Part 20
─────────────┬───────────────────┬─────────────────── │ 1917 │ 1918 ─────────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬───────── │Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment. ─────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼───────── Infantry. │12. │24. │12. │24. │ │64. │ │64. │ │396. │ │396. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼─────────┴─────────┼─────────┴───────── Cavalry. │3 Hus. Regt. (5 │5 Sqn. 3 Hus. Rgt. │ Sqns.). │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Artillery. │6 Art. Command: │64 Art. Command: │ 3 F. A. Rgt. │ 3 F. A. Rgt. │ │ 1 Abt. 3 Ft. A. │ │ Rgt. (Staff and 2 │ │ and 4 Btries). │ │ 1087 Light Am. │ │ Col. │ │ 1168 Light Am. │ │ Col. │ │ 1205 Light Am. │ │ Col. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Engineers and│1 Pion. Btn. No. 3:│3 Pion. Btn.: Liaisons. │ │ │(now 116 Pion. │ 3 Co. 3 Pions. │ Btn.): │ │ 3 Co. 3 Pions. │ 5 Co. 3 Pions. │ 5 Co. 3 Pions. │ 6 T. M. Co. │ 6 T. M. Co. │ 64 Searchlight │ │ Section. │ 6 Tel. Detch. │6 Signal Command: │ │ 6 Tel. Detch. │ │ 2 Wireless Detch. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Medical and │Ambulance Co. │8 Ambulance Co. Veterinary.│ │ │Field Hospital. │29 Field Hospital. │Vet. Hospital. │31 Field Hospital. │ │233 Vet. Hospital. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Transport. │M. T. Col. │539 M. T. Col. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Attached. │242, 244, 245, and │ │ 246 Mountain M. │ │ G. Detch., │ │ Naumburg Landst. │ │ Inf. Btn. (IV C. │ │ Dist. No. 11). │ ─────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────
HISTORY.
(Third District—Brandenburg.)
1914.
At mobilization the 6th Division formed, together with the 5th Division, the 3d Army Corps (Berlin).
CHARLEROI-MARNE.
1. At the beginning of the war the 3d Army Corps belonged to the 1st Army (Von Kluck). Entered Belgium August 4 and the 11th Brigade made part of the unit which attacked Liège. Its reservists rejoined it there. The 12th Brigade crossed the Belgian frontier August 15; then the division, completely filled up, marched via Tongres, Louvain, and Hal. It fought the 24th at Mons and Frameries. Going via Villers-Cotterets (Sept. 1), La Ferté-Milon, it arrived at Petit-Morin September 4. Engaged the 6th between Montceaux and Courgivaux on the left of the 5th Division. Obliged to retreat, it established itself on the right bank of the Aisne in the region of Soissons. It remained there until the end of June, 1915.
AISNE.
2. From October 30 to November 30, 1914, the division, reinforced by units of neighboring organizations, directed a successful offensive against the French troops in the region Chavonne-Soupir and threw them back on the left bank of the Aisne November 17 to 19, 1914.
1915.
1. From the end of January to July, 1915, the Aisne front was held by the division and remained quiet, the division suffering no losses. At the end of March the 35th Fusilier Regiment was transferred to 56th Division (new division).
ARTOIS.
2. Relieved from the region of Soissons toward the end of June and sent to Artois. On July 14 it took the place of the Bavarians before Arras. Withdrawn from the front toward the beginning of August and sent to rest between Valenciennes and Cambrai.
SERBIA.
3. September 23 it entrained for the Eastern Front. With the 25th Reserve Division it constituted, on the Serbo-Hungarian frontier, a new 3d Army Corps belonging to the Gallwitz Army. October 9 it crossed the Danube and remained in Serbia until the capture of Kragujewatz. During this October campaign the division suffered greatly.
FRANCE.
4. Returned to the Western Front at the beginning of December. Sent to rest and reorganized in the region Hirson-Avesnes.
1916.
1. At the end of January and the beginning of February, 1916, it was sent to the front north of Verdun (Romagne-Mangiennes area).
VERDUN.
2. February 22 it was engaged with the 5th Division in the zone between the western limits of Herbebois and the eastern slopes of the Cotes de Meuse. The two divisions did not go beyond Fort Douaumont, captured by the 24th Infantry. Their violent attacks on the village February 26 to 28 were repulsed. March 2 the regiments were withdrawn from the front and filled up.
3. On March 8 new and unsuccessful attacks against the village of Douaumont and the Hardaumont defenses.
4. About March 15 the 3d Army Corps was withdrawn from the front. The 6th Division went to the region of Mulhouse to be reorganized. On April 25 the division was again engaged (south of Douaumont-Caillette Wood) and again suffered heavily. It is probable that each of its regiments were completely reorganized after each attack at Douaumont (more than 60 per cent losses).
6. At the end of May the division was relieved and sent to rest in the region of Ville au Montois.
CHAMPAGNE.
7. In the middle of June it was sent to Champagne and occupied quiet sectors northeast of Prunay, then east of Auberive. It remained there till the end of September. It exchanged its 20th Infantry Regiment for the 396th Infantry Regiment, organized September 26. (See illustration.)
SOMME.
8. At the beginning of October sent to the Somme and was engaged in the region of Gueudecourt and again suffered heavily, October 8 to 29.
ARGONNE.
9. Withdrawn from the Somme front at the end of October; went to the Argonne in the sector Fille-Morte-Boureuilles, November 30 to beginning of April, 1917.
1917.
1. At the beginning of April, 1917, the division was sent to Alsace. It stayed about two weeks in the region of Mulhouse.
CHAMPAGNE.
2. About April 20 sent to Champagne and took over a sector south of Moronvilliers where it was subjected to the French attack of April 30. It had to be relieved a few days after, as it suffered great losses at Mont-Haut (50 to 75 men per company).
3. The division returned to Alsace and was reorganized behind the front in the region of Mulhouse.
RUSSIA.
4. About July 1 sent to the Eastern Front in Galicia, where it held a sector in the Skalat region.
FRANCE.
Withdrawn from this front at the beginning of October it entrained for France, beginning the 7th, southeast of Tarnopol, and traveled via Lemberg-Cracow-Dresden-Cassel-Coblentz-Treves-Thionville-Montmedy- Charleville-Vouziers.
AISNE.
5. After staying a few days around Vouziers and Marle the division was sent on October 23, the date of the French offensive, precipitately near Laon. October 24 and 25 it took over a sector on the Ailette in the region of Lizy (Urcel sector) and was still holding it January 24, 1918, after a period of rest in Laon in November.
RECRUITING.
Same remarks as for the 5th Division.
VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.
The 3d Army Corps was always considered as one of the star corps of the Prussian Army. The 6th Division was among the best in Germany.
The military qualities seem to have been considerably lessened after the losses suffered, notably before Verdun and in the Mont Haut sector. It must be noted, however, that, according to the examination of a deserter on November 2, 1917, the 396th Regiment is still considered as an excellent unit whose morale is intact.
Losses before Verdun (February to May, 1916): 20th Infantry, 2,904 men (633 killed); 24th Infantry, 2,691 (584 killed); 64th Infantry, 2,819 (603 killed); 3d Battalion of Chasseurs, 1,422 (219 killed). Total, 9,831 men (2,039 killed).
1918.
AISNE.
1. The division was relieved by the 6th Bavarian Reserve Division January 12. It, in turn, relieved the 6th Bavarian Reserve Division the 24th. February 22 it was again relieved by the 6th Bavarian Reserve Division. It rested then in the Maubeuge area, where it underwent a thorough course of training. The division then marched via Catillon, Bohain, Fresnoy le Grand, Le Verguier, Berthaucourt, Vermand, Marteville, Trefcon, Monchy Lagache.
PERONNE.
2. It came into line S. E. of that city near Meharicourt, March 24, relieving the 113th Division.
AISNE.
3. It was withdrawn from line about the 10th of April, and went to the Guise area, where, with the 5th Division, it was put through another course of training. It reinforced the battle front near Juvigny, May 27. It was withdrawn from line August 4.
It moved via Anizy le Chateau, southwest of Laon, Guise, Grougis, Bohain, Bertry, Neuvilly, Solesmes, Valenciennes, Ghent, to Turkyen (northwest of Roulers). The division remained here until September 7, when it entrained at Roulers and traveled via Lille and Denain to Iwuy, remaining in reserve in the Sancourt-Proville area until the 14th, when it was moved up into support near Ribecourt.
CAMBRAI.
4. During the night of September 17–18 it reentered the line and counterattacked against Havrincourt (southwest of Cambrai). It was withdrawn October 1, after suffering heavy losses.
5. The division came back into line near Escadoeuvres (northeast of Cambrai), October 7. It was withdrawn on the 17th.
VALENCIENNES.
6. October 23 the division entered line near Escautpont (north of Valenciennes).
7. It was withdrawn a few days later, and reappeared in line south of Valenciennes on the 29th. The night of November 7–8 it was relieved by the 185th Division.
VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.
According to an article by Prof. Wegener in the Koelnische Zeitung, March 30, the 6th Division “particularly distinguished itself” in the Somme offensive. It did very well, too, in the Aisne attack and also in the German attempts to prevent the Allied advance beginning July 18. It suffered very heavy losses—e. g., 1,550 prisoners in its two engagements on the Cambrai front during September and early October; nevertheless, it is still to be considered as one of the best German shock divisions.
6th Reserve Division.
COMPOSITION.[6]
─────────────┬───────────────────┬───────────────────┬─────────────────── │ 1914 │ 1915 │ 1916 ─────────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬───────── │Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment. ─────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼───────── Infantry. │11 Res. │20 Res. │11 Res. │20 Res. │11 Res. │20 Res. │ │24 Res. │ │24 Res. │ │35 Res. │12 Res. │26 Res. │12 Res. │26 Res. │12 Res. │24 Res. │ │35 Res. │ │35 Res. │ │19 │ │ │ │ │ │ Landst. ─────────────┼─────────┴─────────┼─────────┴─────────┼─────────┴───────── Cavalry. │3 Res. Uhlan Rgt. │ │3 Res. Uhlan Rgt. │ (3 Sqns.). │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Artillery. │6 Res. F. A. Rgt. │6 Res. F. A. Rgt. │6 Res. F. A. Rgt. │ (6 Btries.). │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Engineers and│1 Res. Co. 2 Pion. │1 Res. Co. 2 Pion. │1 Res. Co. 3 Pion. Liaisons. │ Btn. No. 3. │ Btn. No. 3. │ Btn. No. 3. │ │6 Res. Pont. Engs. │3 Co. 34 Res. │ │ │ Pions. │ │6 Res. Tel. Detch. │206 T. M. Co. │ │ │ │ │ │6 Res. Pont. Engs. │ │ │6 Res. Tel. Detch. │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Medical and │ │ │ Veterinary.│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Transports. │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Attached. │ │ │151 Cyclist Co. │ │ │102 Labor Btn. ─────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────
─────────────┬───────────────────┬─────────────────── │ 1917 │ 1918 ─────────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬───────── │Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment. ─────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼───────── Infantry. │12 Res. │20 Res. │12 Res. │20 Res. │ │24 Res. │ │24 Res. │ │35 Res. │ │35 Res. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼─────────┴─────────┼─────────┴───────── Cavalry. │3 Res. Uhlan Rgt.? │ │ (1 Sqn.). │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Artillery. │94 Art. Command: │94 Art. Command: │ │ │ 6 Res. F. A. Rgt. │ 6 Res. F. A. Rgt. │ (9 Btries.). │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Engineers and│(306) Pion. Btn.: │1 Res. Co. (2 Pion. Liaisons. │ │ Btn. No. 3). │ 5 Co. 1 Pions. │3 Co. 34 Res. Pion. │ │ Btn. │ 1 Res. Co. 3 │274 Searchlight │ Pions. │ Section. │ 206 T. M. Co. │206 T. M. Co. │ 274 Searchlight │4 06th Tel. Detch. │ Section. │ │ 406 Tel. Detch. │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Medical and │516 Ambulance Co. │516 Ambulance Co. Veterinary.│ │ │19 Res. Field │18 Res. Field │ Hospital. │ Hospital. │20 Res. Field │19 Res. Field │ Hospital. │ Hospital. │Vet. Hospital. │20 Res. Field │ │ Hospital. │ │144 Vet. Hospital. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Transports. │M. T. Col. │706 M. T. Col. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Attached. │151 Cyclist Co. │ │ │ ─────────────┴───────────────────┴─────────────────── Footnote 6:
At time of dissolution, Aug. 23, 1918.
HISTORY.
(Third District—Brandenburg.)
1914.
The 6th Reserve Division belonged organically to the 3d Reserve Corps, like the 5th Reserve Division.
BELGIUM.
1. At the beginning of the war the 3d Reserve Corps belonged to the 1st German Army (Gen. von Kluck). The 6th Reserve Division detrained August 10 in the region of Crefeld, entered Belgium the 17th, passed through Belgian Limburg at the beginning of September, moved on Malines to oppose the Belgian offensive. September 9 the division attacked the Belgian troops in the region of Louvain and then took part in the siege of Antwerp.
YSER.
2. After the fall of Antwerp it moved toward the sea from October 13 to 16, through Ghent, Bruges, and Ostend. It concentrated near Thourout October 19 and fought along the Yser Canal. It fought violently in the region of Nieuport-Dixmude at the end of October and the beginning of November.
RUSSIA.
3. At the beginning of December the 3d Reserve Corps went to Russia, the 6th Reserve Division being withdrawn from the Belgian front about the middle of November.
1915.
POLAND.
1. On arriving on the Eastern Front the division was engaged on the Bzura and before Warsaw (9th Army, under Mackensen).
2. In July, 1915, it became a part of Von Buelow’s army, which marched on the left wing (north) of the German forces during the offensive against Russia (summer and fall of 1915).
DVINA.
3. In November the division still belonged to Von Buelow’s army, called the Niemen army, and was engaged on the Dvina.
1916.
COURLAND.
1. In February, 1916, the division (8th Army under Von Buelow) held a sector in the region of Riga-Friedrichstadt.
2. During its stay in Russia the division did not have very heavy losses except in July, 1916, when it opposed violent Russian attacks near Kekkau.
1917.
COURLAND.
1. Relieved from the Kekkau sector in May, 1917, and was sent to the Western Front.
FRANCE.
2. Entrained about May 6 at Mitau and sent via Cottbus, Cassel, Coblentz, Treves, Thionville to Dun, where it detrained May 13.
MORT HOMME-HILL 304.
3. At the end of May the division went into line on the left bank of the Meuse in the sector Mort Homme-Hill 304. On June 29 some of the units of the division supported an attack attempted by the 10th Reserve Division against Hill 304 and suffered heavy losses. August 20 the French offensive struck them. Its losses were enormous. Two of its regiments, the 24th Reserve and 20th Reserve, were nearly wiped out. The 35th Reserve was not weakened quite so much, yet was seriously diminished. The division lost 2,800 prisoners.
RUSSIA.
4. Withdrawn from the front, the division was sent to Galicia at the end of September. It was still there January 31 on the old Austro-Russian frontier after furnishing reinforcements to the Western Front.
RECRUITING.
Brandenburg.
VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.
The 6th Reserve Division, a short time after its return from the Eastern Front, was considered about as follows: “Its value is mediocre. In spite of its units from Brandenburg and the recent creation of shock troops, its long stay in Russia has greatly depreciated its fighting value” (July 11, 1917).
This judgment was completely verified August 20, 1917: “The 6th Reserve Division on the whole opposed no resistance to the French attack of August 20 at any point. * * * The conduct of a good number of its officers seems not to have been edifying. A good many seized the pretext of intoxication or gave unsatisfactory reasons for withdrawing to the rear” (October, 1917).
The German command thought best to send this division back to the Eastern Front (September, 1917).
1918.
FRANCE.
The 6th Reserve Division entrained at Zborow the evening of March 8, and traveled via Sokal-Brest Litovsk-Varsovia-Kaliscz-Lissa-Gorlitz-Bautzen- Dresden-Leipsic-Weimar-Erfurth-Eisenach-Bebra-Fulda-Hanau-Frankfort- Mainz-Kreuznach-Thionville-Sedan to Balhain (northeast of Asfeld), where it arrived March 15.
The division rested at Villers (near Asfeld) until the 25th of March, when it reentrained and traveled to Crécy sur Serre. From there it marched via Mesbrecourt-Pouilly sur Serre-La Fère-Liez-Commonchon to the area northeast of Noyon, and remained in reserve for some days. Elements of the division came into line west of Chauny at the end of March, but were soon withdrawn. About the 1st of April the whole division marched to Roye and remained there until the 15th, when it continued its march via Erches and Arvillers to Plessier, relieving the 2d Guard Division southwest of Moreuil May 1.
The beginning of August it was relieved by the 24th Division and shortly after it was dissolved and the men composing it were sent as drafts to the 5th and 6th Divisions.
VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.
The only aggressive action of the division on the Western Front during 1918 was a raid carried out by a battalion against the French lines in the La Gaune woods (southwest of Moreuil) early in May; it was not a success, and it is estimated that practically the whole attacking force was wiped out. The 6th Reserve is rated as a third-class division.
6th Bavarian Division.
COMPOSITION.