8th Bohemian Dragoons (Count Montecuccoli's)

The regiment was a cavalry unit raised in the 17th century for the Imperial Habsburg Army. Over time, this unit became the 8th Bohemian Dragoons (Count Montecuccoli's) (Böhmischen Dragoner-Regiment „Graf Montecuccoli“ Nr. 8) within the "Common Army" that formed part of the Austro-Hungarian Army. From 1888 the unit was to bear this new title "in perpetuity".From 1798 to 1801, what later became the 11th Regiment of Dragoons and, to 1860, the subsequently disbanded Hereditary Grand Duke of Toscana's Dragoons bore the designation 8th Regiment of Dragoons (Dragoner-Regiment Nr. 8).

In 1769 the regiment was placed in the order of precedence as the 4th Cavalry Regiment (Cavallerie-Regiment Nr. 4) and in 1798 it became the 6th Cuirassier Regiment (Cürassier-Regiment Nr. 6).

By way of classification the unit was also subsequently given the following numbers: 1683/1 (by Tessin),Tessin 1986 Bd.1: 40 Kürassierregiment K 2 (by Bleckwenn).Bleckwenn

Until 1798 the regiment was named after its various Inhabers or colonels of the regiment, who were not necessarily its commanders. There was no authoritative naming system (e.g. Regiment Graf Serbelloni or Regiment Serbelloni). Regiments changed their names with each change of colonel. After 1798, the number of the unit took precedence, but could in certain circumstances be combined with the name of the regimental colonel. Because of this constant renaming of units, the regimental histories of Austro-Hungarian cavalry are very difficult to trace. In addition, there was a constant, and apparently arbitrary, sometimes repeated, redesignation of units (e.g. the 14th Regiment of Bohemian Dragoons (Prince of Windisch-Grätz, Böhmisches Dragoner-Regiment „Fürst zu Windisch-Graetz“ Nr. 14).

History The 8th Bohemian Dragoons is the oldest, regular regiment of horse in the Imperial-Royal, later Imperial and Royal (k. k. and k.u.k.), Cavalry. According to the traditional decree (Traditionserlass) of the 19th century, it existed for a total of 299 years. Other historic records consider the regiment's history to begin with its reformation in 1683 because the unit had been first disbanded in 1679.

In 1619, the Lower Austrian Protestant estates tried to obtain concessions from Emperor Ferdinand II at Hofburg Palace through the so-called storm petition (Sturmpetition). On that occasion, three squadrons (Fähnlein) of Dampierre's Regiment of Arquebusiers stationed in Krems and a squadron of "Dampierre's Regiment of Cuirassiers" under the commander of the arsenal, Colonel Gilbert of St. Hilaire, deployed to Vienna. Embarked on boats (so-called Tschaiken) on the River Danube, they arrived on 5 June 1619 at Vienna, entered the Residenz through the Fishermen's Gate (Fischertor) and intimidated the Protestants into abandoning their undertaking.

For this action, Emperor Ferdinand II bestowed on the regiment the following privileges, which were confirmed by Emperor Francis I during the secular celebrations of 1810: The regiment may march when on duty to the sound of trumpets and with standards flying through the Imperial and Royal Hofburg Palace and the Imperial capital and Residenz city of Vienna, and may also set up on the imperial palace forecourt (the Franzensplatze) and recruit there for three days. The guard is then to be drawn from the regiment in front of the apartment granted pro forma to the regimental commander in the Hofburg Palace, to where the regimental standards are to be brought, and the respective regimental commander is permitted on such an occasion to appear, unannounced, in full dress before His Majesty the Emperor.

The regiment also has the assurance that it will never be disbanded or reduced, as long as it continues to maintain its current glory, and finally the distinction that no man of the regiment, for a crime punishable by death, shall be executed for the same, but in such cases, the culprit will be transferred to another regiment where such penalty may be carried out at any time.

In 1619, under the Imperial Commission of 16 March, 500 men were recruited by Grand Duke Cosmos II of Medici at his own expense (300 men as arquebusiers in the Netherlands and 200 men as cuirassiers in the imperial dominions). In 1621, this regiment was in imperial service under the name of the "Florentine Horse" (Florentinische Reiter). Generalfeldwachtmeister Henri de Dampierre, who had already been the proprietary colonel (Inhaber) and commander of a musketeer regiment since 1616, was appointed colonel of this new regiment.

