Part 44
─────────────┬───────────────────┬─────────────────── │ 1917 │ 1918 ─────────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬───────── │Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment. ─────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼───────── Infantry. │37. │74. │37. │74. │ │78. │ │78. │ │91. │ │91. │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼─────────┴─────────┼─────────┴───────── Cavalry. │3 Sqn. 17 Hus. Rgt.│3 Sqn. 17 Hus. Rgt. │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Artillery. │19 Art. Command: │19 Art. Command: │ 26 F. A. Rgt. │ 26 F. A. Rgt. │ │ 93 Ft. A. Btn. │ │ 740 Light Am. Col. │ │ 905 Light Am. Col. │ │ 1156 Light Am. │ │ Col. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Engineers and│(1/10 or 127) Pion.│127 Pion. Btn.: Liaisons. │ Btn.: │ │ 1 Co. 10 Pions. │ 1 Co. 10 Pions. │ │ │ 5 Co. 10 Pions. │ 5 Co. 10 Pions. │ 19 T. M. Co. │ 19 T. M. Co. │ 296 Searchlight │ 50 Searchlight │ Section. │ Section. │ 19 Tel. Detch. │19 Signal Command: │ 19 Pont. Engs. │ 19 Tel. Detch. │ │ 4 Wireless Detch. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Medical and │25 Ambulance Co. │25 Ambulance Co. Veterinary.│ │ │6 Field Hospital. │95 Field Hospital. │95 Field Hospital. │97 Field Hospital. │97 Field Hospital. │19 Vet. Hospital. │19 Vet. Hospital. │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Transports. │M. T. Col. │552 M. T. Col. ─────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────
HISTORY.
(10th Corps District—Hanover and the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg.)
1914.
1. The 19th Division constituted, at the outbreak of the war, with the 20th Division, the 10th Army Corps (Hanover), which was a part of the 2d Army (Von Buelow).
BELGIUM-MARNE.
2. On August 3 one of its brigades, the 38th, was at Malmedy for the attack upon Liége, where it went into action on the 5th. After the fall of Liége the 19th Division, going around Namur on the north, fought at Charleroi on the 23d, entered France on the 25th, and went into action at Guise, at St. Quentin. It took part in the battle of the Marne on the right of the 20th Division, and then withdrew with that division to the northwest of Reims.
CHAMPAGNE.
3. In October it was in the same sector attached to the 7th Army (Von Heeringen) and remained during the winter of 1914–15.
1915.
RUSSIA.
1. In March, 1915, the 73d Fusiliers left the division to become a part of the 111th Division (a new formation).
2. In April the 19th Division was sent (with the 20th) to Galicia, where it took part in the offensive of Mackensen’s army. This campaign caused heavy losses; in the 91st Infantry Regiment, between May and September, the casualties totaled 127 officers and 4,291 men. (Official List of casualties.)
3. Entraining at Warsaw on September 17 the 19th Division, together with the 20th, was taken to Antwerp, then, by way of Namur and Givet, to Champagne. There it remained behind the front to reinforce the 3d Army at the time of our attack on the Champagne front (September).
FRANCE.
4. It was relieved about October 17. After a few days rest in the area of Grandlup, Missy les Pierrepont, it occupied the Hurtebise-Vauclerc line at the end of October.
AISNE.
5. About December 19 it was withdrawn to the rear (Parfondru area). It remained in reserve of the army and received training.
1916.
1. The division again went into line at the beginning of January, 1916 (Hurtebise-Vauclerc sector) and remained there until the middle of May. Then it was sent to Sissonne and received training until June 7.
RUSSIA.
2. About June 8 it left Sissonne and entrained for the Eastern Front. Itinerary: Laon-Sedan-Trèves-Coblentz-Limberg-Marburg-Cassel-Leipzig- Breslau-Bautzen-Iwagorod-Kovel (June 12).
