HISTORY
After the end of the Great Northern War in 1720, Denmark enjoyed a long period of peace and was an onlooker while the great dynastic struggles of the War of Austrian succession and the Seven Years War tore Europe apart. It was at the end of the latter period that this peace was rudely, but briefly interrupted. Peter III of Russia, newly acceded to throne in 1762, was also the Duke of Holstein-Gottorp and had ambitions to add the province of Schleswig, belonging to Denmark-Norway, to his estates. To clear the way for this, he abruptly made peace with Prussia, whom Russia had defeated decisively in the Seven Years War and was virtually on its knees, and prepared for war with Denmark*. Two things happened immediately: First, the Russian aristocracy, backed by the people, regarded the move as a betrayal and were deeply angered. Second, the Danes quickly moved troops into Mecklenburg to counter any move. The face-off ended as suddenly as it began, when news arrived that Peter had been overthrown by his wife, the future Catherine the Great. The year was 1763 and it would be 182 years before Denmark would have to worry about a Russian invasion again.
Among the actions taken by King Frederick V and his army chief, General Count St. Germain was to raise a number of regiments to bolster the army. Among these was the Danish Life Regiment of Foot (Danske Livregiment til Fods) incorporated on December 7th, 1763. Its founder, the King declared it to be always the 1st Infantry Regiment of the Line. Its first Chef was Lieutenant-General Carl, Prince of Hessen Kassel. It drew is first officers from the Royal Life Guard of Foot and the Grenadier Corps. Despite being designated a national regiment, receiving recruits from the capital, it soon had to rely on intakes from the German states to keep up its two battalion establishment. In 1773 it absorbed the Sjælland Battalion to bring it up to three battalions. The regiment was garrisoned in and around Copenhagen and from 1773 to 1852 (with few interruptions) was quartered in the Sølvgades Barracks.
The regiment first saw action on 2nd April 1801 at the Battle of Rehden, known to the British as the Battle of Copenhagen. 150 men had been told off as marines to assist the Danish Navy in its defense of the capital. The British fleet, under Admiral Lord Nelson defeated the Danes in a short but bloody battle. He made his famous comment that he could not see the ‘cease fire’ signal because of his blind eye**. Despite the decisive defeat, the results of the action, designed to prevent Denmark from combining with Russia and Sweden to trade with France, were moot. The Tsar of Russia, Paul I, had been assassinated by his own court on March 1st and replaced by his anti-French brother, Alexander I. In August of 1807, the regiment was again called to defend the capital at the second battle of Copenhagen. This time the British had come to neutralize the Danish fleet lest it be used against them by Napoleon. Following his victory over the Prussians at Jena, it was thought he may have had his eye on the Baltic States. The Duke of Wellington led the British troops who at landed at Wedbeck on the 16th and after a brief engagement had completely surrounded the city by the next morning. The ensuing siege, begun on the 2nd September included the bombardment of the city by the Royal Navy which lasted until the 7th when the city surrendered. The British forces, mostly from the King’s German Legion then left for home in mid October taking captured Danish vessels ships after destroying the remainder. During the battle, the Life Regiment had marched from Norreport to Vibenshus to take up position on the western side of the city. Their one encounter with the invaders was a short sharp battle fought with the bayonet which prevented the enemy from passing but cost the regiment 5 dead and 35 wounded.
The Danish Life Regiment was not part of the Danish Auxiliary force that fought with Napoleons Army in the waning days of his Empire, 1813-14. In 1819 the regiment’s name was changed to 1st Life Regiment of Foot and reduced from four battalions to two battalions each of 5 companies. In 1842 it was again reduced to a single battalion along with all other Danish regiments except the Guard and Jäger, but still retained its place as the first Battalion of line infantry. In 1848, the revolutions that swept Europe also came to Denmark. It was a civil demonstration in Copenhagen that lit the spark by prompting Germans in Schleswig and Holstein to clamor for attachment to the German Federation.
As is often the case, the issue spiraled out of control until, on the orders of the Frankfurt Diet, German troops, led by Prussia invaded Schleswig to back up the forces already organized by the two duchies. Intervention by the European powers and the landing of Swedish troops in 1850 forced the Franfurt Diet to the negotiating table. The 1st Life Battalion (now a Light Infantry Battalion until 1855) fought with great distinction in the campaign, especially at the battles of Bov (a Danish victory) and Schleswig in 1848, Frederica in 1849 and Isted in 1850.
