Introduction
À la suite (French pronunciation: [a la sɥit], in the entourage [of]) was a military title given to those who were allotted to the army or a particular unit for honour’s sake, and entitled to wear a regimental uniform but otherwise had no official position.
Background
In Prussia, these were:
- À la suite of the army – for example granted to such officers, who came to command non-Prussian battalions at certain higher ranks, to guarantee their advancement in the Prussian army
- À la suite of regiments – for example princes and generals as a special honour, or officers who commanded non-Prussian battalions.
Officers and others (for example surgeons were “à la suite of a Sanitätskorps”) were thus not inserted into the military command structure, but rather had roles in the administration, military direction (war ministry, or similar) or military education. Also, men could be “à la suite of his majesty” if they directly worked for the ruler.
For example, the German field marshal August von Mackensen was granted à la suite the distinctive death’s head uniform of the 1st Life Hussars Regiment (Leib-Husaren-Regiment Nr. 1), which he commanded between 1893 and 1898.
