The Prussian Landwehr of 1813 was the peasant militia that broke Napoleon, dressed in locally made grey or dark blue litewkas and whatever the regional treasury could pay for.
Quick answer. The Prussian Landwehr (home army) was raised in March 1813 by Scharnhorst's reform laws. It wore the litewka, a long single breasted dark blue or grey coat with a stand collar and brass or horn buttons; dark blue or grey trousers; a shako or peaked cap with the Landwehr cross badge in brass; and whatever boots or shoes the man could acquire. By 1815 the Landwehr fielded 120,000 men.
The Scharnhorst reforms and the Landwehr Law
After the catastrophe at Jena in 1806, the Prussian army collapsed. The Treaty of Tilsit in 1807 limited Prussia to 42,000 regulars. General Gerhard von Scharnhorst used the next six years to redesign the Prussian military system around universal service. The Landwehr Law of 17 March 1813 established the Landwehr: a reserve army of 17 to 40 year old men not already in the regulars.
The Landwehr was organised by region: East Prussia, West Prussia, Pomerania, Brandenburg, Silesia, Westphalia. Each province raised its own regiments, which took the regional colour. The system fielded 120,000 Landwehr by 1815, roughly equal to the regular army. For the broader Napoleonic context, see our Napoleonic uniforms complete guide.
The litewka: a soldier's long coat
The regulation Landwehr uniform centred on the litewka, a long single breasted frock coat reaching to mid thigh, with a plain stand collar, no epaulettes, and brass or horn buttons down the front. The litewka was a Polish word; the design came from the Russian Imperial Guard cossack frock. It was practical, easy to make from local wool, and warm.
Regulation colour was dark blue, but provincial variation was wide. East Prussian Landwehr wore black. Silesian Landwehr wore yellow or dark blue. Westphalian Landwehr wore grey (that was all the wool they had). The piping and collar colour marked the province: red for East Prussia, white for Pomerania, yellow for Silesia.
The Landwehr cross
The single universal marker was the Landwehr cross: a brass or iron Latin cross worn on the shako or cap, inscribed with Mit Gott fur Konig und Vaterland (With God for King and Fatherland). Officers wore gilt crosses; men wore brass or blackened iron. The cross doubled as a cockade and a signal to the Prussian regulars that a man was Landwehr.
The cross survived the war and became the Iron Cross medal of 1813, instituted by Friedrich Wilhelm III. The Iron Cross worn today, from 1870 to 1945, is a direct descendant of the Landwehr cross. For a wider look at the uniforms of the Russian campaign where Prussia fought alongside Russia, see our Napoleonic Cossack uniforms piece.
Trousers, boots, equipment
Trousers were dark grey or dark blue wool, cut long with a leather strap under the instep, worn over whatever shoes or boots the man could acquire. Many Landwehr marched in wooden clogs, farm boots or captured French brogans. Officers wore top boots in private purchase.
Equipment was limited. A single buff leather cross belt took the cartridge pouch and the bayonet. The musket was anything available: 1782 pattern Prussian, 1766 pattern French, 1763 pattern Russian, 1797 pattern Austrian. Standardisation was impossible. A knapsack of coarse brown cloth or canvas carried spare clothing and rations. See our Imperial Guard uniforms piece for the French side they fought.
The Landwehr cavalry
Landwehr cavalry regiments wore the same long litewka cut, with the addition of a cross belt supporting the sword and carbine. The sword was any 1807 to 1812 pattern Prussian or Austrian sabre available. The horse was private purchase or regional supply. Facings varied by province.
The Landwehr cavalry of Prussia played a critical role at Leipzig in October 1813 and at Waterloo in 1815, where the Westphalian Landwehr cavalry under Prince William of Prussia pursued the retreating French. Their uniforms, by that stage, were almost entirely improvised: grey or butternut litewkas with faded piping and whatever helmets had been found.
What they achieved
The Landwehr fought at Lutzen, Bautzen, Dresden, Leipzig, La Rothiere, Craonne, Laon and Paris. At Waterloo on 18 June 1815, General Blucher's Prussian army included substantial Landwehr contingents: the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Westphalian Landwehr regiments, plus the Silesian Landwehr. They arrived at Plancenoit around 4:30 pm and took the village from the French Imperial Guard by 7 pm.
The Landwehr system became the model for the German military of 1871 and the universal conscription armies of the 20th century. For context on the French forces they beat, see our Napoleon's Marshals uniforms piece.
Common questions
What is the Landwehr?
The Prussian home army raised in March 1813. By 1815 it fielded 120,000 men. Organised by region: East Prussia, West Prussia, Pomerania, Brandenburg, Silesia, Westphalia.
What is a litewka?
A long single breasted frock coat reaching to mid thigh, with a plain stand collar and brass or horn buttons. From the Polish word for Lithuanian coat. Standard Landwehr dress.
What was the Landwehr cross?
A brass or iron Latin cross worn on the shako or cap, inscribed Mit Gott fur Konig und Vaterland. The direct ancestor of the Iron Cross medal of 1813.
Did Landwehr wear uniforms?
Yes, in principle. Dark blue or grey litewkas with regional piping. In practice, provincial supply drove colour: East Prussia black, Westphalia grey, Silesia yellow or dark blue.
Where did the Landwehr fight?
Lutzen, Bautzen, Dresden, Leipzig, Craonne, Paris, and at Waterloo in 1815 where Westphalian Landwehr took Plancenoit from the Imperial Guard.