Part 42
3. The 17th Reserve Division was in line as a whole north of the Somme about July 25 (Bazentin-Pozières). It remained there until August 9–14.
4. It was sent to rest and to be reorganized near Valenciennes.
5. At the end of August it occupied the sector of Loos-Hulluch (north of Lens). In September the 75th Reserve Infantry Regiment was sent to the 211th Division.
6. About September 21 the division returned to the Somme (Le Transloy- Combles), where it lost heavily (losses, 51 per cent).
7. Relieved about October 10 it was transferred to Belgium.
8. From October 23–25 to the end of January, 1917, it was in line between Het Sas and the Ypres-Roulers railroad.
1917.
1. At the end of January, 1917, the 17th Reserve Division was sent for a month’s rest near Bruges, and again took over its sector.
ARTOIS.
2. It left the Ypres salient at the end of March and went into line southeast of Arras. On April 9 it suffered very heavy losses from the British offensives (2,100 prisoners).
3. On April 12–13 the division was relieved and sent to rest and to be reorganized.
CAMBRESIS.
4. On April 27 it took over the sector of Havrincourt (southwest of Cambrai) and occupied it until June 1.
ARTOIS.
5. Transferred to the Arras front, the 17th Reserve Division went back into line in the sector Guémappe-Monchy le Preux, where it launched several violent battles during the month of June. At the end of July it extended its sector toward the north (south of the Scarpe).
6. Relieved at the end of August it went back into line at the beginning of September southeast of Arras (Vis en Artois). It lost especially heavy during the gas attacks. (It received, on Oct. 23, 40 men per company, coming from Hamburg and Beverloo, slightly trained, and on Nov. 10 men taken from the Russian front.) (Summary of Information, Dec. 2.)
7. The 17th Reserve Division left Artois in the middle of November.
FLANDERS.
8. Sent to Flanders the division took over the sector at Becelaere about November 18. The division was engaged against the British attack of December 3 and suffered heavy losses. It underwent violent attacks and left the front in the beginning of January, 1918.
RECRUITING.
The division is recruited in Schleswig-Holstein, the Hanseatic cities, and adjacent parts of Hanover. Some replacement troops were from Westphalia, and in September, 1916, men from Brandenburg of the 1917 class.
VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.
During the year 1917 the 17th Reserve Division launched a great number of terrible attacks on the Arras front and in Flanders.
At Becelaere (Dec., 1917) it gave proof of great stubbornness. The 162d Infantry Regiment carried out a successful attack in this sector on December 14. However, a few months before, on June 18, the 163d Infantry Regiment is said to have refused to advance. (Summary of Information, June 19.)
Although this division is not one of the best in the German Army and its morale is mediocre it is capable of offering serious resistance.
1918.
BATTLE OF THE LYS.
1. The northern sector was a fairly quiet front in the winter months and the division remained in line here until just before the German offensive on the Lys of April 9. Prior to this attack all of the division but one battalion of the 76th Reserve Regiment was withdrawn and sent hurriedly to the vicinity of Messines. It attacked there with other German divisions on the morning of April 9 under orders to take Messines by the evening of the 10th and to push ahead as far as possible. It gained considerable ground at heavy cost. Elements of the 7th Division relieved part of the 17th Reserve Division a few days later, but the bulk of the division remained in line until about April 22, when it was relieved by the 13th Reserve Division and the 19th Reserve Division.
2. On April 24 the division arrived in the Maldeghem area for a long rest. While there the divisional and the brigade commanders were decorated for their part in the Lys offensive. Death notices published in the German newspapers disclosed the death of two battalion and many company commanders on the Lys. While at rest the division went through courses of training. On June 4 it entrained at Eecloo and moved via Mons and Marle to Tergnier. At this time the Noyon offensive (June 9) was being organized. The division marched at night to Boulogne la Grasse (10th) and went into line on the evening of the 11th near Mery, relieving the 227th Division.
OISE.
3. The division was in heavy fighting immediately and suffered severely in the successful French counteroffensive of June 16.
BATTLE OF THE MATZ.
4. The French attack in August threw the division back on Canny sur Matz and later north of Fresnieres. It passed to second line about August 31, but was reengaged on September 5 at Esmery-Hallon. It suffered heavy losses and was taken out on September 9.
5. The division was moved to Lorraine, where it rested a month and returned to Le Cateau on October 10.
6. The division was engaged at Le Cateau on October 11 and resisted the British attack until November 3. It fought near Le Cateau (Oct. 18), Bazuel (21st), Forest (23d), Landrecies (24th), and Bois L’Eveque (Oct. 27). The division received the men of the 265th Reserve Regiment (108th Division) as a draft in October.
