Part 102

It is to be noticed, however, that the 233d Division was left in line northeast of Ypres until July 29.

Since that time the division took part in numerous battles and improved.

It contained a certain number of Poles and some Alsatians.

From January 20 to February 24, 1918, it received special training for the warfare of movement, in the vicinity of Zabern-Haguenau.

It was a fairly good division.

1918.

KEMMEL.

1. The division was railed to Flanders in the middle of April and detrained at Zarren (southwest of Thourout). It marched toward the front south of Ypres through Ardoye, Tourcoing. It was engaged on April 25 at Mount Kemmel and took part in the heavy fighting there until May 3. Its losses were heavy in this engagement.

2. The division rested near Sottegem in Belgium until May 19. It was then transferred to Peronne. During June a regiment of the division came into line southwest of Morlancourt for a short period and reenforced the 54th Division. The rest of the division rested at Caudry, Bretigny, Morcourt until July 6.

THIRD BATTLE OF THE SOMME.

3. It was engaged on that date north and south of Alvert, where it was still in line at the time of the British attack of August 22. It was thrown back on Fricourt, La Boisselle, Bazentin le Grand, Montauban, where it was relieved on August 30, after losing 1,422 prisoners.

4. Following the heavy losses in August the division was dissolved. The 448th Regiment was transferred to the 107th Division, replacing the 227th Reserve Regiment, dissolved. The 405th Regiment replaced the 22d Reserve Regiment, dissolved in the 117th Division; while the men of the 449th Regiment were allotted to the 448th and 450th Regiments.

VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.

The division was rated as third class.

234th Division.

COMPOSITION.

─────────────┬───────────────────────────┬─────────────────────────── │ 1917 │ 1918 ─────────────┼─────────────┬─────────────┼─────────────┬───────────── │ Brigade. │ Regiment. │ Brigade. │ Regiment. ─────────────┼─────────────┼─────────────┼─────────────┼───────────── Infantry. │234. │451. │234. │451. │ │452. │ │452. │ │453. │ │453. ─────────────┼─────────────┴─────────────┼─────────────┴───────────── Cavalry. │1 Sqn. 13 Dragoon Rgt. │1 Sqn. 13 Drag. Rgt. ─────────────┼───────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────── Artillery. │Art. Command: │234 Art. Command: │ 4 F. A. Rgt. │ 4 F. A. Rgt. │ │3 Abt. 21 Ft. A. Rgt. (7 │ │ and 9 Btries.). │ │841 Light Am. Col. │ │847 Light Am. Col. │ │1340 Light Am. Col. ─────────────┼───────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────── Engineers and│(234) Pion. Btn.: │234 Pion. Btn.: Liaisons. │ │ │ 359 Pion. Co. │ 359 Pion. Co. │ 360 Pion. Co. │ 360 Pion. Co. │ 429 T. M. Co. │ 201 Searchlight Section. │ 234 Tel. Detch. │234 Signal Command: │ │ 234 Tel. Detch. │ │ 126 Wireless Detch. ─────────────┼───────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────── Medical and │246 Ambulance Co. │246 Ambulance Co. Veterinary.│ │ │189 Field Hospital. │189 Field Hospital. │190 Field Hospital. │190 Field Hospital. │Vet. Hospital. │269 Vet. Hospital. ─────────────┼───────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────── Transport. │M. T. Col. │644 M. T. Col. ─────────────┴───────────────────────────┴───────────────────────────

HISTORY.

(451st and 452d Infantry Regiments: 3d Corps District—453d Infantry Regiment: 4th Corps District—Prussian Saxony.)

1917.

The 234th Division was formed on January 6, 1917, at the camp of Altengrabow. Its infantry regiments were recruited from the 3d and 4th Corps Districts (Berlin-Magdeburg) and were composed of men of the 1918 class (50 per cent) and of returned wounded and men withdrawn from the front (50 per cent).

ST. QUENTIN.

1. After three months’ training at Altengrabow, the 234th Division entrained, on March 28, for the Western Front. Going by way of Magdeburg-Aix la Chapelle-Liége-Brussels-Mons, it detrained on March 30–31 at Le Cateau, from which place it marched to the sector of Fayet, northwest of St. Quentin (on the Hindenburg Line) on April 8.

