Part 82
1. From July, 1915, on the Woernitz Division, now the 86th Division, took part in the German offensive and helped to break up the Russian front near Prasnysz (July 13–17). Following up its advance, it fought on the Narew after the taking of Pultusk. It took part in the battles of Ostrowo (Aug. 8–10), of Bielsk (Aug. 19–25) and on the Niemen (September).
2. When the Russian front became stationary it found itself on the Little Berezina and took a position to the east of Deliatitchi.
1916.
RUSSIA.
1. The 86th Division remained in the sector near the Little Berezina until March.
2. From the 18th of March to the 30th of April it took part in the battle of Narotch, and until the month of July, occupied the Krevo- Smorgoni sector. It then went on the Chtchara (July 9–26), opposed the Russian offensive near Kovel from July 28 to November 4 and finally established itself on the upper Styr and on the Stokhod, reduced in strength by the transfer of the 342d Regiment to the 93d Division, then just formed.
1917.
VOLHYNIA.
1. After having occupied the Stokhod front in front of Kovel until April, 1917, the 86th Division put into line on April 22, to the south of Kisselin. It remained there until January, 1918.
RECRUITING.
Division sufficiently homogeneous (Prussian Provinces) with relatively no other numerous elements from other Provinces. Having left the Russian front at a late date, the division could not leave the soldiers coming from Alsace and Lorraine behind.
VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.
The 86th Division seemed to be a good division, composed of young and vigorous men (March, 1918).
On the Eastern Front it was rated as a first-class division.
1918.
VOLHYNIA.
1. The 86th Division left its sector in the Kiselin area toward the end of January. It entrained at Rogozwo on the 29th and traveled via Brest- Litowsk-Kalisch-Cottbus-Eisenach-Frankfort-Sarrebruecken-Metz-Sedan- Rethel, and detrained at Le Chatelet on the 4th of February.
RHEIMS.
2. It then marched via Neuflize-Isles-Boult-Fresnes, and entered line near Betheny (northeast of Rheims) on the 27th, when it relieved the 242d Division. It was withdrawn about the 21st of May, and went to rest near Asfeld.
3. On the evening of the 26th it left and marched toward the front; the 27th it was in reserve; on the 28th it attacked near Trigny (west of Rheims) and succeeded in advancing about 5 kilometers. On the 6th of June the 86th and 232d Divisions, supported by the 33d Reserve Division, captured the town of Bligny (southwest of Rheims), but lost it the same afternoon when the French counterattacked. The 86th Division had quite heavy losses. It was relieved on July 21 by the 50th Division and went to rest in the region northwest of Rheims.
4. On the 10th of August the division reenforced the front near Muizon (west of Rheims). It was relieved by the 10th Reserve Division on the 28th.
LAON.
5. During the night of September 18–19 it relieved the 50th Reserve Division near the Colombe farm (south of Laon). It was relieved about the 23d of October.
6. The division came back into line on November 5 in the vicinity of Marle; on the 7th it was identified northeast of Vervins; and on the 9th at Hirson.
VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.
The 86th was rated as a fourth-class division. It did not participate in any of the great offensives during 1918, but it did attack vigorously on two occasions and on the whole acquitted itself better than other divisions similarly rated.
87th Division.
COMPOSITION.
─────────────┬─────────────────────────────┬───────────────────────────── │ 1915 │ 1916 ─────────────┼──────────────┬──────────────┼──────────────┬────────────── │ Brigade. │ Regiment. │ Brigade. │ Regiment. ─────────────┼──────────────┼──────────────┼──────────────┼────────────── Infantry. │Griepenkeri. │Leimbach │173. │345. │ │ (345). │ │ │ │Runge (346). │ │346. │Normann. │Schwarz (347).│179. │347. │ │8 Landst. │ │8 Landst. ─────────────┼──────────────┴──────────────┼──────────────┴────────────── Cavalry. │87 Cav. Rgt. │87 Cav. Rgt. ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Artillery. │87 F. A. Abt. │87 F. A. Rgt. │ │841 F. A. Btry. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Engineers and│ │4 Co. 26 Pions. Liaisons. │ │ │ │2 Ldw. Pion. Co. (Gd. C. │ │ Dist.). │ │87 T. M. Co. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Medical and │ │ Veterinary.│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Transport. │ │ ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Odd units. │ │156 Cyclist Co. ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Attached. │ │10 Labor Btn. │ │75 Labor Btn. ─────────────┴─────────────────────────────┴─────────────────────────────
