Part 22

4. There is some doubt as to where the division went; it was reported northeast of Ghent, northeast of Laon, and in Lorraine. There is some evidence to show that it relieved the 222d Division near Anizy le Chateau during the night of May 2–3. This front was very quiet until the German offensive of May 27, in which attack the 6th Bavarian Reserve Division did not attack in the front line—being “leap-frogged” by the 5th and 6th Divisions acting as shock units—but followed up the advance coming into line between these two divisions during the night of the 27th–28th. It was at this time definitely identified. In the attack on Terny (May 28), the division met with strong resistance and suffered heavily. June 1 it captured Le Port, but lost it again to the French on June 7, with severe losses. It was relieved about the 15th by the 53d Reserve Division.

MARNE.

5. July 17 it was identified near Passy sur Marne (west of Dormans). It was withdrawn August 6 and spent a fortnight refitting.

BAPAUME.

6. August 23 it reinforced the front near Ervillers (northwest of Bapaume) having traveled via Cambrai, Bourlon, and Beugnâtre. The division was withdrawn early in September.

YPRES.

7. It relieved the 8th Division southwest of Messines during the night of September 17–18. Just before coming into line the 17th Bavarian Reserve Infantry Regiment was dissolved and its men drafted to the other two regiments of the division. It was replaced by the 25th Bavarian Infantry Regiment from the 14th Bavarian Division which was dissolved at this time. Likewise, the 6th Bavarian Reserve Field Artillery Regiment was dissolved and replaced by the 19th Bavarian Field Artillery Regiment from the 10th Bavarian Division disbanded in July. The division remained in line until the armistice was signed, withdrawing through Wytschaete- Houthem-Comines-Marcke-Ooteghem and Krinstraat.

VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.

The 6th Bavarian Reserve is rated as a second-class division, which seems justified not only from opinions concerning its ability as a fighting unit coming from Allied sources, but also from the fact that, although it had a course of training in “breaking through” in February, it was never so used by the German High Command, serving rather as a “follow up” division. (Cf. May 27 offensive.) The division suffered heavy losses during its 1918 engagements; indeed, some prisoners captured the middle of September said that it was to be broken up. They were mistaken, but one of the infantry regiments and the artillery regiment were disbanded.

6th Bavarian Landwehr Division.

COMPOSITION.

─────────────┬───────────────────┬───────────────────┬─────────────────── │ 1914 │ 1915 │ 1916 ─────────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬───────── │Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment. ─────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼───────── Infantry. │Von │121 Ldw. │1 Bav. │1 Bav. │1 Bav. │1 Bav. │ Frech. │ │ Mixed │ Ldw. │ Mixed │ Ldw. │ │ │ Ldw. │ │ Ldw. │ │1 Bav. │123 Ldw. │2 Bav. │2 Bav. │2 Bav. │2 Bav. │ Mixed │ │ Mixed │ Ldw. │ Mixed │ Ldw. │ Ldw. │ │ Ldw. │ │ Ldw. │ │2 Bav. │1 Bav. │ │3 Bav. │ │3 Bav. │ Mixed │ Ldw. │ │ Ldw. │ │ Ldw. │ Ldw. │ │ │ │ │ │ │2 Bav. │ │12 Bav. │ │12 Bav. │ │ Ldw. │ │ Ldw. │ │ Ldw. │ │3 Bav. │ │ │ │ │ │ Ldw. │ │ │ │ │ │12 Bav. │ │ │ │ │ │ Ldw. │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼─────────┴─────────┼─────────┴─────────┼─────────┴───────── Cavalry. │ │1 Ldw. Sqn. of the │1 Ldw. Sqn. and 2 │ │ 1 Bav. C. Dist. │ Ldw. Sqn. of 1 │ │ │ Bav. C. Dist. │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Artillery. │ │ │6 Bav. Ldw. F. A. │ │ │ Rgt. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │2 Bav. Ldw. F. A. │ │ │ Abt. │ │ │10 Bav. Mountain │ │ │ Art. Btry. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Engineers and│ │ │16 Bav. Res. Pion. Liaisons. │ │ │ Co. │ │ │250 Pion. Co. │ │ │ │ │ │14 C. Dist. 1 Ldw. │ │ │ Pion. Co. │ │ │ │ │ │1 Bav. C. Dist. 1 │ │ │ Landst. Pion. Co. │ │ │ │ │ │1 Bav. C. Dist. 2 │ │ │ Landst. Pion. Co. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Medical and │ │ │ Veterinary.│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Transports. │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Attached. │Landshut Inf. Btn. │ │3 and 5 Cos. │ (1 Bav. C. Dist. │ │ (Wurtt) Ski Btns. │ Btn. Landst. No. │ │ │ 7). │ │ │Nuremberg Inf. Btn.│ │Fribourg Landst. │ (3 Bav. C. Dist. │ │ Inf. Btn. (14 C. │ Landst. Btn. No. │ │ Dist. 1 Btn. No. │ 1). │ │ 7). │ │ │1 Cologne 2 Landst. │ │ │ Inf. Btn. (8 C. │ │ │ Dist. Btn. No. │ │ │ 14). │ │ │65 Labor Btn. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────

