Part 103
1. On the 4th of January the division was relieved by Austrian troops and marched by easy stages to Buckas, in the direction of Lemberg. On March 4 it entrained between Brody and Lemberg and traveled via Lemberg- Brest-Litowsk-Warsaw-Kalisz-Goerlitz-Leipzig-Frankfort on the Main- Thionville-Sedan, detraining at St. Juvin on the 12th. It went into cantonments at St. Georges.
ARGONNE.
2. During the night of the 14th–15th it relieved the 80th Reserve Division west of Avocourt. While here it exchanged its Alsace-Lorrainers for more trustworthy men of the 9th Landwehr Division. It was withdrawn about the middle of May.
AISNE.
3. On the 26th and 27th the division entrained at Grandpre and St. Juvin, went through Sedan and Charleville and detrained at Bucy les Pierrepont (north of Sissonne) on the 27th and 28th. The division then marched via Sissonne—the Plateau de Californie-Fismes-Dravegny-Monthiers (northwest of Château Thierry). On the 1st of June it attacked in the Belleau wood, as a result of which it suffered heavy losses. It was withdrawn about the 22d.
ARGONNE.
4. The division entrained at Athies (east of Laon) and detrained near St. Juvin on the 30th. The division remained here a few days and then relieved the 240th Division in the Vauquois sector. While in line here the division received more than 2,000 replacements. It was withdrawn on August 14.
AILETTE.
5. It entrained at St. Juvin and went to St. Quentin and Ham; then it went by truck to the Coucy wood, and then to St. Paul aux Bois (south of Chauny). On the 21st it reenforced the 1st Bavarian and the 222d Divisions near St. Aubin. It was withdrawn early in September, after having fallen back upon Coucy le Château. It rested then for a fortnight in the St. Gobain forest.
SERRE-OISE.
6. On the 25th of September it relieved the 34th Division in the Servais sector (south of La Fère). The division remained in line until the end of the war, falling back through Deuillet-Anguilcourt-La Ferté—Chevresis-Villers le Sec to the La Capelle region, and suffering very heavy losses.
VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.
The 237th was rated a fourth-class division. While it was in line in the Argonne in the spring the men (encouraged by their officers) fraternized with the French troops opposing them. Its morale was influenced to a most surprising extent by the measure of success of the German forces. The result was that while it was high in the spring it became low as soon as the tide turned. On August 22, while the division was in line on the Ailette, 80 men, armed and with ammunition, surrendered to 4 French soldiers. In this engagement (about 10 days) more than 900 prisoners were lost. While the division was in line the last time it lost over 1,000 prisoners. At the end of October the division had only about 800 rifles.
238th Division.
COMPOSITION.
─────────────┬───────────────────────────┬─────────────────────────── │ 1917 │ 1918 ─────────────┼─────────────┬─────────────┼─────────────┬───────────── │ Brigade. │ Regiment. │ Brigade. │ Regiment. ─────────────┼─────────────┼─────────────┼─────────────┼───────────── Infantry. │238. │463. │238. │463. │ │464. │ │464. │ │465. │ │465. ─────────────┼─────────────┴─────────────┼─────────────┴───────────── Cavalry. │2 Sqn. 13 Drag. Rgt. │2 Sqn. 13 Drag. Rgt. ─────────────┼───────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────── Artillery. │238 Art. Command: │238 Art. Command: │ 62 F. A. Rgt. │ 62 F. A. Rgt. │ │ 53 Ft. A. Rgt. (Staff and │ │ 1, 2, and 4 Btries.). │ │ 944 Light Am. Col. │ │ 1211 Light Am. Col. │ │ 1233 Light Am. Col. ─────────────┼───────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────── Engineers and│238 Pion. Btn.: │238 Pion. Btn.: Liaisons. │ │ │ 367 Pion. Co. │ 367 Pion. Co. │ 438 T. M. Co. │ 368 Pion. Co. │ 238 Tel. Detch. │ 205 Searchlight Section. │ 368 Pion. Co. │238 Signal Command: │ │ 238 Tel. Detch. │ │ 30 Wireless Detch. ─────────────┼───────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────── Medical and │250 Ambulance Co. │250 Ambulance Co. Veterinary.│ │ │197 Field Hospital. │197 Field Hospital. │198 Field Hospital. │198 Field Hospital. │Vet. Hospital. │273 Vet. Hospital. ─────────────┼───────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────── Transport. │648 M. T. Col. │648 M. T. Col. ─────────────┴───────────────────────────┴───────────────────────────
HISTORY.