─────────────┬─────────────────────────────┬───────────────────────────── │ 1917 │ 1918 ─────────────┼──────────────┬──────────────┼──────────────┬────────────── │ Brigade. │ Regiment. │ Brigade. │ Regiment. ─────────────┼──────────────┼──────────────┼──────────────┼────────────── Infantry. │173. │345. │179. │345. │ │ │ │ │ │347. │ │347. │ │8 Landst. │ │3d Res. Ers. │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼──────────────┴──────────────┼──────────────┴────────────── Cavalry. │1 Sqn. 3 Horse. Gren. Rgt. │1 Sqn. 3 Jag. z. Pf. ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Artillery. │Art. Command. │3 Artillery Command: │ 87 F. A. Regt. │ 38 Field Art. Rgt. │ │ 34 Ft. Art. Btn. │ │ 878 Light Mun. Col. │ │ 975 Light Mun. Col. │ │ 949 Light Mun. Col. ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Engineers and│Pion. Btn.: │87 Pion. Btn. Liaisons. │ │ │ 4 Co. 26 Pions. │ 242 Pion. Co. │ │ │ 3 Ldw. Co. 6 Pions. │ 2 Ers. Pion. Btn. No. 26. │ 87 T. M. Co. │ 113 Searchlight Section. │ 264 Searchlight Section. │87 Div. Signal Command. │ 87 Tel. Detch. │ 87 Tel. Detch. │ │ 163 Div. Wireless. Detch. ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Medical and │69 Ambulance Co. │69 Ambulance Co. Veterinary.│ │ │131 Field Hospital. │131 and 132 Field Hospitals. │132 Field Hospital. │191 Vet. Hospital. │Vet. Hospital. │ ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Transport. │157 M. T. Col. │ ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Odd units. │156 Cyclist Co. │ ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Attached. │ │ │ │ ─────────────┴─────────────────────────────┴─────────────────────────────
HISTORY.
(345th Regiment; 5th Corps District—Posen. 347th Regiment; 2d Corps District—Pomerania. 3d Reserve Ersatz Regiment; 9th Corps District—Schleswig—Holstein.)
1915.
The 87th Division as well as the 89th Division came from the Thorn Corps, which was engaged on the Eastern Front from the beginning of the war.
RUSSIA-POLAND.
1. Its battalions were made into a division at the beginning of June, 1915. Before that time the Ersatz battalions, from which it was formed, belonged to the Griepenkerl and Plantier detachments (Thorn Corps), and fought near the Polish frontier between the Vistula and Prasnysz. These were the Leimbach-Zerener regiments which became the 345th, the Runge which became the 346th and the Schwarz which became the 347th, and to which latter unit the 8th Landsturm Regiment organized in June, 1915, at the Elsenborn cantonment was joined.
2. Beginning in July the elements of the 87th Division took part in the offensive against the Russians: Battles between Drobin and the Vistula, then to the west of Pultusk; pursuit fighting up to lower Narew (July 18–22); siege of Novo-Georgievsk (Aug. 13–19); battles of Niemen (Aug. 31-Sept. 8) and of Vilna (Sept. 9–26).
3. After having fought between the Bogin and Drisviaty Lakes (Oct. 5–19), the division took up a position in that region.
1916.
DRISVIATY LAKE.
1. The 87th Division occupied the Drisviaty-Vidzy line the entire year 1916 and until the month of October, 1917.
1917.
COURLAND.
1. In October, 1917, the 87th Division relieved the 2d Division in the Illukst sector. While there it received its first reenforcements from the 1919 class.
2. Relieved from that front at the end of December, the division was brought together in the Kovno region. It got a great many men from the 23d Landwehr Division, especially from the 26th and 66th Landwehr Regiments.
RECRUITING.
This division was one of the most heterogeneous of the Prussian Army. Not only were its regiments recruited in three different Provinces, but the considerable amount of replacements received since November, 1917, were from various different regions—men from the class of 1919 from the 9th and 11th Corps Districts in November, 1917, later from the 14th Corps District; Landwehr from the 4th and 6th Corps Districts at the end of December; men from the 8th, 14th, and 18th Corps Districts (a small number) during its stay in Champagne.
VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.
The 87th Division coming from Russia at the end of March seemed to have but a mediocre combat value (April, 1918).
1918.
1. The division held the quiet sector at St. Marie a Py until June 18, when it was relieved by the extension of the flanking divisions. The division up to that time had had slight losses and was available for active service.
SECOND BATTLE OF THE MARNE.
2. It entered line on June 22 on the Aisne front near Bouresches. During this period the division was engaged in harder fighting. In the American attack south of Torcy the division lost heavily in killed and wounded on June 25–26. Three hundred prisoners were taken on those days. It took part in the German retreat until July 26, when it was withdrawn near Charmel.
SCARPE-SOMME.
