Part 33

─────────────┬─────────────────────────────┬───────────────────────────── │ 1915 │ 1916 ─────────────┼──────────────┬──────────────┼──────────────┬────────────── │ Brigade. │ Regiment. │ Brigade. │ Regiment. ─────────────┼──────────────┼──────────────┼──────────────┼────────────── Infantry. │55 Ldw. │87 Ldw. (1 and│55 Ldw. │87 Ldw. │ │ 4 Btns. 87 │ │ │ │ Ldw. and 5 │ │ │ │ Btn. 76 Ldw.│ │ │ │ Rgt.). │ │ │ │99 Ldw. (4 │ │99 Ldw. (4th │ │ Btn.). │ │ Btn.). │82 Ldw. │40 Ldw. │82 Ldw. │40 Ldw. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │56 Ldw. │ │56 Ldw. │ Gd. Jag. Btn. │ Gd. Jag. Btn. │ Gd. Rifle Btn. │ Gd. Rifle Btn. │ 14 Jag. Btn. │ 9 Jag. Btn. ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Cavalry. │ │ ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Artillery. │1 Ers. Abt. 14 F. A. Rgt. │30 Res. F. A. Rgt. │1 Ers. Abt. 30 F. A. Rgt. │1 Mountain A. Btry. │ │ │ │9 Mountain A. Btry. │ │11 Mountain A. Btry. │ │18 Mountain A. Btry. ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Engineers and│ │(?) 2 Ldw. Pion. Co. (14 C. Liaisons. │ │ Dist.). │ │312 T. M. Co. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Medical and │ │ Veterinary.│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Transports. │ │ ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Attached. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┴─────────────────────────────┴─────────────────────────────

─────────────┬─────────────────────────────┬───────────────────────────── │ 1917 │ 1918 ─────────────┼──────────────┬──────────────┼──────────────┬────────────── │ Brigade. │ Regiment. │ Brigade. │ Regiment. ─────────────┼──────────────┼──────────────┼──────────────┼────────────── Infantry. │55 Ldw. │56 Ldw. │87 Ldw. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │87 Ldw. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │435 Ldw. │ │ │ │ (include 4th│ │ │ │ Btn. 99 Ldw.│ │ │ │ Rgt.). │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼──────────────┴──────────────┼──────────────┴────────────── Cavalry. │2 Sqn. 7 Res. Dragoon Rgt. │1 Sqn. 9 Res. Hus. Rgt. ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Artillery. │Art. Command: │252 Ldw. F. A. Rgt. │ 12 Ldw. F. A. Rgt. │2 Bav. Ldw. Ft. A. Btn. (2d │ │ Btry.). │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Engineers and│412 Pion. Btn.: │415 Pion. Btn.: Liaisons. │ │ │ 1 Ldw. Co. 4 Pions. │ 1 Ldw. Co. 4 C. Dist. Pions. │ 2 Ldw. Co. 14 Pions. │ Landst. Ers. Co. 8 C. Dist. │ │ Pions. │ 2 Ldw. Co. 16 Pions. │ 75 Searchlight Section. │ 312 T. M. Co. │478 Signal Command: │ 268 Searchlight Section. │ 478 Tel. Detch. │ 512 Tel. Detch. │ 140 Wireless Detch. ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Medical and │564 Ambulance Co. │564 Ambulance Co. Veterinary.│ │ │568 Ambulance Co. │ │14 Ldw. Field Hospital. │ │15 Ldw. Field Hospital. │ │Vet. Hospital. │ ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Transports. │M. T. Col. │ ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Attached. │58 Art. Survey Section. │ │5 Labor Btn. │ │63 Labor Btn. │ │227, 228, and 251 Heavy M. G.│ │ Detch. │ ─────────────┴─────────────────────────────┴─────────────────────────────

HISTORY.

(56th Landwehr Regiment: 7th Corps District-Westphalia. 87th Landwehr Regiment: 18th Corps District-Hesse. 436th Landwehr Regiment: 15th Corps District-Alsace.)

1915.

ALSACE.

