Baden

[Mike H.]

As a Grand Duchy, was Baden able to have its own army? If so, would it have been able to award its own medals, or was it left to the 4 Kingdoms? Where is a good resource for information on Baden? Thanks in advance.

[Dave Danner]

A good resource on what? On the awards? Baden's army? Or Baden itself?

If you read German, the Military History Museum (<i>Wehrgeschichtliches Museum</i>) in Rastatt has a nice collection and some information on its web page, <a href="http://www.wgm-rastatt.de/">http://www.wgm-rastatt.de/</a>. It is located in the palace of the Margraves of Baden-Baden.

The volume of Neal O'Connor's Aviation Awards of WW1 dealing with Baden and Oldenburg has a lot of information and has the virtue of being in English.

You can also see some of the awards on my Baden webpage, located here.

Regards,
Dave

[Mike H.]

Thanks for the response, Dave. Nice website, by the way! Baden had some nice looking awards. I will look that book up, but do you know of any sources for info on its army? How it was made up, where it was garrisoned, where and how it fought, what its uniforms looked like?

[Newlyn]

Baden Uniforms

Hello, 'The Kaiser's Army in Colour' by Charles Woolley, ( Schiffer Military Books ), has some good colour plates of Baden Regiments, damn good book anyway for anyone who likes Imperial uniforms. J.A. Bowman's two pickelhaube books cover Baden Headgear really thoroughly, and include regimental lists, including garrison towns. Hope that has been of some help.

[Dave Danner]

I have a book called "<i>Für Badens Ehre</i>" that is a history of the Baden Army, but it only goes up to the Wars of Unification.

During WW1, the XIV Army Corps was a Baden formation. Information about it and other Baden formations may be found at the <i>Generallandesarchiv Karlsruhe</i>(Noerdliche Hildapromenade 2, D-76133 Karlsruhe). There are other references out there, like Arms and Armour Press' <i>German Army Handbook, April 1918</i>, but I don't have them myself so I don't know what's in them.

There was also a 5. Badisches Feld-Artillerie-Regiment Nr.76. One of its junior officers was the later General der Panzertruppe
Fridolin von Senger und Etterlin, who commanded the Monte Cassino front.

Here is a link with some information and images of Baden troops in the Napoleonic Wars.

Here is an excerpt from a history of the Wehrmacht's 110th Infantry Regiment, which was stationed in Heidelberg and drew its traditions from the Baden Army:

<i>After the revolutions of 1848 the army of the Grand Duchy of Baden was organized with ten separate battalions. On 22 October 1852 the Baden army was reorganized into four 2-battalion regiments and two separate battalions. The former 4th and 7th Battalions were merged with the 2d Line Infantry Regiment and designated as the 1st and 2d Battalions of the regiment, which was stationed at Rastatt where today the ducal palace houses the German Army Museum (Wehrgeschichtliches Museum).

In September 1856 Grand Duke Friedrich of Baden married Princess Luise, daughter of Prince Wilhelm of Prussia. The following year, on 9 August 1857, the Grand Duke made his father-in-law chief of the regiment and named it the 2d Infantry Regiment "Prinz von Preußen". The prince was an honorary colonel of the regiment while a regular army colonel commanded it. The regiment moved to Mannheim in 1857. In 1859 the regiment again moved, this time to Konstanz on the Bodensee (Lake Constance) . When King Friedrich Wilhelm IV died on 5 January 1861, Prince Wilhelm ascended the Prussian throne as King Wilhelm I, whereupon the regiment was redesignated the 2d Infantry Regiment "König von Preußen". After the Seven Weeks War between Austria and Prussia (June through August 1866), the regiment was again stationed in Mannheim.

In 1867 a third battalion was added to the regiment. The headquarters of the 1st and 2d Battalions remained in Mannheim, while the 3d Battalion was stationed in Durlach near Karlsruhe. The following year, the 3d Battalion moved to Mannheim and the 2d Battalion moved first to Rastatt, then to Durlach

As a result of the regiment's fine performance in the annual fall maneuvers, the Grand Duke once more redesignated the regiment on 9 September 1869 (the Duke's birthday) as the 2d Grenadier Regiment "König von Preußen".

After German unification and the creation of the Second Empire, King Wilhelm of Prussia was formally proclaimed Kaiser Wilhelm I on 18 January 1871. Thereafter the regiment was again renamed on 2 April 1871 as the 2d Baden Grenadier Regiment "Kaiser Wilhelm I", Nr. 110.

Late in 1880 another restationing was directed, and on 31 March 1881 the 2d Battalion, 2d Baden Grenadier Regiment "Kaiser Wilhelm I" Nr. 110, arrived in Heidelberg. This established the ties between Heidelberg, the regiment, and the units from the Baden Army that preceded it. The regimental headquarters and its 1st and 3d Battalions remained in Mannheim.

Wilhelm died on 9 March 1888 and was succeeded by his son who became Kaiser Friedrich III. Friedrich was already fatally ill when he ascended the throne and died on 15 June 1888. Friedrich was succeeded by his son who became Kaiser Wilhelm II. More than 5 years later, Kaiser Wilhelm II took the title of regimental chief on 14 September 1893. The name of the regiment was not changed.</i>

There's bound to be more information out there. I wish I had more. Here's one other thing, from Hermann Historica's last auction, a post-1897 Baden reserve officers helmet:



Dave

[Dave Danner]

Here, from Helmut Weitze's web site, a 1916 field gray replacement helmet for infantry troops (<i>feldgraue Ersatzpickelhaube für Mannschaften Infanterie</i>):



and a 1910 Infantry officer's Pickelhaube:



and shoulderboards for a Lieutenant in the Infanterie-Regiment Markgraf Ludwig Wilhelm (3. Badisches) Nr. 111, which was stationed in Rastatt:



and for a private in Infanterie Regiment Kaiser Friedrich III. Nr. 114:



and, from Andre Huesken's site, an Oberleutnant in Leib-Grenadier-Regt. (1. Badisches) Nr.109, from Karlsruhe:

[Mike H.]

Dave,

Thanks for all the info! The scans are great as well - thank you for sharing. Thank you also for the leads, I have avenues to study now.