BACKGROUND

The Principality of Waldeck [19] was situated west of Kassel, sandwiched between the artificially created French vassal state of Westphalia to the east and the Grand Duchy of Hesse-Darmstadt to the west. Its three principal towns were Waldeck itself, Pyrmont and Wildungen. [20] Waldeck joined the Rheinbund on 18 April 1807 and was obliged to raise a battalion of infantry. The Bataillon Waldeck never served as a whole, being used to furnish companies to two separate Rheinbund units.

In September 1808, a company was detached for service in Spain, to become the sixth company of the Firsten Bataillon. [21] The Firsten Bataillon was sent to Catalonia in northeast Spain, essentially the area between Barcelona and the French border. It took part in the siege of Gerona but was principally deployed in detachments on counter-insurgency operations and garrison duties.

In March 1809 a further two companies were detached to become the first and second companies of the second battalion of 6. Rheinbund-Infanterie Regiment being formed in preparation for war against Austria. The regiment served without particular distinction in the 1809 campaign, being largely involved in counter-insurgency operations in the Tyrol, and in January 1810 the regiment was posted to Spain arriving in Gerona in March.

On 4 June 1810 the Firsten Bataillon, such as remained of it, was disbanded and the component parts incorporated in the 5. and 6. Rheinbund-Infanterie-Regiment. The 6. Rheinbund-Infanterie-Regiment also served in Catalonia until 1811. It too was deployed in detachments on the usual debilitating counter-insurgency and garrison duties at such diverse places as La Bisbal, San Felou de Guoxals and Palamus in the area southeast of Gerona. Combat, disease and desertion reduced the regiment such that it was combined with 5. Rheinbund-Infanterie-Regiment in late 1810.

In 1811 the regiment was withdrawn for reorganisation and reinforcement prior to the invasion of Russia in 1812. The 6 Rheinbund-Infanterie-Regiment saw very little action until the later phases of the 1812 campaign when as part of the garrison of Danzig it participated in the defence of the city. The regiment, now at company strength, ceased to exist when the city capitulated in 1813.

ORGANISATION