The 5th Line Battalion of the King's German Legion (abbreviated: KGL) was raised in late 1805 as the fifth out of eight line battalions that the Legion levied in total. A British expedition at the end of 1805 to Hanover, which had been vacated by French troops on their way to the Battle of Austerlitz, resulted in a massive recruitment success for the KGL. After Napoleon's victory at Austerlitz, the British expedition's position became untenable. The whole force including all participating and newly recruited KGL units re-embarked for England in February 1806. The 5th line battalion KGL was initially brigaded with the 6th Line Battalion of the Legion. It served from 1805 until 1816 in Ireland, Copenhagen, Portugal, Spain and southern France and Belgium. The unit was part of the British occu