3. The division was retrained on the Russian front from June until November. It underwent the Broussilov offensive, and in November formed a part of the 4th Austrian Army in action on the Volhynia front.
FRANCE.
4. About November 8 it entrained and left Russia to return to the Western Front. Itinerary: Kovel-Brest-Litowsk-Warsaw-Thorn-Berlin- Hanover-Aix la Chapelle-Liége-Namur-Givet-Hirson.
5. After a few days of rest, the 19th Division entrained for Rethel. It was billeted in the vicinity until the end of December.
1917.
1. After a stay in Alsace (January, 1917) the 19th Division came into reserve in Champagne in February.
CHAMPAGNE.
2. On February 24 it occupied the sector Ripont, Cernay en Dormois.
3. On March 6 it was transferred to the Rheims front (Brimont, Cavaliers de Coucy in April and May). Only its right wing was engaged in the French offensive.
4. Relieved on the 10th of June and sent to rest, it was in action shortly afterwards southwest of Moronvilliers, then on the Cornillet- Monc St. Blond front, where it underwent the French attacks of July 14 and suffered heavy losses.
5. On July 20, it left this area and in two days marched to the sector north of Ville sur Tourbe.
MEUSE.
6. About September 7 it was sent to the Verdun area (Beaumont- Samogneux). It there launched several attacks.
7. Relieved from the Beaumont sector at the end of December, the 19th Division occupied the Forges sector (left bank of the Meuse) about January 6, 1918. There it was relieved by the 84th Division beginning of February.
RECRUITING.
The 19th Division is recruited from Hanover. The 91st Infantry Regiment is recruited in the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg. There were very few replacements from other corps districts.
VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.
The 19th Division must be considered a good division (September, 1917).
1918.
1. The division rested at Stenay until March 6, when it entrained and traveled via Sedan-Charleville-Anor to Landrecies, going into billets at Hecq. On the 17th it marched to Croix and in the evening proceeded via Le Cateau to Honnechy. On the night of March 19–20 it marched to Brancourt, and on the 21st followed up the attack as far as Maissemy. The 91st Regiment crossed the Somme at Brie on the 25th and by the 28th had reached Harbonnieres.
BATTLE OF PICARDY.
2. It was in support until the 31st, when it was engaged near Marcelcaves. In the fighting in this locality between the 30th and April 6, the division lost 50 per cent of its effectives. The heaviest losses were incurred on March 31 at Brie where a battalion commander, ordered to attack, was unable to do so because of his losses.
3. The division rested until April 16 in the neighborhood of Proyart and Framerville. About 1,000 men were received as reinforcements at this time.
SOMME.
4. It was engaged on April 18, north of Hangard, until the 20th. Two days of rest at Harbonnieres followed, and it returned to line on the 24th. The French attack of the 26th caused the division severe losses and it withdrew on April 28. It was reengaged on the same sector on May 6 and in line until May 29. While in line the division received drafts of 1,200 men.
5. The division rested until the 1st of June in the vicinity of Cambrai. It marched toward the Lassigny front by night, passing through Ham (June 2), Esmery-Hallon, Tilloloy (June 7–8).
NOYON.
6. It was engaged on June 9 in the Lataule wood and was in line until the 14th. It entrained on the 21st and moved to Lorraine, where it relieved the 3d Guard Division at Bezanges on June 25. It rested on this quiet front until July 29, when the 81st Reserve Division from Flanders relieved it.
VESLE.
7. The division rested near Fort Brimont until mid-August, when it moved by stages to the Vesle front. It entered the line northeast of Fismes on September 1 and remained during the month. The division withstood the French attack of the 31st, losing about 700 prisoners. It was forced to retire on Ventelay and Chaudardes (Oct. 1), and later on Pontavert, Craonne, toward Sissonne (Oct. 11–12). It was in second line about the 13th to 18th.
LAON.
