Part 52

2. On March 20 it began to withstand our advance on the line. Savy- Dallon-Giffecourt, and when the front was stabilized on April 4 it occupied the sector in front of St. Quentin and did not leave until the end of May, after having pillaged the town.

3. It spent the month of June at rest (area of Neuvillette-Bernot).

4. On July 2 it went into line (Itancourt sector), and on July 18 launched an attack upon the salient Moulin de Tous Vents (south of St. Quentin).

FLANDERS.

5. Relieved about the middle of September, it was sent to the active sector of Flanders (north of Zandvoorde).

6. At the beginning of October it was sent to rest in the Ghent area.

7. It reappeared on the front, near Passchendaele, in the middle of November, and remained there except for a few short intervals until its relief on February 10, 1918.

RECRUITING.

The 25th Division is recruited from the Grand Duchy of Hesse. Men are furnished principally from the rest of the 18th Corps District and the Rhine District (7th and 8th Corps Districts).

VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.

The 18th Army Corps has been considered one of the best corps in the German Army.

In September, 1917, the morale of the 25th Division appeared good. At this time, as the division had not taken part in any important actions since September, 1916, it was difficult to form a judgment as to the combat value of this organization.

Its local operation on the salient of Moulin de Tous Vents (July 18, 1917) was carried out energetically.

1918.

1. The reports concerning the location of the 25th Division during January and early February are conflicting, mention being made in some of two reliefs; it seems most likely, however, that the division was not relieved until February 10, when the 15th Division took over its sector east of Passchendaele.

MONS.

2. On the 15th it entrained at Iseghem and traveled via Courtrai-Ath- Mons to Givry; from here it marched to Bavai (southwest of Mons), where it underwent a course of intensive training in open warfare; cooperation with tanks was featured.

ST. QUENTIN.

3. The division marched from Pommereuil on the 16th, via Le Cateau and Busigny, to Becquigny, and from there, on the 19th, to Wiancourt, reenforcing the battle front near Le Verguier (northwest of St. Quentin) on the 21st. It was relieved about the 30th, after having suffered heavy losses.

AMIENS.

4. On April 1 it went back into line southeast of Hangard en Santerre (southeast of Amiens); it was withdrawn about the 12th and moved by easy stages to the Lille area, where, on account of its good fighting on the St. Quentin and Amiens fronts, it was inspected by the Kaiser on April 20. The commander of the 115th Regiment received Pour le Mérite at the same time.

BETHUNE.

5. During the night of the 26–27th of April it relieved the 240th Division near Hinges (north of Bethune); relieved by the 36th Reserve Division on the 10th of May, it went to rest in the area north of Douai.

LYS.

6. On July 4 the division moved up into close reserve in the Laventie- Estaires area, and during the night of the 6–7th it relieved the 16th Division near Merville, north of the Lys. On the 20th it was withdrawn, the 16th Division coming back into line, and went to the Lille area.

SOMME.

7. After about a month’s rest it reenforced the front near Montauban (southeast of Albert). The front was being forced back here, and so the division passed successively through Hardecourt, Combles, and the St. Pierre-Vaast wood, where it was withdrawn September 5, after losing about 900 prisoners, and went to rest in the Bohain-Malincourt area.

CAMBRAI.

8. The division reenforced the front near Briastre (east of Cambrai) on October 11, and was withdrawn about the 28th.

VALENCIENNES.

9. On November 1 it came back into line north of Valenciennes, and had not been withdrawn on the 11th.

VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.

The 25th is rated as a first-class division. It did very well in the large amount of heavy fighting in which it participated during 1918, and as a result suffered exceedingly heavy losses, especially in officers. It received numerous large drafts, and so the division’s strength was rather larger than the average.

25th Reserve Division.

COMPOSITION.

─────────────┬───────────────────┬───────────────────┬─────────────────── │ 1914 │ 1915 │ 1916 ─────────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬───────── │Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment. ─────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼───────── Infantry. │ │116 Res. │49 Res. │116 Res. │50 Res. │83 Res. │ │118 Res. │ │118 Res. │ │118 Res. │ │83 Res. │50 Res. │83 Res. │ │168. │ │168. │ │168. │ │ ─────────────┼─────────┴─────────┼─────────┴─────────┼─────────┴───────── Cavalry. │4 Res. Dragoon Rgt.│4 Res. Dragoon Rgt.│4 Res. Dragoon Rgt. │ (3 Sqns.). │ │ (2 Sqns.). │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Artillery. │25 Res. F. A. Rgt. │25 Res. F. A. Rgt. │25 Res. F. A. Rgt. │ (6 Btries.). │ │ (9 Btries., Nos. │ │ │ 4–12). │ │13 F. A. Rgt. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Engineers and│1 and 2 Res. Cos., │1 and 2 Res. Cos., │1 and 2 Res. Cos., Liaisons. │ 2 Pion. Btn. No. │ 2 Pion. Btn. No. │ 2 Pion. Btn. No. │ 11. │ 11. │ 11. │ │25 Res. Pont. Engs.│1 Co. 29 Pions. │ │ │ │ │25 Res. Tel. Detch.│2 Co. 29 Pions. │ │ │ │ │ │225 T. M. Co. │ │ │25 Res. Tel. Detch. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │25 Res. Pont. Engs. │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Medical and │ │ │ Veterinary.│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Transports. │ │ │ ─────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────

