1st Guards Regiment of Foot

1st Guards Regiment of Foot

Date of Formation:  11th August 1688

Quarters:  Potsdam



On 2nd November 1806 the Guards Depot was formed with 25 men of the 6th and 15th Prussian Guards Regiments under the command of 2LT Julius Ludwig von Pogwisch.

On 24th January 1807 the Regiment was expanded to two Companies

On 27th June 1807 the Regiment was expanded to four Companies and formed the Guard Battalion under the command of Col Gustav Adolph von Kessel

On 14th July 1807 renamed as Foot Guards

On 9th November 1808 the Regiment was expanded to two Battalions

On 12th November 1808 renamed as Regiment of Foot Guards.

On 17th March 1809 the 3rd Fusilier Battalion was formed.

On 2nd May 1813 the Regiment fought at the battle of Lutzen under the command of Major Ernst Ludwig von Tippelskirch.

On 20th and 21st May 1813 the regiment fought at the battle of Bautzen

On 20th June 1813 the Regiment was again renamed as the 1st Regiment of Foot Guards, after the formation of a second Guards Regiment:

1st Guards Battalion
2nd Guards Battalion
3rd Fusilier Battalion

On 14th to the 19th October 1813 the regiment was at the battle of Leipzig under the command of Major Alvesleben.


On 30th March 1814 the regiment took part in the Battle of Paris.  The following day the French surrendered, and ended the war of the sixth coalition.

In March 1848 the regiment took part in the supression of the revolution in Berlin.  It was under the command of Col von Bittenfeld.

In June 1866 the regiment was called to take part in the German war, and moved south to fight the Austrians. Col von Kessel was in command.

On 29th June the regiment took part in the battle of Gitschen where it captured the colours of the Austrian Coronini Regiment.

On 3rd July 1866 it fought in the deciding engagement of the battle of Koniggratz.

In August 1870 the Regiment was once again called into action, and took part in the war against France.

On 18th August 1870 the Regiment fought at the battle of St Privat.  It was commanded by Col von Roeder, who was killed in the attack.

On 1st September 1870 it fought at Sedan under von Oppell, and then took part in the seige of Paris.  By December a new commander had been appointer called Col von Boehn, it fought its final battle of the campaign at La Bourget.

In World War 1 it fought on the West and East fronts, where it lost over 4,000 men.  After the war it returned to Potsdam, and in December 1918 to was part of Border Guard Kurland and fought against the Bolshavics.

Parts of the Regiment also fought in Berlin as Freecorps Potsdam, and as Freecorps Eulenburg.

In the Provisional Army the Regiment formed the 4th Battalion of the 5th Regiment.

In July 1919 the Regiment was redesignated as the 2nd Battalion of the 5th Regiment, and in September 1919 as the 1st Battalion of the 5th Regiment, obsorbing the remainder of the Border Guard units.

In 1921 the Regiment was redesignated as the 9th (Prussian) Infantry Regiment, and in March assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division.  The 1st Company was assigned the traditions of the 1st Guards Regiment.

In 1939 the Regiment was transfered to the 23rd Infantry Division and took part in the invasion of Poland.

In May 1940 the Regiment took part in the attack on the West.

In June 1941 the Regiment took part in the attack on Russia as part of Army Group Centre.  In June 1942 the Regiment was transfered to the 26th Panzer Division as the 9th Panzer Grenadier Regiment.

In July 1943 the Regiment was moved to the Italian front, it surrendered there in May 1945.