1. The 12th Landwehr Division was formed toward the end of April, 1915, with the elements of the Landwehr, which were distributed along the Alsatian front, between the Fecht and the district of Cernay, and which were assigned to the Fuchs Division at the time of the attacks upon Hartmannswillerkopf (March-April). The active brigade of the Fuchs Division having left the Vosges for Champagne, the 12th Landwehr Division grouped these elements of the Landwehr and occupied until May, 1917, the sectors included between the valley of Munster and Cernay. On the 21st of December, 1915, the 14th Jager Battalion, attached to the division, lost at Hartmannswillerkopf 840 killed, wounded, and missing (official list of casualties), and was withdrawn to be reorganized in Belgium.

1916.

ALSACE.

1. Sector Guebwiller-Cernay.

At the end of September, 1916, the 40th Landwehr Regiment left the 12th Landwehr Division to be assigned to the 33d Division. It was replaced by the 436th Landwehr Regiment, which had been formed in May of the preceding year.

In October the battalions of Jagers and of the riflemen of the guard and the 9th Battalion of Jagers, attached to the 12th Landwehr Division, were sent to Macedonia.

1917.

ALSACE.

1. January-May, 1917. Sector Munster-Cernay.

GALICIA.

2. Relieved on the Alsatian front about the middle of May, the 12th Landwehr Division was transferred to Galicia. Itinerary: Cernay- Strassborg-Karlsruhe-Ludwigsburg-Munich, Salzburg-Vienna-Lemberg- Zloczow.

3. It occupied the sector south of Brody and northwest of Zalosce until the beginning of 1918. It took part in the attacks of July, 1917.

In the course of the final months of 1917 the 12th Landwehr Division had numerous troops taken to fill up units on the Western Front or to be sent to the 227th Division, 197th Division, or the 33d Reserve Division.

VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.

The 12th Landwehr Division, which was on the Alsatian front until May, 1917 and then in Galicia, appears to be of mediocre quality.

1918.

1. The history of the component elements of this division after their arrival on the Western Front is uncertain. Between March and June the 56th Landwehr Regiment was in the 6th Army, the 436th Landwehr Regiment was in the 2d Army, and the 87th Landwehr Regiment was in the 18th Army. The men of these units were assigned to various kinds of police work, guarding prisoners, etc. The staff of the division during this period was believed to be in Finland. About July 15 the division had been announced as dissolved by the French, British, and American general headquarters.

ALSACE.

2. On August 7 the 87th Landwehr Regiment and the 436th Landwehr Regiment were joined as infantry under the 21st Landwehr Brigade Staff, Gen. Hoffman, of the 14th Landwehr Division. The 56th Landwehr Regiment was also identified in this region and the division was regarded as reconstituted in October.

3. Later identifications disclosed that the regiments were not forming a division but were acting independently. The division was again classed as dissolved about the middle of October.

VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.

The division was rated as a third-class division.

12th Bavarian Division.

COMPOSITION.

─────────────┬───────────────────┬───────────────────┬─────────────────── │ 1916 │ 1917 │ 1918 ─────────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬───────── │Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment. ─────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼───────── Infantry. │22 Bav. │26 Bav. │22 Bav. │26 Bav. │22 Bav. │26 Bav. │ │27 Bav. │ │27 Bav. │ │27 Bav. │ │28 Bav. │ │28 Bav. │ │28 Bav. ─────────────┼─────────┴─────────┼─────────┴─────────┼─────────┴───────── Cavalry. │4 Sqn. 7 Bav. Light│4 Sqn. 7 Bav. Light│1 Sqn. 7 Bav. Light │ Cav. Rgt. │ Cav. Rgt. │ Cav. Rgt. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Artillery. │22 Bav. F. A. Rgt. │22 Bav. F. A. Rgt. │12 Bav. Art. │ │ │ Command: │ │ │ 22 Bav. F. A. Rgt. │ │ │ 8 Bav. Ft. A. Btn. │ │ │ 136 Light Am. Col. │ │ │ 137 Light Am. Col. │ │ │ 138 Light Am. Col. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Engineers and│22 Bav. Pion. Co. │(12 Bav.) Pion. │12 Bav. Pion. Btn.: Liaisons. │ │ Btn.: │ │ │ 22 Bav. Pion. Co. │ 22 Bav. Pion. Co. │ │ 26 Bav. Pion. Co. │ 26 Bav. Pion. Co. │ │ 12 Bav. T. M. Co. │ 12 Bav. T. M. Co. │ │ 12 Bav. Tel. │ 16 Bav. │ │ Detch. │ Searchlight │ │ │ Section. │ │ │12 Bav. Signal │ │ │ Command: │ │ │ 12 Bav. Tel. │ │ │ Detch. │ │ │ 189 Wireless │ │ │ Detch. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Medical and │ │12 Bav. Ambulance │12 Bav. Ambulance Veterinary.│ │ Co. │ Co. │ │38 Bav. Field │38 Bav. Field │ │ Hospital. │ Hospital. │ │39 Bav. Field │39 Bav. Field │ │ Hospital. │ Hospital. │ │Vet. Hospital. │16 Bav. Vet. │ │ │ Hospital. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Transports. │ │M. T. Col. │692 M. T. Col. ─────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────

