Franco-Prussian War Order of Battle

This is an order of battle of the French and German Armies at the beginning of the Franco-Prussian War in 1870.

France

Order of battle at the beginning of the war:

Army of the Rhine

*Imperial Guard Corps ("Garde impériale")
**1st Infantry Division
**2nd Infantry Division
**Cavalry Division

*1st Corps ("1er corps")
**1st Infantry Division
**2nd Infantry Division
**3rd Infantry Division
**4th Infantry Division
**Cavalry Division

*2nd Corps ("2e corps")
**1st Infantry Division
**2nd Infantry Division
**3rd Infantry Division
**Cavalry Division

*3rd Corps ("3e corps")
**1st Infantry Division
**2nd Infantry Division
**3rd Infantry Division
**4th Infantry Division
**Cavalry Division

*4th Corps ("4e corps")
**1st Infantry Division
**2nd Infantry Division
**3rd Infantry Division
**Cavalry Division

*5th Corps ("5e corps")
**1st Infantry Division
**2nd Infantry Division
**3rd Infantry Division
**Cavalry Division

*6th Corps ("6e corps")
**1st Infantry Division
**2nd Infantry Division
**3rd Infantry Division
**4th Infantry Division
**Cavalry Division

*7th Corps ("7e corps")
**1st Infantry Division
**2nd Infantry Division
**3rd Infantry Division
**Cavalry Division

* Cavalry Reserve Corps ("Corps de réserve de cavalerie")
**1st Reserve Cavalry Division
**2nd Reserve Cavalry Division
**3rd Reserve Cavalry Division

French Infantry divisions were square divisions, with two infantry brigades of two infantry regiments each. Generally, one brigade per division also had a light infantry (chasseur) battalion. French cavalry divisions were also generally square, with two brigades of two squadrons each, but the cavalry divisions of the Imperial Guard Corps, the 1st Corps, and the 6th Corps had three brigades.

Germany

Order of battle on August 18, 1870:

1st Army

*I. Army Corps ("I. Armeekorps")
**1st Infantry Division
**2nd Infantry Division
*VII. Army Corps ("VII. Armeekorps")
**13th Infantry Division
**14th Infantry Division
*VIII. Army Corps ("VIII. Armeekorps")
**15th Infantry Division
**16th Infantry Division
*1st Cavalry Division
**1st Cavalry Brigade
***2nd Cuirassier Regiment
***4th Uhlan Regiment
***9th Uhlan Regiment
**2nd Cavalry Brigade
***3rd Cuirassier Regiment
***8th Uhlan Regiment
***12th Uhlan Regiment
*3rd Cavalry Division
**6th Cavalry Brigade
***8th Cuirassier Regiment
***7th Uhlan Regiment
**7th Cavalry Brigade
***5th Uhlan Regiment
***14th Uhlan Regiment

2nd Army

*Guard Corps ("Gardekorps")
**1st Guard Infantry Division
**2nd Guard Infantry Division
**Guard Cavalry Division
*II. Army Corps ("II. Armeekorps")
**3rd Infantry Division
**4th Infantry Division
*III. Army Corps ("III. Armeekorps")
**5th Infantry Division
**6th Infantry Division
*IV. Army Corps ("IV. Armeekorps")
**7th Infantry Division
**8th Infantry Division
*IX. Army Corps ("IX. Armeekorps")
**7th Infantry Division
**Grand Ducal Hessian (25th) Infantry Division
*X. Army Corps ("X. Armeekorps")
**19th Infantry Division
**20th Infantry Division
*XII. (Royal Saxon) Army Corps ("XII. (Kgl. Sächs.) Armeekorps")
**23rd (Royal Saxon) Infantry Division
**24th (Royal Saxon) Infantry Division
*5th Cavalry Division
**11th Cavalry Brigade
***4th Cuirassier Regiment
***13th Uhlan Regiment
***19th Dragoon Regiment
**12th Cavalry Brigade
***7th Cuirassier Regiment
***16th Uhlan Regiment
***13th Dragoon Regiment
**13th Cavalry Brigade
***10th Hussar Regiment
***11th Hussar Regiment
***Brunswick 17th Hussar Regiment
*6th Cavalry Division
**14th Cavalry Brigade
***6th Cuirassier Regiment
***3rd Uhlan Regiment
***15th Uhlan Regiment
**15th Cavalry Brigade
***3rd Hussar Regiment
***16th Hussar Regiment

