Part 71
─────────────┬───────────────────┬───────────────────┬─────────────────── │ 1914 │ 1915 │ 1916 ─────────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬───────── │Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment. ─────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼───────── Infantry. │97 Res. │225 Res. │97 Res. │225 Res. │97 Res. │225 Res. │ │226 Res. │ │226 Res. │ │226 Res. │98 Res. │227 Res. │98 Res. │227 Res. │ │228 Res. │ │228 Res. │ │228 Res. │ │ │ 21 Res. Jag. Btn. │ 21 Res. Jag. Btn. │ 21 Res. Jag. Btn. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Cavalry. │49 Res. Cav. Detch.│49 Res. Cav. Detch.│49 Res. Cav. Detch. │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Artillery. │49 Res. F. A. Rgt. │49 Res. F. A. Rgt. │49 Res. F. A. Rgt. │ (9 Btries.) │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Engineers and│49 Res. Pion. Co. │49 Res. Pion. Co. │49 Res. Pion. Co. Liaison. │ │ │ │ │49 Res. Pont. Engs.│249 T. M. Co. │ │ │49 Res. Pont. Engs. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Medical and │ │49 Res. Ambulance │ Veterinary.│ │ Co. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Transports. │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Odd units. │ │ │ ─────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────
─────────────┬───────────────────┬─────────────────── │ 1917 │ 1918 ─────────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬───────── │Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment. ─────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼───────── Infantry. │97 Res. │225 Res. │97 Res. │225 Res. │ │226 Res. │ │226 Res. │ │228 Res. │ │228 Res. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼─────────┴─────────┼─────────┴───────── Cavalry. │49 Res. Cav. Detch.│2 Sqn. (?) Drag. │ (?) │ Rgt. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Artillery. │(?) 49 Art. │49 Art. Command: │ Command: │ │ 49 Res. F. A. Rgt.│ 49 Res. F. A. Rgt. │ │ 1 Abt. 25 Ft. A. │ │ Rgt. (1, 2, and 4 │ │ Btries.). │ │ 788 Light Am. Col. │ │ 972 Light Am. Col. │ │ 1,318 Light Am. │ │ Col. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Engineers and│(349) Pion. Btn.: │349 Pion. Btn.: Liaison. │ │ │ 49 Res. Pion. Co. │ 43 Res. Pion. Co. │ 2 Ldw. Co. 4 │ 49 Res. Pion. Co. │ Pions. │ │ 249 T. M. Co. │ 249 T. M. Co. │ 449 Tel. Detch. │ 188 Searchlight │ │ Section. │ │449 Signal Command: │ │ 449 Tel. Detch. │ │ 110 Wireless │ │ Detch. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Medical and │531 Ambulance Co. │531 Ambulance Co. Veterinary.│ │ │85 Res. Field │83 Res. Field │ Hospital. │ Hospital. │155 Vet. Hospital. │85 Res. Field │ │ Hospital. │ │155 Vet. Hospital. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Transports. │M. T. Col. │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Odd units. │49 Res. Cyclist Co.│ ─────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────
HISTORY.
(4th Corps District—Prussian Saxony and part of Thuringia.)
1914.
EAST PRUSSIA.
1. The 49th Reserve Division, forming the 25th Reserve Corps with the 50th Reserve Division, was formed between August and October, 1914, trained at the Warthe Camp, and sent to East Prussia on October 14, 1914, as a part of the 8th Army (Von Hindenburg).
POLAND.
2. It took part in the offensive in Poland between the Vistula and the Warta at the end of October, escaped from the enveloping movement attempted by the Russians before Lodz (Nov. 25), and fought on the front of the Bzura, Rawka, Bolimow, where it was repulsed in December.
1915.
POLAND.
1. At the beginning of January, 1915, the 49th Reserve Division was again engaged on the Bzura and remained in this area until the summer of the same year. In June it transferred the 227th Reserve Infantry Regiment to the 107th Division, a new formation.
2. Advancing in August with the Hindenburg offensive, it entered Warsaw on August 7, took part in the pursuit of the Russians in the sector of Skierniewicz, and stopped near Baranovitchi (Tsirin).
1916.
1. The 49th Reserve Division was still occupying the sector north of Baranovitchi when the Russian offensive broke out in this region in July, 1916. At this time elements of the division were sent to reenforce the 35th Austrian Division between Baranovitchi and the north of Pripet. This latter division was relieved a short time afterwards by the 49th Reserve Division.
GALICIA.
2. Sent into Galicia, the division held the lines southwest of Brody at the beginning of October. At this time the 225th Reserve Infantry Regiment was sent to Roumania.