─────────────┬───────────────────┬─────────────────── │ 1917 │ 1918 ─────────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬───────── │Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment. ─────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼───────── Infantry. │2 Bav. │1 Bav. │2 Bav. │1 Bav. │ Ldw. │ Ldw. │ Ldw. │ Ldw. │ │ │ │ │ │2 Bav. │ │3 Bav. │ │ Ldw. │ │ Ldw. │ │ │ │ │ │12 Bav. │ │12 Bav. │ │ Ldw. │ │ Ldw. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼─────────┴─────────┼─────────┴───────── Cavalry. │2d Sqn. 2 Bav. │2 Sqn. 2 Bav. Light │ Light Cav. Rgt. │ Cav. Rgt. │ │ │2d Sqn. 2 Bav. │ │ Light Cav. Rgt. │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Artillery. │23 Bav. Art. │6 Bav. Ldw. F. A. │ Command: │ Rgt. (3 Abt., │ │ Staff, and 8 │ │ Btry.). │ 6 Bav. Ldw. F. A. │ │ Rgt. │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Engineers and│26 Bav. Pion. Btn.:│26 Bav. Pion Btn.: Liaisons. │ │ │ 16 Bav. Res. Pion.│ 16 Bav. Res. Pion. │ Co. │ Co. │ 306 Bav. T. M. Co.│ 26 Bav. │ │ Searchlight │ │ Section. │ 10 Bav. Res. │ 506 Bav. Signal │ Searchlight │ Command: │ Section. │ │ 506 Bav. Tel. │ 506 Bav. Tel. │ Detch. │ Detch. │ │ 192 Bav. Wireless │ │ Detch. │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Medical and │560 Ambulance Co. │19 Bav. Ambulance Veterinary.│ │ Co. │19 Bav. Field │60 Bav. Field │ Hospital. │ Hospital. │59 Bav. Field │59 Bav. Field │ Hospital. │ Hospital. │36 Vet. Hospital. │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Transports. │47 Bav. M. T. Col. │794 Bav. M. T. Col. │49 Bav. M. T. Col. │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Attached. │Neustadt Landst. │ │ Inf. Btn. (2 Bav.│ │ C. Dist. Btn. No.│ │ 4). │ │Bomberg Landst. │ │ Inf. Btn. (2 Bav.│ │ C. Dist. Btn. No.│ │ 10). │ │Ansbach Landst. │ │ Inf. Btn. (3 Bav.│ │ C. Dist. Btn. No.│ │ 2). │ │1 Cologne 2 Landst.│ │ Inf. Btn. (8 C. │ │ Dist. Btn. No. │ │ 14). │ ─────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────

HISTORY.

(First Bavarian District.)

1914.

ALSACE.

1. The division was sent into the Vosges at the beginning of the campaign (3 brigades, of which one was from Wurtemberg). It fought in the valley of the Fecht in August, 1914. Beginning with October it occupied the region Ste. Marie aux Mines-Col du Bonhomme. October 2 the 1st Bavarian Brigade entrained at Colmar for Belgium and garrisoned Antwerp until December.

2. At the beginning of November the 3d Bavarian Landwehr Division took part in the attacks on the Violu.

1915.