On April 14 the division was attacked by British troops and lost heavily (451st Infantry Regiment, 400 prisoners). This regiment again suffered seriously in the course of violent battles with the French east of Fayet, August 9 to 11.

YPRES.

2. About September 1 the 234th Division was relieved northwest of St. Quentin and sent to Roulers, by way of Bohain, Le Cateau, Denain, Lille, Courtrai, and Menin. In reserve first near Hooglede, on the Ypres front at the time of the British attack, it counterattacked on September 20, northeast of St. Julien. On September 23–24 it again went into reserve and after the British attack of the 26th sent some of its elements into action southeast of Zonnebeke on September 27.

3. Exhausted by these battles the division left the Ypres front for the Lille area. It had lost about one-half of its effectives.

LA BASSÉE.

4. It went into line north of La Bassée Canal on October 7, remained there six weeks, and about November 24 went to the Cambrai area.

ARTOIS.

5. On December 7 it took over the sector north of Bullecourt.

RECRUITING.

The 234th Division was recruited from Brandenburg and Prussian Saxony.

VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.

The 234th Division lost very heavily at Ypres in September, 1917; these losses had some effect upon its morale. At all events, it acquired a certain combat experience in the course of these engagements.

The 451st Infantry Regiment seemed to be considered the best one in the division by the German High Command.

In the 453d Infantry Regiment, September, 1917, many officers belonged to the Reserve and to the Landwehr; some of these, during the war, were retired for inefficiency (document).

1918.

PICARDY.

1. The 234th Division remained in the Bullecourt sector until relieved by the 111th Division on the 8th of February, when it went to rest in the Douai area.

2. About the end of the month it relieved the 111th Division. On the opening of the Somme offensive on the 21st of March, although not engaged in the initial attack, the division was severely engaged in the fighting around Croisilles, and on the 31st some of its elements carried out a costly and unsuccessful attack against Boisleux-St. Mare. It was relieved about the 7th of April by the 231st Division.

3. The division rested a fortnight and then relieved the 111th Division in the Ayette sector on the 20th. During the night of the 24th–25th of May it was relieved by the 17th Division.

4. About June 21 it relieved the 17th Division. When the British attacked on the 21st of August, the division was thrown back upon Hamelincourt with heavy losses (including 1,585 prisoners). It was withdrawn on the 24th to the Douai region.

5. On the 22d of September it reenforced the front in the Gavrelle sector, being withdrawn a few days later.

6. On the 30th it came into line north of Cambrai in the Tilloy sector. Withdrawn about the 15th of October.

7. On the 18th it reenforced the front near Raches (northeast of Douai). It was relieved by the 35th Division about the 10th of November.

VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.

The 234th was rated a third-class division. In the fighting around Arras in the spring it acquitted itself fairly well, and its commanding general received the “Pour le Mérite.” Its conduct during the rest of the year was mediocre.

235th Division.

COMPOSITION.

─────────────┬───────────────────────────┬─────────────────────────── │ 1917 │ 1918[40] ─────────────┼─────────────┬─────────────┼─────────────┬───────────── │ Brigade. │ Regiment. │ Brigade. │ Regiment. ─────────────┼─────────────┼─────────────┼─────────────┼───────────── Infantry. │235. │454. │235. │454. │ │455. │ │455. │ │456. │ │456. ─────────────┼─────────────┴─────────────┼─────────────┴───────────── Cavalry. │5 Sqn. 9 Dragoon Rgt. │5 Sqn. 9 Drag. Rgt. ─────────────┼───────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────── Artillery. │235 Art. Command: │235 Art. Command: │ 6 F. A. Rgt. │ 6 F. A. Rgt. ─────────────┼───────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────── Engineers and│235 Pion. Btn.: │235 Pion. Btn.: Liaisons. │ │ │ 361 Pion. Co. │ 361 Pion. Co. │ 362 Pion. Co. │ 362 Pion. Co. │ 435 T. M. Co. │ 435 T. M. Co. │ 235 Tel. Detch. │ 235 Tel. Detch. ─────────────┼───────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────── Medical and │247 Ambulance Co. │247 Ambulance Co. Veterinary.│ │ │191 Field Hospital. │191 Field Hospital. │192 Field Hospital. │192 Field Hospital. │ │Vet. Hospital. ─────────────┼───────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────── Transport. │961 M. T. Col. │645 M. T. Col. ─────────────┴───────────────────────────┴───────────────────────────

Footnote 40:

Composition at the time of dissolution, August, 1918.