CARPATHIANS.
3. Made up only of the 226th and 228th Reserve Infantry Regiments, the 49th Reserve Division opposed the Russians on the Narajowka, then, at the beginning of December and until January, 1917, fought in the Carpathians in the vicinity of Worochta.
1917.
ROUMANIA.
1. In January, 1917, the 49th Reserve Division rejoined the 225th Reserve Infantry Regiment (Roumania) in the valley of Uz.
2. In the middle of January it was transferred to the Western Front. (Itinerary: Szekely-Udvarhely-Goborin-Budapest-Oderberg-Oppeln-Breslau- Goerlitz-Dresden-Leipzig-Halle-Liege-Mons-St. Ghislain, detraining on Jan. 22.)
FRANCE.
3. After a rest of two months in the vicinity of Mons, then in the vicinity of Lille, the 49th Reserve Division went into line east of Armentières, south of Frelinghien on March 20.
ARTOIS.
4. Relieved at the end of April, it was engaged almost at once in the sector of Fontaine les Croisilles, Bullecourt (southeast of Arras), where it suffered very heavily from May 1 to May 21. On June 16, after reorganization, the ranks of the 228th Reserve Infantry Regiment contained more than two-fifths new recruits; more than one-fifth of the men belonged to the 1918 class.
FLANDERS.
5. Sent to rest and to be reorganized during the month of June in the vicinity of Tournai-Audenarde, it went into line at the end of June in the sector of Steenstraat-Bixschoote (north of Ypres), and suffered heavy losses during the artillery preparation which preceded the Franco- British attack of July 21. On July 28 it was withdrawn from the front before the attack.
ARTOIS.
6. The 49th Reserve Division rested and was reorganized in the month of August between Lille and Tournai, and in September took over its old Artois sector (Croisilles-Bullecourt), from which place it was relieved at the end of October.
7. After occupying the sector south of the Ypres-Menin road until November 21, it went into action about November 26 in the same sector of Croisilles-Bullecourt (Cambrai attack).
8. At the end of December, the 49th Reserve Division was resting in the Tourcoing area.
RECRUITING.
Formed at the beginning by contingents from the 5th and 6th Corps Districts (Posen and Silesia) the Division, beginning with the summer of 1915, received most of its reenforcements from the 4th Corps District. At the present time it is entirely Saxo-Thuringian.
VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.
The 49th Reserve Division is considered a good division.
It fought well in Artois in May 1917. North of Ypres it suffered heavily by the Franco-British bombardment at the end of July, 1917. It is to be noted that under artillery fire units in the first line scattered and fled. The remnants of the advanced elements deserted (30 men).
On July 25, 1917, the 226th Reserve Infantry Regiment received replacements of 500 to 700 men, principally of the 1918 class.
1918.
MESSINES.
1. About April 6 the division temporarily withdrew to reserve. It returned on the 11th and carried out a divisional attack on Messines. It was engaged until about April 25.
YPRES.
2. Two days later the division relieved the 13th Reserve Division south of Ypres, which in turn relieved it about May 2. It remained in rear of the front while resting and was engaged east of Bixschoote on May 10. Here the division remained until June 14, when the 29th Division relieved it. The division rested in the Bruges area until July 10, when it returned to its former sector northeast of Ypres. It held this sector until about August 27, when the 11th Bavarian Division relieved it.
3. The division entrained at Hooglede August 27 and traveled to Courtrai, where it halted one day. On August 28 it moved to Iwuy, from where it marched to Lallaing (near Douai) two days later. On September 1 the division came into line near Fremicourt. It was engaged until about September 16.
SCARPE-SOMME.
4. The division rested in the Cambrai area until September 27, where it was identified in line west of Gaincourt. It again retired from the front about October 1 and rested in the Eswars area. On the Scarpe-Somme front in September the division lost 1,100 prisoners.
5. On the night of October 11–12 the division was again in line at Courcelles les Lens. After holding this rather quiet sector for a week the division moved north and on October 29 appeared on the Ypres front at Anseghem in relief of the 7th Cavalry Division. It continued in line until the armistice. The last identification was west of Audenarde on November 2.
VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.
The division was rated as second class. It was used as a holding division in important sectors on the British front during 1918.
50th Division.
COMPOSITION.
