4th Infantry Regiment "Hoch- und Deutschmeister"

Great Turkish War

Later in June 1696, the regiment was shipped down the Danube from Donauwörth to Hungary, eventually reaching Transylvania. On the way, it was repeatedly ambushed by Ottoman cavalry. During one such ambush on 6 September 1697, it distinguished itself for the first time when the Leib-Bataillon, the regiment's elite battalion, on the Szegedi Heath along the Tisza rapidly formed square and fired into the charging Ottoman cavalry, forcing the attackers to retreat.

The regiment continued its advance along the Tisza through swampy terrain and steppes around Petrovaradin, where it received reports that Ottoman forces had crossed the river near Zenta (now Senta), north of the town. A Pasha that was captured by the vanguard informed them that the Sultan was advancing across a strongly fortified pontoon bridge with his entire army, and that this crossing point was to be attacked. At sunset, the regiment marched in combat readiness toward Senta to meet the enemy, its mission, together with other infantry units, being to storm the well-fortified enemy line of entrenchments.

The regiment soon saw its baptism of fire at the Battle of Zenta on 11 September 1697 under the leadership of Prince Eugene of Savoy, where it drove back Ottoman forces from their positions and then attacked the enemy from the rear, preventing their retreat across the bridge and forcing them into the waters of the Tisza, resulting in the Ottoman army being completely annihilated.

It distinguished itself so highly in this battle that upon receiving Prince Eugene's report of victory, Emperor Leopold I issued a letter of thanks and recognition to the regiment's commander at the time, Damian Hugo, Baron of Viermund to Neersen [de].^[1]

The regiment remained in garrison in Hungary and Transylvania until 1711, where it took part in Rákóczi's War of Independence, fighting in the battles of Smolenice, Koroncó, and Trenčín, as well as in the sieges of the Castle of Arva (now Orava) and Érsekújvár (now Nové Zámky). During this period, it was considered one of the most motivated and best-equipped units, partly due to substantial wartime funding. It was later sent on garrison duty across all places within the Holy Roman Empire, even as far as the Spanish Netherlands (later the Austrian Netherlands, now Belgium).^[5][6]

Austro-Turkish War (1716–1718)

The unit fought in the Battle of Petrovaradin, a major engagement that ultimately opened the way up to Belgrade after it was won. It then took part in the subsequent Siege of Belgrade (1717), where it helped capture the city. The regiment's commander, Damian Casimir of Dalberg [de], was killed during the siege.

The following year, the Treaty of Passarowitz was signed, concluding the war in a Habsburg victory.^[7][8]

1750–1757

As of 1750, the regiment counted four battalions (two grenadier companies and 16 fusilier companies) for a total of 2,300 men. This was the administrative organisation of the regiment. However, the tactical organisation differed: two field fusilier battalions, each of six companies; two grenadier companies (usually converged with grenadiers from other regiments into an ad hoc unit); and one garrison battalion of four companies.

At the outbreak of the war in 1756, the regiment was stationed in Buda (now Budapest) before being redeployed to northern Moravia on the Silesian border, where it joined Ottavio Piccolomini's [de] corps assembling at Hradec Králové toward the end of the year against Prussia.

1757–1758

On 18 June 1757, the regiment distinguished itself at the Battle of Kolín, where it was deployed on the left of the second line in Generalmajor Baron Plonquet's Brigade. Together with the Baden-Baden and Botta Infantry Regiments, it helped repulse the initial Prussian attack near Bříství. Oberstwachtmeister [de] Johann von Soro [de], commanding a battalion of converged grenadiers, repeatedly led counterattacks despite being wounded by a musket shot to the leg, continuing to command for two hours until he finally fainted. He was carried to the field hospital, but upon being informed that the situation was deteriorating, he returned to the front and led a renewed bayonet charge. In the ensuing fighting, Soro was again severely wounded when a cannonball shattered his right leg.

The regiment suffered very heavy losses, including several staff officers and most of its grenadier leadership, leaving it reduced to a single battalion and one grenadier company. In recognition of its conduct, Empress Maria Theresa awarded the regiment 6,203 guilders, and all wounded soldiers were granted double pay.

Despite being a costly victory, the battle forced Frederick the Great to abandon the Siege of Prague and his planned advance on Vienna, and instead retreat into Saxony. Following the battle, Maria Theresa founded the Military Order of Maria Theresa. The date of the battle later became the regiment's anniversary day.^[14][1]

On 15 July, during the Prussian retreat toward Saxony, the regiment formed part of Field marshal Macquire's [de] corps and took part in the storming of Gabel [de] at Jablonné v Podještědí. Its grenadiers attacked one of the gates but were driven back. After an Austrian victory in the battle, the regiment moved to Zittau, where it participated in the subsequent siege. After the battle, the regiment was split up to be stationed in Wrocław and Brno.

Throughout the rest of the year, small Battalions of the regiment where involved in the Siege of Schweidnitz [de] (now Świdnica) and the Battle of Breslau (now Wrocław). There, one battalion was assigned to Josip Šišković's brigade in the second line of the infantry centre under Feldzeugmeister Baron Kheul, while its grenadiers were attached to Salomon Sprecher von Bernegg's corps. The grenadiers took part in the storming of the village of Grabiszyn, west of Wrocław, capturing it after four assaults from the Prussians, while other elements of the regiment fought near Pieszyce and helped storm two entrenchments, capturing nine cannons, one howitzer and one mortar.

The regiment suffered losses of 37 men killed and 125 wounded, including eight officers. During the battle, it was temporarily commanded by Oberstwachtmeister [de] Baron Haack, who replaced the sick Colonel Franz von Callenberg.

Later at the Battle of Leuthen, northwest of Wrocław, in Prussian (formerly Austrian) Silesia, it defended the bridge near Leszno before ultimately facing defeat by Prussian forces. The defeat ensured Prussian control of the region during the Third Silesian War, which was part of the Seven Years' War.^[15]

After the defeat at Leuthen, Field marshal Leopold Joseph von Daun concentrated the remnants of the army around Wrocław and then marched through Schweidnitz (now Świdnica) and Landshut to Bohemia. On December 18, his troops passed the border. During the retreat, the regiment had lost all of its baggage. On the way, 300 men under Captain Horle had been left in Schweidnitz to form part of the garrison.

