Part 48
─────────────┬───────────────────┬─────────────────── │ 1917 │ 1918 ─────────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬───────── │Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment. ─────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼───────── Infantry. │43. │82. │43. │82. │ │83. │ │83. │ │167. │ │167. │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼─────────┴─────────┼─────────┴───────── Cavalry. │2 Sqn. 6 Cuir. Rgt.│6 Sqn. 6 Cuirassier │ │ Rgt. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Artillery. │22 Art. Command: │22 Art. Command: │ 11 F. A. Rgt. │ 11 F. A. Rgt. (not │ │ including 4 and 5 │ │ Abt.). │ │ 50 Ft. A. Btn. │ │ 1140 Light Am. │ │ Col. │ │ 1141 Light Am. │ │ Col. │ │ 1142 Light Am. │ │ Col. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Engineers and│(1/11 or 128) Pion.│128 Pion. Btn.: Liaisons. │ Btn.: │ │ 1 Co. 11 Pions. │ 1 Co. 11 Pions. │ │ │ 2 Co. 11 Pions. │ 2 Co. 11 Pions. │ 22 T. M. Co. │ 225 T. M. Co. │ 51 Searchlight │ 51 Searchlight │ Section. │ Section. │ 22 Tel. Detch. │22 Signal Command: │ │ 22 Tel. Detch. │ │ 109 Wireless │ │ Detch. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Medical and │Ambulance Co.: │26 Ambulance Co.: Veterinary.│ │ │ 103 Field │ 103 Field │ Hospital. │ Hospital. │ 107 Field │ 107 Field │ Hospital. │ Hospital. │ 110 Field │ 148 Vet. Hospital. │ Hospital. │ │ Vet. Hospital. │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Transports. │52 Supply Train. │ │51 Supply Train. │ │M. T. Col. │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Attached. │2 Cyclist Co. (11 │ │ Jag. Btn.). │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────
HISTORY.
(11th Corps District—Electorate of Hesse.)
1914.
1. The 22d Division formed a part of the 11th Army Corps (Cassel) with the 38th Division.
BELGIUM.
2. One of its brigades, the 43d, was sent to Liege and entrained on August 2–3, 1914. The other rejoined it there and after the surrender of the city the 22d Division, with the rest of the 11th Army Corps, formed a part of the 3d Army (Von Hausen). It went to Namur and then to Eastern Prussia.
RUSSIA.
3. In October the 22d Division (and the 11th Army Corps) was in Poland, where it remained until May, 1915. It took part in the violent attacks along the Bzura and the Rawka.
1915.
RUSSIA.
1. In April, 1915, the division gave the 32d Infantry Regiment to the 103d Division (a new formation).
2. In July it was separated from the 38th Division. It took part in the offensive of the 11th Army (Mackensen), and arrived on the Styr in October. It then formed a part of the 4th Austrian Army.
1916.
1. In the spring of 1916 the 22d Division was in the rear of Vilna (May), after having been at Mitau. On June 11 it entrained at Mitau for Vilna.
GALICIA.
2. It then formed a part of the troops destined to withstand the Russian offensive in Galicia and took up its position on the Lipa.
ROUMANIA.
3. In December it was sent to Roumania and operated in Moldavia.
1917.
GALICIA.
1. It returned in January, 1917, to the 4th Austrian Army on the Lipa.
2. At the beginning of July it was in Volhynia (Mikolajow, northwest of Brody).
3. On July 7–9 the division was relieved and sent to the area south of Tarnopol. It arrived there on July 15 and took part in the offensive against the Russians. It suffered rather heavy losses in the beginning, the Russians having resisted for several days.
4. The 22d Division remained in this area until October 7. On this date it was relieved and entrained for the Western Front (itinerary: Brzezany-Torgau-Erfurt-Frankfort on the Main-Mayence-Sarrebrucken- Thionville-Montmedy), detraining at Douzy (east of Sedan) about October 14.
At the end of October the division, after a few days of rest, was put in line in the Forges sector (Verdun area), where it had a few losses (November, December). January 1918, it was on the front north of Verdun (right bank of the Meuse).
RECRUITING.
The 22d Division is recruited from the electorate of Hesse. Alsace- Lorrainers were numerous during its stay on the Eastern Front.
VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.
The 22d Division, coming from Russia, where it had had rather easy victories, appeared to have a relatively good morale. Its spirit, however, did not appear very combative (Nov. 1917).
1918.
1. The division was in line on the right bank of the Meuse (Samogneux- Cote 344) from January, 1918, to the end of May, when it was relieved by the 6th Bavarian Division.
2. It was in reserve southwest of Reims on June 16, and came into line at Anthenay on June 20. About the 1st of July the 103d Division relieved the 22d Division, which went to rest in the neighborhood of Fismes and Hourges.