─────────────┬─────────────────────────────┬───────────────────────────── │ 1915 │ 1916 ─────────────┼──────────────┬──────────────┼──────────────┬────────────── │ Brigade. │ Regiment. │ Brigade. │ Regiment. ─────────────┼──────────────┼──────────────┼──────────────┼────────────── Infantry. │100. │39 Fus. │100. │39 Fus. │ │53. │ │53. │ │158. │ │158. ─────────────┼──────────────┴──────────────┼──────────────┴────────────── Cavalry. │2 Sqn. mounted Jag. Rgt. │1 Sqn. 16 Uhlan Rgt. │3 Sqn. mounted Jag. Rgt. │ ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Artillery. │50 Brig.: │50 Brig.: │ 99 F. A. Rgt. (6 Batteries).│ 99 F. A. Rgt. │ 100 F. A. Rgt. (6 Batteries,│ 100 F. A. Rgt. │ 3 are Hows.). │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Engineers and│99 Pion. Co. │99 Pion. Co. Liaisons. │ │ │100 Pion. Co. │100 Pion. Co. │ │4 Co. 23 Pions. │ │1 T. M. Co. │ │50 T. M. Co. │ │50 Pont. Engs. │ │50 Tel. Detch. ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Medical and │ │ Veterinary.│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Transports. │ │ ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Odd units. │ │50 Cyclist Co. ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Attached. │1 Ldw. 7 C. Dist. Pion Co. │80 Antiaircraft Section. │ │2 Res. Co. 2 Pion. Btn. No. │ │ 27. ─────────────┴─────────────────────────────┴─────────────────────────────
─────────────┬─────────────────────────────┬───────────────────────────── │ 1917 │ 1918 ─────────────┼──────────────┬──────────────┼──────────────┬────────────── │ Brigade. │ Regiment. │ Brigade. │ Regiment. ─────────────┼──────────────┼──────────────┼──────────────┼────────────── Infantry. │100. │39 Fus. │100. │39 Fus. │ │53. │ │53. │ │158. │ │158. ─────────────┼──────────────┴──────────────┼──────────────┴────────────── Cavalry. │1 Sqn. 16 Uhlan Rgt. │1 Sqn. 16 Uhlan Rgt. │ │ ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Artillery. │50 Art. Command: │50 Art. Command: │ 99 F. A. Rgt. (9 Batteries).│ 99 F. A. Rgt. │ │ 95 Ft. A. Btn. │ │ │ │ 1178 Light Am. Col. │ │ 1179 Light Am. Col. │ │ 1204 Light Am. Col. ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Engineers and│50 Pion Btn.: │50 Pion Btn.: Liaisons. │ │ │ 99 Pion. Co. │ 99 Pion. Co. │ 100 Pion. Co. │ 100 Pion. Co. │ 50 T. M. Co. │ 50 T. M. Co. │ 99 Searchlight Section. │50 Signal Command: │ 50 Tel. Detch. │ 50 Tel. Detch. │ │ 13 Wireless Detch. ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Medical and │50 Ambulance Co. │50 Ambulance Co. Veterinary.│ │ │337 Field Hospital. │337 Field Hospital. │338 Field Hospital. │338 Field Hospital. │340 Field Hospital. │132 Vet. Hospital. │Vet. Hospital. │ ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Transports. │M. T. Col. │ ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Odd units. │ │ ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Attached. │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┴─────────────────────────────┴─────────────────────────────
HISTORY.
(7th Corps District—Westphalia.)
1915.
The 50th Division (one of the new divisions in the 50 to 58 series) was formed in March, 1915, by taking three regiments from the three divisions of the 7th Corps and 7th Reserve Corps (the 13th Division giving the 158th Infantry, the 14th Division the 53d, and the 14th Reserve Division the 39th Fusileer Division), all Westphalian Regiments.
1. At the end of March, 1915, the 158th and 53d Infantry Regiments were identified at Hirson (Aisne), while the 39th Fusileer Regiment was still between Perthes and Tahure. In April the division was concentrated and was identified in Champagne, May 14 (area south of Somme-Py).
CHAMPAGNE.
2. From June to October it occupied the sector of Tahure (north of Perthes and Mesnil les Hurlus). It there underwent the French offensive of the end of September, which caused it very heavy losses—infantry, 130 officers and 7,849 men casualties; the 100th Company of Pioneers lost 5 officers and 135 men.
3. Sent to rest and reorganized in the vicinity of Vouziers and of Juniville (end of October to the end of November), it reappeared on November 7 north of Prosnes (east of Reims).
1916.
CHAMPAGNE.
1. In April, 1916, the division left the sector of Prosnes-Prunay, for the front northeast of Verdun (Ornes).
VERDUN-VAUX.
