Prussian Reserve, Militia and Irregular Troops 1806-15

Osprey Men at Arms #192

by Peter Hofschröer, Bryan Fosten (Illustrator)

Irregular, semi-regular and reserve formations comprised a substantial part of the armed forces at the disposal of the Prussian Army throughout the Napoleonic Wars, particularly during the campaigns of the Wars of Liberation, 1813-15. The scale of the uprising of 1813 required the mobilization of all available forces and the utilization of all available equipment, and meant that the Prussian Army of the Wars of Liberation was very much a patchwork affair. This book examines and illustrates the reservists (or Kruemper), the Freikorps and foreign units, and the militia who fought in the Prussian Army.

Genres: History, Germany, Nonfiction

48 pages, Paperback

First published November 26, 1987

Reviews

[Mastersonmcvoidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A part of the Osprey series on the Prussian army of the Napoleonic Wars, examining Prussian irregular troops, militia, reservists and guerilla formations.

The book covers the reservists, the Landsturm, Landwehr, Freikorps and other irregular troops. It explores how they came to be, how they evolved and how they fought. Through the narrative, it also aims to establish that several aspects of the Prussian irregular troops evolved over time starting from the Seven Years' War, rather than being though up after the defeat at Jena.

It also contains a short biography of Gneisenau and covers his military career.

A good guide to another part of the Prussian army in the period, the army that has very little works on it written in English.

Final Rating: 6.5/10

[Chuck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good but very short summary of the uniforms and organization of the Prussian, reserve, landwher, landsturm, freikorps, and other units sucked into the Prussian Army during period 1807-1815. I would recommend it as a survey rather than a definitive work.

Peter Hofschroer is an authority on the Prussian Army during the later Napoleonic Wars and has published a significant number of excellent works on the subject. Although he is clearly partisan for the Prussians, he is honest. And I believe an excellent counterbalance to the "Anglo-centricity" of most writers in English on the Napoleonic Wars.

I do wish that he had provided more detail on his references.