PRUSSIAN LINE INFANTRY IN SUMMER DRESS STANDING ORDER ARMS (NAPOLEONIC WARS)

At the time of the outbreak of wars with revolutionary France (1792-1799), the Prussian army was still radiant with the fame of great successes during the Seven Years' War (1756-1763), and the memory of such victories as the Battle of Rossbach (1757) or Lutynia (1757) was still alive. It was also widely regarded as probably the best in Europe. However, already in the 1770s, it began to undergo a kind of erosion and ossification. Its combat value was becoming more and more debatable. The Prussian army was still able to wage a campaign against France with some success in 1792-1795, but already in the course of the 1806 campaign it suffered a devastating defeat. It is not surprising that the battles of Jena and Auerstädt became synonymous with defeat in the Prussian army, and at the same time launched a process of far-reaching changes. These reforms also affected - not surprisingly - the Prussian infantry. The so-called line infantry composed of musketeers and grenadiers. In 1806 it had 147 battalions, while in March 1813 Prussia was able to deploy 12 line infantry regiments. However, in the period 1813-1815 this number was increased by co-opting reserve infantry battalions to 32 regiments. Before the 1806 campaign, the Prussian line infantry regiment (musketeer or grenadier) consisted of 2 battalions, each with 805 to 830 full-time soldiers. However, in 1808 the regiment's structure changed and it consisted of a fusilier battalion and two musketeer battalions. Each battalion consisted of 4 companies. It is worth adding that the shooting equipment of the Prussian line infantry - in contrast to the Friarian era - was diverse and consisted of several types of flintlock rifles. When it comes to training it, it should be said that it was generally good for regiments formed before 1813 and average for those formed in the period 1813-1815. Undoubtedly, however, morale and the will to fight were often at a very high level.