1. From February to April, 1915, the units which at that time made up this division were again separated. The 1st Bavarian Landwehr (mixed) Brigade came back from Belgium in the middle of December and went to Champagne (Souain-Somme-Py) to reinforce the 15th Division; the 2d Mixed Brigade continued to hold the Orbey la Poutroye sector south of Bonhomme (valley of the Weiss). The Wurtemberg Brigade (von Frech) was transferred in April to the 7th Landwehr Division (Wurtemberg) in upper Alsace.

2. In April, 1915, the remaining two brigades were assembled on the Vosges front (Orbey, Valley of the Weiss) and from that time on held this sector without much change.

3. In July some units of the division fought in the region of the Linge.

1916.

1. Vosges sector (valley of the Weiss, Col du Bonhomme). At the end of December, 1916, the 2d Bavarian Landwehr was transferred to the 2d Bavarian Landwehr Division (new).

1917.

1. In 1917 the division extended its sector from the region of Col du Bonhomme to the valley of the Fecht (Munster).

VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.

The division was in line in the region of Orbey (south of Col du Bonhomme) from 1915 on. It is a mediocre division made up of elderly men. The companies have no shock troops. All the important operations are executed by the assault company of the division.

1918.

ALSACE.

1. The 6th Bavarian Landwehr Division occupied the sector extending from south of Le Bonhomme to just west of Muenster, all through the year, being still in line when the armistice was signed.

VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.

The division is a fourth-class one, being used only to hold one of the calmest sectors on the western front. All the young men were taken away from the division (except those in machine-gun and assault companies) and exchanged for older ones. In October the father of six children was captured. Morale was low, discipline poor. Several prisoners stated that the men did not hesitate to say, even in front of their officers, that the war had been lost by Germany and that they were thoroughly sick of it.

6th Cavalry Division (Dismounted).

COMPOSITION.

───────────────────────┬─────────────────────────────────────────────── │ 1918 ───────────────────────┼───────────────────────┬─────────────────────── │ Brigade. │ Regiment. ───────────────────────┼───────────────────────┼─────────────────────── Cavalry. │5 Cav. │2 Drag. │ │3 Uhlan. │ │7 Cuirassier. │45 Cav. │7 Res. Drag. │ │13 Hus. │ │13 Horse Jag. │3 Cav. │2 Cuirassier. │ │9 Uhlan. │ │12 Hus. ───────────────────────┼───────────────────────┴─────────────────────── Artillery. │133 Art. Command. ───────────────────────┼─────────────────────────────────────────────── Engineers and Liaisons.│21 Pion. Btn. │319 T. M. Co. │674 Wireless Detch. ───────────────────────┼─────────────────────────────────────────────── Medical and Veterinary.│256 Ambulance Co. │106 Field Hospital. │261 Vet. Hospital. ───────────────────────┼─────────────────────────────────────────────── Attached. │70 Ldw. Inf. Brig. ───────────────────────┴───────────────────────────────────────────────

HISTORY.

1918.

ALSACE.

1. The division held the Badonviller sector until the last of April, when it was relieved by the 21st Landwehr Division. It rested at Mulhausen until July. At this time it was reorganized as a division of nine dismounted cavalry regiments.

YPRES.

2. On July 1 it entrained at Sierenz and traveled via Saarburg-Eupen- Liege-Brussels-Courtrai to Ingelmunster, where it detrained on July 3. The division then went into rest billets in the Iseghem-Winkel St. Eloi and Lendelede area, and on the night of July 27–28 it relieved the 1st Landwehr Division east of Ypres.

CAMBRAI.

3. It was relieved in Flanders and railed via Cambrai to Fins, where it detrained August 31. On September 4 it was in line at Manancourt and Nurlun. It was engaged in heavy fighting until September 25, when it was withdrawn from the battle front southwest of Cambrai after losing 400 prisoners.

BELGIUM.

4. It reinforced the Ypres battle front at Ledeghem on October 1 and fought there for about one week. It rested out of line a week and returned on October 15 to line east of Gulleghem. Two weeks later it was withdrawn in the Waereghem area.

5. On November 3 the division was again in line at Hermelgem. It was withdrawn within a few days and on the day of the armistice it was considered to be in reserve of the 4th German Army.

VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.

The division was rated as fourth class. Its use in the active Ypres and Cambrai fronts indicates that it should have been rated higher after its reorganization in the summer.

7th Division.

COMPOSITION.

