PRUSSIAN DRAGOONS (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 cavalry, including dragoons. In 1805, there were 14 dragoon regiments in the Prussian army, and after the 1806 campaign - only six. However, in the course of the 1815 campaign, their number reached nine. At the beginning of the Napoleonic wars, the dragoons regiments numbered about 850 people, including 37 officers and 75 non-commissioned officers, but with time the position of the dragoons regiment changed. The basic weapon of the Prussian dragoons was a saber, and until 1811 some soldiers in individual regiments used single-edged broadswords. On top of that, there was a cavalry rifle. After 1806, significant changes also took place in the uniform of dragoons, which were simplified for cost-effective reasons, but also more emphasis was placed on the convenience of its use. Prussian dragoons were given shaka as headgear. They were perceived as a universal cavalry formation, capable of both reconnaissance and reconnaissance, and participation in a charge on the battlefield.