In 1683, five companies of Mercy's Regiment (Regiments Mercy) were handed over to form the cadre for training a new regiment for Colonel (Obrist) Dupigny. The unit was expanded to 10 companies through recruitment and continued the tradition of Bournenville's Regiment (Regiments Bournenville) and the old Dampierre's Cavalry In 1721, the Regiment took over a company of the disbanded Battée's Dragoons (Dragoner-Regiments Battée) In 1731, elements of the Auction companies, formed in 1727, were transferred to Pignatelli's and Kokorowa's Regiments (Regimenter Pignatelli und Kokorowa) (both disbanded in 1734) In 1768, the carabinier company was transferred to the recently formed 1st Regiment of Carabiniers (later 3rd Dragoons) and a squadron of the disbanded Modena's Cuirassiers (Kürassier-Regiment Modena) joined the Regiment In 1769 the Regiment was ranked as the 4th Cavalry in the order of precedence. In 1775 the Colonel's Division, then the Lieutenant Colonel's 1st Squadron of the disbanded Jacquemin Cuirassiers was added In 1780 Graf Friedrich Anton zu Hohenzollern-Hechingen became the Proprietor (Inhaber) (Kürassier-Regiment Hohenzollern-Hechingen) In 1798 the name was changed to the 8th Regiment of Cuirassiers In 1802, it took over the Lieutenant Colonel's Division of the disbanded Czartoryski's 4th Regiment (Kürassier-Regiment Czartoryski) In 1867, it was given the new name of 8th Dragoons

Main and supplementary recruiting districts From 1781: Bohemia 1853 from the supplementary districts of 35th Regiment of Infantry (Plzeň) 1857–1860 from the districts of 14th, 28th and 42nd Regiments of Infantry (Neuhaus, Prague, Theresienstadt) 1860–1868 from the districts of 11th, 28th and 35th Regiments of Infantry (Písek, Prague, Plzeň) 1868–1877 from the districts of 28th and 75th Regiments of Infantry (Prague, Neuhaus) 1877–1883 from the districts of 28th and 42nd Regiments of Infantry (Prague, Theresienstadt) 1883–1889 from the districts of 42nd, 92nd and 94th Regiments of Infantry [Theresienstadt, Komotau, Turnau). 1889 it was allocated to the Military Territorial District of IX Corps (Josephstadt). 1914: supplementary district of Leitmeritz

Peacetime garrisons I. II. III. 1649 Linz 1650 Inner Austria 1651–1657 Styria 1660 Lower Austria 1661 Upper Hungary 1663–1664 Hungary, then Silesia 1665 Inner Austria 1670 Csakathurn 1671–1672 Upper Hungary 1679 Worms 1698–1701 Upper and Lower Austria (staff at Enns) 1714 Moravia and Silesia 1715–1716 Bohemia 1720 Nyitra County 1731 Upper Hungary (5 companies detached in the Milan area) 1733–1734 Bohemia (Pilsen Camp) 1736–1737 Banat 1739 Kaschau 1740–1741 Moravia 1746–1747 Nyitra County 1748 Szered 1752–1756 Chrudim 1763 Hungarian Skalitz 1766 Szered 1767 Brezowa 1768 Szered 1770 Komitat Sohl and Komitat Trentschin 1775–1778 Hungarian Skalitz 1779 Güns 1787 Steinamanger, then Vienna 1788–1792 Saaz 1798–1799 Wittingau 1801 Grosswardein 1802–1805 alternating between Nagy-Károly and Szatmár 1806 Nagy-Károly 1807 Szikszó 1808–1809 Kittsee 1810 Báth (Frauenmarkt) 1811 Vienna 1812–1813 Kyjov 1814–1815 Vienna 1815 Brandeis 1819 Vienna 1820 Klattau 1836–1848 Poděbrady 1849 Vienna 1851 Nagy Tapolcsán, then Neuhäusel 1852 Güns 1854 Mikulince, then Przeworsk 1855–1859 Prostějov 1859–1866 Czegléd 1866 Raab 1870 St. Georgen (Pressburg) 1879 Stockerau 1880 Vienna 1885 Pardubice 1903 Przemysl 1911–1914 Staff/1st Division/6 Sqn. Jaroslau - HQ 2nd Div/4 Sqn./5 Sqn. Radymno

Colonels of the Regiment 1619 Colonel (Obrist) Heinrich Duval, Count Dampiere, Colonel General (Obristwachtmeister) over all mounted soldiers (Dampierre's Arquebusier Regiment) 1620 Jacob, Count of Dampierre, Lord of Mondroville