7. The division was out of line from November 3 to the armistice.
VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.
The division was rated as first class. Its effectives were generally young; 31 per cent belong to the 1919 class and 18 per cent to the 1918 class on October 1. It took a prominent part in the Lys and Noyon offensives, winning a reputation for its vigorous attacks. Its defensive work in October around Le Cateau was of a high order.
17th Landwehr Division.
COMPOSITION.
─────────────┬─────────────────────────────┬───────────────────────────── │ 1915 │ 1916 ─────────────┼──────────────┬──────────────┼──────────────┬────────────── │ Brigade. │ Regiment. │ Brigade. │ Regiment. ─────────────┼──────────────┼──────────────┼──────────────┼────────────── Infantry. │182 Ldw. │380 │182 Ldw. │380. │ │ (Kurhatowski│ │ │ │ Rgt.). │ │ │ │381 (Nussbaum │ │381. │ │ Rgt.). │ │ │ │23 Landst. │ │23 Landst. ─────────────┼──────────────┴──────────────┼──────────────┴────────────── Cavalry. │ │1 Landst. Sqn. (1 C. Dist.). ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Artillery. │ │235 F. A. Rgt. │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Engineers and│ │ Liaisons. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Medical and │ │ Veterinary.│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Transports. │ │ ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Attached. │2d Cyclist Co. 1 Jag. Btn. │2 Cyclist Co. 1 Jag. Btn. │ │16 Cav. Brig. (7 and 8 Horse │ │ Jag. and 5 Res. Drag. │ │ Rgts.). │ │9 C. Dist. Landst. Inf. Btn. │ │ No. 13. │ │ │ │ ─────────────┴─────────────────────────────┴─────────────────────────────
─────────────┬─────────────────────────────┬───────────────────────────── │ 1917 │ 1918[13] ─────────────┼──────────────┬──────────────┼──────────────┬────────────── │ Brigade. │ Regiment. │ Brigade. │ Regiment. ─────────────┼──────────────┼──────────────┼──────────────┼────────────── Infantry. │182 Ldw. │380. │182 Ldw. │330. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │381. │ │380. │ │ │ │ │ │23 Landst. │ │23 Landst. ─────────────┼──────────────┴──────────────┼──────────────┴────────────── Cavalry. │1 Landst. Sqn. (1 C. Dist.). │ ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Artillery. │Art. Command: │ │ 235 F. A. Rgt. │ │ 828 F. A. Btry. │ ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Engineers and│(417) Pion. Btn.: │87 Searchlight Section. Liaisons. │ │ │ 2 Ers. Co. 23 Pion. │517 Signal Command: │ 317 T. M. Co. │517 Tel. Detch. │ 182 Tel. Detch. │ ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Medical and │206 Ambulance Co. │206 Ambulance Co. Veterinary.│ │ │152 Field Hospital. │171 Field Hospital. │206 Field Hospital. │ │Vet. Hospital. │ ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Transports. │M. T. Col. │ ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Attached. │2 Cyclist Co. 1 Jag. Btn. │ │158 Cyclist Co. 91 Cav. Rgt. │ │ │ │ │ │7 C. Dist. Landst. Inf. Btn. │ │ No. 50. │ │9 C. Dist. Landst. Inf. Btn. │ │ No. 13. │ ─────────────┴─────────────────────────────┴───────────────────────────── Footnote 13:
The elements below are those listed under the 700th Postal Sector. Other elements belonging to the 17th Landwehr Division, but in other sectors, are listed as attached to whatever divisions may hold those sectors.
HISTORY.
(380th Infantry Regiment: 1st and 17th Corps Districts. 381st Infantry Regiment: 12th and 5th Corps Districts.)
1915.
1. The 17th Landwehr Division, formed on the Eastern Front in the Niémen Army, with the elements of the former Esebeck Brigade, appeared about the month of December, 1915.
RUSSIA.
2. Before forming a part of the 17th Landwehr Division the Esebeck Brigade took part in the offensive against the Russians north of Kovno (July-August, 1915), was east of Vilna about the end of September, and took up its position west of Kosiany (northwest of Postavy) in October.
POSTAVY.
3. The 17th Landwehr Division, being formed in this sector by the addition of the 23d Landsturm Regiment to the Esebeck Brigade, remained in line in the area of Vidzy-Postavy (Tveretch), from the end of 1915 to the beginning of 1918.
1916.
1. The Division remained in the Tveretch sector.
1917.
1. The Division remained in the Tveretch sector.
VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.
The division is of mediocre value.
1918.