BATTLE OF THE MARNE.
3. The division was engaged southeast of Ville en Tardenois (Chambrecy, Champlat, Velval) July 15–26. It fell back in the line Romigny-Ville en Tardenois and was relieved on August 7. About 400 prisoners were lost in this fighting.
BATTLE OF THE SOMME.
4. The division rested in the Cambrai area until August 29, when it was moved up to the line. On the 1st of September it was engaged on the Arras-Cambrai road near Bullecourt. The British attack rolled it back on Inchy and Marquion, where it was withdrawn on the 10th. The division lost 1,100 prisoners in the week of fighting.
THE SCARPE.
5. It rested until September 28, when it came into line north of Cambrai (Epinoy), Sancourt, Blécourt. About October 1 it was moved north and relieved the 48th Reserve Division north of the Scarpe. In the sector it fought until October 23 (south east of Lille, St. Amand, southwest of Odomez).
6. Upon its relief, the division marched from Thulin, west of Mons, on October 24 to the Le Quesnoy area, and on the next day relieved the 185th Division east of Gussignies. In November it was in the fighting around Le Quesnoy and Gommegnies until its withdrawal on November 7.
VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.
The division was rated as third class. It was employed in the July offensive, but made little headway. On the defensive the division appears to have done better than many divisions of a higher rating.
22d Reserve Division.
COMPOSITION.
─────────────┬───────────────────┬───────────────────┬─────────────────── │ 1914 │ 1915 │ 1916 ─────────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬───────── │Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment. ─────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼───────── Infantry. │43 Res. │71 Res. │43 Res. │71 Res. │43 Res. │71 Res. │ │94 Res. │ │94 Res. │ │82 Res. │44 Res. │32 Res. │44 Res. │32 Res. │ │94 Res. │ │82 Res. │ │82 Res. │ │ │ 11 Res. Jag. Btn. │ 11 Res. Jag. Btn. │ 11 Res. Jag. Btn. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Cavalry. │1 Res. Horse Jag. │1 Res. Horse Jag. │1 Res. Horse Jag. │ Rgt. (3 Sqns.). │ Rgt. │ Rgt. │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Artillery. │22 Res. F. A. Rgt. │22 Res. F. A. Rgt. │22 Res. F. A. Rgt. │ (6 Btries.). │ │ (9 Btries.). │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Engineers and│1 and 2 Res. Cos. 2│1 and 2 Res. Cos. 2│1 and 2 Res. Cos. 2 Liaisons. │ Pion. Btn. No. 4.│ Pion. Btn. No. 4.│ Pion. Btn. No. 4. │ │22 Res. Pont. Engs.│222 T. M. Co. │ │ │ │ │22 Res. Tel. Detch.│22 Res. Pont. Engs. │ │ │ │ │ │22 Res. Tel. Detch. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Medical and │ │ │ Veterinary.│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Transports. │ │ │ ─────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────
─────────────┬───────────────────┬─────────────────── │ 1917 │ 1918 ─────────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬───────── │Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment. ─────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼───────── Infantry. │43 Res. │71 Res. │43 Res. │71 Res. │ │82 Res. │ │82 Res. │ │94 Res. │ │94 Res. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼─────────┴─────────┼─────────┴───────── Cavalry. │3 Sqn. 1 Res. Horse│1 Sqn. 2 Uhlan Rgt. │ Jag. Rgt. │ │2 Sqn. 1 Res. Heavy│ │ Cav. Rgt. │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Artillery. │Art. Command: │22 Res. F. A. Rgt. │ │ │ 22 Res. F. A. Rgt.│43 Ft. A. Btn. │ (9 Btries.). │ (Staff, and 1, 2, │ │ and 3 Btries.). │ │737 Light Am. Col. │ │1379 Light Am. Col. │ │1380 Light Am. Col. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Engineers and│(322) Pion. Btn.: │322 Pion. Btn.: Liaisons. │ │ │ 1 Res. Co. 4 │ 1 Res. Co. 4 │ Pions. │ Pions. │ 2 Res. Co. 4 │ 2 Res. Co. 4 │ Pions. │ Pions. │ 222 T. M. Co. │ 103 Searchlight │ │ Section. │ 27, 251, and 271 │422 Signal Command: │ Searchlight │ │ Sections. │ │ 422 Tel. Detch. │ 422 Tel. Detch. │ │ 35 Wireless Detch. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Medical and │511 Ambulance Co. │511 Ambulance Co. Veterinary.│ │ │21 Res. Field │23 Res. Field │ Hospital. │ Hospital. │50 Res. Field │50 Res. Field │ Hospital. │ Hospital. │Vet. Hospital. │422 Vet. Hospital. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Transports. │M. T. Col. │ ─────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────
HISTORY.
