The Potsdam Giants was the Prussian infantry regiment No 6, composed of taller-than-average soldiers. The regiment was founded in 1675 and dissolved in 1806 after the Prussian defeat to Napoleon. Throughout the reign of the Prussian king Friedrich Wilhelm I of Prussia (16881740) the unit was known as the "Potsdamer Riesengarde" ("giant guard of Potsdam") in German, but the Prussian population quickly nicknamed them the Lange Kerle ("tall guys").
The Regiment was founded with a strength of two battalions in 1675 as Regiment Kurprinz under the command of Prince Frederick of Brandenburg, the later King Frederick I of Prussia. In 1688 the later King Frederick William I of Prussia became the nominal Commander of the Regiment. After Frederick William I ascended to the throne in 1713, he proceeded to strengthen his military, including hiring 40,000 mercenaries. He had already begun to recruit taller soldiers and needed several hundred more recruits each year.
Group
Flat Figure(s)
Condition
unpainted
Scale
Size 54 mm
Material
Pewter-Alloy 55%Sn 39%Pb 6%Sb
Parts
15 parts
Nationality/Location
Prussia
State
Second Hand
Not a toy! Not suitable for children under the age of 14!