League Of Augsburg - Fighting Talk

Would German and other foreign regiments in Swedish pay, such as Saxon POWs and French Horse Grenadiers, been dressed in blue uniforms? Or more like brown or grey uniforms? Would foreign “enlisted” infantry battalions also use pikes?

Thanks

Edward

Do mean Swiss or do you mean Swedish?

‘Swedish”,

Good Catch.

When Sweden invaded Saxony they started with mass "recruiting" Saxon Troops and Citizens to bolster their Army for the March to Russia. So they all got Blue Coats as the Saxon Red would have been too hard of a Contrast in the Ranks of the Swedish Infantry.

Presumably, even in sticking those POW's into separate Units, they would have had Blue Coats.

Only in the subsiding System within the HRE those "borrowed" Troops would have fought in their parent Countries Uniform - as long as they were not sold to them.

Hoglund does not give any information on the uniforms of the Swiss and French regiments raised from soldiers in Saxon service following Fraustadt. Since the uniforms of the “Saxon” battalions also raised from Saxon prisoners were blue, and the whole army received new uniforms about that time, I would think that blue would be a good guess. Also, since the “Saxon” regiments did not have pikes the Swiss and French probably did not, either.

Further, Hoglund says that the German regiment, also called the Bajerska regiment raised in 1706, probably wore blue. He also cites a letter from Rehnskiold dated July 22, 1706, which says that the three newly raised regiments and battalions were dressed in blue coats with blue, red and aurora linings. This probably referred to this regiment and the French and Swiss regiments.

According to Schuster&Francke the Swiss Regiments were never brought to full strength while the French POWs formed a Battalion.
Maybe Swiss and French formed later One Regiment where as 'several Regiments' seems more than unlikely. Dan Schorr stated the Uniform of the French as being Red Standard with blue Facing, Breeches and Stockings. Swiss remain in the Dark.

Altogether...all "acquired" Troops of foreign origin would have received Standard Uniforms.

Thanks for the answers.

Would Swedish ‘German’ regiments such as the Bremen Regt and the Pomeranian Regt have been issued pikes?

Thanks

Cheers

Edward

Probably not. The German regiments at Gadebusch, (Elbing and Stralsund regiments) did not.