HISTORY.

(Bavaria.)

1916.

It was formed about the middle of the summer of 1916. It was assembled in July, 1916, at Grafenwoehr Camp (Bavaria), and remained until the end of July in the Valley of the Fecht, and then entrained for the Roumanian front in October.

ROUMANIA.

1. Composed of the 26th, 27th, and 28th Bavarian Regiments, the division took part in the Roumanian campaign and fought in the region of Campolung (October-November, 1916).

2. In December it took part in the operations north of the road Buzeu- Rimnicu-Sarat.

1917.

FOCSANI.

1. Beginning with January, 1917, the 12th Bavarian Division remained in line north of Focsani.

2. In August it took part in the attacks launched against the Roumanians north of Focsani (from Batinesci to the Sereth) and suffered very heavy losses.

PANCIU.

3. Sent to rest after these engagements, it came back into line at the end of September, south of Panciu (Marasesti District).

4. In December it was in reserve in the Focsani District.

RECRUITING.

The division is recruited from the whole of Bavaria.

VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.

It was on the Roumanian front from October, 1916. Its combat value is mediocre.

1918.

1. The division entrained at Ploesci on April 30 and traveled via Bucharest-Craiova-Budapest-Dresden-Frankfurt on the Main-Mainz-Mezieres to a station between Mezieres and Rethel, where it detrained after a journey of nine days. It rested near Vieil St. Remy (20 kilometers southeast of Mezieres), until May 24, when it marched toward the Aisne by Chateau Porcien, Asfeld, Avaux, and Neufchatel.

BATTLE OF THE AISNE.

2. The division crossed the old line near Berry au Bac on May 28 and followed the advance through Roucy, Montigny sur Vesle and Lagery. It was engaged on the 30th near Ville en Tardenois, with the Marne between Damery and Cumieres as its final objective. In that sector it stayed until July 13–14. Losses were heavy about the end of May and the 1st of June.

3. It was in reserve in the same sector on the 15th behind the 22d Division, on the 17th it attacked and until the end of July took part in the struggle for Epernay, toward which the division got as far as the Bois Courton.

4. Upon its relief on July 26 the division marched to the Ligny en Cambresis area in stages. There it rested until August 29, when it entrained at Solesmes and traveled via Valenciennes-Condes-Ath-Ghent to Roubaix. After two days’ rest it reentrained and was railed via Courtrai to Isegheim, relieving the 6th Cavalry Division east of Ypres on the night of August 31-September 1.

FLANDERS.

5. In this sector the division sustained an attack by the British on September 28. It was thrown back on Moorslede with a loss of 3,000 prisoners. The division was relieved on October 1.

6. The division rested at Roubaix until October 17, when it returned to line southeast of Herseaux. It continued in this region until the armistice. The last identification was at Cordes.

VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.

The division was rated as a third-class division. Its morale appears to have been low in the summer and fall of 1918.

13th Division.

COMPOSITION.