In 1864, the situation blew up again, this time by unfortunate decrees of the Danish King toward the status of the two duchies and Otto von Bismarck’s subsequent exploitations. Despite European objections, the Austrians and Prussians invaded on the 6th February 1864. The rearguard action at Sankelmark by the 1st Life Regiment ***, held up the advance long enough for most of the Danish Army to retreat in an orderly fashion. However, most of the regiment was subsequently taken prisoner. For their collective act of courage a song entitled “Thank You For Your Deed” was dedicated to the regiment. Within a month the Prussians had advanced to Düppel and invested the fortress and it fell on April 18th. The truce, demanded by the European Powers, which followed led nowhere and after the Island of Als was invaded on June 29th and the Danes had fought a brief battle with the Prussians at Lundby on July 3rd, the whole of Jutland was occupied. The Danes were eventually forced to cede Schleswig and Holstein to the Austrians and Prussians who set up a condominium, the management of which led to tension between the two countries and war in 1866.
Denmark was to be a neutral country for the next 76 years and their army was trimmed accordingly. In 1865 it was reduced to a 4 company battalion and in 1867 it became the senior battalion in the 1st Sjaelandske Brigade which included the 15th, 21st and 31st battalions. In 1880 the half-brigade system returned to stand alone battalions. For the entire period of 1914-1918, the regiment remained on high alert at the border without incident but in 1940 was overwhelmed by the speed of the German advance. Most of the personnel formed resistance cells. At the end of the war, the Soviets were poised to occupy Denmark but fortunately, British forces arrived in time to prevent this.
After the war, Denmark joined NATO and in 1951, the regiment became the Danish Life Regiment again. The last half of the 20th century saw Danish troops heavily engaged in a UN and NATO peacekeeping role. In 1976 the regiment was amalgamated with the Falsterske Infantry Regiment becoming armored infantry unit. The title “Danish Life Regiment” was retained and in 1991 it was tasked to train and establish combat units and has thus served in Bosnia (UNPROFOR & IFOR), Kosovo (KFOR & SFOR) and Afghanistan (ISAF).
In 2000 the Danish army underwent a major reorganization ; a process that is still ongoing. The Life Regiment was absorbed into the Guard Hussar Regiment to form an armored combat and training regiment and as such ceased to exist. A proud and distinguished regiment had passed into history.
UNIFORMS
When raised in 1763 the regiment was dressed in accordance with the rest of the infantry. In the regimental history, Preben Kannik shows a musketeer in red coat with dark orange cuffs and lapels with dark blue waistcoat and breeches. Contemporary illustrations show the regiment in red coat with dark blue cuffs and lapels with straw colored waistcoat and breeches. Buttons were white. In 1770 grenadiers were still wearing the miter cap with blue cloth front and badge and cypher in white with red a red bag.
In 1790 the facings were changed to light yellow and by the end of the century they were dressed in a red jacket with very short skirts with the front edges turned back. The jacket had a front plastron (lapels), collar, cuffs and front skirt turn backs in facing color. The cuffs had red scalloped patches piped white. The gaiter/ breeches were pale grey. A black round hat was worn with the left side turned up and a white plume. Grenadiers wore a distinctive headdress which was a cross between the current Prussian model and the Russian 1786 cap. It had a high black lacquered front with a white fur crest around the top. A bag in red (or regimental color) hung from the rear. In 1807 shakos were introduced for musketeers along with fur grenadier caps on the Austrian model. White breeches with black gaiters were taken into use. In 1813 coatees of more conventional cut with lapels, collar and cuffs were worn. Turnbacks were white.
For the next 30 years the Danish line infantry followed the general European fashion. The coatee was red with collar, cuffs and lapels in facing color which for the Danish Life Regiment remained pale yellow. The cuffs became pointed in 1816. Trousers were white in summer and at first grey, later light blue in winter. The bell topped shako was black felt with leather binding top and bottom and some regiments had V shaped leather stiffeners on the sides. Center companies had a ball tuft, grenadier companies a pale blue over white feather and light companies a green plume with green loops across the front. In 1842 the facing colors of all infantry battalions were abolished and a standard uniform was adopted. The coatee was red with a double row of buttons down the front. The collar, pointed cuffs and trousers were light blue and piping on collar, cuff tops, front edge of coatee and turnbacks were white. The shako assumed a more pronounced bell and was quite plain except for a v-shaped loop on the front surmounted by a white ball tuft.