─────────────┬───────────────────┬─────────────────── │ 1917 │ 1918[17] ─────────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬───────── │Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment. ─────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼───────── Infantry. │50 Res. │83 Res. │50 Res. │168. │ │118 Res. │ │83 Res. │ │168. │ │118 Res. │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼─────────┴─────────┼─────────┴───────── Cavalry. │2 Sqn. 4 Res. │2 Sqn. 4 Res. Drag. │ Dragoon Rgt. │ Rgt. │ │4 Sqn. 4 Res. Drag. │ │ Rgt. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Artillery. │127 Art. Command: │127 Art. Command: │ │ │ │ │ 25 Res. F. A. Rgt.│ 25 Res. F. A. Rgt. │ (9 Btries.). │ (6 4-gun 6 4-how. │ │ Btries.). ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Engineers and│(325) Pion. Btn.: │2 Pion. Btn. No. Liaisons. │ │ 11: │ │ │ 1 Res. Co. 11 │ 1 Res. Co. 11 │ Pions. │ Pions. │ 2 Res. Co. 11 │ 2 Res. Co. 11 │ Pions. │ Pions. │ 225 T. M. Co. │ 286 Pion. Co. │ 20 Ldw. Field │ 225 T. M. Co. │ Searchlight │ │ Section. │ │ 425 Tel. Detch. │ 425 Tel. Detch. │ │ 151 Wireless │ │ Detch. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Medical and │518 Ambulance Co. │518 Ambulance Co. Veterinary.│ │ │67 Field Hospital. │67 Res. Field │ │ Hospital. │68 Field Hospital. │68 Res. Field │ │ Hospital. │Vet. Hospital. │Vet. Hospital. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Transports. │518 M. T. Col. │M. T. Col. ─────────────┴───────────────────┴─────────────────── Footnote 17:

Composition at time of dissolution, October, 1918.

HISTORY.

(168th and 118th Reserve Regiments: 18th Corps District—Grand Duchy of Hesse. 83d Reserve Regiment: 11th Corps District—Electorate of Hesse.)

1914.

1. At the outbreak of the war the 25th Reserve Division, forming with the 21st Reserve Division the 18th Reserve Corps, belonged to the 4th Army (Duke of Wurttemberg).

BELGIUM-ARGONNE.

2. It detrained August 9–11 at Hermeskeil (southeast of Treves); entered Luxemburg the 16th (by way of Remich); crossed Luxemburg on the 19th; entered Belgium on the 20th. On the 22d it fought at Neufchateau; on the 22d, at Tremblois; crossed the Meuse on the 28th. To the west of the Argonne the 25th Reserve Division advanced to the area of Revigny. At the battle of the Marne it fought on the Saulx, in the neighborhood of Brabant le Roy (Sept. 7–10). It retired by way of Ste. Menehould, Moinemout, to the south of Cernay en Dormois (Sept. 14).

FLANDERS.

3. In October the 25th Reserve Division was sent to Flanders, south of the Lys. Toward the end of November it occupied a sector north of Wytschaete.

RUSSIA.

4. In December the division was transferred to the Eastern Front. It took part, with the Fabeck Corps, in the operations on the Bzura (December, 1914, to February, 1915).

1915.

GALICIA.

1. At the end of February, 1915, it was engaged in the Carpathians north of the Dniester (Von der Marwitz Detachment); in June at Przemysl, then at Lemberg.

BREST-LITOWSK.

2. In July, the 25th Reserve Division took part in the offensive on Brest-Litowsk. Its successes occasioned it heavy losses; the 5th Company of the 168th Infantry Regiment received not less than 199 men as replacements from June 19 to August 17.

SERBIA.

3. The division took part in the Serbian campaign (October-November).

FRANCE.

4. It was transferred to the Western Front at the beginning of December, 1917. It entrained at Weisskirchen (Hungary). Itinerary: Temesvar- Budapest-Vienna-Ulm-Stuttgart-Spire-Deux Ponts-Saarbrucken-Sedan (detrained on Dec. 11).