1683 Colonel Bernhard Freiherr von Coneberg et Dupigny (Coneburg's CuirassiersFollowing English practice, the unit titles are shortened e.g. in this instance to "Coneberg's Cuirassiers". The full translated title would be of the form "Coneberg's Regiment of Cuirassiers".) 1683 Colonel Johann Franz, Lord of Chauviray (Chauviray's Cuirassiers) 1685 Feldmarschallleutnant Adam Bernhard Freiherr von Saint-Croix (Saint Croix's Cuirassiers) 1698 Colonel Joseph Innocence, Duke of Lorraine and Bar (Lorraine and Bar's Cuirassiers) 1705 Colonel Ferdinand, Count Breuner (Count Breuner's Cuirassiers) 1710 Colonel Thomas Emanuel, Prince of Savoy (Savoy's Cuirassiers ) 1730 Colonel Eugene John, Prince of Savoy (Young Savoy's) 1735 Feldmarschalleutnant Franz Rudolf, Count of Hohenems (Hohenembs) (Count Hohenems' Cuirassiers) 1756 Colonel Archduke Ferdinand (Archduke Ferdinand's Cuirassiers) 1761 Colonel Archduke Maxmilian (Archduke Maximilian's Cuirassiers ) 1780 Generalmajor Friedrich Anton Fürst Hohenzollern-Hechingen (Hohenzollern-Hechingen's Cuirassiers) 1798 Name changed to 8th Cuirassiers 1813 Constantine Pavlovich, Grand Duke of Russia 1831 Feldmarschalleutnant Ignaz Count Hardegg 1848 Feldmarschalleutnant Carl Count Auersperg 1848 Carl, Prince of Prussia 1883–1899 General of Cavalry Leopold, Count Sternberg

Regimental commanders 1903 Colonel Ottokar Pizzighelli 1906 Colonel Ludwig Vetter 1908 Colonel Ludwig Vetter 1910 Colonel Viktor Bauer von Bauernthal 1914 Lieutenant Colonel Eugen Adler

Operations Uskok War 1616 Fought against Venice - Battles of Luciuse, Gradisca and Rubis Thirty Years' War 1618 Fought in Bohemia 1619 The two companies raised in the imperial dominions were stationed in June in Lower Austria. One took part in the campaign under Colonel Gilbert von St. Hilaire (Captain of the Arsenal) when 500 of Dampierre's horse went free the Emperor in Vienna. The companies that joined the Regiment later (the companies raised in the Netherlands had been assigned meanwhile to Dampierre‘s Corps) fought in the Battle of Wisternitz and at the capture of Ludenburg 1620 In Moravia and Lower Austria. In the November the unit fought in the Battle of White Mountain at Prague 1621 Scharmützel near Neuhäusel in Hungary 1622 Garrison in Lower Austria - campaign in Moravia 1624 Skirmishes in the Reich 1625 Fought in the Netherlands. Siege of Breda 1626 Fought at the Dessau Bridge, Later moved to Moravia 1627 Campaign under Waldstein to Holstein and Jutland 1628 In Mecklenburg 1629–1630 Patrol duties in the Duchy of Jülich Saw no action 1631 Siege of Magdeburg, Battle of Breitenfeld 1632 In Bohemia at the Siege of Eger, then in front of Nuremberg, Later under Gallas in Saxony, Battle of Lützen 1633 Battle of Steinau in Silesia, Later assigned to main army and went to Bavaria 1634 Capture of Regensburg, Battle of Nördlingen 1635 Under Gallas at the Rhine, in the Electorate of Mainz and in the Duchy of Lorraine 1636 Under Gallas again at the Rhine 1637 Battle of Pege (Pegau) in Saxony 1638 With the main army in Pomerania, withdrawal to Saxony 1639 Fought at Freiberg and Chemnitz 1640 In Silesia, then assigned to the main army for the battles of Perleberg and Ziegenhain 1641 Siege of Zwickau, Battle of Wolfenbüttel 1642 Battle of Schweidnitz, Battle of Breitenfeld and subsequent rearguard actions together with the regiments of Nicola (Mottard), Lüttich and Ramsdorf. Cornet Hensgen with a detachment composed of troopers from the Regiment and Pallavicini's Regiment (200 men) successfully attacked 3 Swedish regiments at Moravian Trübau 1643 With the main army in Silesia, Battle of Teschen