In 1757 when Sweden entered the Seven Years War on the side of Austria, France, and Russia, her armed forces totalled some 48,000 officers and men. Of this number about 35,000 were infantry; 10,000 were cavalry; and 3,000 belonged to the garrison and field artillery. To say that the Swedish Army was prepared for war is a serious overstatement.
It has been recorded that some regiments had only three rounds per man, and others had only wooden flints for their muskets. Supply was abominable, and continued to be so throughout Sweden's involvement in the war.
INFANTRY
There were two types of infantry regiments in the Swedish Army, indelta or provincial regiments, and Varfvade or permanent/enlisted regiments. The provincial regiments were what might be termed parttime soldiers. They drilled together as companies and regiments only a few times a year during peacetime. The permanent regiments formed the peacetime army of Sweden, and they garrisoned the major cities and fortresses of Sweden, Finland, and Pomerania. They were augmented by the provincial regiments in wartime.
The indelta or provincial regiments consisted of 15 Swedish and 6 Finnish regiments. Each regiment had 8 companies, except the Nerike-Vermiands Regiment which had 10 companies. Each company numbered 150 officers and men more or less. There were 9 varfvade or permanent regiments, each of which also had 8 companies, except for the Lif Gardet and the Queen's Life Regiment which had 18 and 12 companies respectively.
The company, however, was strictly an administrative unit. Tactically, the regiment was divided into two battalions, the Lif Cardet had three battalions. A battalion contained anywhere from 3 to 6 companies. The actual number depended on the number of companies with the regiment in the field.
The battalion was subdivided into four main firing divisions regardless of the number of companies present in the battalion. Chart 1 lists the regiments and the number of companies in them; along with the number of companies that were present in Pomerania during the war, and the number of battalions that were formed.
| CHART 1: Infantry Regiments | Companies (Battalions) in Pomerania | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Companies | Strength | 1757 | 1758 | 1761 |
| Uplands | 8 | 1200 | 6(2) | 6(2) | 6(2) |
| Skaraborgs | 8 | 1200 | - | 6(2) | 6(2) |
| Sodermanlands | 8 | 1200 | 6(2) | 6(2) | 6(2) |
| Kronobergs | 8 | 1100 | - | 6(2) | 6(2) |
| Jonkopings | 8 | 1100 | - | 6(2) | 6(2) |
| Dal | 8 | 1200 | 4(1) | 6(2) | 6(2) |
| Ostgota | 8 | 1200 | 6(2) | 6(2) | 6(2) |
| Helsinge | 8 | 1200 | 6(2) | 6(2) | 6(2) |
| Elfsborg | 8 | 1200 | - | 6(2) | 6(2) |
| Westgota-Dals | 8 | 1200 | 4(1) | 4(1) | 4(1) |
| Vestmanlands | 8 | 1200 | 6(2) | 6(2) | 6(2) |
| Vesterbottens | 8 | 1056 | 6(2) | 6(2) | 6(2) |
| Kalmare | 8 | 1100 | - | 6(2) | 6(2) |
| Nerike-Vermiands | 10 | 1674 | 4(1) | 7(2) | 7(2) |
| Jemtlands Drg. (dismounted) | 8 | 1048 | - | - | - |
| Abolans | 8 | 1025 | 6(2) | 6(2) | 6(2) |
| Bjorneborgs | 8 | 1025 | - | - | 4(1) |
| Tavastehus | 8 | 1025 | - | - | 4(1) |
| Savolaks | 8 | 954 | - | - | - |
| Nylands | 8 | 1025 | 6(2) | 6(2) | 6(2) |
| Osterbottens | 8 | 1200 | 6(2) | 6(2) | 6(2) |
| Varivade/Permanent Regiments | |||||
| Lif Gardet | 18 | 1800 | 10(2) | 10(2) | 10(2) |
| Queen's Lif Regt | 12 | 1400 | 12(2) | 12(2) | 12(2) |
| Kronprinz | 8 | 1000 | 6(2) | 6(2) | 6(2) |
| Hamilton 1759 Lilliefvard 1761 Lieven | 8 | 1000 | - | - | - |
| Hessenstein | 8 | 1000 | - | - | - |
| Cronheim | 8 | 1200 | 8(2) | 8(2) | 8(2) |
| Spens - | |||||
| Posse 1760 Hamilton - | |||||
| Lowenfelt | 8 | 1200 | 8(2) | 8(2) | 8(2) |
CAVALRY
The 10,000 cavalry in the Swedish Army were organized into 10 regiments, 1 independent squadron, and 1 independent company. There were no light cavalry in the army in 1757. Some regiments were formed later in the war, and they will be discussed later. The terms cavalry company and squadron were synonymous in the Swedish Army.
The number of companies/squadrons in a regiment varied, but 8 companies were the average. Chart 2 lists the cavalry regiments and the number of companies in each, and of these how many saw service in Pomerania. The average strength of a company was 120 officers and men.
| CHART 2: Cavalry Regiments | Companies (Squadrons) in Pomerania | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Companies | Strength | 1757 | 1758 | 1761 |
| Lif Regt | 12 | 1505 | 4 | 10 | 10 |
| Adelsfana | 6 | 395 | - | - | - |
| Westgota | 8 | 1000 | 4 | 6 | 6 |
| Smalands | 8 | 1000 | 4 | 6 | 6 |
| Ostgota | 8 | 1000 | 4 | 6 | 6 |
| Sodra Skanska | 8 | 1000 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Norra Skanska | 8 | 1000 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Jemtlands Comp. | 1 | 100 | - | - | - |
| Lif Dragoon | 8 | 1000 | - | - | 4 |
| Nylands-Tavastehus Dragoon | 8 | 1000 | - | - | 4 |
| Karelske Drg. Sqd. | 2 1/2 | 242 | - | - | - |
| Bohuslans Dragoon | 8 | 904 | - | 2 | 2 |
ARTILLERY
In August 1757 a field artillery regiment was formed. It consisted of 12-12#, 12-6#, 36-3#, 2-16#How., and 8-8#How. The regiment was organized into 10 companies of 5 pieces each and 2 companies of 10 pieces each. In May 1758 the field artillery was reorganized into 18 companies, each of 4 pieces.