ARGONNE.

5. On December 18, the 25th Reserve Division went into line on the Argonne (La Harazee).

1916.

1. The division remained in the Argonne until the end of July, 1916.

VERDUN.

2. At the beginning of July it was transferred to the Verdun area. It was engaged in the sector of Thiaumont (July-August); in the Nawe wood (August) and suffered heavy losses. It was again very much exhausted resisting the French attack of October 24.

CHAMPAGNE.

3. Relieved after this attack, the 25th Reserve Division was sent to rest in vicinity of Jametz and was reorganized. On November 16 it went into line east of Auberive. In the course of November it received important replacements, including a large proportion of the 1917 class. Its reconstitution was not completed until February; 1917.

1917.

1. The division was retained on the Champagne front (Auberive) until the end of January, 1917.

MEUSE.

2. On February 27 it went into line on the right bank of the Meuse (sector of Louvemont-Chambrettes-Caurieres wood) and remained there, without any important losses, until June 20.

3. After resting until July 6 in the vicinity of Juvigny, Jametz, Marville, the 25th Reserve Division again occupied the front near Verdun (north of Vacherauville). North of Louvemont it withstood the French attack of August 20, which caused it to suffer very heavy losses (47 officers and 1,150 men prisoners, of whom 1,012 belonged to 168th Infantry Regiment).

VOSGES.

4. The 25th Reserve Division, already weakened by an epidemic of dysentery, was almost completely exhausted, when it was relieved on August 25 on the Verdun front. Sent to rest in the vicinity of Sarreburg, it took over a sector of the Vosges (Blamont), about September 4.

CHAMPAGNE.

5. Relieved on September 25 and entraining on the 27th at Rechicourt, the division was transferred to Champagne, where it occupied the sector Nogent-l’Abbesse (Nov. 11 to beginning of February, 1918).

RECRUITING.

The 25th Reserve Division is recruited from the Grand Duchy of Hesse, the Electorate of Hesse, and Hesse-Nassau. At times replacements were furnished from the Rhine districts, including the Grand Duchy of Baden (especially in 1916).

VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.

The 25th Reserve Division put up a splendid defense against the French at the time of the attack on August 20, 1917.

It was an excellent organization at the outbreak of the campaign, but it seems (in spite of recent assertions of prisoners that it is still unfit to attack and was put in the fourth class, Arbeits Division) that the 25th Reserve Division, although it is exhausted by too long stays in line, is capable of rendering services even on an active front. Therefore it must be considered as a good division of the second class until more detailed information is received (Mar. 30, 1918).

1918.

1. The 25th Reserve Division was relieved by the 21st Division in the Nogent-l’Abbesse sector on February 6, and went to the Vouziers area, where it was put through a course of training, but not in open warfare.

AISNE.

2. On the 20th it relieved the 10th Reserve Division near Juvincourt (northwest of Rheims); it was withdrawn on April 11.

MONTDIDIER.

3. The division moved north by easy stages, and relieved the 6th Bavarian Reserve Division, west of Montdidier, on the 21st. Here it lost near Cantigny (north) heavily while trying to prevent Cantigny from falling to the Americans. It also lost even more heavily during the offensive of August 9, and was pushed back to Dancourt (southwest of Roye). It was withdrawn about the 18th.

ST. QUENTIN.

4. On September 1 it reenforced the front near Voyennes (west of St. Quentin). In the fighting that followed the division was forced back to the Holnon wood (west of St. Quentin); it was withdrawn here about the 20th.

5. On the 30th, it again reenforced the front in the Lehaucourt sector (north of St. Quentin). It was withdrawn on October 11, and dissolved. 168th Regiment was transferred to the 21st Reserve Division. 83d Reserve Regiment was disbanded and drafted to the 22d Division. 87th Reserve Regiment was disbanded and drafted to the 48th Reserve Division.

VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.

Until 1918 the 25th Reserve had been considered a second-class division. It is to be noted, however, that although it was trained in February, the training it received was not in open warfare—not to fit it to become an attack division. Prisoners captured soon after stated that the Germans considered it as little better than “a labor division.” It was not used in any of the offensives made by the Germans, and was not very tenacious on the defense in any sector that was at all active. Moreover, two of the divisions that received replacements from the division when it was disbanded were second class and the other was rated as a fourth- class division. It was probably a third-class division.

25th Landwehr Division.

COMPOSITION.