(11th Corps District—Electorate of Hesse and Thuringia.)
1914.
1. At the beginning of the war the 22d Reserve Division formed the 4th Reserve Corps with the 7th Reserve Division. It was a part of the 1st Army (Von Kluck).
BELGIUM.
2. Concentrated at Dusseldorf (Aug. 10) the 22d Reserve Division reached Brussels by way of Aix la Chapelle, Tongres, and Louvain. The 94th Reserve Infantry Regiment remained at Brussels until September 5, when it was hastily called to rejoin the division. The 71st Reserve Infantry Regiment remained there until August 31 and then figured in the battle of the Marne on September 6.
MARNE.
3. The 44th Reserve Brigade joined to the 7th Reserve Division went to Ath, Conde, Amiens (Aug. 30–31), and Creil (Sept. 2), almost without combat, but by forced marches to the extreme right flank of the 1st Army. In action on the right bank of the Ourcq, it withdrew to the north of the Aisne.
4. The 43d Reserve Brigade, of which only one regiment had fought with the 44th from September 6 to 9 was filled upon the 9th and went to Peronne. On September 11, strengthened by the 72d Reserve Regiment, detached from the 7th Reserve Division, it was concentrated north of Compiegne.
TRACY LE MONT.
5. Until September 20 the 43d Reserve Brigade fought in the vicinity of Tracy le Mont with some elements of the 7th Reserve Division. The 44th Reserve Brigade was engaged with the majority of this division on the Nouvron Plateau.
NOUVRON.
6. On September 20 the 43d Reserve Brigade rejoined the 44th (Hautebraye-Chevillecourt.)
7. On November 12 elements of the division took part in the attack on the Nouvron Plateau and suffered rather heavy losses.
1915.
AISNE.
1. The 22d Reserve Division occupied the lines between the Aisne and the Oise until the autumn of 1915.
2. In January, 1915, elements of the division took part in the battle around Soissons. In April, 1915, the 32d Reserve Infantry Regiment became a part of the 113th Division.
CHAMPAGNE.
3. At the end of October the 22d Reserve Division left the area northwest of Soissons to go to Champagne (Souain sector).
1916.
1. The 22d Reserve Division left Champagne at the end of January, 1916; it went to rest at Attigny, which it left on February 29.
VERDUN.
2. From March 1 to 5, at the height of the Verdun offensive, the division was reassembled between Dun and Vilosnes behind the front. On March 6 it attacked on the left bank of the Meuse. It took part in the operations in this sector (valley of the Forges and Corbeaux wood) until the middle of April. In the first attacks of March the 6th Company of the 82d Reserve Infantry Regiment required replacements of 90 men, among whom were recruits from the 1916 class. After a few days of rest the 22d Reserve Division again attacked at Verdun, south of Corbeaux wood and near the Mort Homme (May 23 to beginning of June). It lost very heavily. Its attacks at Verdun had cost it 90 per cent of its infantry. From April 24 to June 26 the 1st and 4th Companies of the 11th Battalion of Reserve Chasseurs had each received at least 204 men as replacements; the 6th Company of the 94th Reserve Infantry Regiment, from March 9 to June 15, 217 men; the 8th Company, 207 men.
3. The division rested and was reorganized in the vicinity of Fourmies- Hirson; it was then sent between St. Quentin and Tergnier.
SOMME.
4. At the beginning of the Somme offensive the 22d Reserve Division was concentrated southeast of Peronne on July 2. It went into action south of the Somme (Biaches-Belloy), and suffered heavy losses (1,500 prisoners between July 2 and July 10).
CHAMPAGNE.
5. Transferred to Champagne, it rested for a few days and then went into line east of Rheims (Auberive sector) and in the Prosnes sector at the end of August.
6. At the end of October, after it had rested in the Rethel-Vouziers sector until November 10, the division was placed behind the Cambrai-St. Quentin sector.
SOMME.
7. It went back to the Somme at the beginning of December east of Rancourt and remained there until December 20.
1917.
1. The 22d Reserve Division passed the month of January, 1917, at rest in the Valenciennes area.
2. In February it took over the Saillisel sector, where it took part in secondary action. In March the division took part in the withdrawal and established itself in the Hindenburg line between Gonnelieu and Le Catelet.
3. About May 20 the 22d Reserve Division went to rest in the neighborhood of Lens and Tourcoing.
FLANDERS.
4. On June 14 it went into line in the Comines sector, west of Warneton, where it remained until the end of June.
5. After a period of rest north of Lille (end of June to July 23–24) it went into action southeast of Zillebeke, where it underwent the British attack of July 31, and suffered very heavily.