3. The division rested at Charleville until August 25. It entrained and moved to the Bapaume-Peronne area, where it was engaged on August 26–27, south of Longueval. It was pushed back by Flers (29th), les Boeufs (Aug. 31), north of Morval (Sept. 1), Le Transloy (3d), east of Manancourt and northeast of Etricourt (4th), northeast of Fins (7th), northwest of Gonzencourt (9th). It was relieved on the night of September 11–12. During this period in line the losses of the division were severe. More than 1,000 prisoners were taken from this division.
4. In spite of heavy losses it was given only a short rest at Vaucelles (south of Cambrai), and again placed in line east of Villers Guislain on September 18 for the purpose of delivering a counterattack. It was held in line at this point until about September 28, when it retired to rest at Walincourt.
LORRAINE.
5. On October 12 the division came into line southwest of Chateau Saline. It rested on that quiet front until about November 1, when it was sent north, and on November 8 came in line at Haut Bugny. The last identification was northeast of Rocquigny on November 10.
VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.
The division was rated as fourth class. As a sector holding unit it saw heavy service on the Marne and in Picardy.
88th Division.
COMPOSITION.
─────────────┬─────────────────────────────┬───────────────────────────── │ 1915 │ 1916 ─────────────┼──────────────┬──────────────┼──────────────┬────────────── │ Brigade. │ Regiment. │ Brigade. │ Regiment. ─────────────┼──────────────┼──────────────┼──────────────┼────────────── Infantry. │21 Ldw. │10 Ldw. │175 Ldw. │(349) Ldw. │ │38 Ldw. │ │(350) Ldw. │1 Ldw. Ers. │4 Ldw. Ers. │176. │351. │ │5 Ldw. Ers. │ │352. │ │6 Ers. │177. │353. │ │8 Ers. │ │(354). │ │7 Ers. │ │ │ │9 Ers. │ │ ─────────────┼──────────────┴──────────────┼──────────────┴────────────── Cavalry. │6 C. Dist. Field Cav. Rgt. (2│88 Cav. Rgt.(4 Sqns. ex-Field │ Sqns. of 6 Hus. Rgt. and 2 │ Cav. Rgt. 6 C. Dist.). │ Sqn. of 2 Uhlan Rgt.). │ │ │ ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Artillery. │1 Ers. Abt. 42 F. A. Rgt. │88 F. A. Rgt. │ │223 F. A. Rgt. │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Engineers and│1 Ldw. Co. 6 Pions. │6 Ldw. Pion. Btn.: Liaisons. │ │ │2 Ldw. Co. 6 Pions. │ 88 T. M. Co. │3 Ldw. Co. 6 Pions. │ 88 Pont. Engs. │ │ │ │ 88 Tel. Detch. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Medical and │ │ Veterinary.│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Transport. │ │ ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Attached. │ │31 Landst. Inf. Rgt. │ │111 Labor Btn. ─────────────┴─────────────────────────────┴─────────────────────────────
─────────────┬─────────────────────────────┬───────────────────────────── │ 1917 │ 1918 ─────────────┼──────────────┬──────────────┼──────────────┬────────────── │ Brigade. │ Regiment. │ Brigade. │ Regiment. ─────────────┼──────────────┼──────────────┼──────────────┼────────────── Infantry. │176. │352. │176. │352. │ │353. │ │353. │ │425. │ │426. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼──────────────┴──────────────┼──────────────┴────────────── Cavalry. │(?) Sqn. Horse Jag. Rgt. │1 Sq. 10 Jag. z. Pf. │ │ │ │ │2 Sqn. 88 Cav. Rgt. │ ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Artillery. │223 F. A. Rgt. │88th Field Art. Rgt. │ │123 Foot Art. Btn. │ │980, 982, and 1028 Light Mun. │ │ Col. ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Engineers and│6 Ldw. Pion. Btn.: │88 Pion. Btn.: Liaisons. │ │ │ 1 Ldw. Co. 6 Pions. │ 349 Pion. Co. │ 2 Ldw. Co. 6 Pions. │ 3 Co. Res. Pion. Btn. No. │ │ 33. │ 88 T. M. Co. │ 88 T. M. Co. │ 249 Searchlight Section. │ 92 Searchlight Section. │ Tel. Detch. │88 Div. Signal Command: │ │ 88 Tel. Detch. │ │ 102 B. Div. Wireless Detch. ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Medical and │277 Ambulance Co. │277 Ambulance Co. Veterinary.│ │ │141 Field Hospital. │54 and 141 Field Hospitals. │26 Ldw. Field Hospital. │193 Vet. Hospital. │Vet. Hospital. │ ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Transport. │M. T. Col. │ ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Attached. │111 Labor Btn. │ │ │ ─────────────┴─────────────────────────────┴─────────────────────────────
HISTORY.