HISTORY.

(454th and 455th Infantry Regiments: 5th Corps District—Posen. 456th Infantry Regiment: 6th Corps District—Silesia.)

1917.

The 235th Division was formed in January, 1917, in the camps of the Warta and of Neuhammer, with elements from the 5th and 6th Corps District. Its regiments were made up mostly of men from the 1918 class (50 per cent) and the remainder from returned sick and wounded and men withdrawn from the front (initial strength, 230 to 235 men per company).

1. After six weeks of intensive training, the 235th Division was concentrated at Posen and sent to the Western Front on February 20, by way of Dresden-Aschaffenburg-Frankfort-Aix la Chappelle-Namur. It passed a new period of training in the Sissonne Camp, and on March 15 was sent to the St. Quentin area.

ST. QUENTIN.

2. At the beginning of April it went into line in the Itancourt sector. Its losses were enormous, principally from the attack of April 13, which necessitated replacements of 2,216 men during the following weeks.

3. Relieved at the beginning of July, it was sent to rest east of St. Quentin (Fontaine Notre Dame).

YPRES.

4. On July 25 it entrained at Guise for Belgium. Concentrated in the vicinity of Iseghem-Roulers, it went to the Ypres front on July 28–31, east of Wieltje, received the artillery preparation and the British attack of the 31st, which caused it very heavy losses. The 454th Infantry Regiment had very heavy losses (4th Company was reduced to 31 men) and was filled up hastily from the resources of the large depot at Beverloo (about 60 men per company).

5. The 235th Division was withdrawn from the front on August 1 and spent a week at rest in Flanders.

6. In the course of August it was transferred to Laonnois, in the vicinity of Montcornet.

AISNE.

7. About September 10 it took over the sector of Juvincourt-Corbeny, where the French attack of November 21 again occasioned it serious losses (400 prisoners). A prisoner of the 456th Infantry Regiment declared that in this company not more than one-fourth of the men were left who composed it in January.

RECRUITING.

The 235th Division was recruited from the Provinces of Posen and of Silesia; consequently, contained a large number of Poles.

VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.

The 235th Division appeared to have only mediocre offense value.

Following the battle of November 21, 1917, in the Juvincourt sector, the commander of the 456th Infantry Regiment and the commander of the 2d Battalion of the same regiment were relieved in disgrace.

The division received training in the warfare of movement during January and February, 1918.

1918.

1. The division entrained at Sierentz (Alsace) April 4–5 and traveled via Mulhausen, Strasbourg, Treves, Cologne, Lille, Brussels, and Ghent. It detrained at St. Andre, north of Lille, on the 8th–9th and rested in that vicinity until the 22d.

FLANDERS.

2. It entered line east of Robecq on the night of April 22–23 and remained in that sector until May 11. During this engagement the division lost very heavily.

3. The division entrained at Lille on the 12th and was railed via Ghent, Brussels, Namur, Charleville, and Sedan. It detrained north of Briey on the 14th.

WOEVRE.

4. It was engaged on the heights of the Meuse (Vaux les Palameix-Bois des Chevaliers) from May 24–25 to August 8. It was withdrawn from north of St. Mihiel on the 8th and dissolved at Conflans.

5. The 545th Regiment was drafted to the 10th Division. The 11th Division and 82d Reserve Division received elements of the 456th Regiment.

VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.

The division was rated as third class. Its only active service in 1918 was near Armentieres, for which the division was commended by the Kaiser in his order dissolving the division.

236th Division.

COMPOSITION.

