3rd Cavalry Regiment

[Todd Gylsen]

Does anyone have any information/history or know where I can find information on the 3rd Reserve Cavalry Regiment (WW II German) or any of its commanders?

[Ian Jewison]

Kavallerie Regiment 3 or Reserve Kavallerie Regiment 3?

/Ian

[Todd Gylsen]

Reserve Kavalrie Regiment 3. Sorry about not making that clear. I have an Oberst's wafffenrock from this Regiment and am trying to find the history of this Regiment as well as who's uniform this possibly could have belonged to. Thanks for any information anyone can provide.

[Ian Jewison]

After taking a look through my references there wasn't actually a Reserve Kavalrie Regiment 3.
There was however the following:

Kavallerie Ersatz Abteilung 3 formed 26.8.1939 in Göttingen, Wehrkreis IX.
Renamed Radfahr Ers.Abt. 3 on 17.9.1942. On 1.10.1942 divided into Ersatz and Ausbildung Abteilung.
Renamed Aufklärungs Ers.Abt. 3 on 1.4.1943.

The Kommandeuren where:
26.8.39 Hauptmann von dem Knesebeck
15.1.40 Major von Keudell
? Hauptmann von Rohr
4.4.42 Major Ernst Heinrich Prinz zu Stollberg-Roßlau
1.1.44 Oberstleutnant Ballerstedt

Is this the info you were after?

/Ian

[Todd Gylsen]

Thanks for the info. Now I have a little history to go with the Waffenrock. It doesn't quite fit with the uniform, though (which is an Oberst, with gray underlay on the shoulder boards). I have attached a photo of the shoulder board. Was I asking for the correct Regiment?

[Ian Jewison]

I was a little confused when you said Oberst to the replacement units as it was a high rank!
You tunic is to an Oberst der Reserve which does not assign him to a reserve unit!
Chances are he was with Kavallerie Regiment 3......however this was disbanded with the outbreak of war!!!

Any date in the uniform at all?

Kommandeuren where:

1.10.34 Oberst Kurt Feldt (later General der Kavallerie and Ritterkreuzträger)
10.11.38 Oberst Fridolin von Senger und Etterlin (later General der Panzertruppe and Eichenlaubträger).

The two above were not Reserve Offizieren however!

I wonder if this could be associated to an Oberst d.R. with 3 Kavallerie Brigade?

/Ian

[Ian Jewison]

Gents,

Copied this here as we need to identify which unit the tunic belonged to?

Could the "3" be an indication of Brigade or would it be Regment? I suppose it could mean both and even Abteilung or even Division?

Any help would be appreciated.

Cheers, Ian

[ngs3]

First, what do we know?

It appears the cypher is not a flat, or early, Reichwehr numeral. Instead it is 3-D which means it dates after September 1935. Units above Regiment did not wear numbers if I read Angolia & Schlicht correctly.

Kavallerie regiments were disbanded in 1939 mobilization, some regiments as early as 1936. Reiter-Regiment 3 existed from 1.7.36 to mobilzation around August 1939, I believe. About 24 months.

So the tunic would be limited to a small window of time, except that it is for a reserve officer.

I think it safe to rule out a Kav. regiment which Ian's research supports. Both the School and Instruction troops would wear a letter; bicycle troops a letter plus a number.

Replacement and training troops would most likely have been commanded by a lesser ranked individual as these units tended to be one size smaller than the organization they supplied. A colonel would normally command regiment or brigade.

What would have been commanded by a reserve Oberst? I would suggest a Remount School. It would also not fall under the orders to remove unit designations from shoulder boards. Therefore a reserve Oberst could be expected to wear his uniform with a "3" later than the 1936-1939 period when the regiment existed.

Now if someone can find such a unit and its commanders?

Neil