8. On October 19 it was again in line near Sissonne. In the retreat it retired by Boucourt, la Ville aux Bois, Montcornet. After November 4 it was identified near Renneval, Iviers, and Aubenton (Nov. 8).
VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.
The division was rated as first class. It was regarded as one of the best German divisions. It resisted with great obstinacy the French counterattack at Hangard, April 26. Its morale remained good until the end of October.
19th Reserve Division.
COMPOSITION.
─────────────┬───────────────────┬───────────────────┬─────────────────── │ 1914 │ 1915 │ 1916 ─────────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬───────── │Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment. ─────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼───────── Infantry. │37 Res. │73 Res. │37 Res. │73 Res. │37 Res. │73 Res. │ │78 Res. │ │78 Res. │ │78 Res. │39 Res. │74 Res. │39 Res. │74 Res. │ │79 Res. │ │ │ │ │ │ (2 │ │ │ │ │ │ Btns.) │ │92 Res. │ │92 Res. │39 Res. │74 Res. │ │79 Res. │ │79 Res. │ │92 Res. │ │ (2 │ │ (2 │ │ │ │ Btns.) │ │ Btns.) │ │ │ 10 Res. Jag. Btn. │ 10 Res. Jag. Btn. │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────┴───────── Cavalry. │6 Res. Dragoon Rgt.│6 Res. Drag. Rgt. │6 Res. Drag. Rgt. │ (3 Sqns.). │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Artillery. │19 Res. F. A. Rgt. │19 Res. F. A. Rgt. │19 Res. F. A. Rgt. │ (6 Btries.). │ (8 Btries.). │ 2 Mountain Btry. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Engineers and│1 and 2 Res. Cos. 2│1 and 2 Res. Cos. 2│1 and 2 Res. Cos. 2 Liaisons. │ Pion. Btn. No. │ Pion. Btn. No. │ Pion. Btn. No. │ 10. │ 10. │ 10. │ │19 Res. Tel. Detch.│6 Field Co. 1 Pion. │ │ │ Btn. No. 10. │ │19 Res. Pont. Engs.│219 T. M. Co. │ │ │ │ │ │19 Res. Tel. Detch. │ │ │ │ │ │19 Res. Pont. Engs. │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Medical and │ │ │ Veterinary.│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Transports. │ │ │ ─────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────
─────────────┬───────────────────┬─────────────────── │ 1917 │ 1918 ─────────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬───────── │Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment. ─────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼───────── Infantry. │39 Res. │73 Res. │39 Res. │73 Res. │ │78 Res. │ │78 Res. │ │92 Res. │ │92 Res. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼─────────┴─────────┼─────────┴───────── Cavalry. │1 Sqn. 6 Res. Drag.│3 Sqn. 6 Res. Drag. │ Rgt. │ Rgt. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Artillery. │19 Res. F. A. Rgt. │19 Res. F. A. Rgt. │ │ │ │2 Abt. 3 Ft. A. │ │ Rgt. (Staff, and │ │ 5, 7, and 9 │ │ Btries.). │ │741 Light Am. Col. │ │742 Light Am. Col. │ │745 Light Am. Col. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Engineers and│319 Pion. Btn. │319 Pion. Btn. Liaisons. │ │ │ │ │ 1 Res. Co. 10 │ 1 Res. Co. 10 │ Pions. │ Pions. │ 219 T. M. Co. │ 2 Res. Co. 10 │ │ Pions. │ 290 Searchlight │ 54 Searchlight │ Section. │ Section. │ 419 Tel. Detch. │419 Signal Command: │ │ 419 Tel. Detch. │ │ 32 Wireless Detch. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Medical and │510 Ambulance Co. │510 Ambulance Co. Veterinary.│ │ │46 Res. Field │46 Res. Field │ Hospital. │ Hospital. │47 Res. Field │48 Res. Field │ Hospital. │ Hospital. │48 Res. Field │200 Vet. Hospital. │ Hospital. │ │Vet. Hospital. │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Transports. │M. T. Col. │718 M. T. Col. ─────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────
HISTORY.