1758–1760

At the capitulation at the Second Siege of Schweidnitz [de], 200 of the originally 300 men of the regiment including Captain Horle became prisoners of the Prussian army after the bombardment of the fortress and the storming of the outwork.

At the beginning of the Prussian invasion of Moravia, the regiment remained part of Daun's army and was stationed at Litomyšl. Its grenadiers formed the vanguard during the march to Svitavy, after which the regiment encamped at Předlice [cs] and Ivanovice na Hané. During the subsequent siege of Olmütz, Deutschmeister grenadiers helped repel repeated Prussian attacks, especially in heavy fighting near Křenovice. Frederick the Great would soon be forced to abandon the siege and withdraw from Moravia due to supply shortages and the approach of an Austrian relief force following the Battle of Domstadtl.

Following the battle, the entire regiment, including its grenadiers, was assigned to Christoph von Baden-Durlach [de] and deployed to the Silesian border near Sulików to defend Silesia and Upper Lusatia against further Prussian incursions. After the Battle of Hochkirch, it occupied Prussian entrenchments and positions, though it did not take part in the fighting. It next saw action during the Siege of Neisse [de], where its third battalion escorted heavy artillery before the siege was eventually lifted.

In 1759, the regiment was moved between Bruntál, Osoblaha, and then Heřmanovice, where it remained until June before continuing to Leszno and eventually Görlitz. It was forced to abandon Görlitz after a Prussian advance, withdrawing to defensive positions around Bautzen to protect the magazines. On September 24, the regiment was transferred to Ernst Gideon von Laudon's Corps and marched to Zielona Gora where Loudon made a junction with the Russians.

After further movements through Polish-Lithuanian western Galicia near Kraków, the regiment was ordered to march to Prague and then towards Liberec, using requisitioned sledges to speed up its advance.

On 23 June 1760, the regiment and its grenadiers took part in the Battle of Landeshut. The grenadiers were detached and assigned to Field Marshal Joseph Cavaliere di Campitelli's corps in the first line, while the rest of the regiment served in Field Marshal Philipp Christoph von Müffling's second line. At 2:00 am, four howitzers positioned on the Steinberg signaled the start of the engagement despite a heavy thunderstorm.

Joseph Esterházy's and Ernst Gideon von Loudon's infantry initially failed to capture the hill near Kirchberg [de], after which the Deutschmeisters were committed to the assault. They drove back the Prussians at the point of the bayonet, capturing their guns in the process, and went on to take a second hill in their first assault. The battle ended in a decisive Austrian victory, in which the regiment again distinguished itself as being a formidable foe.

On 15 August, Loudon's corps was surprised and defeated at the Battle of Liegnitz after three hours of fighting, suffering heavy losses before retreating in good order. During the battle, the regiment was repeatedly attacked by Prussian cavalry but managed to withdraw behind artillery positions at Bíňovce. Loudon then joined the Austrian main army and marched to Freiburg. The regiment later took part in the Siege of Cosel, its final combat engagement until 1762.

1761–1762

During 1761, the regiment was moved between Jugów and Vienna before being assigned to Andreas Hadik von Futak's and then Anton Joseph von Brentano-Cimaroli's [de] Corps with 200 men including 3 officers of the regiment being sent to Świdnica to reinforce the garrison in 1762.

On 6 June, early in the morning, a large Prussian corps surprised Brentano's smaller force but was eventually driven back, retreating to Braszowice. Brentano then withdrew to Wałbrzych Główny [pl]. On June 14, Maria Theresa sent a letter to Brentano, congratulating him for the excellent behaviour of his troops in this action and awarding him the Military Order of Maria Theresa. The regiment was subsequently assigned to Franz Moritz von Lacy's corps and took part in the Battle of Reichenbach (now Dzierżoniów), where they suffered a defeat.

After the Prussian victory at Dzierżoniów, the Fourth Siege of Schweidnitz in late October took place, during which the aforementioned detachment under Major Hautzenberg was forced to surrender and was taken prisoner. The rest of the regiment would then march to Saxony, with no significant fighting occurring afterwards.

The Deutschmeisters on the march (1756)

Post-War

On March 5, 1763, after the war, both field battalions of the regiment marched to Bohemia, arriving in Loket on March 14, where they remained until May. Afterwards, the regiment marched to Lohr am Main in Bavaria, where it embarked on ships that transported it down the Main and along the Rhine to Cologne, before continuing to Brussels, where it arrived on 19 June. Meanwhile, the third battalion, formerly garrisoning Vienna, also went to the Austrian Netherlands, arriving at Mons on July 21. After several years, the regiment was finally reunited.^[5]

Soon after, the regiment was assigned the Vienna Woods and the Vienna suburbs as its recruitment area, whereupon it developed into the Vienna House Regiment. It later on fully transitioned into a Lower Austrian regiment with a strong Viennese identity.

With the introduction of the systematic numbering of all regiments in 1769 under the rule of Emperor Joseph II, the regiment received the serial number 4.^[16]

• The Ordinar and Leibfahnen used by the Deutschmeisters ~1760 during the Seven Years' War
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War of the First Coalition

During the War of the First Coalition, the regiment fought in the Flanders, Rhine, and Italian campaigns, its Colonel-in-chief being Archduke Maximilian Francis of Austria. It first engaged French forces in the Flanders campaign after marching via Bavaria to Worms and then advancing along the left bank of the Rhine, where it joined the corps of the Duke Ferdinand Frederick Augustus of Württemberg in operations aimed at recapturing the Austrian Netherlands.

Flanders Campaign

Following the loss of much of the Austrian Netherlands to the French Republic in late 1792 following the Battle of Jemappes, Austrian forces regrouped to reclaim the territory that they had lost early in the Flanders campaign and prepared to confront the French in Aldenhoven, where the regiment achieved its first success in the War of the First Coalition.

