxon Army had four foot artillery batteries with 24 guns, and two horse batteries with 12 guns. Additionally, there was one company of pioneers, a field hospital, and a squadron of staff dragoons. This totaled the corps to around 16000 infantry, 2000 cavalry, and 36 guns. The command staff of the Royal Saxon Army at this time was as follows: * Commanding General of the Army Corps: Lieutenant General von Thielmann * Chief of Staff: Colonel von Zezschwitz * Commander of the Infantry: Lieutenant General von Le Coq * Commander of the Cavalry: Colonel Leysser * Commander of the Artillery: Colonel Raabe

Structure in World War I

Pre and early war

The Kingdom of Saxony placed an army corps (later two army corps) at the disposal of the army of the German Empire in peacetime: * XII (1st Royal Saxon) Corps in

** 23rd (1st Royal Saxon) Division in Dresden ** 32nd (3rd Royal Saxon) Division in

* XIX (2nd Royal Saxon) Corps in

** 24th (2nd Royal Saxon) Division in Leipzig ** 40th (4th Royal Saxon) Division in

Chemnitz Chemnitz (; from 1953 to 1990: Karl-Marx-Stadt , ) is the third-largest city in the German state of Saxony after Leipzig and Dresden. It is the 28th largest city of Germany as well as the fourth largest city in the area of former East Germany ...

On mobilisation, these were joined by reserve formations: *

** 23rd (1st Royal Saxon) Reserve Division ** 24th (2nd Royal Saxon) Reserve Division Together with the

XI Corps 11 Corps, 11th Corps, Eleventh Corps, or XI Corps may refer to: * 11th Army Corps (France) * XI Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * XI Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army * XI ...

, these formed the 3rd Army forming part of the right wing of the forces for the Schlieffen Plan offensive in August 1914 on the

. In peacetime, the Royal Saxon Army also provided : 105th (6th Royal Saxon) Infantry "King William II of Württemberg" to the XV Army Corps at Straßburg :

12th (1st Royal Saxon) Foot Artillery 12 (twelve) is the natural number following 11 and preceding 13. Twelve is a superior highly composite number, divisible by 2, 3, 4, and 6. It is the number of years required for an orbital period of Jupiter. It is central to many systems ...

to the XVI Army Corps at

Metz Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand ...

Raised during World War I

Infantry Divisions: * 58th (5th Royal Saxon) Division * 96th (6th Royal Saxon) Division * 123rd (7th Royal Saxon) Division * 192nd (8th Royal Saxon) Division * 212th (9th Royal Saxon) Division * 219th (10th Royal Saxon) Division * 241st (11th Royal Saxon) Division Reserve Division: * 53rd (3rd Royal Saxon) Reserve Division Landwehr Divisions: * 45th (1st Royal Saxon) Landwehr Division * 46th (2nd Royal Saxon) Landwehr Division * 47th (3rd Royal Saxon) Landwehr Division Ersatz Division: * 19th (Royal Saxon) Ersatz Division

Uniforms and Arms

Napoleonic Wars

After the Military Reorganization in 1810

After the military reorganization of 1810, the Saxon units adopted French styles of dress, with their old Seven Years War-era uniforms becoming obsolete. The Line Infantry dressed in white coats with their facings being in regiment colors. The 1st and 2nd regiments wore red, the 3rd and 4th wore dark blue, the 5th and 6th wore yellow, and the 7th and 8th wore green. The Grenadiers had grenades on their tailcoats and a distinct plume. The hats of the infantry had a shako plate with the cipher FAR (Fridericus Augustus Rex) embedded on the metal, with a pompom for the rankers painted in a bicolor fashion, the top half being of the regiments color and the bottom half being white. Non-commissioned officers typically had a black top half for their pompom.

References

Bibliography

* {{Standing German armies in the Holy Roman Empire !

Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a ...

Kingdom of Saxony