Friday, March 3, 2017

1st West Prussian Landwehr Cavalry

While planning my Gross Beeren game for HAVOC (which takes place in 4 weeks), I discovered that my Order of  Battle called for 4 units of Landwehr Cavalry. I had only three, but recalled that I had surplus Prussia Dragoon figures that could be used to raise a new, 4th Landwehr cavalry unit. So I did!



The Erstes Westpreussische Landwehr-Kavallerie Regiment. 28mm Old Glory Prussian Dragoon figures.  Mit Gott für König und Vaterland!


The regulation uniform for the Landwehr cavalry was fairly similar to that of the Prussian Dragoons, except that the coats were dark blue, and the leather work was black. The Provincial color was to appear on the collars and  the cuff piping; I have made the whole cuff in the provincial color, a common variation. 

The provincial color for West Prussia was black, but most of the Landwehr infantry and cavalry raised their instread used "Brick Red" facings, as seen on this unit. I painted them first with Delta CC Pumpkin, with a second coat in CC Poppy Orange on top to get a strong orange-red color against the dark blue of the Litewkas and saddle blankets. 


Landwehr cavalry, like their infantry brethren weren't supposed to carry standards, but they did carry lances. Therefore, I have equipped this unit with an oversize lance/guidon in the provincial lance pennon colors for West Prussia (yellow over crimson), ornamented with a black Landwehr cross. 


The shakos were usually ornamented with a white or yellow Landwehr cross on the front as well. As these figures wear covered shakos, the cross is painted onto the shako covers. I have covered the uniforms of the Landwehr cavalry previously in more detail here. There were many units dressed in decidedly different uniforms, although it is estimated that roughly 75% of the Landwehr Cavalry wore more or less the regulation dress. 



19 comments:

  1. Superior work! The Landwehr and Freikorps fascinate me.

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    1. They are both the fun part of the 1813 Prussians... and the bulk of their forces!

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  2. Very good that you checked both OB and inventory with enough time to allow the raising of new recruits! Good looking cavalry and like that the entire 1st West Prussian LDW all ride Palominos.

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    1. Thanks, Jon. They would of course have ridden a motley mix of whatever horseflesh they could dredge up, but from the "toy soldier' standpoint, I like my Cavalry mounted on uniform horse types!

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  3. Nothing like finding out you need another regiment with four weeks to go. Lucky you had the figures at hand. I'm very much looking forward to the write up on this one.

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    1. It should be fun, and we have a 6 hr time slot which should allow a conclusion to be reached. If I had to, I could have used my Lutzow Freikorps cavalry for the 4th unit, but I knew I had these Prussians around, and my plan was to paint them as LW cavalry at some, undetermined time. So I suppose that in this case it was Opportunity being the mother of Necessity! :-)

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  4. A splendid unit, very nice job on the horses and on these beautiful Prussians!

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    1. Thanks, Phil. The CC Prussian Blue really creates superb shading when thinned with just a little "wet water". I don't know if the pigment they use is the same as historical Prussian Blue (which I did a post on, as I found it so fascinating), but that pigment has interesting color properties with differing dilutions.

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  5. Another nice bunch of Prussian Peter!

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  6. Lovely looking prussians, the facing colour really pops!
    Best Iain

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