─────────────┬───────────────────────────┬─────────────────────────── │ 1917 │ 1918 ─────────────┼─────────────┬─────────────┼─────────────┬───────────── │ Brigade. │ Regiment. │ Brigade. │ Regiment. ─────────────┼─────────────┼─────────────┼─────────────┼───────────── Infantry. │236. │457. │236. │457. │ │458. │ │458. │ │459. │ │459. ─────────────┼─────────────┴─────────────┼─────────────┴───────────── Cavalry. │4 Sqn. 13 Drag. Rgt. │4 Sqn. 13 Drag. Rgt. ─────────────┼───────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────── Artillery. │7 F. A. Rgt. │7 F. A. Rgt. │ │3 Abt. 16 Ft. A. Rgt. (11 │ │ and 13 Btries.) │ │956 Light Am. Col. │ │1337 Light Am. Col. │ │1343 Light Am. Col. ─────────────┼───────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────── Engineers and│363 Pion. Btn.: │363 Pion. Btn.: Liaisons. │ │ │ 363 Pion. Co. │ 363 Pion. Co. │ 364 Pion. Co. │ 364 Pion. Co. │ 436 T. M. Co. │ 436 T. M. Co. │ 236 Tel. Detch. │ 202 Searchlight Section. │ │236 Signal Command: │ │ 236 Tel. Detch. │ │ 125 Wireless Detch. ─────────────┼───────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────── Medical and │248 Ambulance Co. │248 Ambulance Co. Veterinary.│ │ │193 Field Hospital. │193 Field Hospital. │194 Field Hospital. │194 Field Hospital. │Vet. Hospital. │Vet. Hospital. ─────────────┼───────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────── Transport. │M. T. Col │ ─────────────┴───────────────────────────┴───────────────────────────

HISTORY.

(457th and 458th Infantry Regiments; 7th Corps District—Westphalia. 459th Infantry; Regiment; 16th Corps District—Lorraine.)

1917.

The 236th Division was formed at the Senne Camp at the end of December, 1916 and the beginning of January, 1917. Recruited from the 7th and 16th Corps Districts its regiments were composed of men belonging to the 1918 class (40 per cent) and of returned wounded.

CAMBRESIS.

1. The 236th Division entrained at the Senne and Paderborn Camps on April 11 1917, and went to Cambrai by way of Dusseldorf-Aix la Chapelle- Liége-Namur-Charleroi-Valenciennes. Detraining at Caudry on April 13, it went into line southwest of Cambrai (Trestault-Gouzeaucourt) on the 18th. On April 24 it was attacked by British troops, lost the village of Villers Plouich, and suffered heavily (340 prisoners).

2. On May 9 it was sent to rest in the vicinity of Cambrai.

ARTOIS.

3. It then occupied the sector of Cherisy (southeast of Arras) from June 4 to September 2, and did not go into any serious action during this period.

FLANDERS.

4. The division left Artois at the beginning of September, was sent to rest at Courtrai until the 17th, went to Iseghem by railroad, then marched to Roulers. Until September 20 it remained in reserve as a counterattacking division. Between the 20th and 26th, it was in a violent battle east of Ypres, toward the Polygon wood and between this wood and Zonnebeke to oppose the British advance. Before going into line, on September 20, the 2d Battalion of the 459th Infantry Regiment, had lost more than 200 men from artillery fire; on the 22d, the 8th Company had only 15 men left.

5. Withdrawn from the Flanders front, during the night of September 28–29, the 236th Division was sent to rest in the vicinity of Douai.

ARTOIS.

6. On October 6 it went into line north of the Scarpe, between the Roeux and the Gavrelle; it enlarged its sector toward the north at the beginning of November. It was filled up by replacements taken from the Russian front; 400 men coming from the 32d Landwehr Regiment (197th Division) arrived in November.

RECRUITING.

The 236th Division was recruited from Westphalia and the Rhine Province.

VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.

The 236th Division had serious losses while fighting at Ypres and its morale was weakened in consequence. It may be considered a mediocre division (February, 1918).

According to a deserter’s statement (Jan. 23, 1918), the 236th Division was a shock division in 1917.

1918.

1. The division was engaged from March 21 to April 3. On the March Somme offensive, first at Cherizy, later at Heninel. It was relieved south of Arras on the night of April 3–4 and moved to Passchendaele by way of Aubigny au Bac, Iseghem, and Meulebeke.

YPRES.

