Perhaps the most celebrated regiment in Frederick's Prussian cavalry was Dragoon Regiment No. 5, known as the Bayreuth Dragoons. The regiment's famous and highly successful charge into the Austrian infantry line at Hohenfriedberg was unmatched in the 18th Century and served notice to the world that the Prussian cavalry arm had risen to the same standards of excellence as the vaunted Prussian infantry.

The Bayreuth Dragoons present captured Austrian colors to King Frederick following the battle of Hohenfriedberg on June 4, 1745. Note the old style white dragoon uniform with red facings.

The regiment was organized in 1717 from a cadre of recruits taken from each of the existing cuirassier and dragoon regiments and its 689 privates and 44 officers filled out four squadrons. A fifth squadron was added in 1718 and the regiment was expanded to ten squadrons in 1725. By 1731, the regiment had an established strength of 1605 officers and men under the command of Colonel von der Schulenburg (1717 - 1731). The colonelcy passed on to Frederick, the hereditary Prince of Bayreuth, and the regiment assumed its official name, the Bayreuth Dragoons in 173 1.

DR5's recruiting area covered the districts of Wollin, Daber, Lauenberg and Butow. lts principal garrison was in Pasewalk. The regiment wore a white coat with red lapels, cuffs and collar; straw breeches and waistcoat until 1745. After 1745, all Prussian dragoon regiments were issued light blue coats with distinctive regimental facings, carmine red for the Bayreuth Dragoons. Tricornes were unadorned, save for white end bobs with black centers. Pistol housings and shabraques were in the facing color and were edged in white.

The rest of the text consists of excerpts from the Dorn and Engelmann book, The Cavalry Regiments of Frederick the Great:

On December 16, 1740 (the regiment) crossed the Silesian border on the left wing of the First Corps, enclosed Glogau and then marched to Breslau. At Mollwitz six squadrons fought on the left wing, which was not hit hard and was able to decide the battle; it lost 47 men and 80 horses. Four squadrons under General von Gessler did not arrive at the artillery park in Gohlau at the right time. Then it fought at Brieg, which surrendered on May 4. On May 17 two squadrons and Zieten's Hussars attacked a detachment under Baranyay at Rothschloss and almost took them prisoner. In February 1742 it moved to northern Moravia, but on May 13 it was back in Bohemia at Chrudim.

At Chotusitz on May 17 one battalion was on each flank, and so they joined in both cavalry attacks. In the first it met the Austrian infantry to the right of Cirkwitz Pond, losing three standards when their bearers were killed, as was their commander, Colonel August Freidrich von Bismarck, the Chancellor's great grandfather. On the left flank it met the enemy counterattack on the Brslenka (stream). It lost 14 officers plus many men and horses. The King honored Captain de Chasot with the Pour-le-merite on the battlefield.

In 1744 it took part in the capture of Prague. On October 26, during the march back to the Elbe, it held off the enemy avant-garde at Kammerburg under Nassau, so that the meeting of the armies at Koniggratz was no longer prevented. lts finest hour struck at Hohenfriedberg on June 4, 1745; on the left wing under Gessler, it had not made contact with the second line of cavalry and followed the second infantry line over the Strigau Water. So it found itself behind the gap at Thomaswaldau and under enemy fire. Since Dragoon Regiments 3 and 4 of the second line had joined the cuirassiers, the enemy front broken and there was no reason to wait, Colonel von Schwerin, it commander, and his officers decided to break into the enemy line between the Bredow and Munchow brigades at a full gallop; the line broke, twenty battalions were smashed, 67 flags and 5 cannon captured and 2500 prisoners taken, with the loss of six officers and 88 men, 28 dead.

In terms of timing, manner and success this attack was a masterpiece! The regiment won three Pour-le-merite and was praised by the King as "the Caesars of Hohenftiedberg". Gessler became a count, Schwerin a general, other promotions resulted, and the trophies came in the form of a coat of arms and a seal. On September 23 it fought at Schatzlar and went with Lehwaldt's Corps through Bautzen and on the Meissen to meet the Old Dessauer on December 13. At Kesselsdorf it was on the inner left flank that scarcely got to fight before the Zschon Valley, where the terrain prevented the Saxons from being defeated.

At Lobositz on October 1, 1756 eight squadrons rode in the first attack under Kyau and helped the Gardes du Corps out of a bad situation, and two squadrons were in the second, against the King's will. After that it was before Pirna until the surrender on October 16. During the Battle of Prague on May 6, 1757 it was in the cavalry corps of Prince Moritz of Anhalt- Dessau on the Sazawa, making a thoroughly unsuccessful attempt to cut off the enemy's retreat to the south. After the seige of Prague was lifted on June 19, it marched back to Leitmeritz under Kieth.

It broke out of the Zittau area in August under the Duke of Bevern and reached Silesia. On September 7 it was in the Battle of Moys, near Gorlitz, in which Winterfeldt fell.Via Liegnitz and Steinau, crossing the Oder twice, it reached a position on the Lohe west of Breslau. On the left wing at Kleinburg on November 22, it cut down a grenadier battalion, took hundreds of prisoners and captured four cannon.

At Parchwitz on December 2 it joined the King's army to fight at Leuthen three days later, on the outer left wing under Driesen, leading the final attack between Leuthen and Frobelwitz. It outflanked the Austrians and, along with CR 11, took two complete infantry regiments prisoner, cut down a battalion and catured four standards, nine flags and eight cannon. After the conquest of Schweidnitz in 1758 it went with the King to Olmutz, which it helped to enclose on the east bank of the March under its commander, Major General von Meier.

On June 17 eight squadrons were attacked and lost 17 officers and 457 men, of whom twelve officers and 297 men were taken prisoner. Two squadrons were with Zeiten at Domstrdtl late in June and rescued part of the supply train. The regiment suffered long from its misfortunes. At Hochkirch it belonged to Retzow's Corps, which entered the battle at just the right time and prevented the worst. In the retreat it beat a cuirassier regiment and took 64 prisoners. In 1759 it did securing duty between the Bober and the Elbe. In 1760 it joined Prince Henry's Corps and was attacked at Kossdorf near Torgau on February 20, losing ten officers, 308 men and a standard. One squadron joined Werner's advance to relieve Kolberg, which had been surrounded by Russians; leading to the enemy's flight and the saving of the city. Then it served at Schwedt, Schlawe and against the Swedes.

At Torgau on November 3 it fought in Holstein's cavalry under Finckenstein; Colonel von Bulow and the First Battalion surrounded the Ahremberg Division on the enemy's right wing with four regiments, took whole battalions prisoner, captured ten flags and scattered the rest. The battle was almost won, but flank fire and counterattacks forced a withdrawal. The King was full of praise and gave eight Pour-le-merite. In 1761 it marched to Saxony with the King and was camped at Pilzen, Strehlau and Bunzelwitz without doing anything noteworthy. In 1762 it first went to Schweidnitz, the fate of which was determined by the Battle of Burkersdorf. In 1763 it consisted of 1616 Prussians, 50 Saxons and 255 "foreigners".

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