1. The 17th Landwehr Division was identified in the Tveretch region toward the end of January.
2. About the middle of March it advanced into Russia and was identified in the Polotsk-Vitebsk region in March, April, and June.
3. The division was identified on the Don on September 26.
VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.
The division was rated as fourth class.
18th Division.
COMPOSITION.
─────────────┬───────────────────┬───────────────────┬─────────────────── │ 1914 │ 1915 │ 1916 ─────────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬───────── │Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment. ─────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼───────── Infantry. │35. │84. │35. │84. │36. │31. │ │86 Fus. │ │86 Fus. │ │85. │36. │31. │36. │31. │ │86 Fus. │ │85. │ │85. │ │ ─────────────┼─────────┴─────────┼─────────┴─────────┼─────────┴───────── Cavalry. │16 Dragoon Rgt. (3 │ │16 Dragoon Rgt. (3 │ Sqns.). │ │ Sqns.). ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Artillery. │18 Brig.: │18 Brig.: │18 Brig.: │ 9 F. A. Rgt. │ 9 F. A. Rgt. │ 9 F. A. Rgt. │ 45 F. A. Rgt. │ 45 F. A. Rgt. │ 45 F. A. Rgt. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Engineers and│ │1 Pion. Btn. No. 9:│1 Pion. Btn. No. 9: Liaisons. │ │ │ │ │ Field Co. 9 Pions.│ 2 Co. 9 Pions. │ │ 18 Pont. Engs. │ 18 T. M. Co. │ │ 18 Tel. Detch. │ 18 Tel. Detch. │ │ │ 18 Pont. Engs. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Medical and │ │ │ Veterinary.│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Transports. │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Attached. │ │ │57 Anti-Aircraft │ │ │ Section. │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────
─────────────┬───────────────────┬─────────────────── │ 1917 │ 1918 ─────────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬───────── │Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment. ─────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼───────── Infantry. │36. │31. │36 │31. │ │85. │ │85. │ │86 Fus. │ │86. │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼─────────┴─────────┼─────────┴───────── Cavalry. │2 Sqn. 16 Drag. │2 Sqn. 16 Drag. │ Rgt. │ Rgt. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Artillery. │18 Art. Command: │18 Art. Command: │ 45 F. A. Rgt. │ 45 F. A. Rgt. │ │ 2 Abt. 28 Ft. A. │ │ Rgt. (4 and 5 │ │ Btries.). │ │ 749 Light Am. Col. │ │ 753 Light Am. Col. │ │ 1,362 Light Am. │ │ Col. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Engineers and│1 Pion. Btn. No. 9:│9 Pion. Btn.: Liaisons. │ │ │ 2 Co. 9 Pions. │ 2 Co. 9 Pions. │ 3 Co. 9 Pions. │ 3 Co. 9 Pions. │ 18 T. M. Co. │ 18 T. M. Co. │ 18 Tel. Detch. │ 101 Searchlight │ │ Section. │ │18 Signal Command: │ │ 18 Tel. Detch. │ │ 54 Wireless Detch. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Medical and │23 Ambulance Co. │23 Ambulance Co. Veterinary.│ │ │90 Field Hospital. │90 Field Hospital. │Vet. Hospital. │92 Field Hospital. │ │18 Vet. Hospital. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Transports. │M. T. Col. │551 M. T. Col. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Attached. │47 Anti-Aircraft │ │ Section. │ │505 Anti-Aircraft │ │ Btry. │ ─────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────
HISTORY.
(9th Corps District—Schleswig—Holstein.)
1914.
BELGIUM-MARNE.
1. At the outbreak of the war the 18th Division (of the 9th Army Corps, with the 17th Division) formed a part of the 1st Army (Von Kluck). Entraining at Aix la Chapelle August 8–10, it was before Liege on the 13th, went into action at Tirlemont on the 18th, at Mons on the 23d, entered France on the 25th, crossed the Marne at Chateau Thierry on September 3, and took part in the battle of the Marne on September 6 and 7, at Esternay and Courgivaux.
AISNE.
2. After the retreat it took up its position north of the Aisne, where it remained for more than a year in various parts of the sector.
1915.
In March, 1915, the 84th Infantry Regiment was taken from the 18th Division to help in the formation of the 54th Division.
AISNE.
1. Until October, 1915, the 18th Division occupied the sectors of the Aisne. On June 3 the 86th Fusiliers attacked at Quennevieres, suffering enormous losses. (Between June 18 and July 3 its 5th Company received at least 115 men as replacements; the 8th Company, 120.)
CHAMPAGNE.
2. From October, 1915, until June, 1916, the 18th Division was in Champagne (Souain area).
1916.
