Trip to Germany...

The Biannual Battle Re-enactment of Gohrde
21-22nd September 2002.

By Ian Lightbown, 1st Light Battalion KGL.

With the close ties that have been established between the (English and German) KGL Re-enactment groups, our German colleagues once again passed to us an invitation from the French 127th Ligne to take part in their battle re-enactment at Gohrde.

This was our second invitation to participate in the re-enactment, which takes place on the original battle's site, the first being in 2000 when six KGL and Russell Dunton from the British 9th Foot Regiment travelled to take part. With the distance by car to Gohrde being so far; (we originally travelled from Belgium to near the river Elbe in a day), the eleven of us this year decided to split the journey up and travel over two days. This would both lighten the pace of our journey and give us the opportunity to visit the Bohmann Museum and Castle at Celle, both significant to KGL and Hanovarian history.

And so around midday on Thursday 19th September 2002 we set off in four vehicles for Germany, three boarding the ferry at Dover for Dunkirk, and one travelling via the Channel Tunnel. After a delay to the ferry sailing, which cost us an hours travel, we had a smooth crossing, disembarking we then drove all day, stopping for the night in the vicinities of Essen, Dortmund and Munster. There we took advantage of the cheap local accommodation that can be found across Germany, after hours of driving through the Low Countries traffic congestion. The next day we carried on and drove to Celle, where most of us met up to take a look around the KGL relevant exhibits and view the artefacts at the museum and castle there. We ate in Celle and then pushed on to the camp site at Gohrde, which we reached in the late afternoon. After pitching our tents we were treated to an early supper cooked by Sonia and the ladies of the 127th Ligne, we then relaxed around some very close camp fires for a chat and a drink in the Allied camp.

The site of the re-enactment is approximately 500 meters Southwest of the village of Luben on a low hill, and I believe the camp sites are roughly on what was the left hand side of the French front line, where the cavalry and artillery were situated on higher ground. The main field used is rectangular, the top left hand corner resting on the top of the hill, and being flanked left and right respectively by the forest and road to Luben. The Allied camp this year was to the top left of the field, on the crest of the hill and adjacent to the upper field which was previously part of the re-enactment area. The French camp was at the base of the field near the bottom of the hill, occupying the left hand side.

The weather Saturday morning was cool and overcast, but the sun would gradually burn off the clouds and warm the day up. After breakfast with the 127th Ligne the early part of the morning was spent by some of the units drilling in the field nearby. The (English) 1st Light Battalion and 4th Foot Battery KGL, did battlefield drill with the (German) 2nd Light Battalion KGL and 1st Co. Brunswick Light Infantry Avant Garde, as usual in German, under the 2nd's Corporal Llange. After drill there was a short break prior to a general parade of the French and Allied units taking part, then we started getting ready for the coming battle. It was intended this year that the battle would take part over a larger part of the surrounding area Southeast of the hill and to the right of the Dahlenburg-Dannenberg road, roughly following a figure of eight route which would take us skirmishing and fighting through two villages and part of the forest.

The Allied force assembled in the main field and then marched off parallel to the road Southwest. The lights, (3rd Battalion 95th Regiment, 1st Co. Brunswick Light Infantry Avant Garde, 1st & 2nd Light Battalions King's German Legion), in advance with the 2nd Heavy Dragoons KGL, and Elbe National Hussar Regiment. They were followed by the Prussian line, (8th Brandenburg, 9th Colberg, Lutzow's Frie Korp's, Volunteer Jagers of 3rd Westphalian Landwehr and 2nd Kurmark Landwehr), and Allied line, (42nd Highland Regiment, 5th Battalion 7th Dutch Line, 5th (Dutch) National Militia Battalion, 4th (Swedish) Regiment 'King Gustav Adolph', 1st Musketeer Battalion 'Hertzog Freidrich Franz' Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Russo-German Legion). We swung left and marched on and through Luben and onto Pommolsoel, where we turned right and marched into a field, here we then waited for half an hour for the Prussian line to catch up, they had to rest back in one of the villages, much to the annoyance of the other units. We then marched on through the forest gradually looping back towards Luben, on the way we were supposed to meet French outposts, but due to the half hour delay caused by the line the French skirmishers had gone back to the main body after hearing cannon fire, and believing that we had missed them had gone towards the sound of the guns?