(463d Infantry Regiment: 9th Corps District—Hanseatic cities. 464th Infantry Regiment: 9th Corps District—Schleswig—Holstein and Mecklemburg. 465th Infantry Regiment: 10th Corps District—Hanover.)
1917.
The 238th Division was formed at the beginning of January, 1917, at the Lockstedt Camp, near Hamburg. Its infantry regiments were recruited from the 9th Corps District (Schleswig-Holstein, Hanseatic cities, and Mecklemburg) and from the 10th Corps District (Hanover), and were composed in part (50 per cent) of men of the 1918 class.
1. After a training of almost three months, the 238th Division entrained at Lockstedt, on April 13, 1917, by way of Hamburg, Trèves, Sedan, Namur, Cambrai; it went to Caudry and Bertry (north), where it detrained on the 16th.
HINDENBURG LINE.
2. On April 20 it went into line in the sector of Vendhuille-Bellicourt, which it left on May 20 to go to rest in the vicinity of Douai (until May 28).
ARTOIS.
3. At the end of May it took over the sector of Roeux-Gavrelle, north of the Scarpe. It remained on this part of the front until September 27 and was not in any serious engagement. On June 6, however, the 463d Infantry Regiment suffered heavy losses in its 3d Battalion, which the two others hastily filled up (letter of June 10), and left 170 prisoners.
FLANDERS.
4. Sent to Flanders, the division remained at rest for a few days at Roulers, then in reserve in the vicinity of West-Roosebeke. On October 13 it went into line southwest of Passchendaele. Having suffered heavily from the British attack of October 30, it was hastily relieved on the 31st.
ST. QUENTIN.
5. It entrained on November 6 at Ledeghem. Detraining at Geise, it went to Macquigny, and after a few days of rest occupied the sector south of St. Quentin-Itancourt (Nov. 11–12).
RECRUITING.
The 238th Division was recruited the same as the 111th Division, from Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklemburg, the Hanseatic cities, and Hanover.
VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.
The 238th Division was of mediocre value, but better than the majority of the divisions of this series.
The large proportion of young recruits in the ranks of the 238th Division gave rise to the nickname “The Division of the First Communicants.”
1918.
1. The division rested and underwent training in the vicinity of Origny- St. Benoite from the 1st of February to March 19. It was brought up to the front south of St. Quentin during the night of March 19–20.
BATTLE OF PICARDY.
2. On the 21st the division attacked at Grugies and in two days advanced by Grand-Serancourt and across the canal near St. Simon. From the 23d to the 29th it advanced in reserve by Libermont-Beaulieu les Fontaines- Beuvraignes. It was reengaged on the 29th at Rollot and Boulogne la Grasse until mid-April. The division suffered heavy casualties in the Somme battle.
RHEIMS.
3. The division was engaged southeast of Rheims (Cernay les Rheims, northeast of St. Leonard) from April 18 to July 20. It carried out a local attack on Rheims on May 30 and June 1. The division did not take part in the offensive of July 15 except by artillery activity.
4. The division rested at Boult sur Suippe from July 20 to 28. From the end of July to August 20 it held its former sector at Cernay les Rheims. Relieved in that sector, it marched by stages toward Brancourt-Coucy le Chateau via Neufchatel sur Aisne, Marchais, Bruyeres (Aug. 21–28).