─────────────┬───────────────────┬───────────────────┬─────────────────── │ 1914 │ 1915 │ 1916 ─────────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬───────── │Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment. ─────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼───────── Infantry. │25. │13. │25. │13. │26. │13. │ │158. │ │158. │ │15. │26. │15. │26. │15. │ │55. │ │55. │ │55. │ │ │11 Jag. Btn. (Oct. │ │ │ │ │ 1914-Mar. 1915). │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────┴─────────┼─────────┴───────── Cavalry. │16 Uhlan Rgt. (3 │ │16 Uhlans (2 │ Sqns.). │ │ Sqns.). ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Artillery. │13 Brig.: │13 Brig.: │13 Brig.: │ 22 F. A. Rgt. │ 22 F. A. Rgt. │ 22 F. A. Rgt. │ 58 F. A. Rgt. │ 58 F. A. Rgt. │ 58 F.A. Rgt. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Engineers and│ │1 Pion. Btn. No. 7:│1 Pion. Btn. No. 7: Liaisons. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ Field Co. 7 Pions.│ 1 Co. 7 Pions. │ │ 13 Pont.-Engs. │ 13 T. M. Co. │ │ 13 Tel. Detch. │ 13 Pont.-Engs. │ │ │ 13 Tel. Detch. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Medical and │ │ │ Veterinary.│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Transports. │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Attached. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────

─────────────┬───────────────────┬─────────────────── │ 1917 │ 1918 ─────────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬───────── │Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment. ─────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼───────── Infantry. │26. │13. │26. │13. │ │15. │ │15. │ │55. │ │55. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼─────────┴─────────┼─────────┴───────── Cavalry. │3 Sqn. 16 Uhlan │3 Sqn. 16 Uhlan │ Rgt. │ Rgt. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Artillery. │13 Art. Command: │13 Art. Command: │ 58 F. A. Rgt. │ 58 F. A. Rgt. │ │ 151 Ft. A. Btn. │ │ 856 Light Am. Col. │ │ 859 Light Am. Col. │ │ 861 Light Am. Col. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Engineers and│124 Pion. Btn. (1 │7 Pion. Btn.: Liaisons. │ Pion. Btn. No. │ │ 7): │ │ 1 Co. 7 Pions. │ 1 Co. 7 Pions. │ 2 Co. 7 Pions. │ 2 Co. 7 Pions. │ 13 T. M. Co. │ 13 T. M. Co. │ 7 Searchlight │13 Signal Command: │ Section. │ │ 13 Tel. Detch. │ 13 Tel. Detch. │ │ 5 Wireless Detch. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Medical and │17 Ambulance Co. │17 Ambulance Co. Veterinary.│ │ │Field Hospital No. │70 Field Hospital. │ 73. │ │Vet. Hospital. │73 Field Hospital. │ │13 Vet. Hospital. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Transports. │M. T. Col. │546 M. T. Col. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Attached. │41 Anti-Aircraft │ │ Sect. M. G. S. S.│ │ Detch. No. 75. │ │546 Supply Train. │ │265 A. Air. Sqn. │ │10 Air. Sqn. │ │37 Wireless Detch. │ │87 Labor Btn. │ │2 Co. 11 Labor Btn.│ │306 Wagon Train. │ ─────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────

HISTORY.

(7th Corps District—Westphalia.)

1914.

BELGIUM.

1. The 13th Division, forming with the 14th Division the 7th Army Corps, was a part, at the outbreak of the war, of the 2d Army (Von Buelow). It entrained in the vicinity of Eupen from the 9th to the 11th of August, and the 25th Brigade took part in the final operations of the siege of Liège. After the fall of this place the division reassembled, passed through Wavre, Nivelles, Seneffe, crossed the Sambre below Thuin (battle of Charleroi), entered France on August 25, and left the 26th Brigade in front of Maubeuge, where it remained until the city was taken (Sept. 7).

CHAMPAGNE.

2. The 25th Brigade, going forward, fought east of St. Quentin on the 29th, and was at Montmirail on September 6, where it took part in the battle of the Marne. After the 26th Brigade was released it reached Laon on the 10th, and on the 12th the entire 13th Division went into position north of Rheims, forming a part of the 7th Army (Von Heeringen). It remained there until the end of the month.

ARTOIS.

3. At the beginning of October the 13th Division was transferred to Artois, where it remained until the end of March, 1916. It fought in the sector Angres-Souchez in October and November, in that of Fromelles- Aubers in November and December.

1915.

ARTOIS.

In March and in June, 1915, the division underwent two heavy attacks at Neuve Chapelle and at Festubert. The battles from the 6th to the 29th of March, 1915, cost the 13th Infantry Regiment 21 officers and 1,301 noncommissioned officers in killed, wounded, and missing. (Official list of Prussian casualties.)