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When Napoleon imposed the Convention of Artlenburg (Convention of the Elbe) on July 5, 1803 the Kurfürstentum Hannover (Electorate of Hannover) was disbanded and its army dissolved. Many former Hannoverian officers and soldiers fled the French occupation to Britain, as King George III of the United Kingdom was also Elector of Hannover. Napoleon I of France, by Jacques-Louis David Napoleon Bonaparte (15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821) was a general of the French Revolution, and the ruler of France as First Consul (Premier Consul) of the French Republic from 11 November 1799 to 18 May 1804, then as Emperor of the...
July 5 is the 186th day of the year (187th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 179 days remaining. ...
1803 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...
Map of Germany showing Hanover Hanover (in German: Hannover [haˈnoːfɐ]), on the river Leine, is the capital of the state of Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen), Germany. ...
George III (George William Frederick) (June 4, 1738 – January 29, 1820) was King of Great Britain, and King of Ireland from October 25, 1760 until January 1, 1801, and thereafter King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death. ...
Hanover (German Hannover) is a historical territory in todays Germany. ...
The same year, Major Colin Halkett and Colonel Johann Friedrich von der Decken were issued warrants to raise a corps of light infantry, to be named "The King's German Regiment". On December 19, 1803, Halkett´s and von der Decken`s levies were combined as a fundament of a corps of all arms to be formed and named the King's German Legion. Sir Colin Halkett GCB,GCH (1774-1856) Son of Major-General F.G. Halkett Brother of General Hugh Halkett He began his military career in the Dutch Guards and served in various companies for three years, leaving as a captain in 1795. ...
Traditionally light infantry (or skirmishers) were soldiers whose job was to provide a skirmishing screen ahead of the main body of infantry, harassing and delaying the enemy advance. ...
December 19 is the 353rd day of the year (354th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
1803 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...
The number of officers and enlisted men grew over time to around 14,000, but during the 13 years of its existence, about 28,000 men served in the Legion. The Legion saw active service as part of the Britisch Army from 1805 until 1816, when it´s units were disbanded.
Organization
Cavalry 1st Regiment of Dragoons (1804-1812, red dolman)
changed into: 1st Regiment of Light Dragoons (1812-1816, blue dolman)
2nd Regiment of Dragoons (1805-1812, red dolman)
changed into: 2nd Regiment of Light Dragoons (1812-1816, blue dolman)
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
3 foot batteries
King's German Engineers
The Legion was stationed in Bexhill on Sea and Weymouth. Later some of them were sent to Ireland. Location within the British Isles Bexhill-on-Sea (usually simply Bexhill) is a town and seaside resort in the county of East Sussex, in the south of England within the Rother District Council area. ...
Weymouth Promenade in 1993 Weymouth is a coastal town in Dorset, England. ...
Campaigns The Legion never fought as an unit, so it is difficult to follow the various battalions in their campaigns.
The Legion's units fought in battles in Hannover, Pomerania, Copenhagen and Walcheren, the Peninsula under General Sir John Moore; and the retreat to Corunna; the Peninsula under the Duke of Wellington, including the battles of Busaco,Barrosa, Fuentes de Onoro, Albuera, Ciudad Rodrigo, Salamanca, Garcia Hernandez, Burgos, Vittoria, San Sebastian, Nivelles, Sicily and the eastern parts of Spain, Northern Germany and Göhrde. Map of Germany showing Hanover Hanover (in German: Hannover [haˈnoːfɐ]), on the river Leine, is the capital of the state of Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen), Germany. ...
Historic Pomerania (outlined in yellow) Pomerania (Polish: Pomorze, German: Pommern and Pommerellen, Pomeranian (Kashubian): Pòmòrze and Pòmòrskô, Latin: Pomerania, Pomorania) is a geographical and historical region in northern Poland and Germany on the south coasts of the Baltic Sea between and on both sides of the...
Copenhagen (Danish: København) is the capital and largest city of Denmark, and the name of the municipality (Danish, kommune) in which it resides. ...
Satellite image of the Scheldt estuary Walcheren is a former island in the province of Zeeland in the Netherlands at the mouth of the Scheldt estuary. ...
Peninsula A peninsula (Latin, literally meaning almost island) is a geographical formation consisting of an extension of land from a larger body, surrounded by water on three sides. ...
Sir John Moore (November 13, 1761 – January 16, 1809) was a British soldier and General. ...
Corunna is the English name of province and town in Spain, nowadays more frequently known by its Galician name A Coruña or its Spanish name La Coruña. ...
Peninsula A peninsula (Latin, literally meaning almost island) is a geographical formation consisting of an extension of land from a larger body, surrounded by water on three sides. ...
The Most Noble Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, PC, FRS (1 May 1769–14 September 1852) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and statesman, widely considered one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century. ...
The Battle of Buçaco was a battle of the Peninsular War, fought by British and Portuguese forces under the command of the Duke of Wellington on September 27, 1810, to check French pursuit of his retreat to the Lines of Torres Vedras. ...
The Battle of Fuentes de Onoro was fought on May 3 - 5, 1811 and resulted in an undecided battle between French troops under Marshall André Masséna and British under Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. ...
The Battle of Albuera was a battle of the Peninsular War which took place on May 16, 1811, at Albuera, about 12 miles south of Badajoz between the French Army, under the command of Field Marshal Soult, and an Allied force of British, Spanish, and Portuguese troops. ...
The Battle of Salamanca was fought among the Arapiles hills near Salamanca in Spain on July 22, 1812, and resulted in an Anglo-Portuguese tactical victory under Lord Wellington against the French under marshal Marmont. ...
The Battle of Burgos was fought on November 7, 1808, and resulted in a French victory under Marshall Soult against the Spanish under General Belveder. ...
The Battle of Vitoria was fought on June 21, 1813 during the British, Portuguese and Spanish troops, with 96 guns, under The Duke of Wellington, and 58,000 French with 153 guns under King Joseph Bonaparte and Marshal Jourdan. ...
Husky was also the codename of Australian military support to Sierra Leone ending in February 2003. ...
At the Battle of Waterloo, the 2nd Light Battalion -- with members of the 1st Light Battalion and the 5th Line Battalion -- famously defended "La Haye Sainte" until they ran out of ammunition. Map of the Waterloo campaign The Battle of Waterloo, fought on June 18, 1815, was Napoleon Bonapartes last battle. ...
La Haye Sainte is a farmhouse at the foot of an escarpment on the Charleroi-Brussels road. ...
The Legion was known for their excellence and their fighting ability. The cavalry was reputed to be one of the best in the British army.
After the victory at Waterloo, the Electorate of Hannover was re-founded as Kingdom of Hannover. However, the army of Hannover had been reconstituted even before the final battle, so that there were 2 Hannoverian armies in existence.-1...
In 1816 the Legion was dissolved and some of the officers and enlisted men were integrated into the new Hannoverian army -- but not all, which led to much hardship, especially for the enlisted men. 1816 was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...
See also British military history is a long and varied topic, extending from the prehistoric and ancient historic period, through the Roman invasions of Julius Cæsar and Claudius and subsequent Roman occupation; warfare in the Mediaeval period, including the invasions of the Saxons and the Vikings in the Dark Ages, the...
External links - http://www.kingsgermanlegion.org.uk/
- http://www.kgl.info (in German)
Sources include: - Chappell: The King`s German Legion (1) 1803-1812
- Chappell: The King`s German Legion (2) 1812-1815
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