6. Relieved immediately after the attack, the division was sent to the Bullecourt sector (Aug. 10-Sept. 22).
7. Until October 5 it rested in the vicinity of Courtrai. At this date it occupied the Becelaere sector as a counterattacking division, supporting the 4th Guard Division, and suffered heavily from bombardments (Oct. 5–21).
LORRAINE-ALSACE.
8. At the beginning of November it was in line in Lorraine, southwest of Delme, then in Alsace (sector of Aspach south of the Rhone-Rhine Canal in December).
RECRUITING.
The 22d Reserve Division is recruited from the Electorate of Hesse and Thuringia. In case of emergency replacements are occasionally furnished by neighboring corps districts (8th Corps in June, 1916). At the end of October, 1917, unequally trained men were received from the Eastern Front (the 71st Infantry Reserve Regiment receiving men from the depot of the 146th Infantry Regiment, men from the Service of Supplies, convalescents, or men of mediocre physical quality).
VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.
The 22d Reserve Division is a mediocre division (December, 1917). The units of the 11th Corps District have generally fought well during the entire war.
The 22d Reserve District lost very heavily in the battles of Verdun and the Somme and from artillery fire at Ypres.
1918.
BATTLE OF THE LYS.
1. The division left Alsace about April 6 and came into the Lys battle line on April 16 northeast of Bailleul. Its former sector in the Vosges was taken over by an extension of the neighboring divisions. The route of the division lay through Strasbourg, Treves, Cologne, Verviers, Liege, Brussels, Courtrai-Roubaix, a journey of two days. The division participated in heavy fighting about Kemmel until its relief on May 1.
2. When relieved by the 117th Division, it marched to Roubaix, where it rested for two days. From there it marched to Waereghem, where the 82d Reserve Regiment rested for about eight days. About May 11 the 22d Reserve Division entrained at Audenarde and was railed to Rieux, 5 miles east of Cambrai. The division marched via Cambrai to the Montauban- Longueval-Gullemont area, where it went into rest billets. On the night of May 31-June 1 the 1st Battalion, 82d Reserve Regiment, reenforced the 122d Fusilier Regiment (243d Division) near Avelcy.
VERDUN.
3. The division entrained in the Cambrai area on June 8 and traveled via Valenciennes-Mons Charleroi-Dinant-Mezieres-Sedan to Ligny sur Meuse, where it detrained on June 9. The next day it relieved the 53d Reserve Division east of Bethincourt. It held the sector until about July 25.
CHAMPAGNE.
4. Entraining at Brieulles, the division moved by Sedan and Vouziers to St. Morel and Savigny sur Aisne, where it rested until August 5. On the 6th it came into line in the St. Souplet-Somme Py sector, which it held until August 23.
5. The division left Champagne and moved from Semide by Laon-La Fere- Tergnier to the Noyon area. Relieved August 24–27, it detrained at Flavy le Martel and La Fere, and rested a day at Cugny, Petit Detroit, Bois de Genlis, and Bois de Frieres before moving east of Noyon to cover the retreat of elements of the 71st Division and the 105th Division.
NOYON.
6. On August 29 it came into line and held the sector Mont St. Simeon- Baboeuf. The division resisted the French attack until September 3, when it fell back slowly toward the Crozat Canal, offering resistance at Behericourt-Baboeuf (4th), Cuivry-Caillouel-Crepigny-Bethancourt (5th), and Villequier Aumont (6th). It was relieved on the night of September 7–8 by the 11th Division and rested at Ribemont and then farther north in the billets at Fontaine Notre Dame, Regny, and Homblieres.
ST. QUENTIN.
7. From September 10 to 12 the division was relieving the 75th Reserve Division in the sector Castres-Contescourt-Hill 98. The division held in this vicinity until September 28 when the British advance north of St. Quentin compelled it to retreat. Between October 2 and 5 the division held the line Harley-Neuville-St. Amand. On the 8th it was again forced to retreat. The division was relieved on October 15–16. In this fighting the division lost at least one-third of its effectives. The battalion had but three companies, and the effective strength of the infantry companies averaged about 35. The entire division had but about 1,300 infantry combatants.
8. After its relief by the 18th Division on the night of October 15–16, the division remained near the front at Grand Verly, Hannappes, and Lesquielles. It was suddenly alerted on October 17 and obliged to return to support the 18th Division west of Petit Verly. It put up a stiff resistance on October 18, but was thrown back east of the Sambre Canal, losing a large number of prisoners.
In the closing week the division was at Favril (5th), Marvilles (6th).
VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.
The division was rated as second class. It was heavily engaged at Kemmel in April, after which it did not appear in an active front until the autumn. The division resisted the Allied advance on the St. Quentin area in September and October with great tenacity.
22d Landwehr Division.
COMPOSITION.