In 1709 following the Swedish defeat at Poltava, the Kingdom of Denmark-Norway reentered the Great Northern War against Sweden. My translation of the Helge Scheunchen article on the Danish Auxiliary Corps which appeared in THE COURIER, Vol. VI, No.2, and Pat Condray's booklet entitled, Danes, Bavarians and Prussians, deal exclusively with the uniforms worn by Danish units which fought in the War of Spanish Succession, as well as the colors and standards they carried. This article is intended to supplement these two sources for the period 1709-1711; and provide new information on Danish and Norwegian uniforms, colors and standards for the period 1711-1720.
Infanterist 1701-1714
When Denmark-Norway reentered the Great Northern War the first military operation which she undertook was an invasion of the Swedish province of Skane. The campaign in Skane ended in 1710 with the Battle of Helsingborg and the defeat of the Danish Army. From 1710 through 1715 the Danish military effort concentrated on conquering Sweden's German possessions which includes the sieges of Stacle, Wismar and Straslund, as well as the Battle of Gadebusch in 1712 and the surrender of Magnus Stenbocks' Swedish Army at Toenning/Odenwoerth. Following the surrender of Straslund in 1715, the war for Denmark-Norway shifted to the Norwegian theater where Charles XII conducted two campaigns. The first in 1716 ended in the retreat of the Swedes, but otherwise no decisive results. The second in 1718 ended with the death of Charles at Fredriksten.
Danish-Norwegian Uniforms: Colors and Standards of The Great Northern War 1709-1720
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