The number of Jews in the Prussian army

during the years 1813, 1814 and 1815

Translated by Geert van Uythoven

“Regarding the amount of Jews, participating in the war during the years 1813, 1814 and 1815, lately a remarkable number of assertions have been made. For example, a delegate of the cities in the 46th Plenary Meeting of the Rhine Diet of 13 July (‘Allgemeine Preuβische Zeitung’ No. 38 of 7 August of this year) stated: “Six thousand Israelites fell in the Wars of Liberation”. If this really is the case, then at least 25 to 30,000 Jews must have fought during this war.

To correct this and other assumptions the following results will serve, based on the official lists of the troops. These lists do not cover all units of the army, but they cover the troops of all provinces, and of these it turns out that of:

- 59 line battalions * 138;

- 21 cavalry regiments * 39;

- 4 artillery brigades 4;

- 52 landwehr battalions with their squadrons 162;

- all pioneer companies 0,

during the campaigns of 1813, 1814 and 1815 a total of 343 Jews have served, of which 263 were volunteer, 80 had been conscripted. In 1815, when the Prussian army was at its biggest, it counted the following number of units (with the exception of the guard, in which no Jews served):

- 104 line battalions

- 32 cavalry regiments

- 134 landwehr battalions

If one assumes that the Jews were evenly divided among the troops, something which can be regarded as a most favourable situation; while the lists that are missing are especially those from the units raised during course of war, and those recruited in the provinces in which comparably few Jews lived; finally, because many of the units existing in 1815 did not take an active part in the war, according to this proportion the following number of Jews have served:

- with the line infantry regiments: 245;

- with the cavalry regiments: 60;

- with the artillery brigades: 8;

- with the landwehr battalions and squadrons 415,

a total of 731 Jews that served. A number which is most probably rather to high then to low, when it is compared with the 27 years of peace from 1816 to 1842, during which a total of only 3,314 Jews served in the army. Their number was at no time more then 334, often however only numbering 150 to 200.

* Including their jäger detachments.

Source: Anonymous, "Notiz über die Zahl der Juden in der preuβischen Armee während der Kriegsjahre 1813, 14 und 15", in ‘Militair-Wochenblatt’, No. 44, 4 November 1843 (Berlin, 1843) pp. 345-346

© Geert van Uythoven