2. It entered line at Passchendaele on April 6 and held a sector in this vicinity until June 22, when it was relieved by the 31st Division. The division rested during July at Deynze. It again held the sector southwest of Ypres from August 10 to September 13.

LORRAINE.

3. The division moved from Flanders by way of Tourcoing-Brussels- Liége—Aachen-Cologne-Bonn-Bingen-Coblenz-Kreuznach to Strasburg. It did not detrain there, but was suddenly ordered to Metz, where it arrived on September 24 in the afternoon. It marched to Loringen, stayed one night and marched to Mars la Tour on September 26. The next morning it marched to Jarny and entrained there, going to Dun sur Meuse (via Longuyon and Montmedy). From Dun it marched through Doulcon to Villers, then to Cunel, and then forward into position.

4. The division was heavily engaged from September 29 to its retirement on October 17. It distinguished itself particularly, fighting stubbornly and successfully for many days in succession. It lost only 413 prisoners but its casualties were very heavy, estimated at 3,000. On November 4 the division was reengaged south of Beaumont and continued in line until the armistice.

VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.

The division was rated as third class. Apart from the fighting on the Meuse, the division did not do anything notable.

237th Division.

COMPOSITION.

─────────────┬───────────────────────────┬─────────────────────────── │ 1917 │ 1918 ─────────────┼─────────────┬─────────────┼─────────────┬───────────── │ Brigade. │ Regiment. │ Brigade. │ Regiment. ─────────────┼─────────────┼─────────────┼─────────────┼───────────── Infantry. │244. │460. │244. │460. │ │461. │ │461. │ │462. │ │462. ─────────────┼─────────────┴─────────────┼─────────────┴───────────── Cavalry. │4 Sqn. 13 Uhlan Rgt. │4 Sqn. 13 Uhlan Rgt. ─────────────┼───────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────── Artillery. │83 F. A. Rgt. │83 F. A. Rgt. │ │3 Abt. 23 Ft. A. Rgt. (7 │ │ and 9 Btries.). │ │783 Light Am. Col. │ │1013 Light Am. Col. │ │1057 Light Am. Col. ─────────────┼───────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────── Engineers and│(237) Pion. Btn.: │237 Pion. Btn.: Liaisons. │ │ │ 365 Pion. Co. │ 365 Pion. Co. │ 366 Pion. Co. │ 360 Pion. Co. │ (437) T. M. Co. │ 124 Searchlight Section. │ 237 Tel. Detch. │237 Signal Command: │ │ 237 Tel. Detch. │ │ 25 Wireless Detch. ─────────────┼───────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────── Medical and │249 Ambulance Co. │249 Ambulance Co. Veterinary.│ │ │195 Field Hospital. │195 Field Hospital. │196 Field Hospital. │196 Field Hospital. │272 Vet. Hospital. │198 Vet. Hospital. ─────────────┼───────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────── Transport. │551 M. T. Col. │ ─────────────┼───────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────── Attached. │4 Landst. Pion. Co. (10 C. │ │ Dist.). │ ─────────────┴───────────────────────────┴───────────────────────────

HISTORY.

(8th and 21st Corps Districts—Rhine Province and Lorraine.)

1917.

The 237th Division was formed in January, 1917, at the Elsenborn Camp (one-half men of the 1918 class; the rest, returned sick and wounded and men taken from the front).

RUSSIA.

1. Detraining in Russia in the vicinity of Baranovitchi in March, 1917, the 237th Division went into line south of Vichnev, on the Little Berezina, about the beginning of April.

GALICIA.

2. Relieved on June 25, it was transferred to Galicia by way of Brest- Litowsk. On July 7 it was sent into line in the vicinity of Konioukhi.

3. It was engaged on July 21 northwest of Zbrow, and pursued the Russians by way of Trembowla (July 26) as far as Husiatin, where the front became stabilized. The division continued to occupy various sectors in this area until the end of 1917. It was identified south of Husiatin on December 12 (fraternization).

RECRUITING.

The 237th Division was recruited principally from the Rhine District.

VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.

The 237th Division occupied the Russian front from its formation until the beginning of January, 1917.

Its combat value was mediocre.

1918.