2. Going into action, at the beginning of May, north of Vaux, it took part in the attacks launched upon the line Caillette wood-Damloup (June 1 to June 3), which ended in the capture of the fort of Vaux by the 158th Infantry Regiment on June 4.
3. Very much exhausted by these battles, the division was sent to rest and reorganized in the vicinity of Étain in June and July.
4. In July elements of the division occupied the calm sectors of the Woëvre.
5. At the end of July the 50th Division went back into line at Verdun, south of the fort of Vaux. It launched an attack on August 1 (La Laufée), underwent the French offensives of August 8 and October 24, suffering heavy losses, and held this sector until November.
ARGONNE.
6. Sent to the Argonne, it took over the sector of Vauquois.
1917.
1. Withdrawn from the Argonne on February 15, 1917, the division remained at rest in the area of Saulces-Champenoise until the end of March, then in the camp at Sissonne, then at Thenailles, near Vervins (beginning of April).
AISNE.
2. Concentrated on April 8, it went into action on the 15th at Juvincourt and there underwent the French attack of April 15. After heavy losses it was relieved between April 29-April 27 and went for reorganization to Nizy le Comte, near the Sissonne Camp.
CHEMIN DES DAMES.
3. About May 10, the division went back into line east of Allment on the Chemin des Dames.
4. It was sent to rest in July in the vicinity of Mons en Laonnois, Coucy les Eppes, Parfondru.
5. At the beginning of August, it came back to the Chemin des Dames (vicinity of Ailles), where, on October 15, the 9th Company of the 158th Infantry Regiment was reduced to 50 men, including officers (letter). Following the French offensive upon La Malmaison, the 50th Division retired on November 1, to the north of the Ailette toward Neuville (outside of Chamouille) and was still occupying this sector in December.
RECRUITING.
Upon its formation the division was composed of Westphalian troops. The recruiting is still almost exclusively Westphalian.
VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.
Since the battle of Vaux in June, 1916, the division likes to consider itself a shock division.
Its prolonged stay on the Ailette front (August to December) seems to mean that it had to be put at rest for a fairly long time before being engaged in an active sector.
It must be regarded as a good division, capable of putting up a vigorous defense (December).
1918.
1. The 50th Division was withdrawn from line near Ailles (west of Craonne) on January 9, the neighboring divisions extending their fronts, and moved by easy stages to the Chimay area, where it arrived on the 14th. It remained here for a month during which time it was thoroughly trained in open warfare and brought up to strength. It then moved to the La Capelle-Fontenelle area for rest and further training.
ST. QUENTIN.
2. The middle of March the division moved up to the front, and on the 21st attacked in the front line southwest of St. Quentin; it captured Holnon during the day, Etreillers on the 22d, Hangest en Santerre on the 29th, and reached Moreuil on the 30th. It was withdrawn about April 1, after having suffered severely heavy losses, and went to rest, refit, and train in the Lassigny region.
AISNE.
3. On May 27, the division attacked near Craonne, reached Pontavert toward noon and crossed the Aisne. The following day it crossed the Vesle west of Breuil sur Vesle and continued to the south, where a French counterattack was repelled. On the 30th it reached Goussancourt, and then the Marne east of Dormans. After having suffered severe losses, it was relieved by the 28th Reserve Division during the night of June 12–13, and went to rest in the Laon region.
RHEIMS.
4. On the 19th of July the division was thrown into line just southwest of Rheims to meet the Allies’ tightening at the bases of the Chateau- Thierry salient. It was withdrawn early in August.
5. About the 30th of September it came back into line northwest of Rheims, near Prouilly and Cormicy. It remained here, and was driven back—fighting stubbornly—passing near Brimont, Guignicourt, and Banogne, where it was withdrawn on the 7th of November.
MEUSE.
6. After a day’s rest, the division was put back into line on the 8th near Mezieres; it had not been withdrawn when the armistice was signed.
VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.
The 50th is rated as a first-class division. It distinguished itself in the fighting during 1918. After the Somme offensive, it was praised by Prof. Wegener in the Koelnische Zeitung. Immediately after the battle of the Aisne Maj. Fritsch, in command of the 158th Regiment, was awarded Pour le Mérite. After the Allied counteroffensive, Lieut. Gen. V. Engelhuhten, the division commander, was decorated and made governor of Riga, and the commander of the 53d Regiment was also decorated. The 58th Regiment was mentioned as having particularly distinguished itself in the fighting near Banogne in the German communique of October 30. Losses suffered throughout the year were enormous, but the High Command did all in its power to make these good. There are no desertions of record since July 1, 1917. The morale was very good, everything being taken into consideration.