─────────────┬───────────────────┬───────────────────┬─────────────────── │ 1916 │ 1917 │ 1918 ─────────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬───────── │Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment. ─────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼───────── Infantry. │25 Mixed │13 Ldw. │32 Res. │13 Ldw. │32 Res. │13 Ldw. │ Ldw. │ │ │ │ │ │ │16 Ldw. │ │16 Ldw. │ │16 Ldw. │ │ │ │328 Ldw. │ │328 Ldw. ─────────────┼─────────┴─────────┼─────────┴─────────┼─────────┴───────── Cavalry. │2 Sqn. 6 Res. Drag.│2 Sqn. 6 Res. Drag.│2 Sqn. 6 Res. Drag. │ Rgt. │ Rgt. │ Rgt. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Artillery. │254 F. A. Rgt. │244 Art. Command: │244 Art. Command: │ │ 254 F. A. Rgt. │ 254 Ldw. F. A. │ │ │ Rgt. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Engineers and│407 T. M. Co. │425 Pion. Btn.: │425 Pion. Btn.: Liaisons. │ │ │ │525 Tel. Detch. │ 1 Res. Co. 21 │ 4 Co. 27 Pions. │ │ Pions. │ │ │ 4 Co. 27 Pions. │ 3 Landst. Co. 6 C. │ │ │ Dist. Pions. │ │ 407 T. M. Co. │ 12 Searchlight │ │ │ Section. │ │525 Tel. Detch. │525 Signal Command: │ │ │ 525 Tel. Detch. │ │ │ 81 Wireless Detch. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Medical and │ │554 Ambulance Co. │554 Ambulance Co. Veterinary.│ │ │ │ │414 Field Hospital.│414 Field Hospital. │ │6 Ldw. Field │6 Ldw. Field │ │ Hospital. │ Hospital. │ │525 Vet. Hospital. │525 Vet. Hospital. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Transports. │M. T. Col. │M. T. Col. │790 M. T. Col. ─────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────

HISTORY.

(7th Corps District—Westphalia.)

1916.

AISNE.

1. The 25th Landwehr Division was organized in part from the former 25th Mixed Landwehr Brigade, independent (13th and 16th Landwehr Regiments), which entered Belgium on August 20, 1914, and went immediately after the battle of the Marne to the Laon area, where it occupied the Craonne-La Ville aux Bois sector from the end of September, 1914, until almost the end of 1916.

2. In October, 1916, the 25th Landwehr Brigade was transformed into the 25th Landwehr Division by the addition of a third regiment, the Schuster Regiment, which had existed for only a short time.

3. The division was then sent to the west and sent into line between Vailly and Chavonne (October).

1917.

CHEMIN DES DAMES.

1. At the beginning of February, 1917, the 186th Infantry Regiment was added as a third regiment to the 25th Landwehr Division. The division was still occupying the sector east of Vailly when the French offensive was launched on April 16. The division suffered heavy losses, retiring to the Chemin des Dames by way of Ostel, Aizy, Jouy (Apr. 16–22).

UPPER ALSACE.

2. Relieved north of the Aisne about April 25, the 25th Landwehr Division was transferred to Upper Alsace. At the beginning of May it went into line near the Swiss frontier (Hirtzbach, Largitzen, Bisel). It did not leave this sector since that time.

3. In May the 186th Infantry Regiment was replaced by a new regiment, the 328th Landwehr Regiment, formed by taking one battalion of each of the three regiments of the 13th Landwehr Division.

RECRUITING.

The division has a marked sectional quality; the infantry and field artillery come entirely from Westphalia.

VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.

This is purely a sector division. The 25th Landwehr Division has been in line near the Swiss frontier for more than a year.

Since its arrival in Upper Alsace (May, 1917) the division has possessed an assault detachment supposed to carry out raids (June, 1918).

1918.

ALSACE.

1. The division remained in the Hirzbach-Swiss frontier sector all through the year until the signing of the armistice.

VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.

The 25th Landwehr Division is rated as a fourth-class division, as being fit to hold only a quiet sector. On the 11th of November, soon after the hour fixed for the suspension of hostilities, a number of men came over to the French lines to fraternize; they were taken prisoners. It seems that there had been a great deal of revolutionary agitation in the division. On October 8 a doctor had had his epaulettes cut to pieces; on the 9th the Soldiers’ Council had come together and had elected representatives; on the 10th the company commander (of at least one company) had read the program for the organization of the Soldiers’ Council. Prisoners state that the causes of this state of mind were the recent defeats suffered by the German forces, the weariness caused by four years of war, and the Kiel disturbances. From the 10th of November on none of the advanced posts had been occupied, and the men refused to do any work, the war having come to an end, to their mind.

26th Division.

COMPOSITION.