The Battle of Aldenhoven commenced on 1 March 1793, during which the regiment successfully crossed the Meuse at night and took part in routing French forces after heavy fighting along the Roer near Aldenhoven and Eschweiler. The regiment later saw further success at the Siege of Le Quesnoy but failed to capture Maubeuge during the Siege of Maubeuge. In the south of the Austrian Netherlands, the regiment again saw success at the Battle of Tournay, where it repulsed several French assaults.

During these battles on the now Belgian-French border, the regiment's grenadiers, which had set out from Vienna in September 1793, served under Dagobert Sigmund von Wurmser on the Rhine and fought in several engagements against the French, most notably at the First and Second battles of Wissembourg.

The regiment narrowly avoided annihilation at Philippeville in 1794, where it fought for three hours before running low on ammunition and coming under severe pressure from French forces. At a critical moment, a daring cavalry charge of the Nr. 10 Hussar Regiment, led by Vincenz von Barco, broke the French attack and relieved the Deutschmeisters' position, saving them.

Amid a harsh winter, the regiment soon faced severe shortages of food, uniforms and other necessities. As a result, Wurmser withdrew the bulk of his army from the Palatinate across the Rhine, while the grenadiers were transferred to Mannheim for garrison duty. The rest of the Army would soon be ordered to pull back across the Rhine and abandon all positions in the Austrian Netherlands.

Following the Siege of Landrecies in 1794, two poorly supplied battalions of the Deutschmeister regiment were left behind as the garrison of the heavily damaged fortress. Since the defenders had little time to repair the fortifications, the French soon returned and placed the city under siege once again. Moreover, the regiment's men were for the most part without shoes, poorly clothed, and utterly exhausted from hard labor, strenuous duty, endless night watches and inadequate food supplies. Amidst the fighting, they eventually ran low on ammunition, making the situation even more dire. With no relief coming as the main Austrian army pulled out of the Austrian Netherlands entirely and retreated back across the Rhine, the commander of the fortress surrendered on 16 July.

Following the defeat, two French battalions occupied the fortress but allowed the Deutschmeisters to march out with full military honors, their regimental colors flying and music playing, before laying down their arms. The captured officers were separated from the rest of the garrison and dispersed across various parts of France as prisoners of war, primarily in Champagne, where conditions were poor. Guarded by the National Guard, most of the prisoners of the 2 battalions were held in barns and empty stables under deplorable conditions during the harsh winter while wearing tattered uniforms.

The regiment's cart drivers, who had been assigned to supply convoys, were among the first to escape French custody and report back to the reception commission in January. They were soon followed by small groups of infantrymen who broke out of captivity and made their way toward the border under cover of night, facing considerable danger along the way. Many perished during these escape attempts; of the 1,400 men who surrendered at Landrecies, around 500 remained missing.^[22]

First Italian Campaign

During the First Italian Campaign, the regiment had its first encounter with Napoleon Bonaparte, then commander of the First French Republic's Army of Italy and later Emperor of the First French Empire.

The third Deutschmeister battalion, which had been garrisoned at Wiener Neustadt during the Flanders campaign, was ordered to join Feldzeugmeister Jean-Pierre de Beaulieu and was incorporated into his army for the coming campaign in Italy. After a brief stay in Lodi and Milan, it reached Spigno in the eastern Bormida valley and stayed there for a while. Meanwhile, Bonaparte advanced along the French and Italian Rivieras before crossing the Apennines toward the Lombard plain, choosing the route through the Bormida valley to confront the Austrian army.

Soon on 14 April 1796, during the Second Battle of Dego, heavy cannon fire could be heard from the direction of the town, located roughly 10 km from Spigno. Despite not having received orders, Major de la Blavier ordered the Deutschmeister battalion to advance rapidly toward the battle after hearing the fighting. Upon arriving on the field, the regiment joined two Austrian battalions already engaged against the French and opened fire. It was part of the right wing of the army under Eugène-Guillaume Argenteau.

After an hour of continuous fighting, large French forces advanced over a nearby hill and struck the Austrian left flank, who had already used up almost all of their ammunition. To avoid encirclement, the Austrians began an orderly retreat, though cohesion gradually faltered under continued French pressure. At this critical moment, the scattered Deutschmeister along with other companies regrouped, counterattacked, and drove the French back, capturing an abandoned cannon in the process.

The French were pushed back to the mountain peak, but fresh troops under General André Masséna soon arrived. Exhausted and heavily outnumbered, the Austrians were forced to continue their initial retreat, during which the commander of the Deutschmeister battalion particularly distinguished himself by maintaining order during the withdrawal. The battalion suffered 57 killed and 92 wounded, while 9 officers and 277 men were taken prisoner.

Napoleon took full advantage of his victory, marching his army along the right bank of the Po to Piacenza, where he crossed the river and advanced toward Lodi on the Adda to attack the Austrians positioned there. At the bridge over the Adda, troops of the Deutschmeister regiment's third battalion played a key role in holding back the French and allowing the remainder of the Austrian army to retreat in good order. Afterwards, the Deutschmeisters withdrew to Bozen for reinforcements and supplies, remaining there for some time.

To relieve the ongoing French Siege of Mantua, Dagobert Sigmund von Wurmser ordered a relief army that included the Deutschmeister grenadiers in a secondary column under Peter Vitus von Quosdanovich. Advancing from the Upper Rhine through the Adige valley toward the city, Quosdanovich's force initially threatened the French position before Napoleon temporarily lifted the siege and marched out to confront it, forcing the column to retreat.

Meanwhile, Wurmser reached Mantua but, finding no French army before the city, continued northwest until he encountered Napoleon, who drove the Austrians back toward Solferino after the Battle of Castiglione. Following the Battle of Bassano, Wurmser retreated into Mantua, where the city soon came under siege once again.