1. On February 25, 1916, the 31st Infantry Regiment suffered heavy losses south of St. Marie a Py; its 11th Company was entirely destroyed or captured.
SOMME.
2. From July to September, 1916, the 18th Division was in action along the Somme (south of the Somme). At Belloy, on September 4, the 4th Company of the 86th Fusiliers was destroyed with the exception of 23 men.
ARTOIS.
3. From October until the beginning of December the division was in the Arras area (east).
4. It left Artois about December 12 to take over a sector along the Somme (Grandcourt).
1917.
SOMME.
1. About February 18, 1917, the 18th Division was withdrawn from the front, then sent back into line at the beginning of March, at Puisieux- Gommecourt (Somme).
ARTOIS.
2. At the end of March it was transferred to Artois, north of the Scarpe, and went into action at Roeux and Fampoux, from April 10 to April 23.
3. Relieved at the end of April, it went back into line about May 8, in the area south of Arras, and from that date until the end of August occupied sectors in the vicinity of Cambrai (Villers-Plouich, Havrincourt, Marcoing).
FLANDERS.
4. On August 27 the 18th Division was relieved from the Cambrai front (Ribecourt-Marcoing sector) and entrained for Flanders, where it was made an army reserve in the Ruddervoorde (northeast of Thourout). It was there reorganized with replacements coming from troops of the 9th Corps District stationed in Russia (taken from the 426th Infantry Regiment, the 31st Landwehr Regiment, and the 3d Ersatz Reserve Regiment).
5. It went into the sector Mangelaere about September 16 and underwent the Franco-British attack of October 9, which caused it rather serious losses.
RUSSIA.
6. The 18th Division was relieved about October 14 and transferred to Russia, where it made a rather short stay in the Vilna area.
ALSACE.
7. It was back in Upper Alsace about the end of November, in the region of Mulhouse, at the beginning of February, 1918.
RECRUITING.
The 18th Division is recruited from Schleswig-Holstein (Prussians and Danes). A certain proportion of Poles from Silesia appeared in the replacements of 1917 (especially in the 31st Infantry Regiment).
VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.
The 18th Division has always passed as being a good division. However, in the course of the Franco-British attack of October 9, 1917, none of its elements carried out the counterattacks described by their leaders; however, in order to form a correct judgment of this, one must take account of the intensity of the bombardment, the state of the terrain, and the weakness of the effectives in line at that moment.
1918.
CAMBRAI.
1. The 18th Division left Alsace, entraining at Mulhouse, about the 12th of February, and traveled via Thionville and Sedan to Bertry, where it detrained after a journey of 2½ days. It relieved the 107th Division near Gonnelieu (south of Cambrai) the 16th. It was withdrawn the beginning of March, and had a few days’ training near Ligny en Cambresis.
2. It left here on the 17th and marched to Malincourt, where it stayed three days.
ST. QUENTIN.
3. It reenforced the battle front near Hargicourt (north of St. Quentin) on March 21. The next day the division commander was killed. The division was withdrawn about the 26th.
SOMME.
4. During the night of March 29–30 the division relieved the 1st Division near Sailly le Sec (south of Albert). Here again heavy losses were suffered. The division received a draft of 500 men, mostly returned wounded. It is not clear just what happened during this period and as late as about the 18th of May, when the division was withdrawn, but it seems as though its regiments and the regiments of the 50th Reserve Division and the 199th Division inter-relieved each other.
TOURNAI.
5. The division went to the Tournai region, where it rested, was completely reconstituted, and trained.
SOISSONS.
6. On August 1 it reenforced the battle front near Launoy (southwest of Soissons), after having left Tournai July 21 and having detrained at La Fere the following day. Toward the end of its tour in line (it was withdrawn during the night of Oct. 12–13), it retreated along the line Froidmont-Eppes.
OISE.
7. The division was transported by truck and relieved the 22d Reserve Division near Bernoville (northeast of St. Quentin) on October 15. On the 17th it withdrew to Grougis, and then to the Sambre Canal. During these operations it lost more than 500 prisoners. It was withdrawn about the 28th.
8. On November 4 the division reenforced the front near Hannapes (north of Guise) and withdrew, with the remainder of the line, through Iron, the Nouvion region, Boulogne sur Helpe, and Etroeung. It was still in line on the 11th.
VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.
The 18th Division is rated as being first class. Since the spring, however, it has not been used to any great extent where heavy fighting was in progress, and it may well be it has deteriorated. It is known that part of the 6th Company of the 86th Regiment refused to go into line on October 25 until it was threatened with being shot.
18th Reserve Division.