A completely new uniform was authorized in 1848 and its introduction was hindered by the war that broke out the same year. The Danish infantry now assumed a look that would define its appearance until the First World War. The long skirted double breasted tunic was blue, piped red on tunic front, pointed cuffs and skirt flaps. The blue collar had red patches with two buttons and red lace loops. The shako was at first the same as that introduced in 1842 but was soon replaced by one similar to the British ‘Albert’ pattern with the back peak. In the field, a light blue peaked cap was worn. The trousers were light blue. The Danish Life Regiment at this time was Light Infantry and the tunic was dark green and the trousers were dark grey. Facings and all other features were the same as for infantry.
There were few changes for the rest of the century and the modifications made were in line with the fashions of the times. The tall shako was abolished in 1865 and the kepi was introduced. One defining feature of the Danish army that would survive into the nineteen-fifties was the way they wore their trousers rolled half-way up the calf rather than tucked into the boots. A grey field uniform was introduced in 1915 and was worn till World War II despite a khaki version authorized in 1923 but not even issued to some units till 1937. After the war the development of Danish army uniforms was very conventional. They wore US style steel helmets until the late eighties when French, later German Kevlar helmets were introduced.
Our illustration shows a grenadier company corporal of the 1st Life Regiment of Foot in about 1835. His shako has the light blue over white tall plume with white shako cords and loops with tassels and flounders pinned to his chest. The front is adorned with a grenade below the plume socket and an eight pointed brass star with the royal cipher in the center. His corporal’s rank is shown above his cuffs. The shako for center companies of the regiment had a white ball tuft and a plain brass V on the front. The light company had the same shako as the center company with green ball tuft and all their leather work was black.
In the background is the main entrance to the Sølvgades Barracks in Copenhagen, where the regiment was garrisoned for much of its existence.
Titles of the Regiment
1763 Danish Life Regiment of Foot
1819 1st Life Regiment of Foot
1842 1st Line Infantry Battalion
1848 1st Light Infantry Battalion
1855 1st Line Infantry Battalion
1860 1st Infantry Battalion
1863 1st Infantry Regiment
1867 1st Battalion
1951 1st Regiment
1961 Danish Life Regiment
2000 Absorbed into Guard Hussar Regiment
After the end of the Great Northern War in 1720, Denmark enjoyed a long period of peace and was an onlooker while the great dynastic struggles of the War of Austrian succession and the Seven Years War tore Europe apart. It was at the end of the latter period that this peace was rudely, but briefly interrupted. Peter III of Russia, newly acceded to throne in 1762, was also the Duke of Holstein-Gottorp and had ambitions to add the province of Schleswig, belonging to Denmark-Norway, to his estates. To clear the way for this, he abruptly made peace with Prussia, whom Russia had defeated decisively in the Seven Years War and was virtually on its knees, and prepared for war with Denmark*. Two things happened immediately: First, the Russian aristocracy, backed by the people, regarded the move as a betrayal and were deeply angered. Second, the Danes quickly moved troops into Mecklenburg to counter any move. The face-off ended as suddenly as it began, when news arrived that Peter had been overthrown by his wife, the future Catherine the Great. The year was 1763 and it would be 182 years before Denmark would have to worry about a Russian invasion again.
Among the actions taken by King Frederick V and his army chief, General Count St. Germain was to raise a number of regiments to bolster the army. Among these was the Danish Life Regiment of Foot (Danske Livregiment til Fods) incorporated on December 7th, 1763. Its founder, the King declared it to be always the 1st Infantry Regiment of the Line. Its first Chef was Lieutenant-General Carl, Prince of Hessen Kassel. It drew is first officers from the Royal Life Guard of Foot and the Grenadier Corps. Despite being designated a national regiment, receiving recruits from the capital, it soon had to rely on intakes from the German states to keep up its two battalion establishment. In 1773 it absorbed the Sjælland Battalion to bring it up to three battalions. The regiment was garrisoned in and around Copenhagen and from 1773 to 1852 (with few interruptions) was quartered in the Sølvgades Barracks.