In late October 1796, the Friaul Corps was formed as part of the relief army, consisting of 2 IR4 and other Battalions under Anton Schübirz von Chobinin and accompanied by Field marshal József Alvinczi, took part in the Second Battle of Bassano on 6 November, where their forces reinforced the engagement near Fontaniva and ultimately forced a French defeat, though both sides suffered heavy losses. At the Battle of Caldiero on 12 November, forces under Prince Friedrich Franz Xaver of Hohenzollern-Hechingen initially held off French attacks before the Friaul Corps arrived later in the day to help drive the French back into Verona.^[23]

During the Battle of Arcole, the Friaul Corps was engaged in repeated fighting around Arcole and the Alpone River. Despite initial Austrian gains, French counterattacks and the collapse of adjacent positions forced a withdrawal, though Schübirz helped cover the retreat and secure the withdrawal of the Austrian right wing.^[24]

At the Battle of Rivoli in January 1797, a battery of 15 French guns opened fire on Austrian dragoons, scattering them. In the confined terrain of the gorge, panic spread as the cavalry disorderly fell back through the closely packed infantry, breaking their formations. As a result, an entire battalion of the Deutschmeister regiment threw down its arms and fled in panic.^[25]

Following the defeat at Rivoli, the regiment was transferred to Wiener Neustadt for reorganization, recovering from its earlier losses through generous military funding. The regiment was later assigned to the command of Archduke Charles, whose leadership brought renewed confidence after the previous defeats. It later moved to Gradisca to cover Wurmsers retreat, where it next saw action at the Battle of Valvasone in March 1797.

During the battle, the regiment was attacked and encircled by superior French forces, where it held out until it ran out of ammunition. The commandant was soon forced to surrender, with the regiment being allowed to march out with full military honors. The unit was taken into captivity, although many soldiers escaped into the Tyrolean mountains, where they were aided by the local population and guided across the Alps back toward Austria. During a prisoner exchange, officers of the regiment were released on condition that they swore not to serve against France.

This was the regiment's final engagement in the War of the First Coalition, after which it underwent military reforms alongside the rest of the Austrian army.^[26]

War of the Second Coalition

The regiment saw most of its combat during the War of the Second Coalition in Northern Italy, specifically as part of Suvorov's Italian campaign, where it again faced Napoleon.

Its first major engagement of the campaign came at Mantua, which the Austrians captured during the Siege of Mantua in 1799. As the surrendered French garrison marched out of the fortress as prisoners of war, the Deutschmeister Regiment formed on one side while the 16th Regiment formed on the other. In addition to 600 cannons and 13,000 rifles, large quantities of military supplies and food reserves sufficient for a year fell into Austrian hands.

After this victory, the regiment continued down the Italian Riviera alongside Austrian and Russian forces, aiming to capture the remaining French strongholds in the region. It eventually reached Novi, where French forces launched an attack that culminated in the Battle of Novi.

During the battle, the regiment fought under General Paul Kray in the heights around Novi. A young infantryman of the Deutschmeister regiment shot French General Barthélemy Joubert in the chest, killing him and forcing Jean Moreau to assume command of the French army during the battle.^[27]

The infantryman was Corporal Karl Strakate, who spotted Joubert riding close to the Austrian line. He advanced with 11 men under cover of trees and underbrush and shouting "Feuer!" ("Fire!"). Joubert, who had just shouted "En avant!" ("Advance!") to his troops, fell from his horse mortally wounded. Strakate was later promoted to lieutenant and after retiring, worked as a regional tobacco distributor. In 1843, he donated 500 gulden to the regiment, stipulating that each year on 15 August, the anniversary of the battle, the interest be awarded to eight men of the 6th Company (one corporal and seven infantrymen) who demonstrated the best conduct.

This is although disputed, as some sources claim that the man who shot Joubert was an infantryman of the 3rd Ogulinska infantry regiment.^[28]

After the battle, Austrian and Russian forces split, with the Russians advancing into the Helvetic Republic and the Austrians moving into Piedmont. The regiment soon marched into Savona in 1800, from where it continued its operations. During this time, the regiment endured severe physical strain, including a 19-hour march through rough terrain. Napoleon marched his army through the Great St Bernard Pass before crossing the Po at Piacenza and advancing toward Alessandria. The Austrian and French armies eventually met at Marengo.

The Deutschmeister grenadiers played a key role at the Battle of Marengo as part of the Hohenfeld Grenadier Battalion. While much of the Austrian army retreated following a French counterattack, the grenadiers held their ground and covered the withdrawal. They continued covering the retreat across the Mincio before rejoining the rest of the regiment at Udine. From there, the Deutschmeisters marched to various garrison locations, including Vienna, Bruck an der Leitha, Hamburg and Wiener Neustadt, which they reached in June 1801.

After this defeat, the exhausted and worn-down regiment saw no further combat during the War of the Second Coalition. Despite its losses, it managed to capture several French regimental standards, helping to raise morale ahead of the War of the Third Coalition.^[29]

War of the Third Coalition

During the War of the Third Coalition, the regiment fought exclusively in Germany, particularly during the Ulm campaign against French forces. Throughout the campaign, it operated alongside Russian troops. Its regimental commander was Franz Xaver Engelhardt and fought alongside the unit.^[30]

Ulm campaign

In 1805, the regiment was mobilized and joined Michael von Kienmayer's Corps near Ingolstadt from 7 October onward. As the corps of Jean Lannes and Jean-de-Dieu Soult advanced toward Donauwörth, Kienmayer's force retreated beyond Munich, during which command passed to Maximilian, Count of Merveldt.

An Austrian army was stationed at the fortress of Ulm, while Merveldt's corps was tasked with establishing a link between the city and the advancing Russians. This effort failed after Ulm capitulated to the French, forcing the regiment to retreat through Bavaria across the Enns, where it took quarters at Steyr. However, as the Russians had also been driven back, Merveldt marched via Lunz and Mariazell to St. Pölten in hopes of reestablishing contact with them there.

The march to Lunz proved exhausting, as the regiment was poorly supplied and was forced to cross mountainous terrain. Arriving on 7 November 1805, the troops set up camp in the snow and soon faced further shortages, as the local population had already provided most of their food to other battalions that had already previously passed through the area. Reportedly, a young Fähnrich was forced to trade his gold watch for a single loaf of bread.