AISNE.
5. On August 31 the division was engaged at Leuilly-Terny. After September 10 it fought in the vicinity of Quincy-Basse-Aulers until October 12. On that date it retired toward Crepy and withdrew from line. The division started for Marle to rest but was alerted on the 14th and taken in trucks to east of Mart d’Origny. On the 15th it was again in the first line. Two of the regiments had but two battalions and the infantry effectives totaled 1,800. The period between the 18th and 24th of October was relatively quiet on the divisional sector. Following French attacks of October 25 and 26, the division fell back on a prepared position in front of Guise. Here it held until November 5, when it began a retreat by Audigny in the direction of La Capelle.
The last identification was at Buironfosse on November 6.
VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.
The division was rated as third class. Its morale was mediocre, and its effectives few during the latter half of 1918.
239th Division.
COMPOSITION.
─────────────┬───────────────────────────┬─────────────────────────── │ 1917 │ 1918 ─────────────┼─────────────┬─────────────┼─────────────┬───────────── │ Brigade. │ Regiment. │ Brigade. │ Regiment. ─────────────┼─────────────┼─────────────┼─────────────┼───────────── Infantry. │239. │466. │239. │466. │ │467. │ │467. │ │468. │ │468. ─────────────┼─────────────┴─────────────┼─────────────┴───────────── Cavalry. │4 Sqn. 9 Drag. Rgt. │4 Sqn. 9 Drag. Rgt. ─────────────┼───────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────── Artillery. │Art. Command: │55 F. A. Rgt. │ 55 F. A. Rgt. │78 Ft. A. Btn. │ │909 Light Am. Col. │ │1239 Light Am. Col. │ │1293 Light Am. Col. ─────────────┼───────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────── Engineers and│(239) Pion. Btn.: │239 Pion. Btn.: Liaisons. │ │ │ 369 Pion. Co. │ 369 Pion. Co. │ 370 Pion. Co. │ 370 Pion. Co. │ 439 T. M. Co. │ 439 T. M. Co. │ 239 Tel. Detch. │ 89 Searchlight Section. │ │ 237 Searchlight Section. │ │239 Signal Command: │ │ 239 Tel. Detch. │ │ 11 Wireless Detch. ─────────────┼───────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────── Medical and │251 Ambulance Co. │251 Ambulance Co. Veterinary.│ │ │199 Field Hospital. │199 Field Hospital. │200 Field Hospital. │200 Field Hospital. │Vet. Hospital. │239 Vet. Hospital. ─────────────┼───────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────── Transport. │M. T. Col. │649 M. T. Col. ─────────────┴───────────────────────────┴───────────────────────────
HISTORY.
(466th Infantry Regiment: 11th Corps District—Electorate of Hesse. 407th Infantry Regiment: 11th Corps District—Thuringia. 468th Infantry Regiment: 18th Corps District—Hesse—Nassau.)
1917.
The 239th Division belonged to the series of 12 divisions (231st to 242d) formed in Germany at the beginning of 1917, a strong proportion (50 per cent) of the 1918 class. It includes the 466th, 467th, and 468th Infantry Regiments recruited from the 11th and 18th Corps Districts (Electorate of Hesse, Thuringia, and Hesse-Nassua, and the Grand Duchy of Hesse).
1. From the beginning of January, 1917, to the middle of February, the 239th Division was in the training camps Ohrdruf and of Darmstadt. It entrained on February 17 and went to Rethel. It continued its training for some time behind the Champagne front.
CHAMPAGNE.
2. The entire division went into line north of Souain (Somme Py) on March 27. It remained there until May 15 without any important engagement. One battalion of the 467th Infantry Regiment was sent to Auberive as a reenforcement at the time of the French attack on April 16.