In July of the same year the artillery consisted of 8-12#,16-6#,60-3#, 4-16#How., and 8-8#How. These were organized into 24 companies of 4 pieces each. These companies were brigaded into 8 brigades of 3 companies each. The brigades contained similar types and caliber of weapons. In January 1759 the Nerike-Vermiands Regiment was allocated to artillery duty. Also two 3# pieces were assigned to each battalion. The gun carriages were painted light blue with brass/yellow metal.
GRENADIERS
At the beginning of the war one man out of every ten was designated a grenadier. The grenadiers were grouped together in a company and took post on the right of the line. There were no separate grenadier battalions.
In July 1758 two grenadier battalions were formed. One, formed from the provincial Swedish regiments in Pomerania, consisted of 4 companies with a total of 384 men. It was known as Grenadier Battalion Wrangel in 1758; Siegroth in 1760; Kaulbars in 1761; and Cederstrom in August 1761. The second was formed from grenadiers of the four permanent German regiments in Pomerania, also organized in 4 companies with a total of 384 men. It was known as Grenadier Battalion Meyerfeldt.
Three other grenadier battalions were formed in 1761; 2d Swedish Grenadier Battalion or Sprengporten, 4 companies with 384 men; 2d German Grenadier Battalion or Wetterhoff, after November 1761, Ankarstrom, also organized in 4 companies with a total of 400 men; and the Finnish Grenadier Battalion or Wetterhoff, organized in 4 companies with a total of 342 men.
LIGHT CAVALRY
In December 1757 two Hussar squadrons of 100 men each were formed under Graf zu Putbus and L. v. Platen. In July 1758 Baron Wrangel formed a Hussar regiment of ten squadrons each of 100 men. The squadrons of Putbus and Platen were included in this regiment. The regiment was known as the Blue Hussars from the color of its uniforms. In October 1761 Wrangel formed another Hussar regiment known as the Yellow Hussars. It consisted of 800 men in six squadrons. Five squadrons of this new regiment came from the Blue Hussars which was reorganized into 800 men in six squadrons.
In the fall of 1757 there were 36 mounted jagers in Pomerania. In December 1757 a Hessian, L. v. Schwartzer, was authorized to raise a squadron of 100 jagers. By the end of 1758 there was a mounted jager corps of two squadrons, each of 100 men.
At the end of August 1761 Generaladjutant Sprengporten formed a Freikorps of cavalry. It consisted of 100 hussars, 50 mounted jagers, and 480 volunteer cavalry from the regular cavalry regiments. These latter were organized into eight squadrons. The first squadron from the Lif Regiment; the second and third squadrons from the Norra Skanska Regiment; the fourth from the Westgota Regiment; the fifth from the Smalands Regiment; the six and seventh squadrons from the Sodra Skanska Regiment; and the eighth squadron from the Ostgota Regiment.
Finally, in January 1761 the French Captain de la Lieur formed a French Freikorps in Hamburg from French deserters. It consisted of one company of 50 Hussars, and two companies of infantry, each of 50 men, one Grenadier company and one Jager Company.
LIGHT INFANTRY
In March 1758, Graf zu Putbus, in addition to his Hussar squadron, also created a Hussar Sharpshooter Korps of 50 men. They were foot jagers in hussar uniforms. In the fall of 1758, they were 100 men strong. in 1759 they were under the command of R. Rosenquist, and part of the Blue Hussar Regiment. In 1761 they became an independent company known as Foot Jager Company Rosenquist.
In April 1758 a Freibattalion was created from foreign deserters in Dantzig. It consisted of four companies of 75 men each, and was commanded by a v. Bohnen.
By the winter of 1758-59, it had reached a strength of 600 men in eight companies. In November 1761 a foot jager company of 100 men was created under a von Kohler. One-half of the company was Swedish, the other half was German.
In August 1761 four Frei Companies were created, each of 100 men. They were known as: Li//ie, Sprengporten, Ehrenhielm, Lundber. Each of the companies also had two 3# pieces.
OTHER FORMATIONS
In January 1759 a battalion was formed from released prisoners of war of the Kronobergs, Kalmare, and Westgota Regiments. Made up of four companies, its strength was about 500 men.
Finally, in August 1759 a battalion was formed under M. Fabritius composed of men from the various infantry regiments who were unfit for active field service. It was called variously the Invalid Battalion, the Sick Battalion, the Combined Battalion, or the Garrison Battalion.
SOURCES
Save, Teofron. Sveriges Deltagande i Sjuariga Kriget, Stockholm, 1915.
Grossen Generalstabe. Der Siebenjahrige Krieg. Third Part, Vol. 6 of Die Kriege Friedrichs des Grossen. Berlin, 1904.
Related
-
Uniforms of the Swedish Army: 1757-1762
Update: With Corrections
Swedish Army 1757-1762
Swedish Cavalry Standards 1757-1762: Part I
Swedish Infantry Standards 1757-1762: Part II
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