During the same night, freezing rain turned the road to Neuhaus [de], on the route to Mariazell, into sheets of black ice. Merveldt promised 20 gulden for every cannon brought safely to Neuhaus, prompting soldiers and officers of the regiment, including Prokop Lazansky von Bukowa, to help bring the artillery through the steep mountain terrain.

A small portion of the regiment reached Neuhaus on 8 November, where its grenadiers, acting as the vanguard, were attacked by French forces attempting to exploit the absence of the main army. The rest of the regiment soon became involved in the fighting. During the battle, Engelhardt led a charge with the cry "Deutschmeister, mir nach!" ("Deutschmeister, follow me!"), followed by "Deutschmeister vor!" ("Deutschmeister, advance!").

The grenadiers were engaged at Langau, where they fought a hard 10-hour delaying action. During the engagement, the grenadiers' standard-bearer was killed. Although the flag was not captured by the French, it was lost during the fighting. Merveldt himself fought alongside the grenadiers at the front and was nearly captured by French chasseurs. He was rescued in time by Feldwebel Alfred Matern, who saved the corps commander from falling into enemy hands.

In the brutal fighting that followed, the French were driven back into the surrounding mountains. Although the corps managed to hold their position, they were unable to retrieve the cannons abandoned on the way, as French reinforcements had secured the surrounding area and blocked the route to them.

Merveldt then advanced further with his corps, only to come under renewed French attack. The Deutschmeisters held out for four hours, with the grenadiers especially showing strong resistance. They together with Engelhardt maintained their position under heavy fire and repelling repeated assaults until the French outflanked the line, forcing the corps to retreat back to Neuhaus.^[31]

The Long Retreat

During the retreat, the division of the 5th and 6th companies under Lazansky was cut off from the battalion, and with the route to Lunz blocked by the French, it was forced to withdraw along mountain trails through the Ybbstal Alps, passing the Dürrenstein. The men faced severe difficulties upon entering a gorge, wading through streams, climbing over rocks, and pushing through dense underbrush.

After reaching the Mittersee in Styria, a corporal was sent to Lunz to locate a local guide. Disguised in peasant clothing, he made his way there and met an ironworks owner, Johann von Amon, who agreed to assist the exhausted troops. He brought workers to supply and support the division during the night, ensuring French forces in the city were distracted at the time.

With his assistance, the soldiers continued through the high mountain terrain and reached the Lunzer sea [de] without casualties. They then proceeded across the Ybbstal Alps and safely arrived at Mariazell.

Five years later, on 13 June 1810, Emperor Francis I visited Amon and personally expressed his gratitude. When the regiment passed through Waidhofen in 1830 on its return march from Naples, the officers of the regiment wanted to thank him, but found that he had already died on 25 March 1825.

The regiment again saw combat outside the pilgrimage town of Mariazell, where it was stationed. The town offered particularly strong resistance during the Battle of Mariazell, as its church treasury contained significant wealth. Oberleutnant Johann Montluisant quickly gathered a group of volunteers from the regiment and moved to block the French advance, taking up a strong position on the road and holding off a force many times larger for an extended period. During this time, most of the valuables and treasury were brought to safety.

Only at night did the position finally break, after Montluisant was wounded in the foot by a gunshot and stabbed seven times with a bayonet. Following his collapse, the French advanced into the empty town and captured it. The regiment would have no choice but to continue their march across north-eastern Styria, eventually crossing the Danube.

Montluisant survived the engagement and recovered from his wounds, later being awarded the Military Order of Maria Theresa and continuing to serve afterwards.

The regiment, along with the corps, eventually arrived in Hungary and took quarters in Győr, which it reached on 19 November. From there, Merveldt intended to march to Austerlitz (now Slavkov u Brna) to support the battle, but arrived too late. As the situation deteriorated, his only remaining task was to cover the army's retreat, which he did between Neudorf and Nikitsch. The regiment was only engaged in light outpost fire exchanges.

Soon after, the War of the Third Coalition concluded. The regiment saw no combat during the War of the Fourth Coalition, as Austria did not take part in it.

In the aftermath of the Treaty of Pressburg, which led to the dissolution of the Teutonic Order in the Holy Roman Empire, Article XII decreed that the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order would henceforth be appointed directly by the Emperor of Austria rather than elected by the Order's chapter, in return for the Order being allowed to have its headquarters in Vienna. From this point onward, the leadership of the Order was held exclusively by Habsburg archdukes until the collapse of Austria-Hungary.

Despite the peace afterwards, it nonetheless underwent reforms under Archduke Charles, including the adoption of the shako in place of the kasket (helmet) in 1806 and the introduction of new combat tactics. It would return to action in the Danube Campaign during the War of the Fifth Coalition.^[32][33]

War of the Fifth Coalition

Austria, together with the Deutschmeister Regiment, saw some of its heaviest fighting during the War of the Fifth Coalition in the Danube Campaign under the leadership of Archduke Charles.

In 1808 before the start of the conflict, the regiment was spread across several towns in Lower Austria. The regimental staff and companies 1–4 were stationed at Wiener Neustadt, while the other companies were quartered in places such as Mödling, Leobersdorf, Vöslau, Gainfarn, and Laxenburg.

The regiment recruited replacements from the Lower Vienna Woods region and maintained depot units in Vienna. During the military buildup, additional depot [de] (garrison) formations and companies 17 and 18 were raised, bringing the regiment to a total of three battalions.

Overall strength reached approximately 4,405 men, including 118 depot personnel.^[34]

At the start of the campaign, the regiment was assigned to Johann von Hiller's 6th Corps under the division of Friedrich Franz Georg Kottulinsky [de], with Nikolaus Ungnad von Weißenwolf [de] as brigade commander. It operated alongside IR 49 under Wilhelm Lothar Maria von Kerpen, a former commander of the Deutschmeister Regiment. At first, until 1809, its regimental commander was Franz Xaver Engelhardt, before he was replaced by Joseph von Klopstein. The Grenadiers were detached to Major Franz Friedrich von Scovaud's Combined Battalion in Kienmayer's 2nd Reserve Corps.^[35]

Danube Campaign

The regiment, along with its grenadiers, were mobilized on 25 February 1809. At the opening of the campaign, it crossed the Inn and remained at Neumarkt until 30 March before advancing into Bavaria. During the subsequent maneuvers, it was cut off with the rest of Hiller's corps after the Austrian defeat at the Battle of Teugen-Hausen prevented the army from uniting.