3. The division was at rest in the vicinity of Machault and at Asfeld from the end of May to the beginning of June.
4. About June 10 it went into line northeast of Reims (Cernay sector), then at the beginning of August northeast of Courcy. It occupied this sector until October 6 without having any important battle.
FLANDERS.
5. Transferred to Flanders by way of Hirson and Courtrai, the 239th Division went into line northeast of Poelcappelle on October 23. It lost heavily during the British attack of November 26 and continued to hold this sector, alternating with the 3d Naval Division.
6. Relieved about November 24, the 239th Division was sent to rest northeast of Ghent, then to the vicinity of Lille, at the beginning of September.
RECRUITING.
The 466th Infantry Regiment came from the Electorate of Hesse; the 467th Regiment was called Thuringian in an official document; the 468th Regiment came from Hesse-Nassau.
VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.
The 239th was a fairly good division.
Considering the missions which have been assigned to it by the German High Command, it seems that the 239th Division is better than most of the divisions of this series.
1918.
1. The division trained in the Bourghelles area until March 17. On that date the division marched toward the front via Bersee-Douai-Estrees- Soudemont-Villers les Cagnicourt-Noreuil-Mory.
BATTLE OF PICARDY.
2. It came into line on the 26th north of Courcelles, attacking Ayette on the 27th. It lost heavily, including numerous prisoners on April 2. The division was relieved on April 6 and rested a week at Aubigny au Bac. It entrained on the 11th and moved to Libercourt.
HANDES.
3. The division was engaged from April 15 to 23 east of Robecq. Elements took part in the attack of the 18th, in which the losses were very heavy.
LORRAINE.
4. After its relief on the 23d the division was railed to Lorraine by Mons-Namur-Sedan-Montmedy-Metz. It rested and was reconstituted near Dieuze from the end of April to May 13. At this time the division was reenforced by a draft coming from the 233d Reserve Regiment of the dissolved 195th Division.
AVRICOURT.
5. The division held the quiet Avricourt sector from May 13 to June 20. It was relieved by the 7th Cavalry Division and railed to Champagne.
CHAMPAGNE.
6. It rested and trained in the vicinity of Rethel-Attigny. About the 10th of July it marched toward the front and on the 15th was engaged in the Champagne offensive at Vaudesincourt. After the attack it held the sector until the beginning of October.
7. The division was attacked at Mont sans Nom on September 26, and on October 4 fell back on the line Betheniville-Hauvine, and later in the direction of Rethel (Oct. 12). The division was in reserve during the middle of October. Toward the end of the month the division was reengaged near Rethel. Its line of retreat in the last weeks was through Le Quesnoy, Jolimetz, Bermeries, south of Bavai, where it was identified on November 8.
VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.
The division was rated as third class. In October the division was very tired and its morale was low. Numerous infractions of discipline occurred. Its battalions were reduced to three companies at the beginning of August.
240th Division.
COMPOSITION.
─────────────┬───────────────────────────┬─────────────────────────── │ 1917 │ 1918 ─────────────┼─────────────┬─────────────┼─────────────┬───────────── │ Brigade. │ Regiment. │ Brigade. │ Regiment. ─────────────┼─────────────┼─────────────┼─────────────┼───────────── Infantry. │240. │469. │240. │469. │ │470. │ │470. │ │471. │ │471. ─────────────┼─────────────┴─────────────┼─────────────┴───────────── Cavalry. │8 Sqn. 13 Drag. Rgt. │3 Sqn. 13 Drag. Rgt. ─────────────┼───────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────── Artillery. │Art. Command: │240 Art. Command: │ 271 F. A. Rgt. │ 271 F. A. Rgt. │ │ 3 Abt. 6 Res. Ft. A. Rgt. │ │ 1092 Light Am. Col. │ │ 1336 Light Am. Col. │ │ 1342 Light Am. Col. ─────────────┼───────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────── Engineers and│(240) Pion Btn.: │240 Pion Btn.: Liaisons. │ │ │ 371 Pion Co. │ 371 Pion. Co. │ 372 Pion Co. │ 372 Pion Co. │ 440 T. M. Co. │ 440 T. M. Co. │ 240 Tel. Detch. │ 203 Searchlight Section. │ │240 Signal Command: │ │ 240 Tel. Detch. │ │ 127 Wireless Detch. ─────────────┼───────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────── Medical and │252 Ambulance Co. │252 Ambulance Co. Veterinary.│ │ │204 Field Hospital. │204 Field Hospital. │205 Field Hospital. │205 Field Hospital. │Vet. Hospital. │240 Vet. Hospital. ─────────────┼───────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────── Transport. │1092 M. T. Col. │650 M. T. Col. ─────────────┴───────────────────────────┴───────────────────────────
HISTORY.