The regiment first saw action on 2nd April 1801 at the Battle of Rehden, known to the British as the Battle of Copenhagen. 150 men had been told off as marines to assist the Danish Navy in its defense of the capital. The British fleet, under Admiral Lord Nelson defeated the Danes in a short but bloody battle. He made his famous comment that he could not see the ‘cease fire’ signal because of his blind eye**. Despite the decisive defeat, the results of the action, designed to prevent Denmark from combining with Russia and Sweden to trade with France, were moot. The Tsar of Russia, Paul I, had been assassinated by his own court on March 1st and replaced by his anti-French brother, Alexander I. In August of 1807, the regiment was again called to defend the capital at the second battle of Copenhagen. This time the British had come to neutralize the Danish fleet lest it be used against them by Napoleon. Following his victory over the Prussians at Jena, it was thought he may have had his eye on the Baltic States. The Duke of Wellington led the British troops who at landed at Wedbeck on the 16th and after a brief engagement had completely surrounded the city by the next morning. The ensuing siege, begun on the 2nd September included the bombardment of the city by the Royal Navy which lasted until the 7th when the city surrendered. The British forces, mostly from the King’s German Legion then left for home in mid October taking captured Danish vessels ships after destroying the remainder. During the battle, the Life Regiment had marched from Norreport to Vibenshus to take up position on the western side of the city. Their one encounter with the invaders was a short sharp battle fought with the bayonet which prevented the enemy from passing but cost the regiment 5 dead and 35 wounded.
The Danish Life Regiment was not part of the Danish Auxiliary force that fought with Napoleons Army in the waning days of his Empire, 1813-14. In 1819 the regiment’s name was changed to 1st Life Regiment of Foot and reduced from four battalions to two battalions each of 5 companies. In 1842 it was again reduced to a single battalion along with all other Danish regiments except the Guard and Jäger, but still retained its place as the first Battalion of line infantry. In 1848, the revolutions that swept Europe also came to Denmark. It was a civil demonstration in Copenhagen that lit the spark by prompting Germans in Schleswig and Holstein to clamor for attachment to the German Federation.
As is often the case, the issue spiraled out of control until, on the orders of the Frankfurt Diet, German troops, led by Prussia invaded Schleswig to back up the forces already organized by the two duchies. Intervention by the European powers and the landing of Swedish troops in 1850 forced the Franfurt Diet to the negotiating table. The 1st Life Battalion (now a Light Infantry Battalion until 1855) fought with great distinction in the campaign, especially at the battles of Bov (a Danish victory) and Schleswig in 1848, Frederica in 1849 and Isted in 1850.
In 1864, the situation blew up again, this time by unfortunate decrees of the Danish King toward the status of the two duchies and Otto von Bismarck’s subsequent exploitations. Despite European objections, the Austrians and Prussians invaded on the 6th February 1864. The rearguard action at Sankelmark by the 1st Life Regiment ***, held up the advance long enough for most of the Danish Army to retreat in an orderly fashion. However, most of the regiment was subsequently taken prisoner. For their collective act of courage a song entitled “Thank You For Your Deed” was dedicated to the regiment. Within a month the Prussians had advanced to Düppel and invested the fortress and it fell on April 18th. The truce, demanded by the European Powers, which followed led nowhere and after the Island of Als was invaded on June 29th and the Danes had fought a brief battle with the Prussians at Lundby on July 3rd, the whole of Jutland was occupied. The Danes were eventually forced to cede Schleswig and Holstein to the Austrians and Prussians who set up a condominium, the management of which led to tension between the two countries and war in 1866.
Denmark was to be a neutral country for the next 76 years and their army was trimmed accordingly. In 1865 it was reduced to a 4 company battalion and in 1867 it became the senior battalion in the 1st Sjaelandske Brigade which included the 15th, 21st and 31st battalions. In 1880 the half-brigade system returned to stand alone battalions. For the entire period of 1914-1918, the regiment remained on high alert at the border without incident but in 1940 was overwhelmed by the speed of the German advance. Most of the personnel formed resistance cells. At the end of the war, the Soviets were poised to occupy Denmark but fortunately, British forces arrived in time to prevent this.
After the war, Denmark joined NATO and in 1951, the regiment became the Danish Life Regiment again. The last half of the 20th century saw Danish troops heavily engaged in a UN and NATO peacekeeping role. In 1976 the regiment was amalgamated with the Falsterske Infantry Regiment becoming armored infantry unit. The title “Danish Life Regiment” was retained and in 1991 it was tasked to train and establish combat units and has thus served in Bosnia (UNPROFOR & IFOR), Kosovo (KFOR & SFOR) and Afghanistan (ISAF).
In 2000 the Danish army underwent a major reorganization ; a process that is still ongoing. The Life Regiment was absorbed into the Guard Hussar Regiment to form an armored combat and training regiment and as such ceased to exist. A proud and distinguished regiment had passed into history.