3rd Army

*V. Army Corps ("V. Armeekorps")
**9th Infantry Division
**10th Infantry Division
*VI. Army Corps ("VI. Armeekorps")
**11th Infantry Division
**12th Infantry Division
*XI. Army Corps ("XI. Armeekorps")
**21st Infantry Division
**22nd Infantry Division
*Royal Bavarian I. Corps ("Kgl. Bayer. I. Korps")
**1st Royal Bavarian Division
**2nd Royal Bavarian Division
*Royal Bavarian II. Corps ("Kgl. Bayer. II. Korps")
**3rd Royal Bavarian Division
**4th Royal Bavarian Division
*Combined Württemberg-Baden Corps ("Kombiniertes Württembergisch-Badisches Korps")
**Württemberg Field Division
***1st Infantry Brigade
***2nd Infantry Brigade
***3rd Infantry Brigade
***Cavalry Division ("Reiter-Division")
**Baden Field Division
***1st Infantry Brigade
***2nd Infantry Brigade
***3rd Infantry Brigade
***Cavalry Brigade
*2nd Cavalry Division
**3rd Cavalry Brigade
***1st Life Cuirassier Regiment
***2nd Uhlan Regiment
**4th Cavalry Brigade
***1st Life Hussar Regiment
***Blücher's 5th Hussar Regiment
**5th Cavalry Brigade
***4th Hussar Regiment
***6th Hussar Regiment
*4th Cavalry Division
**8th Cavalry Brigade
***5th Cuirassier Regiment
***10th Uhlan Regiment
**9th Cavalry Brigade
***1st Uhlan Regiment
***6th Uhlan Regiment
**10th Cavalry Brigade
***2nd Life Hussar Regiment
***14th Hussar Regiment

Reserve

*General Command over mobile troops in the I, II, IX, and X Corps Areas
**17th Infantry Division
**Guard Landwehr Infantry Division
***1st Guard Landwehr Brigade
****1st Guard Landwehr Regiment
****2nd Guard Landwehr Regiment
***2nd Guard Landwehr Brigade
****1st Guard Grenadier Landwehr Regiment
****2nd Guard Grenadier Landwehr Regiment
**1st Landwehr Division
***1st Pomeranian Landwehr Brigade
****1st Combined Pomeranian Landwehr Regiment
****2nd Combined Pomeranian Landwehr Regiment
***2nd Pomeranian Landwehr Brigade
****3rd Combined Pomeranian Landwehr Regiment
****4th Combined Pomeranian Landwehr Regiment
**2nd (Brandenburg) Landwehr Division
***1st Brandenburg Landwehr Brigade
****1st Combined Brandenburg Landwehr Regiment
****2nd Combined Brandenburg Landwehr Regiment
***2nd Brandenburg Landwehr Brigade
****3rd Combined Brandenburg Landwehr Regiment
****4th Combined Brandenburg Landwehr Regiment
**3rd Combined Landwehr Division
***West Prussian Landwehr Brigade
****West Prussian Combined Landwehr Regiment
****Lower Silesian Combined Landwehr Regiment
***Posen Landwehr Brigade
****1st Combined Posen Landwehr Regiment
****2nd Combined Posen Landwehr Regiment
*16 Landwehr Cavalry Regiments
*Reserve Foot Battalions of the Guard and 11 Line Artillery Regiments

ources

* A. Niemann, "Der französische Feldzug 1870-1871" (Verlag des Bibliographischen Instituts, Hildburghausen, 1871).