(10th Corps District.—Hanover; Grand Duchy of Oldenburg; Duchy of Brunswick.)
1914.
BELGIUM-MARNE.
1. The 19th Reserve Division, constituting at the outbreak of the war, with the 2d Reserve Guard Division, the 10th Reserve Corps, was a part of the 2d Army (Von Buelow). It entrained near Cologne August 10–12, was concentrated at the Elsenhorn Camp and entered Belgium on the 15th by way of Spa. Going down the left bank of the Meuse near Liége, it crossed the Sambre west of Charleroi on the 22d; went into action on the 23d at Nalinnes; entered France on the 26th at Avesnes, and fought on the 29th and 30th between St. Quentin and Ribemont. Continuing on its way through Braine, it crossed the Marne at Dormans and took part in the battle of the Marne between Vauchamps and Montmirail (Sept. 6 to 7).
2. It retired on the 7th by way of Orbais, Vertus, Epernay, Rilly la Montagne (Sept. 10), Rheims (Sept. 12).
CHAMPAGNE.
3. It fought, in the middle of September, north of Rheims and established itself on the front Brimont-Courcy-Bétheny (October- December).
1915.
1. The division occupied the sector north of Rheims until the beginning of February, 1915.
PERTHES.
2. About February 2, elements of the division were transferred to the Somme Py and went into action in the Perthes les Hurlus area, where they took part in serious battles.
3. The division remained in Champagne (Souain-Perthes) until the month of April.
ALSACE.
4. About the end of April it was sent to Alsace (valley of the Fecht). At this time, the 10th Reserve Corps was broken up because of the employment of its two divisions on two separate fronts (19th Reserve Division, Vosges, 2d Reserve Guard Division, in the north). These two divisions are now independent. The 19th Reserve Division suffered very heavily in Alsace (valley of the Fecht) and lost 154 officers and 5,033 men (Official List of Casualties), of whom 60 officers and 1,964 men belong to the 74th Reserve Infantry Regiment.
CHAMPAGNE.
5. On September 30 the 37th Reserve Brigade entrained to reenforce the units engaged in the Tahure sector (Champagne), where it went into action on October 8.
ALSACE.
6. The 37th Reserve Brigade rejoined the 39th Reserve Brigade in Alsace at the beginning of November. At this time the entire division was concentrated in the vicinity of Mulhouse.
7. In December elements of the 19th Reserve Division took part in the struggle for the possession of Hartmannswillerkopf (Dec. 21–29).
1916.
1. The 19th Reserve Division remained in the Meuse area until March, 1916.
VERDUN.
2. About March 15 the division entrained and was transferred to Verdun. It went into action in the sector Douaumont-Haudremont-Thiaumont (Apr. 17 to June 21). Its regiments made successive attacks and suffered heavily (attacks of Apr. 17, 24, May 7, and June 21). At the end of April and during the month of May, elements of the division were sent to rest in the vicinity of Montmédy.
ARGONNE.
3. At the beginning of July the 19th Reserve Division was withdrawn from the Verdun front and went into the Argonne (La Harazee). It had lost 79 per cent of its infantry at Verdun. From April 25 to July 19 the 4th Company of the 74th Infantry Regiment had received no less than 195 men as replacements; the 9th Company of the 73d Infantry Regiment, 211 men.
SOMME.
4. On October 10 it was transferred to the Somme (sector of Gueudecourt les Boeufs) and took part in limited actions which caused serious losses.
CÔTES DE MEUSE.
5. Relieved on October 26–28, it went into line on the Côtes de Meuse (Les Éparges) on October 31.
1917.
CHEMIN DES DAMES.
1. On February 18, 1917, the 19th Reserve Division left the Éparges sector for the front south of Laon. Concentrated in the region of Arrancy-Ste. Croix, it went into line about March 1, on the crest of the Chemin des Dames (Ailles-Hurtebise). It underwent the French attack of April 16, which caused it to suffer severely (900 prisoners).