─────────────┬───────────────────┬───────────────────┬─────────────────── │ 1914 │ 1915 │ 1916 ─────────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬───────── │Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment. ─────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼───────── Infantry. │13. │26. │13. │26. │14. │26. │ │66. │ │66. │ │27. │14. │27. │14. │27. │ │165. │ │165. │ │165. │ │ ─────────────┼─────────┴─────────┼─────────┴─────────┼─────────┴───────── Cavalry. │10 Hus. Rgt. (3 │10 Hus. Rgt. (3 │10 Hus. Rgt. (3 │ Sqns.). │ Sqns.). │ Sqns.). ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Artillery. │7 Brig.: │7 Brig.: │7 Brig.: │ 4 F. A. Rgt. │ 4 F. A. Rgt. │ 4 F. A. Rgt. │ 40 F. A. Rgt. │ 40 F. A. Rgt. │ 40 F. A. Rgt. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Engineers and│ │1 Pion. Btn. No. 4.│1 Pion. Btn. No. 4: Liaisons. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ Field Co. 4 Pions.│ 1 Co. 4 Pions. │ │ 7 Pont. Engs. │ 7 T. M. Co. │ │ 7 Tel. Detch. │ 7 Pont. Engrs. │ │ │ │ │ │ 7 Tel. Detch. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Medical and │ │ │ Veterinary.│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Transports. │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Attached. │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────

─────────────┬───────────────────┬─────────────────── │ 1917 │ 1918 ─────────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬───────── │Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment. ─────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼───────── Infantry. │14. │26. │14. │26. │ │165. │ │165. │ │393. │ │393. │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼─────────┴─────────┼─────────┴───────── Cavalry. │2 Sqn. 10 Hus. Rgt.│2 Sqn. 10 Hus. Rgt. │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Artillery. │7 Brig.: │7 Art. Command: │ 40 F. A. Rgt. │ 40 F. A. Rgt. │ │ 4 Abt. 24 Res. Ft. │ │ A. Rgt. │ │ 1244 Light Am. │ │ Col. │ │ 1298 Light Am. │ │ Col. │ │ 1301 Light Am. │ │ Col. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Engineers and│118 Pion. Btn. │4 Pion. Btn.: Liaisons. │ (formerly 1 Pion.│ │ Btn. No. 4): │ │ 1 Co. 4 Pions. │ 1 Co. 4 Pions. │ 3 Co. 4 Pions. │ 3 Co. 4 Pions. │ 7 T. M. Co. │ 43 Searchlight │ │ Section. │ 7 Tel. Detch. │7 Signal Command: │ 7 Pont. Engs. │ 7 Tel. Detch. │ │ 132 Bav. Wireless │ │ Detch. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Medical and │10 Ambulance Co. │10 Ambulance Co. Veterinary.│ │ │Field Hospital. │37 Field Hospital. │Vet. Hospital. │41 Field Hospital. │ │7 Vet. Hospital. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Transports. │M. T. Col. │540 M. T. Col. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Attached. │88 Labor Btn. (5th │ │ Co.). │ ─────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────

HISTORY.

(Fourth District—Prussian Saxony.)

1914.

The Seventh Division was recruited in the Province of Prussian Saxony and, with the 8th Division, belonged to the 4th Army Corps (Magdeburg).

MARNE.

1. The 14th Brigade, which had already obtained reservists July 30, entrained on the evening of August 2 and was one of the six brigades ordered to take Liege. The whole division moved into the region of Liege August 15. It belonged to the 1st Army (Von Kluck), and passed through Louvain August 18 and through Brussels the 20th. On the 23d it was on the Haine, west of St. Ghislain. On the 24th between Quiévrain and Audregnies it threatened to envelop the Allied left. Going through Le Cateau and Peronne on August 28, the division passed through Grand Morin and arrived at Choisy, southeast of Coulommiers, from where it was sent in all haste to the aid of the right wing of the 1st Army (Etavigny, etc.).

BELGIUM.

2. After the retreat it went to the north of the Aisne below Soissons until the last days of September (fights at Cuisy en Almont, Morsain, Nouvron, Fontenoy).

3. At the end of September it was attached to the 6th Army (Crown Prince of Bavaria) and sent to Artois.

ARTOIS.

4. At the beginning of October it fought south of Arras (Monchy aux Bois, Ransart, Wailly). It established itself south of the Scarpe.