(352d and 353d Regiments; 6th Corps District—Silesia. 426th Regiments; 9th Corps District—Hanseatic cities.)
1915.
1. The 88th Division grew out of the war garrison of Breslau, which was made up of the 21st Brigade of Landwehr (10th and 38th Landwehr) and by Silesian and Saxon Ersatz battalions. This originally was the Breslau Corps, which after the brigade of Landwehr was taken from it, became the Menges Division. The Ersatz battalions being formed into regiments, the division then comprised three brigades—1st Landwehr Ersatz Brigade (later the Schmiedecker Brigade), Paczensky (later Buddenbrock) Brigade, and the Zenger Brigade. Its regiments bore the names 4th and 5th Landwehr Ersatz and 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th Ersatz.
RUSSIA-POLAND.
2. In April-May, 1915, the Menges Division fought on the Pilica.
3. In July it was between the Vistula and Pilica taking part in the offensive against Russia.
4. It advanced in August through the region of Narew (to the south of Pultusk, Aug. 4; to the north of Bielsk, Aug. 19). At the end of August it reached the region of Vilna; to the west of Dvinsk in September.
DRISVIATY LAKE.
5. When the front became stationary it took a position near the Drisviaty Lake (September).
6. The Menges Division became the 88th Division. The Ersatz Battalion Brigades were regrouped and distributed between six regiments, numbered 349th and 350th Landwehr, 351st, 352d, 353d, 354th Regiments of Infantry, forming in turn the 175th, 176th, and 177th Brigades.
1916.
DRISVIATY LAKE.
1. The 88th Division occupied the Drisviaty Lake sector from September, 1915, until September, 1917.
2. In July, 1916, the division was reconstituted. The 354th Regiment went to the 216th Division. In August the 349th Landwehr and the 350th Landwehr Regiments were engaged on the Stokhod with the 150th Regiment of the 37th Division.
The 88th Division was now made up of the 351st, 352d, and 353d Regiments.
1917.
DRISVIATY LAKE.
1. In May, 1917, the 123d Division gave the 88th Division the 425th Regiment in exchange for the 351st Regiment of Infantry (Saxon). At this time all the Saxon elements were out of this division and it became entirely made up of Prussian personnel.
2. Thus constituted (352d, 353d, and 425th) the 88th Division was relieved from its position near Drisviaty Lake about September. It remained in the Dvinsk region.
3 The 425th Regiment was replaced by the 426th Regiment, the latter coming from the 3d Division.
RECRUITING.
The oldest regiments of the division, the 352d and the 353d, were primarily recruited in Silesia, and the 426th in the 9th Corps District.
Members of the 1919 class were identified with the division in April, 1918.
VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.
Average.
1918.
ST. QUENTIN.
1. Early in January the division left Russia and, traveling via Kovno- Wirballen-Koenigsberg-Posen-Berlin-Trèves-Thionville, detrained at Sedan. After resting and training in the Cambrai region, it entered line in the Fresnoy sector (northwest of St. Quentin). It remained in line here, although it had two 10-day rest periods during which it was occupied only in field service training and in the usual practice marches, excepting two manœuvres with artillery. It attacked on the 21st, and although held up a day in front of Holnon wood it did very well, especially when it is considered that the division was considered unfit for combat upon its arrival from Russia.
2. Just before reaching Vermand on the 24th it stopped advancing, and the line continuing to go forward it remained in reserve. On the 27th it proceeded to the Moreuil area (southeast of Amiens), where it arrived when the German advance was already checked. It was withdrawn about the 2d of April, after having suffered very heavy losses.
CHAMPAGNE.
3. About the 12th of April it relieved the 11th Division south of Rouvroy in eastern Champagne. It was relieved about the 25th of June by the 33d Reserve Division and went to rest near Monthois, where it was trained.
4. About the 13th of July it came back into line in the Tahure sector just west of where it had previously been. The next day it attacked in the first line; it could make no progress (it will be remembered that thus the whole offensive was a failure) and suffered heavy losses, especially on account of gas. It was relieved early in September and was reported at rest south of Rethel on the 4th.
WOEVRE.
5. On September 12 the division moved up behind the front near Dampvitoux (north of Thiaucourt), but since it was soon seen that the American offensive had only a limited objective it did not enter line until the 23d. It was relieved by the 224th Division during the night of October 16–17.
MEUSE-ARGONNE.
6. The division arrived at Stenay during the night of the 19th–20th of October and on the 21st entered line near Cunel (north of Montfaucon). It remained in line until the armistice was signed.
VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.