Early Campaign

The regiment's first major engagement of the campaign came at the Battle of Abensberg on 20 April 1809, where it fought combined Franco-Bavarian-Württemberg forces near Rottenburg and Mostanerhof, although arriving late. As other Austrian troops retreated, the roads around the town became clogged with baggage trains while French cavalry pressed the withdrawal aggressively.

After the Chevauxlegers of Franz Seraph of Orsini-Rosenberg delayed the French long enough for the infantry to form up, Johann von Hiller personally ordered a counterattack at around 7:00 p.m. to stabilize the situation and allow the remaining units to reorganize. The Deutschmeisters entered a fierce fight with Bavarian infantry, managing to overrun a Bavarian detachment of 300 men following a bayonet charge. As more French reinforcements arrived, they were eventually forced back by superior numbers, although they succeeded in slowing the French advance and temporarily halting the pursuit. Despite the defeat, the regiment's role as a rearguard helped prevent the Austrian retreat from collapsing into a complete rout.^[36]

Following this defeat, the regiment, together with the rest of Hiller's army, retreated to Landshut, which had recently been taken from Bavarian forces. During the withdrawal, the regiment conducted a difficult rearguard action, as some detachments failed to cross the Isar in time and French advance units had already outflanked them via Geisenhausen. Kienmayer assumed personal command of the rearguard, which included the Scovaud Battalion, and led a fighting withdrawal past Geisenhausen before rejoining the main army at Neumarkt. There, despite exhaustion from continuous marching, they launched a general offensive against French forces to divert attention from Archduke Charles, who had been defeated at the Battle of Eckmühl days earlier.

During the Battle of Landshut on 21 April, a Deutschmeister grenadier spotted approaching French cuirassiers and recognized that his unit would be unable to withstand them. He noticed abandoned gunpowder carts, their wheels broken, positioned between his position and the advancing cavalry. He rushed forward from the ranks, reached the carts, and ignited them. The resulting explosion and fire scattered the cavalry and saved the grenadiers, though the soldier himself was killed in the blast.

Following the defeat at Landshut, the regiment retreated from the Inn toward Linz, serving as rear-guard and taking up positions near Ebelsberg [de] on the Traun River, which it reached in early May. The Deutschmeisters held the road on the left bank of the Traun, tasked with delaying the French advance to allow Hiller's army to cross the river at Ebelsberg.

The French soon attacked these positions at the Battle of Ebelsberg on 3 May 1809, where the regiment was engaged in heavy defensive fighting near Kleinmünchen [de] (west of Linz) against infantry and cavalry. It resisted strongly around the bridge leading into Ebelsberg, but after being attacked from multiple directions, including from the rear, the line began to collapse, forcing a disorganized retreat across the narrow bridge.

During these engagements, regimental commander Oberst Franz von Engelhardt was mortally wounded. Despite determined resistance, the regiment suffered around 400 casualties, at least half of them irrecoverable. Following his death, command passed to Joseph von Klopstein.

At Ennsdorf, the 3rd Battalion, around 300 men, was assigned with a division of the Liechtenstein Hussar Regiment to hold the Enns River crossings in a suicide-delaying action. The unit was deployed near a bridge over the river, where it exchanged volleys with French forces. The bridge soon caught fire, creating panic among the French, who attempted to extinguish the flames. During this, the Deutschmeisters continued firing, inflicting heavy casualties.

The French soon deployed cannons and managed to lay pontoon bridges across the river, but under heavy fire they were unable to complete the crossing and were eventually forced to break off their attack.

In total, the force held off over 1,000 French troops and an entire army division for a day, at the cost of 29 mostly seriously wounded men who managed to escape the town. These survivors later rejoined the regiment at Grafenwörth. For his role in the action, Joseph von Klopstein was awarded the Military Order of Maria Theresa.^[37]

Defense of Vienna

As French troops advanced toward Vienna, the regiment's detachments were deployed separately across Lower Austria, leaving only around 2,050 men and 33 officers to defend the city. The depot [de] battalion, together with newly recruited soldiers, most of whom had only served for three to nine days, were stationed in Vienna and took part in the defense of the capital. On the night of 9–10 May, they were positioned on the ramparts between Schottengasse [de] and Neutorgasse, where they remained undisturbed.

At around 7 am, the Deutschmeisters were quartered in the houses at the courtyard, but they were granted only a brief rest. As French forces approached and individual cavalrymen even rode through the Kärntner Gate into the city, the regiment was ordered back to the ramparts.

By 11 am, 600 men and six officers occupied the Burgwall, while one officer and 50 men were posted behind the barricaded castle gate. A further 600 men under Hauptmann Schwarz and First lieutenant Kraushaar formed a reserve on the castle square, and the remaining 600 were quartered in houses on Michaelerplatz and the Kohlmarkt, where they were supplied with food and drink by local residents.

At 9 pm, the enemy opened a heavy cannon barrage from batteries positioned behind the lines. The bombardment continued throughout the night until around 4 am, with continuous fire striking the city.

At about 11 am, the French launched an assault against the outpost established in front of the Kärntner Gate, which Kraushaar defended with 160 men. The attack was repelled, and despite heavy cannon fire, the defenders held their position and returned such effective fire that the French abandoned the assault.

Although the small Deutschmeister force achieved local success in Vienna, the city was ultimately surrendered on 13 May, as Emperor Francis I chose to avoid further damage to the capital. Around 640 men and 11 officers of the regiment became French prisoners of war, though many escaped with the help of the civilian population, who provided civilian clothing and shelter within their homes.

Following this engagement, small detachments of the Deutschmeister regiment conducted skirmishes around Vienna, particularly near the Black Lake at Nussdorf, where the Deutschmeisters had set up an outpost. Three gemeiners of the regiment, Karl Jnstel, Michael Putz, and Franz Himmer, were noted for especially disrupting the French occupation.

