The Bavarian Army 1866

The Bavarian army which fought the Seven Weeks' War of 1866 against Prussia and her German allies is not a force which has been studied much in English.

This is a translation of a contemporary pamphlet that seems to have been written with a view to describing the organisation, uniforms and tactics of a potential foe, since it bears the marks of having been penned during the spring of 1866, when tensions between the rival camps of German states, led by Prussia and Austria respectively, were increasing.

Not all this information can be seen as definitive since, as the Bavarian general staff official history of the war remarks, the Bavarian military system was not sufficiently organised to allow the maximum figures quoted in the pamphlet to be attained.

Nevertheless, there is a good deal of useful material, which since it is given in a contemporary source can be seen as expressing closely the potential of the Bavarian army for the campaign of 1866.