On April 20 elements of the Division launched a counterattack (Poteau d’Ailles). The 19th Reserves Division remained in line until April 21.
RUSSIA.
2. After two weeks’ rest in the vicinity of Sissonne, the division was transferred to Russia. It entrained at La Capelle on May 7. Itinerary: Charleroi-Namur-Liége-Aix le Chapelle-Dusseldorf-Hanover-Berlin- Bromberg-Koenigsberg-Shavli-Mitau; detraining at Gross-Ekkau on May 11, it was called on July 23 to help the exhausted 226th Division between Smorgoni and Krevo.
RIGA.
3. At the end of August or the beginning of September the division took part in the operations which began at the taking of Riga and of Duenamuende (September).
FRANCE.
4. On September 11 the division entrained near Uxkull for the Western Front. Itinerary: Mitau-Shavli-Koenigsberg-Posen-Cottbus-Leipzig-Gotha- Mayence-Kreuznach-Luxemburg-Sedan-Hirson. It detrained at Vervins on September 17.
FLANDERS.
5. Transferred to Flanders (Sept. 20–24) it occupied the Polygon wood sector east of Ypres (Sept. 28). It underwent the British attack of October 4, when it lost very heavily. It was relieved immediately. (On Sept. 29 the 12th Company of the 92d Reserve Infantry Regiment had only 3 officers and 86 men.)
MEUSE.
6. After a rest near Sedan, in the course of which it was reorganized with mixed replacements from Beverloo and the recruit depot of the 228th Division, the division went northwest of Verdun in October (Malancourt sector).
7. Sent to rest in the Stenay area on December 22, the 19th Reserve Division occupied the Chaume wood sector on January 15, 1918. It was still there at the beginning of March.
RECRUITING.
The 19th Reserve Division is recruited from the 10th Corps District (Hanover, Oldenburg, Brunswick). There are few elements foreign to the district.
VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.
During the French offensive on the Chemin des Dames on April 16 the 19th Reserve Division gave the impression of having energetic and intelligent leadership. The attitude of the men was generally good.
The division suffered enormous losses on the Aisne.
The quality of the replacements received and its stay on the Russian front have diminished the value of this division, which was a good combat unit.
The presence of a certain number of Poles and Alsatians must be noted who are inclined to desertion (67 deserters from the 73d Reserve Infantry Regiment on Sept. 28, 1917). (November, 1917.)
1918.
1. About April 6 the division was relieved and moved to Belgium, entering line at Dixmude on April 17.
BATTLE OF THE LYS.
2. On the 25th the division moved south and reenforced the battle front at Vierstraat. It fought in the Ypres area until May 1, when it was relieved, after losing about 40 per cent of its effectives.
CHAMPAGNE.
3. The division appeared in Champagne on May 10, taking over the sector west of the Suippe from the 232d Division. About June 1 a battalion of the 78th Reserve Regiment was detached and took part in the attack on Rheims. Afterwards it returned and the complete division was in its sector on June 15. The division was withdrawn from Champagne just before the July offensive.
4. It was reengaged in Champagne on July 27 south of Le Mont sans Nom. It continued in this sector until the 1st of September.
5. The division moved directly from line in Champagne to line south of Concy le Chateau, where it was engaged until October 14. Withdrawn from the Selle front, elements of the division were immediately engaged on the Oise at Mont d’Origny (Oct. 17), but the bulk of the division was not identified until October 24, south of Catillon. Until the armistice the division fought in the vicinity of Catillon (Nov. 4), Fesmy (5th), Prisches (6th), Lemont Fontaine (8th).
VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.
The division was rated as first class. In 1918, except for the Lys offensive in April, the division was engaged only on the defensive.
19th. Ersatz Division.
COMPOSITION.