With permission from their officer, Jnstel twice swam across the Danube. On his first crossing, he captured 33 head of livestock along with a French officer and his servant. On his second crossing, he took six French infantrymen prisoner and helped drive off seven mounted Chasseurs who attempted to rescue them.

Putz and Himmer, having secured a boat on the opposite bank, crossed the river and intercepted a gunpowder cart coming from Nussdorf. They dispersed its escort, threw the ammunition into the river, seized the horses, and brought them back across amid the cheers of the outposts. Himmer also captured a French war commissary together with his servant and two infantrymen.^[38]

Late campaign

North of Vienna, across the Danube, the rest of the regiment continued operations as normal despite the capitulation of the city. It would soon take part in one of the most important campaigns of the War of the Fifth Coalition, the battles of Aspern-Essling and Wagram, fought between 21 May and 6 July against Napoleon under the leadership of Archduke Charles.

Aspern-Essling

At the decisive Battle of Aspern-Essling, the main regiment did not take part in the fighting itself, but remained on watch duty along the Danube outside the battlefield, where it played an important role in preventing additional French forces from arriving. However, its 200 grenadiers, including 6 officers, did participate in the battle under the battalion of Friedrich von Scovaud. It was assigned to Johann I Joseph's I Reserve Armeekorps and positioned in the center, under the division of Konstantin Ghilian Karl d’Aspré and the brigade of Franz Mauroy de Merville. The Hauptmann of the grenadiers was Stefan Erdmann.

The Deutschmeister grenadiers came into contact with French troops at around 4 a.m. on 21 May 1809 near Stadlau, where they drove back the French outposts and advanced toward Aspern. There, French troops had taken cover in ditches and shrubs around the village, but the grenadiers drove them out with a bayonet charge and continued their advance toward the town.

The grenadiers quickly captured the first houses in Aspern, but French resistance soon stiffened, with defenders firing from windows, basements, and rooftops. The Deutschmeisters were forced to fight for every wall and hedge in brutal close-quarters combat, and many of the houses contested during the fighting were soon engulfed in flames.

Seeking a breakthrough potential similar to like at the Battle of Austerlitz, Napoleon ordered Jean-Baptiste Bessières and Jean-Louis-Brigitte Espagne to advance against the Austrian center with 12 cavalry regiments and two line infantry regiments, including the positions held by the Deutschmeister grenadiers.

Bessières repeatedly attempted to overrun the Deutschmeister positions, but the grenadiers held firm against the French attacks. Only after a cavalry charge and melee involving the 5th and 11th Chevauxleger regiments against French cuirassiers did the Deutschmeisters become threatened, forcing them to withdraw from their position just in time.

After a combined effort by several Austrian regiments, the French cuirassiers were devastated by concentrated infantry volleys, allowing Hiller and the Deutschmeisters to resume operations without further cavalry pressure for the remainder of the day. The Austrians then renewed their assault on Aspern, which changed hands repeatedly and was captured and lost three times during the fighting. Combat only ceased at around 9 pm, when the town finally fell to the Austrian forces. The grenadiers spent the night in the devastated town.

On the following day, 22 May 1809, the fighting intensified as the regiment advanced toward Essling to drive out the French forces there. The Deutschmeister grenadiers were ordered to attack the northwestern side of the town and stormed the fiercely contested cemetery in a bayonet charge, forcing the French Imperial Guard to retreat. They continued advancing until ammunition shortages forced them to pull back. The situation worsened further when Austrian artillery mistakenly fired upon them, believing them to be French troops.

Afterward, the grenadiers attempted to assault French positions behind garden walls, but failed in five separate attacks. No further assaults were ordered, apart from isolated attempts by volunteers to storm the position. The grenadiers then regrouped with artillery support in preparation for a final offensive, but the attack never took place, as Napoleon had already decided to retreat and abandon the battlefield to Lobau.

Through their part in the battle, the regiment's grenadiers helped Austria secure its first major victory against Napoleon after 15 hours of fighting. It would remain in the town before eventually marching towards Seyring [de].

Out of 200 Deutschmeisters engaged in the battle, 62 grenadiers and NCOs and all six officers were wounded, while 16 grenadiers were killed. In the final hour of the fighting, Corporal Ferdinand Fischer assumed command due to all officers being wounded, and after the battle he was promoted to Fähnrich in recognition of his conduct. The battalion commander, Scovaud, was awarded the Military Order of Maria Theresa following the engagement. Subsequently, after the battle, Joseph von Klopstein would be promoted to Oberst and become the regimental commander.^[39]

Wagram

Following the victory at Aspern-Essling, the regiment moved on 1 July under Mayer's brigade to Groß-Enzersdorf, which came under French attack on 4 July, culminating in the larger Battle of Wagram on 5 July. There, the regiment and its grenadiers fought against Napoleon's Army of Germany after he crossed from Lobau into the Wagram plateau.

The main regiment served in the vanguard under the command of Armand von Nordmann in the 2nd Infantry Brigade of Georg Joseph von Mayer, positioned on the left flank, with Joseph von Klopstein as regimental commander. Its grenadiers were assigned to the Reserve Corps under Johann I Joseph, within the 1st Grenadier Division of Konstantin Ghilian Karl d’Aspré, again under the Scovaud Battalion commanded by Franz Friedrich von Scovaud.

On the night of 4 July, the regiment was positioned behind Groß-Enzersdorf on the Danube, which soon came under a French artillery barrage and was set ablaze. As part of Mayer's brigade and originally assigned to rearguard duty, the regiment began withdrawing toward Markgrafneusiedl behind the Russbach river [de], a tributary of the Danube.

During the retreat, it continued to come under artillery fire and repeated harassment from enemy cavalry, eventually reaching Markgrafneusiedl at around 8 p.m. on 5 July, after the battle had already begun between 6 and 7 p.m. due to delays caused by the withdrawal.

