Franco-Prussian War Armies - Bavaria


Line Infantry


Headgear


The helmet was black leather with a black wool crest. On the front was the Royal cipher in brass. Two types of the helmet were worn, the 1845 and the 1868 versions. The former was taller than the latter and had brass chin scales where as the 1868 model had leather chinstraps and a brass edging around the front of the peak. The chin scales and straps were held in place by two lion's head clasps in brass. On the left hand side was a small blue over white cockade.

 
Regiment
Collar and Cuffs
Button
1st
Deep Red
Brass
2.d
Black, Red Edge
Brass
3rd
Red
Brass
4th
Yellow
Pewter
Silt
Rose
Pewter
6th
Red
Pewter
7th
Rose
Brass
8th
Yellow
Brass
9th
Crimson
Brass
10th
Crimson
Pewter
11h
Black, Red Edge
Pewter
12th
Orange
Pewter
13th
Dark Green Red Edge
Pewter
14th
Dark Green, Red Edge
Brass
15th
Orange
Brass
Lieb
Red
Brass

 
Peaked undress caps in cornflower blue with a piping in the regimental colours were also worn.

Tunic.


This was single-breasted in cornflower blue and piped in red along the front and across the back flaps. The wulste were red. Collars, cuffs and button colour varied with the regiment as shown in the table.

The Lieb regiment had the addition of two bars of litzen on the cuff.

Trousers


These were light blue and tucked into black jack boots.

All belts were black.

Equipment.


A black cartridge box was worn on the back of the waist belt, but in action was often worn on the front. A short sword and a bayonet were carried in adjoining black scabbards on the left hip. Pack details were the same as the Prussians.

The greatcoat was black with two rows of buttons, broad cuffs and a turndown collar.

The Jäger


The jäger uniform was almost identical to the line except that the piping, collar, cuffs and wulste were all green. Green jäger  cords were attached to the upper tunic. A brass bugle adorned the front of the cartridge box.

Officers


Officers wore the same uniform as the men with a gilt hilted sabre in a steel scabbard hung from silver and blue slings.

Musicians


Drummers also wore the men's uniform with a white apron and swallows nests with blue and white horizontal stripes. Collars and cuffs had piping in the button colour.

THE CAVALRY


Cuirassiers


Headgear


The helmet was steel with a brass comb topped by a small black woollen crest. In the front was a plate with the Royal cipher. Brass chin scales were held in place by brass lion's head clasps.

Tunic


Two forms of the tunic were worn in 1870 by the cuirassiers. In the summer they wore the Spenser which was a short single-breasted garment with a red collar and red piped cuffs. In Autumn and winter the full tunic was worn with red collar cuffs and piping. The 1st regiment had brass buttons and the second pewter. On the shoulders were worn pewter epaulettes.

The steel cuirass was anchored across the shoulder with brass scales. Brass rivets dressed the bottom edge and around the shoulders.

Trousers


Dark blue reithose (riding trousers) with a red seam and strapped heavily with leather were worn inside black knee boots.

Belts.


The waist belt and pouch belt was white and the pouch black.

Equipment


Armament was a Prussian pattern cuirassier sword with a brass hilt and a pistol. The shabraque was of the Prussian Dragoon pattern in cornflower blue with a red edging.

Officers


Officers wore the same uniform as the men with all metal being either silver or gilt. The shabraque was a black sheepskin edged in cornflower blue.

Trumpeters wore the same as the men's uniform but with out cuirass and with swallows nests in the usual pattern.

Cheveaulegere


Headgear


The cheveaulegere helmet was the same as the model 1845 infantry helmet with the addition of two brass bars in a V pattern on each side of the helmet and a small blue over white plume on the left hand side above the rosette.

Tunic


This was double-breasted in dark green with collar, cuffs and piping in a distinctive regimental colour. A double-breasted spenser was also worn with just the collar in the regimental colour as shown in the table
 

Regiment
Colour
Button Colour
1st
Crimson
Brass
2nd
Crimson
Pewter
3rd
Rose
Brass
4th
Rose
Pewter
5th
Red
Brass
6th
Red
Pewter

Trousers

 
The reithose were geeen wuth thigh length black boots

Belts

 
Both waist and pouch belts were white. the pouch was black.

Equipment


On the shoulder were pewter epaulettes.

Armament was a steel hilted sabre and a pistol. The shabraque was of the Prussian Hussar pattern in green with a straight edge in the regimental colour. The greatcoat was with the collar in the regimental colour.

Officers


The officer's uniform was the same as the men's but with a red cover for the pouch. Officers always wore the tunic.

Musicians wore the men’s uniforms with swallows nests.

The Uhlans


Headgear


The Uhlans wore the czapka with a small horsehair plume on the left hand side. The whole of the cap, including the plume, was worn under an oilskin cover on campaign.

The rest of the uniform was the same as the Cheveaulegere except that the regi­mental colours were crimson and the buttons pewter for both regiments.

Lance pennons were blue over white

Officers had crimson pouch belt covers and musicians the usual swallow nests.

ARTILLERY


Headgear


The artillery wore the same helmet as the cheveauleger with a red plume.

Tunic


This differed from the infantry tunic only by being dark blue and having black collars and cuffs edged red. Buttons were brass and brass scaled epaulettes were worn on the shoulders.

Trousers

Trousers were dark blue and tucked into the boots in the 3rd and 4th regiments while all others, including all horse artillery and riders, wore reithose.

Belts


The foot gunners wore white waist belts and the mounted troops and horse gunners white waist belts and white pouch belts with a steel hilted sword in a steel scabbard.

ENGINEERS


The engineers wore the artillery uniform with pewter buttons. The equipment was the same as the infantry with the appropriate tools fastened to the pack.

GENERALS AND STAFF


Bavarian generals wore a cornflower blue infantry tunic with scarlet collars, cuff and piping. Buttons and epaulettes were silver. Trousers were cornflower blue with a red seam and generally worn over the boots. The headgear was a Peaked undress cap in cornflower blue with scarlet piping. In the front centre was a silver crown surrounded by a laurel wreath.

Bavarian generals also wore the Prussian uberockwhich in this case was double breasted with red collar and piping,

Staff officers wore a similar uniform but with the infantry helmet and with the collar and cuffs being blue piped red and the cuffs having two silver lace bars.

All headquarters staff wore a sash which was silver with two blue stripes.

The shabraques for generals were red edged in silver and had t4hel royal cipher in the back corner. Staff officers had the cuirassier officer's sheepskin shabraque.

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