UNIFORMS
When raised in 1763 the regiment was dressed in accordance with the rest of the infantry. In the regimental history, Preben Kannik shows a musketeer in red coat with dark orange cuffs and lapels with dark blue waistcoat and breeches. Contemporary illustrations show the regiment in red coat with dark blue cuffs and lapels with straw colored waistcoat and breeches. Buttons were white. In 1770 grenadiers were still wearing the miter cap with blue cloth front and badge and cypher in white with red a red bag.
In 1790 the facings were changed to light yellow and by the end of the century they were dressed in a red jacket with very short skirts with the front edges turned back. The jacket had a front plastron (lapels), collar, cuffs and front skirt turn backs in facing color. The cuffs had red scalloped patches piped white. The gaiter/ breeches were pale grey. A black round hat was worn with the left side turned up and a white plume. Grenadiers wore a distinctive headdress which was a cross between the current Prussian model and the Russian 1786 cap. It had a high black lacquered front with a white fur crest around the top. A bag in red (or regimental color) hung from the rear. In 1807 shakos were introduced for musketeers along with fur grenadier caps on the Austrian model. White breeches with black gaiters were taken into use. In 1813 coatees of more conventional cut with lapels, collar and cuffs were worn. Turnbacks were white.
For the next 30 years the Danish line infantry followed the general European fashion. The coatee was red with collar, cuffs and lapels in facing color which for the Danish Life Regiment remained pale yellow. The cuffs became pointed in 1816. Trousers were white in summer and at first grey, later light blue in winter. The bell topped shako was black felt with leather binding top and bottom and some regiments had V shaped leather stiffeners on the sides. Center companies had a ball tuft, grenadier companies a pale blue over white feather and light companies a green plume with green loops across the front. In 1842 the facing colors of all infantry battalions were abolished and a standard uniform was adopted. The coatee was red with a double row of buttons down the front. The collar, pointed cuffs and trousers were light blue and piping on collar, cuff tops, front edge of coatee and turnbacks were white. The shako assumed a more pronounced bell and was quite plain except for a v-shaped loop on the front surmounted by a white ball tuft.
A completely new uniform was authorized in 1848 and its introduction was hindered by the war that broke out the same year. The Danish infantry now assumed a look that would define its appearance until the First World War. The long skirted double breasted tunic was blue, piped red on tunic front, pointed cuffs and skirt flaps. The blue collar had red patches with two buttons and red lace loops. The shako was at first the same as that introduced in 1842 but was soon replaced by one similar to the British ‘Albert’ pattern with the back peak. In the field, a light blue peaked cap was worn. The trousers were light blue. The Danish Life Regiment at this time was Light Infantry and the tunic was dark green and the trousers were dark grey. Facings and all other features were the same as for infantry.
There were few changes for the rest of the century and the modifications made were in line with the fashions of the times. The tall shako was abolished in 1865 and the kepi was introduced. One defining feature of the Danish army that would survive into the nineteen-fifties was the way they wore their trousers rolled half-way up the calf rather than tucked into the boots. A grey field uniform was introduced in 1915 and was worn till World War II despite a khaki version authorized in 1923 but not even issued to some units till 1937. After the war the development of Danish army uniforms was very conventional. They wore US style steel helmets until the late eighties when French, later German Kevlar helmets were introduced.
Our illustration shows a grenadier company corporal of the 1st Life Regiment of Foot in about 1835. His shako has the light blue over white tall plume with white shako cords and loops with tassels and flounders pinned to his chest. The front is adorned with a grenade below the plume socket and an eight pointed brass star with the royal cipher in the center. His corporal’s rank is shown above his cuffs. The shako for center companies of the regiment had a white ball tuft and a plain brass V on the front. The light company had the same shako as the center company with green ball tuft and all their leather work was black.
In the background is the main entrance to the Sølvgades Barracks in Copenhagen, where the regiment was garrisoned for much of its existence.
Titles of the Regiment
1763 Danish Life Regiment of Foot
1819 1st Life Regiment of Foot
1842 1st Line Infantry Battalion
1848 1st Light Infantry Battalion
1855 1st Line Infantry Battalion
1860 1st Infantry Battalion
1863 1st Infantry Regiment
1867 1st Battalion
1951 1st Regiment
1961 Danish Life Regiment
2000 Absorbed into Guard Hussar Regiment
DENMARK
Grenadier Corporal
1st Line Infantry Regiment
1835
THE DANISH LIFE REGIMENT