Meanwhile, the Reserve Armeekorps, including the Scovaud grenadiers, advanced toward Aderklaa and became engaged in heavy fighting with Franco-Saxon forces. A French counterattack briefly disrupted parts of the Austrian line, but Archduke Charles rallied the troops and renewed the assault. The Franco-Saxon forces were ultimately forced to withdraw from the town, which was held by the Scovaud Battalion until a later ordered retreat.

The left wing, including the rest of the regiment, came under increasing pressure as Archduke John failed to provide the expected reinforcements. At around 10 pm, heavy artillery fire intensified at Markgrafneusiedl, and with Austrian artillery out of action, French forces advanced on the left wing, attacking from the front and the flank. The Deutschmeisters, under Mayer's brigade and reinforced by a previously reserved brigade with artillery, formed up to meet the French flank attack. The French deployed dense waves of Voltigeurs to harass their positions. The regiment held most of its ground in the town, though it was forced to abandon several ditches and positions.

As combat intensified without support from Archduke John or any reinforcements, the Austrian line was gradually pushed back. While the French assaults were repeatedly beaten back, they eventually forced the two brigades to withdraw to the escarpment behind the town. The voltigeurs continued their attacks but were driven back, until a renewed French frontal assault from the direction of Obersiebenbrunn on the left flank forced the Deutschmeisters to fall back further.

A hussar charge led by Archduke Ferdinand relieved pressure on the regiment, allowing the frontline units to recover and repel a further French assault. The Deutschmeisters soon beat back a second attack, but after a third assault they were finally forced to withdraw under overwhelming pressure.

On 6 July, Archduke Charles ordered the army to begin its retreat at 1 pm. During the withdrawal, the regiment was assigned to guard the valley route toward Groß-Schweinbarth, taking up positions on the heights. By 6 pm, the entire army had begun its march toward Moravia, particularly the grandiers towards Znaim (now Znojmo), undisturbed by the exhausted French forces.

The regiment suffered 45 killed, including Oberleutnant Baron Stockhausen, and 689 enlisted men, most of them wounded by canister fire and some captured. The wounded were housed in the barns and homes of Markgrafneusiedl until a fire broke out, killing many of them.^[40]

Rest of the campaign

On 9 July, Archduke Charles was informed that an army under Louis-Nicolas Davout was advancing toward Znojmo and had already reached Erdberg [de], about two hours from the town. The Scovaud grenadiers were ordered to occupy the heights on both banks of the Thaya River in preparation for the upcoming French attack.

At the start of the Battle of Znaim on 10 July, the grenadiers had not yet completed their deployment when French Voltigeurs began harassing their positions. They secured the bridge on the right bank of the Thaya to delay the French advance. For five hours, despite the enemy holding the higher ground, they withstood continuous French attacks.

The next day on 11 July, a fresh corps under André Masséna arrived with reinforcements, including artillery. The grenadiers were subjected to heavy canister fire, which forced them back across the bridge.

Soon after, Archduke Charles proposed a ceasefire, bringing an end to the battle and effectively concluding the War of the Fifth Coalition. While most units suffered heavy losses, the Deutschmeister grenadiers were relatively less affected, as they were not exposed to a major French cuirassier charge, thus only suffering 4 killed and 17 wounded.^[40]

War of the Sixth Coalition

Following the last campaign, the regiment settled in Vienna until it was called to take part in the Italian campaign of 1813–1814 during the War of the Sixth Coalition.

During this war, the regiment's honorary title "Deutschmeister [de]" was changed to "Hoch- und Deutschmeister" in 1814 to reflect the fact that the offices of Hochmeister and Deutschmeister ranks had been merged since 1531.

War of the Seventh Coalition (Hundred Days)

During the War of the Seventh Coalition, The regiment would continue fighting France, later along the Rhône after the Italian campaign of 1813–1814.

Deutschmeisterplatz

In 1876, Deutschmeisterplatz [de] in Vienna's Innere Stadt (1st District) was named after the regiment. On the occasion of the regiment's 200th anniversary in 1896, the Deutschmeister Memorial [de] was donated to this square.

It was designed by Johannes Benk and unveiled on September 29, 1906.

In designing the monument, Benk drew primarily on the Austro-Ottoman Wars, the Seven Years' War, French Revolutionary and the Napoleonic Wars, while also incorporating other elements from the regiment's history.

The front of the monument features a relief depicting the "Baptism of Fire at Zenta in 1697", and the back depicts "Count Soro [de] at Kolin in 1757".^[45]

Regimental Standards

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  Ordinarfahne ~1740
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  Leibfahne ~1740
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  Ordinarfahnen ~1760
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  Leibfahnen ~1760
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  Ordinarfahne 1806
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  Leibfahne 1806 (Front)
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  Leibfahne 1806 (Back)
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  Regimental Standard of the 44th Infantry Division

Uniforms

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  Musketeer (Left) and Hauptmann (Right) in 1696. The Hauptmann can be seen with Teutonic crosses on his uniform.
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  Deutschmeister Officer (1696)
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  Musketeer (Left) and Oberstwachtmeister [de] (Right) (Colonel sergeant) (1710)
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  Deutschmeister Fifer (1709)
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  Deutschmeister Musketeer (1710)
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  Deutschmeister Fifer (left) and Nigrelli Drummer (right) (~1710)
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  Deutschmeister Oberstwachtmeister [de] (1710)
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  Musketeer Uniform (1710)
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  Deutschmeister Grenadier (~1720)
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  Musketeer (Left) and Grenadier (Right) (1730)
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  Deutschmeister Grenadier (1756)
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  Deutschmeister Officer (1756)
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  Deutschmeister Fifer (right) and Drummer (left) (1756)
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  Oberstwachtmeister [de] Johann von Soro [de] at Kolín (1757)
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  Deutschmeister Infantry (1762)
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  Musketeer Uniform (1757)
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  Musketeer Uniform (1762)
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  Deutschmeister Musketeer and Officer (1776)
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  Deutschmeister Uniform (1780)
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  Deutschmeister Fusilier (1780)
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  Gemeiner and Officer (1798)
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  Deutschmeister Infantry (1804)
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  Deutschmeister Officer (~1806)
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  Gemeiner and Officer (1809)
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  Deutschmeister Grenadier (1809)