Marching up and over a forest covered hill and advancing towards the village we came under fire from French skirmishers of the 21st Ligne out of Luben, who had returned there after discovering that we were not back at the main battle site. The 3rd 95th & 1st Avant Garde started to engage the French through the village, with the 1st & 2nd Light KGL starting a flanking action to the right. The French then opened up with artillery just inside the perimeter of the village and on the hill, then their line entered the village to bolster the skirmishers and after a few minutes firing they began to retreat as the Prussian and Allied line began to make its way along the streets. With the Prussian and Allied line pushing the French along the street, the Brunswicks and KGL carried on flanking through a wet meadow behind a small copse and then met up with the line a few yards down the road. The French then withdrew along the road, covered by a rear guard, back towards the main field, followed by the Allied forces. Advancing into the main field the lights initially engaged the French, again being made up of their skirmishers, covered to our right by 5 pieces of Allied artillery and rockets.

The Allied line entered the field taking up position left and right to the lights, keeping the artillery to their right, the French, (127th Ligne, 21st Ligne, 22nd Demi-Brigade and Grenadiers of the Old Guard), supported by artillery in their center were in column of attack and in line. Five pieces of Allied artillery, (3rd Ft. Battery (6lb) 1st Prussian Artillery Brigade, 5th Ft. Battery (6lb) 3rd Brandenburg Artillery Brigade and Ft. Battery (6lb) Russo-German Legion), kept up a steady barrage on the French, who having artillery in their center did likewise on us. The artillery effects were spectacular, when the pots went off you knew it, some seconds after the bang you were engulfed in a cloud of light material, and the working rockets, (Halkett Troop RHA Rocket Troop) went true to form, with two good vertical launches and one worryingly horizontal one. By a process of gradual flanking manouveres, with the lights pluging gaps, the French were pushed back and enveloped on their left. As the final stage of the battle was entered the KGL kept up a steady fire and advance on the French, with an amusing rifle duel against the French skirmishers, who came off worst as they could not keep up a sustained fire with their weapons. In the last few minutes of the battle the 1st KGL faced the Grenadiers of the Old Guard, who went down fighting.

After the battle all the units formed up to salute the audience, then being dismissed we went off to clean weapons, have a look at the few stalls and have some coffee and cake with the 127th Ligne. We engaged in sorting things out at our camp, conversation among ourselves and networking with our European colleagues prior to having our evening meal and a few drinks in the dusk.

Sunday morning was very grey with a steady and cool misty drizzle, moving around camp while getting ready there were quite a number of units, especially the Prussian ones, packing up to go home before the second battle. This may have had something to do with the local elections in Germany that took place that weekend. Again we were invited to breakfast with the 127th Ligne, fortunately we were able to get under one tent, as the mess was in the open this year, for our bread and coffee. After breakfast we sorted ourselves out for that days battle, which due to the various units leaving, was to be smaller.

We formed up in the Allied camp at the top of the hill and marched down to the left of the field, across from the French camp, and positioned with two guns to our right. To our front were two French formations, which the mixed lights advanced on, supported by the Colberg's and a mixed brigade. We then advanced across the field to make contact with the French, who were gradually pushed back to their camp and defeated. With the battle over it just left us to return powder, sort out our kit, break camp and say our farewells to our European friends.

We then left Gohrde in the early afternoon, hoping to make good time on the German autobahn, but within an hour the pace began to slow. By late afternoon we were just coming up to Munster, and so we decided to take the 58 B road and cut out the Duisburg-Dortmund conurbation for quickness, stopping off at another reasonable hotel near Wulfen. The next day we pushed on, quickly leaving Germany and passing through Holland and Belgium into France, where at Dunkirk we found that our ferry had been cancelled, a delay of 2-4 hours, and even when it turned up the hydraulics failed and there was more of a delay. We had a good crossing arriving at Dover just after dusk, and in the dark and rain began the last leg of our return trip to London.