Leuthen Prussian Flags Project - Standards of Kürassier Regiment 1

First raised around 1665. Chef in 1756 was Colonel Wilhelm Dietrich von Buddenbrock, later a Field Marshal. His successor from the 2nd April 1757 was Major General Hans Kaspar von Krockow, who died on the 25th February 1759 of wounds received at Hochkirch. From 28th February 1759  the chef was Major General Gustav Albrecht von Schlabrendorff, who died in 1765.

[I've had these sitting around for some time but cannot promise I'll be rapidly adding all the Prussian cavalry standards to the blog. Eventually, perhaps. Working on the Prussian infantry flags plus those of the French and some others eats up plenty of time! Those of KR1 and the 1st Dragoons were of plain cloth sheets, not the damask of all the other regiments, so are much easier to depict. These are also of the older pattern carried in the previous reign; KRs 1, 3, 4, 8, 10, 11 and 12 all carried the older pattern, as did Dragoon regiments 1, 2, 3, 4 and 7.]

In 1756 the regiment was part of Schwerin's Corps in Silesia and saw no serious action until Prague on May 6th 1757. There it was in the front line of the left flank cavalry attack that beat the Austrian cavalry threat with the help of Zieten's command. Losses were about 10-15% (Duffy Army of Frederick the Great 1st Edition). At Kolin on the 18th June (only 442 strong) the regiment was driven back to the Kaiserweg by Austrian cavalry with heavy losses. With the Duke of Bevern in Silesia from the end of August, it was involved in the defeat at Breslau on 22nd November. Joining the King at Parchwitz on 2nd December, it shared in the victory at Leuthen, with 10-15% casualties (Duffy again). In 1758 it was with the King's army, remaining in Silesia after the failed move on Olmütz in August. Although involved in the defeat at Hochkirch in the centre of the position casualties were minimal, apart from its chef von Krockow who was mortally wounded on the right wing. With Prince Henry's Saxon Corps in 1759 it was then sent to the Pomeranian Corps on June 24th and suffered heavy casualties at Kay (Paltzig) against the Russians; its regimental commander Colonel von Wartenburg was killed. Worse was to follow at the defeat of Kunersdorf three weeks later where the regiment lost 107 dead including 12 officers trying to help relieve the pressure on the infantry and then vainly trying to defeat the final great attack by the Austrian and Russian cavalry. At Torgau in 1760 the regiment led Holstein's cavalry attack on the Süptitz Heights, succeeding in driving back the Austrian cavalry despite repeated counter-attacks. In 1761 it served in Eastern Saxony and finally in 1762 fought in the victory of Freiberg under Prince Henry.
 

And this is the uniform as depicted by Menzel. The hat is of the later bicorne-type with plume whereas in the SYW the tricorne proper was worn: