Part 21
─────────────┬───────────────────┬───────────────────┬─────────────────── │ 1914 │ 1915 │ 1916 ─────────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬───────── │Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment. ─────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼───────── Infantry. │11 Bav. │10 Bav. │11 Bav. │10 Bav. │11 Bav. │10 Bav. │ │13 Bav. │ │13 Bav. │ │13 Bav. │12 Bav. │6 Bav. │12 Bav. │6 Bav. │12 Bav. │6 Bav. │ │11 Bav. │ │11 Bav. │ │11 Bav. ─────────────┼─────────┴─────────┼─────────┴─────────┼─────────┴───────── Cavalry. │2 Bav. Light Cav. │2 Bav. Light Cav. │2 Bav. Light Cav. │ Rgt. │ Rgt. │ Rgt. (2 Sqns.) ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Artillery. │6 Bav. Brig.: │6 Bav. Brig.: │6 Bav. Brig.: │ │ │ │ 3 Bav. F. A. Rgt. │ 3 Bav. F. A. Rgt. │ 3 Bav. F. A. Rgt. │ 8 Bav. F. A. Rgt. │ 8 Bav. F. A. Rgt. │ 8 Bav. F. A. Rgt. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Engineers and│2 and 3 Field Cos. │2 and 3 Field Cos. │2 Field Co. 3 Bav. Liaisons. │ 3 Bav. Pion. Btn.│ 3 Bav. Pion. Btn.│ Pion. Btn. │ │6 Bav. Pont. Engs. │6 Bav. T. M. Co. │ │6 Bav. Tel. Detch. │6 Bav. Pont. Engs. │ │ │6 Bav. Tel. Detch. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Medical and │ │ │ Veterinary.│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Transports. │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Attached. │ │ │46 Bav. Anti- │ │ │ Aircraft Section. ─────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────
─────────────┬───────────────────┬─────────────────── │ 1917 │ 1918 ─────────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬───────── │Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment. ─────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼───────── Infantry. │11 Bav. │10 Bav. │11 Bav. │6 Bav. │ │6 Bav. │ │10 Bav. │ │13 Bav. │ │13 Bav. │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼─────────┴─────────┼─────────┴───────── Cavalry. │2 Bav. Light Cav. │3 Sqn. 2 Bav. Light │ Rgt. (3d Sqn.) │ Cav. Rgt. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Artillery. │6 Bav. Art. │6 Bav. Art. │ Command: │ Command: │ 8 Bav. F. A. Rgt. │ 3 Bav. F. A. Rgt. │ │ 2 Abt. 1 Bav. Res. │ │ Ft. A. Rgt. │ │ 115 Bav. Light Am. │ │ Col. │ │ 142 Bav. Light Am. │ │ Col. │ │ 169 Bav. Light Am. │ │ Col. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Engineers and│(?) Bav. Pion. │6 Bav. Pion. Btn.: Liaisons. │ Btn.: │ │ 11 Bav. Pion. Co. │ 11 Bav. Pion. Co. │ 12 Bav. Pion. Co. │ 12 Bav. Pion. Co. │ 6 Bav. T. M. Co. │ 6 Bav. T. M. Co. │ z (42) Searchlight│ 6 Bav. Searchlight │ Section. │ Section. │ 6 Bav. Tel. Detch.│6 Bav. Signal │ │ Command: │ │ 6 Bav. Tel. Detch. │ │ 101 Bav. Wireless │ │ Detch. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Medical and │7 Bav. Ambulance │7 Bav. Ambulance Veterinary.│ Co. │ Co. │Field Hospital. │20 Bav. Field │ │ Hospital. │6 Bav. Vet. │24 Bav. Field │ Hospital. │ Hospital. │ │6 Bav. Vet. │ │ Hospital. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Transports. │M. T. Col. │686 M. T. Col. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Attached. │ │ │ │ ─────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────
HISTORY.
(Upper Palatinate and part of Lower Bavaria.)
1914.
LORRAINE.
1. In August, 1914, the 6th Bavarian Division with the 5th Bavarian Division constituted the 3d Bavarian Corps and was part of the 6th Bavarian Army (Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria). One of its brigades, the 11th, detrained, beginning August 4, at Remilly as a covering force. August 20 the division fought on the right of the 5th Bavarian Division at Prevecourt and Delme. They crossed the French frontier with this division on the 22d and were engaged the 25th at Maixe on the Sanon and north of Luneville during the first days of September. Also with the 5th Bavarian Division, it was near Champenoux September 8, at the time of the attack against Nancy until the 11th, and then retreated.
COTES DE MEUSE.
2. Assembled at Metz from the 14th to the 17th, the division went on the 18th to the west of the Moselle. It reached and climbed the Cotes de Meuse the 21st and attacked the fort of the Camp des Romains and St. Mihiel the 27th.
ST. MIHIEL.
3. Following these attacks which continued during October and ended in the capture of the fort and of St. Mihiel, the division established itself from Chauvoncourt to Spada in November to December.
1915.
ST. MIHIEL.
1. The division remained in the sector of the St. Mihiel salient (Chauvoncourt-Spada-Lamorville) during the whole of 1915 and until June, 1916.
1916.
VERDUN.
1. About June 20, 1916, the 11th Bavarian Brigade was relieved from the St. Mihiel sector and sent to Longuyon and from there to the Verdun front. It participated in opposing the French attack of June 23 (with the Alpine Corps) on Thiaumont and suffered heavy losses.
2. Sent to rest July 4.
3. The 12th Brigade withdrew from the St. Mihiel front July 13 and 16 and went into line before Fleury, beginning July 17 to 18 (11th Regiment). Its losses were such that on July 26 the replacement depot of the 11th Infantry at Ratisbonne was ordered by telegraph to furnish immediately 500 replacements (letter).
4. On August 2 and 3 the whole division was fighting in this sector and lost heavily.
SOMME.
5. The division left the Verdun front about August 5. After a short stay in the Argonne it was sent to the Somme at the beginning of September, fought between Flers and Gueudecourt September 15 to 27 and again suffered serious losses.
ARTOIS.
6. On August 1 the division took over the sector of Neuve Chapelle- Festubert, and remained there until May 10, 1917.
1917.
1. At the end of January, 1917, the 11th Infantry and the 3d Field Artillery were transferred to the 6th Bavarian Division (new).
ARTOIS.
2. The division was relieved from the Neuve Chapelle sector May 10 and went into line northeast of Arras (Oppy, Fresnoy, Acheville), in the middle of May. They suffered some loss from gas attacks.
FLANDERS.
3. The division left Artois September 10 and went to Flanders (sector northeast of Langemarck) September 29. The British attack of October 4 caused it heavy losses and it lost Poelcappelle to the British.
4. Relieved October 8, sent to rest, and reorganized.
ARTOIS.
5. On October 18 it appeared south of the La Bassee Canal, where it suffered again from gas attacks.
RECRUITING.
Upper Palatinate and part of Lower Bavaria (Third Bavarian district).
VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.
The morale of the division was good. On the Fresnoy front in 1917 it showed activity and enterprise. It always reacted quickly against attacks, but it seems that it could easily be persuaded to adopt a more passive attitude if circumstances were such as to permit it (information of the British, February, 1918).
1918.
1. The 6th Bavarian Division was relieved south of the La Bassee Canal by the 4th Ersatz Division, January 18, and went to rest in the area south of Tournai.
LILLE.
2. About the middle of February it relieved the 187th Division south of the Bois Grenier (west of Lille). About the 24th it was relieved by the 10th Ersatz Division, and went back nearer Lille, where it probably received training in open warfare, although this fact has never been definitely established.
CAMBRAI.
3. For the Somme offensive, the division was sent to the Cambrai front, entering the line March 20, near Bullecourt, and attacking the following day. Little progress was made by the Germans on this part of the front, and the division lost heavily in many attacks. It was withdrawn about March 26.
DIXMUDE.
4. April 4 it relieved the 214th Division south of Dixmude. A very elaborate attack against the Belgians was planned to take place here April 17, and it was to be made by the 6th Bavarian Division and some elements of adjoining units. It was presumed that the German successes at Mount Kemel had shaken the line to the north and that the whole Ypres salient could be captured. Preparations were made, and the attack attempted, but it failed completely, and the Belgians not only threw the enemy back but took a great many prisoners. It was withdrawn about the 19th and went to rest for a week near Ruddervoorde (south of Bruges), although some of its elements held part of the sector of the 1st Landwehr Division east of Merckem for a day or two.
VERDUN.
5. The division was sent to the Verdun region via Brussels-Namur-Sedan- Montmédy, and went into camp in the vicinity of Chauvency (west of Montmedy), where it remained 10 days.
MEUSE.
6. May 24 it relieved the 22d Division near Beaumont (north of Verdun).
ROYE.
7. It was relieved about August 7, and after resting a few days moved up to the Roye region. It was identified in the Bois des Loges August 16; it had relieved the 206th Division. The division remained in line retiring in the face of the Allied advance, but fighting stubbornly, especially near Campagne, Montigny, and Essigny le Grand; at the last- named place it counterattacked violently, but in vain, September 29. It was still in line when the armistice was signed.
VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.
The 6th Bavarian is rated as one of the 45 best enemy divisions. It suffered extremely heavy losses, but since it always fought well—though not brilliantly, during 1918—the German High Command sent it as many replacements as it could. The morale has always been good, but quite anti-Prussian.
6th. Bavarian Reserve Division.
COMPOSITION.
─────────────┬───────────────────┬───────────────────┬─────────────────── │ 1914 │ 1915 │ 1916 ─────────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬───────── │Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment. ─────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼───────── Infantry. │12 Bav. │16 Bav. │12 Bav. │16 Bav. │12 Bav. │16 Bav. │ Res. │ Res. │ Res. │ Res. │ Res. │ Res. │ │17 Bav. │ │17 Bav. │ │17 Bav. │ │ Res. │ │ Res. │ │ Res. │14 Bav. │20 Bav. │14 Bav. │20 Bav. │14 Bav. │20 Bav. │ Res. │ Res. │ Res. │ Res. │ Res. │ Res. │ │21 Bav. │ │21 Bav. │ │21 Bav. │ │ Res. │ │ Res. │ │ Res. ─────────────┼─────────┴─────────┼─────────┴─────────┼─────────┴───────── Cavalry. │6 Bav. Res. Cav. │6 Bav. Res. Cav. │6 Bav. Res. Cav. │ Rgt. │ Rgt. │ Rgt. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Artillery. │6 Bav. Res. F. A. │6 Bav. Res. F. A. │6 Bav. Res. F. A. │ Rgt. (9 Btries.).│ Rgt. │ Rgt. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Engineers and│6 Bav. Res. Pion. │6 Bav. Res. Pion. │6 Bav. Res. Pion. Liaisons. │ Co. │ Co. │ Co. │ │ │10 Bav. Res. Pion. │ │ │ Co. │ │ │206 Bav. T. M. Co. │ │ │ │ │ │6 Bav. Res. Pont. │ │ │ Engs. │ │ │6 Bav. Res. Tel. │ │ │ Detch. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Medical and │ │ │ Veterinary.│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Transports. │ │ │ ─────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────
─────────────┬───────────────────┬─────────────────── │ 1917 │ 1918 ─────────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬───────── │Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment. ─────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼───────── Infantry. │12 Bav. │16 Bav. │12 Bav. │25 Bav. │ Res. │ Res. │ Res. │ │ │17 Bav. │ │16 Bav. │ │ Res. │ │ Res. │ │20 Bav. │ │20 Bav. │ │ Res. │ │ Res. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼─────────┴─────────┼─────────┴───────── Cavalry. │6 Bav. Res. Cav. │3 Sqn. 5 Bav. Light │ Rgt. (? Sqns.) │ Cav. Rgt. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Artillery. │18 Bav. Art. │18 Bav. Art. │ Command: │ Command: │ 6 Bav. Res. F. A. │ 19 Bav. F. A. Rgt. │ Regt. │ │ │ 12 Bav. Ft. A. │ │ Btn. │ │ 143 Bav. Light Am. │ │ Col. │ │ 110 Bav. Light Am. │ │ Col. │ │ 107 Bav. Light Am. │ │ Col. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Engineers and│(19 Bav.) Pion. │19 Bav. Pion. Btn.: Liaisons. │ Btn.: │ │ 6 Bav. Res. Pion. │ 6 Bav. Res. Pion. │ Co. │ Co. │ 7 Bav. Res. Pion. │ 7 Bav. Res. Pion. │ Co. │ Co. │ 206 Bav. T. M. Co.│ 206 Bav. T. M. Co. │ │ │ 2 Bav. Res. │ 19 Bav. │ Searchlight │ Searchlight │ Section. │ Section. │ 406 Bav. Res. Tel.│406 Signal Command: │ Detch. │ │ │ 406 Tel. Detch. │ │ 144 Wireless │ │ Detch. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Medical and │17 Bav. Ambulance │17 Bav. Ambulance Veterinary.│ Co. │ Co. │53 Bav. Field │53 Bav. Field │ Hospital. │ Hospital. │Vet. Hospital. │54 Bav. Field │ │ Hospital. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Transports. │M. T. Col. │752 M. T. Col. ─────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────
HISTORY.
(16th Bavarian Reserve Regiment: First Bavarian District. 17th Bavarian Reserve Regiment: Second Bavarian District. 20th Bavarian Reserve Regiment: (?).)
1914.
FLANDERS.
1. This division was organized in Bavaria in September, 1914, and sent to Belgium about October 21. Assembled in the vicinity of Lille and was sent toward Dadizeele the 27th and was near Gheluvelt October 29, but does not seem to have been in the fight.
2. November 1 it was sent south of Ypres between Hollebeke and Messines. It attacked in the direction of Wytschaete November 2 and suffered heavy losses: 11th Company, 4 officers and 181 men (16th Reserve Regiment); 6th company of the 17th Reserve Regiment, 5 officers and 228 men (casualty lists). November 6 the 3d company of the 21st Reserve Regiment was reduced to 3 provisional officers and 63 men (notebook).
1915.
FLANDERS.
1. The division remained in the Messines-Wytschaete sector until the beginning of March, 1915.
2. Relieved between March 6 and 8 and sent the 11th as reinforcements to the 7th Corps at Neuve Chapelle. Then sent to rest in the region of Roubaix in March.
LILLE.
3. Beginning of April it went into line southwest of Lille between Grenier Wood and Aubers and held this sector until the end of September, 1916.
1916.
1. July 19, 1916, the division suffered heavy losses in opposing the British attack southeast of Laventie.
SOMME.
2. Relieved from the Lille front about September 27 and engaged in the Somme district near Eaucourt l’Abbaye and Gueudecourt until October 13. Again suffered heavily.
ARTOIS.
3. October 25 it took over the Vimy-Lievin sector, south of Lens.
1917.
1. The division held the front south of Lens during all the winter of 1916 to 1917 and executed many raids.
2. February 12 sent to rest near Douai and reorganized in February and March. One of its regiments, the 21st Reserve, was transferred to the 16th Bavarian Division, newly organized.
3. March 14 it went into line north of the La Bassee Canal.
4. Withdrawn from this sector at the end of April and was engaged May 8 northeast of Arras, at Oppy Gavrelle, until May 11. In the middle of June it returned to this sector for a few days and does not seem to have suffered heavy losses.
YPRES.
5. After a rest near Douai until the end of June the division was sent to Flanders. Was first placed in reserve south of Thielt during the first few weeks of July and engaged the 18th southeast of Ypres in the Ledeghem sector. Lost heavily from the artillery preparation and was relieved July 30 before the British attack.
ALSACE.
6. Sent to Alsace and held the Altkirch sector from the middle of August to beginning of October.
LAONNOIS.
7. About October 16 to 17 it was sent to the region of Lizy, southwest of Laon. It relieved on the Ailette, east of Anizy le Chateau, about October 25, the remains of the 14th and 52d Divisions, decimated by the French attack of the 23d.
8. The division was not heavily engaged in the sector of Lizy. It continued to hold it in November and December 1917 and January 1918. During this period it was sent to Vervins for rest and training.
VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.
The division was organized as an attack unit. From January 24 to February 19, 1918, it went through a training for the offensive in the vicinity of Vervins including breaking-through maneuvers, Feb. 1 with a Prussian division at Vallee aux Bleds; another divisional maneuver February 11 before the German Crown Prince and Gen. Ludendorff; third divisional maneuver February 18 (examination of prisoners, Feb. 28, 1918). It is to be noted that in Flanders, where the division had the only important fight it had in 1917 it suffered heavily. Its morale was so weakened that it had to be withdrawn before the British attack.
1918.
VERVINS.
1. The 6th Bavarian Reserve Division was relieved in the Anizy le Chateau region by the 6th Division, January 24 and went to the vicinity of Vervins where it was put through a course of training in open warfare, in which artillery and aeroplanes participated. These exercises were supervised by the Crown Prince and Ludendorff.
2. February 22 it relieved the 6th Division in its former section. About the end of the month the division was relieved by elements of the 13th Landwehr Division, and by the extension of the flanks of the neighboring divisions, going to rest in the Chauny region.
SOMME.
3. Toward the middle of April the division relieved the 206th Division near Mesnil St. Georges (southwest of Montdidier). It was relieved by the 25th Reserve Division April 21.
AILETTE.