Leuthen Prussian Flags Project - Flags of Prussian Infantry Regiment 27 von Kleist

Chef from 1747 Major General Franz Ulrich von Kleist, later Lieutenant General, died 13th January 1757 of wounds received at Lobositz; from 20th January 1757 Major General Moritz Wilhelm von Asseburg; from 18th March 1759 Major General Daniel Georg von Lindstedt (to 1764)

Created 1715 from Swedish prisoners and 400 German mercenaries, plus officers and some other ranks from IRs 6 and 3.

 

It was on the left wing in the attack on the Lobosch Berg at Lobositz, October 1st 1756; the regimental chef Lieutenant General von Kleist stayed on his horse despite severe wounds which killed him three months later. 13 officers and 277 men were casualties. Kleist received the Order of the Black Eagle as did his majors, and 7 captains were given the Pour-le-merite in January 1757. The regiment was at the siege of Prague in 1757 but missed Kolin. It went to Silesia with the Duke of Bevern and held a fortified post at Breslau for nearly two months from the end of September. The grenadiers were at Moys on September 7th. On November 22nd the Austrians stormed the Prussian position at Breslau and IR27 lost 13 officers and 687 men. Barely 500 men remained to fight at Leuthen on the right wing in the advance guard. The commander of the regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Friedrich Wilhelm von Wietstruck, was killed.

In 1758 Frederick took the regiment along to help besiege Olmütz and on 11th August it was at the battle of Zorndorf against the Russians where it lost 12 officers and 623 men, including its commander Lieutenant Colonel Carl Ludwig von Zessen. Moving to Silesia, the grenadiers were at Hochkirch on October 14th. On 26th March 1759 they were captured at Greiffenburg. The regiment was in the camp at Schmottseiffen.

Although the regiment was with Prince Heinrich's Corps in 1760 and after that with the King's army, it saw no further major action. In 1763 it consisted of 1738 Prussians, 67 Saxons and 165 foreigners.

Christopher Duffy says of IR27 (Army of Frederick the Great, 1st and 2nd Edition) "Frederick once saw it fall out of step while returning from a review, whereupon he called out to the inspector: "Saldern, let the regiment be! It was never very good at falling back - it has only ever known how to attack!""

And this was the rather fancy musketeer uniform in 1756:

I'm still working on the text for the Baden-Baden Reichsarmee flags and uniform so thought I'd better show willing and post something as it's now ten days since my last posting. I'm also thinking of posting the flags of Austrian regiment Deutschmeister as carried in the 1740s; they were the old flags as issued by Charles VI as Maria Theresa did not have time or money to issue new flags when faced with the aggression of Frederick of Prussia who invaded Silesia in 1740 almost as soon as she had come to the throne of Austria-Hungary.