(469th and 470th Infantry Regiments: 14th Corps District—Grand Duchy of Baden. 471st Infantry Regiment: 15th Corps District—Alsace.)
1917.
The 240th Division was recruited in the depots of the 14th Corps District (Baden). Like all the divisions of this series, the 240th Division received a large contingent from the 1918 class at the time of its formation.
ALSACE.
1. After a period of intensive training (Feb. 4 to Mar. 28) in the training camps of Oberhofen and of Heuberg, the 240th Division was sent to Mulhousen about the end of March and went into line between the Rhone-Rhine Canal and Hirzbach (south of Altkirch) until August 20.
WOEVRE.
2. About August 25 it was sent to the Woevre in the sector of Calonne trench, in September.
YPRES.
3. Entraining at Conflans (Oct. 5–6) it appeared in Flanders on the 9th. It went into action between the Ypres-Staden railroad and Poelcappelle and suffered heavy losses in the course of the British attacks of October 9 and 12.
CAMBRAI.
4. Relieved during the night of October 13–14, it was sent to Artois. On October 23 it took over the sector of Bullecourt (southeast of Arras). On November 20, it lost heavily from the British attack launched north of Bullecourt at the same time as on the Cambrai front (700 prisoners).
5. About the middle of December it was withdrawn from the front and sent to rest in the vicinity of Douai.
RECRUITING.
The 240th Division was recruited principally from Baden, some elements from the Rhine Districts.
VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.
The 240th Division appeared to be of mediocre combat value.
1918.
LENS.
1. The division was in line in the sector Fresnoy-Oppy at the beginning of the Somme offensive. It took no part in the attack on Vimy Ridge of March 28, but remained in support. It was relieved in this sector on April 8.
BATTLE OF THE LYS.
2. It moved northward and was engaged north of Bethune (Hinges-Robecq on April 14.) In two weeks’ fighting in this sector the division lost very heavily including many prisoners.
ARGONNE.
3. Withdrawn on April 27, the division rested at Lille a week. It entrained about May 8 for the Argonne and detrained at St. Juvin. Engaged at Boureuilles-Vauqunois on May 13 the division held that quiet sector until July 10.
CHAMPAGNE.
4. The division was taken to Semide and held in reserve during the offensive of the 15th to be used as an exploiting division. When the attack failed the division was directed west of Reims via Machault, Warmeriville, Brimont. It camped at Jonchery from July 21 to 23.
REIMS.
5. On the 23d the division was engaged in the Bois de Reims. After the 27th it retreated on the Montagnes de Bligny, and later toward Aubilly- Bouleuse. On August 5 it passed into second line, and was relieved 10 days later. It rested 5 days west of Chateau Porcien and returned to line in the Prunay sector on August 13. There it held firm until October 10.
6. After its relief it waited near Rethel until the 14th, when it was railed to Stenay via Sedan. On October 17 it was engaged north of St. Juvin, Champigneulle, east of the Argonne forest. It continued in line until the end, retreating toward Mouzon.
VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.
The division was rated as third class. Its effectives were greatly reduced and its morale low in October.
241st Division.
COMPOSITION.