Bavarian Jäger Battalion Number 5

This, the second unit in my Bavarian division, is the 5th Jäger Battalion.

The basic uniform is the same as the line troops but with green distinctions - collar, cuffs, trouser stripes and wulst (shoulder wings).

The Bavarian infantry went to war in 1870 with three distinct differences. First was the most obvious one - the uniform and that Raupenhelm helmet. Second was the brigade organisation - the inclusion of a jäger battalion in each brigade. Third was armament - they were armed on the whole with the Podewils rifle. Originally issued in 1858 as a rifled musket, it was converted to a breech loading weapon in 1867, but unlike the Needle gun and the Chassepôt which both had the percussion cap included inside the cartridge (that was ignited when penetrated by a needle), the Podewils had to be capped for each shot. The result was that the technical specifications differed little from muzzle loading weapon both in range and rate of fire. The Podewils was generally considered the worst of the small arms in service in 1870.

All that said, the Podewils was only intended as a stopgap solution because the Bavarians had already developed the M1869 Werder breech loading rifle that fired an 11mm rim fired metallic cartridge. This was a true competitor to the Chassepôt in range, rate of fire and accuracy, although the Chassepôt still seemed to hold the edge in hitting power. However, budgetary constraints meant that the Werder had been issued to only four jäger battalions, the 2nd, 5th, 9th and 10th, in 1870. Had it been issued in greater numbers this Blitzgewehr, or lightening rifle, it could have made the Bavarians a much more potent force in the opening battles of the war.

Jägers, of course, did not carry standards, but they did carry fanions. While it is not certain if they carried the fanions in the field, I decided to include one and used a spare arm and fanion from the French infantry set.