The King's German Legion

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OTTO VON PIVKA

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MICHAEL ROFFE

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Ki!!gs yerman £egion Text by

OTTO VON PIVKA

Colour plates by

MICHAEL ROFFE

OSPREY PUBLISHING LIMITED

PuhlisllC'd in 197+ by OSI rl"y rllbli'hin~ I.to. 1',0, Bo" 2,-), 707 O"ford Road, Reading, Berkshire (' Copyrig-hl 197-1- Osprey Puhli,hing I..ld Thi. book is opyrighted under Ihe Berne .onvention .. \I rights rc, en'cd, Apart fron an~ lair dealing for the purpose or pri\ atc tud). research. criliei>JU or rc\'icw, as permillco under lhe (:opyright Act, 1956, 110 pan of thi" publicutiol1 may bc reproduced, stored in a retrieval system I' tran milted in an)' form or by any means, eleclroni', leclrical, chemical, mechanical, "ptieal.. photocopying. recording or thcrwisc. without thc prim perrni sion or the copyright owncr, F:I'(juiric, >hould be addres>ccl tn the Publisher"

\Iy thanks are due to frau Doklor Witti hen of th,' Bomann :-'Iuscnm in Celie. and Doktor Plath ancl Frau DOk!Ol' ''''i. wc or the HistOl'i,chcs ,\ I\lScum in Hano\'er and Ro ie, "'ho l('d mC in I IC preparation or thi, w(wk.

I'rimed in (;rC5,000; Suehet in lhc aSI with 40,000. The reserve armies orJourdan ;lud Sou ham in Casti.le numbered 25,000 men. 'Wellington, firmly in command or both Spanish border fortresses, now d 'ided to go over to the offensive and to clear Spain of the French even though his own army numbered only 44,000 men and sLxry-four guns after Hill's corps in the south had bcen deducted. On 13 June \Vellington's army moved out of Ciudad Rodrigo towards Salamanca, where Marmont's army lav, but Nfarmont fell back over the Domo and until mid-July nothing of importance oecuned. Marmont now began to manccuvre to outflank Wellington, and on 22 July the famous Battle of Salamanca took place, in which Marmonl was completely defeated, losing 7,000 prisoners, cleven guns, two eagles and eleven standards. Total Allied losse were 5,000 men; the Legion lost fifteen officers and 112 men dead and wounded. Sympher's battery had distinguish d itself; the Hussars of the Legion hap captured many prisoners as well as four guns and lWO standards. Next day the chase was taken up, the foremost of Wellington's troops being the tst and 2nd Light Battalions of the Legion. At Garcia Hernandcz the french rearguard was encountered and the two heavy dragoon regiments of the L aion earned undying fame in their famous charge during \·vhich they broke three enemy squares (those of the 76", 6 0 and 69" Lign of Foy's division). Within forty minutes the invincible dragoon had broken three squares and captured r AOO prisoners at a cost of six officers and [21 men killed 01' wounded (fifty-one were killed 0\1 the spot) and sixty-eight horses killed and seventytwo wounded. Garcia Hernandez created such an impression on the British Government that all omcers of the }C,ing's German Legion were accepted into the British Army as equals with their British comrades,

tllelr seniority datlng irom the day their commissions had been issued. Those Legion oOlcers serving with acting rank Wel·e granted these J·anks on a permanent basis. They al-o now had the right to a pension or 'half-pay' from (he British Government. The battle honour 'Garcia Hernandez' was carried by the 1st and 2nd Dragoons of thc Legion unlil th' First World War. Marmoot was pur ued over III(" Douro and on 30 July Wellington was at Valladolid, but here he decided 10 turn east to drive King Joseph out of his capital at 1adrid, leaving 18,000 men to watch Marmont's beaten army (which had now been taken over by Clausel). On II August 1812, when the men of Wellington's army were enjoying a rest day, lancers of Berg and Italian dragoons of General Treilharel's brigade raided the cavalry lines, overthrew General d'Urban's young Portuguese cava.lry brigade (which was the covering forcc) and Lroke in among the dragoons of the Legion. Luckily, the 15t Light Battalion of the Legion lNas also (here and were able to fight for time to allow Lhe dragoons to saddle up, mount and throw themselves at the attackers. Eventually General Ponsonby appeared with a British cavalry brigade and (he assailants withdrew. The dragoons of the Legion had lost seven officers and fori y-eight m n dead and wounded. Wellington was so plea ed with th ir conduct that he put them at (he head of the column of Allied troops which entered Madrid on 12 August 181: