Part 9
9. From September 7 to 9 the division entrained for France, via Zanke, Mitaul Vilna, Kovno, Posen, Berlin, Hanover, Dusseldorf, Aix-la- Chapelle, Liege, Namur, Givet, Charleville.
LA MALMAISON.
10. Beginning September 21 it was sent to Laon. About the 28th it went into line in the Malmaison sector. On October 23 the French attack commenced and caused them very heavy losses (1,800 prisoners, of whom 50 officers, and many wounded). Relieved on the 25th and its regiments, much reduced in strength, were sent to the Region of Vervins.
11. In the middle of November it held the sector of St. Mihiel, Forests of Apremont. The regiment received replacements from the interior and from the Russian front taken from the 226th Division.
VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.
The 2d Guard Division had the reputation of being a good division. It suffered heavy losses in the Aisne sector in May, 1917. However, even after this attack the morale of the men on the whole seemed quite high. At the Malmaison attack, October 23, the troops of the division, after three days, were completely defeated.
During the last battles the division showed only moderate fighting value.
1918.
1. The 2d Guard Division was relieved by the 201st Division January 11 and went to rest at Metz.
2. Here the division underwent a 10 weeks’ course of training. March 18 it entrained at Metz and traveled via Thionville to St. Amand, where it detrained on the evening of March 19. It went then via Marchiennes (Mar. 20–21), Montigny (Mar. 21–22), to Lambres, where it arrived the evening of March 22. After 5 days’ rest here the division moved up to the line at Vitry-en-Artois (Mar. 27) to reinforce the front for the attack north of the Scarpe on the 28th. Except for one battalion of the 1st Guard Grenadier Regiment, the division took part in the fighting, as the attack was unsuccessful.
MOREUIL.
3. The following day it marched via Arleux-Morchies-Beaumetz- Haplincourt-Le Fansloy-Les Boeufs-Maricourt, crossing the Somme at Suzanne-Proyart-Framerville-Caix-Mézières. It went into reserve east of Mailly-Raineval, where it remained until April 5, when it came into line north of Rouvrel. It was relieved by the 6th Reserve Division May 2.
AISNE.
4. The division reinforced the Aisne battle front about May 26 to the west of Vailly. It was relieved, June 17, by the 40th Division.
MARNE.
5. After a rest in the Marle region the division reinforced the front near Chatillon-sur-Marne July 15. It was withdrawn on the 22d.
SOMME.
6. August 27 the division reinforced the front south of the Somme near Dompierre. It was relieved, September 3, by the Alpine Corps, after suffering heavy losses, and losing 1,450 prisoners.
LE CATELET.
7. During the night of September 11–12 it reinforced the front near Ronssoy (west of Le Catelet). It was withdrawn October 9.
YPRES.
8. After resting a fortnight the division relieved the 52d Reserve Division at Machelen, October 24. It was relieved by the 6th Cavalry Division November 4, and did not return to line.
VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.
The 2d Guard Division is rated as a first-class assault division. It participated in a great deal of heavy fighting during 1918 and always acquitted itself very well. It was mentioned in the official communiqués on several occasions. Between the end of August and October 9 it had lost 2,800 in prisoners alone. Indeed, its losses must have been very heavy, since there is positive evidence at hand to show that it received 4,000 replacements between August 10 and October 10.
2d Guard Reserve Division.
COMPOSITION.
─────────────┬───────────────────┬───────────────────┬─────────────────── │ 1914 │ 1915 │ 1916 ─────────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬───────── │Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment. ─────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼───────── Infantry. │26 Res. │15 Res. │26 Res. │15 Res. │26 Res. │15 Res. │ │55 Res. │ │55 Res. │ │55 Res. │38 Res. │77 Res. │38 Res. │77 Res. │38 Res. │77 Res. │ │91 Res. │ │91 Res. │ │91 Res. │ 10 Res. Jag. Btn. │ 10 Res. Jag. Btn. │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────┴───────── Cavalry. │2 Res. Uhlan Rgt. │ │ │ (3 Sqns.). │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Artillery. │20 Res. F. A. Rgt. │ │20 Res. F. A. Rgt. │ (6 Btries.). │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Engineers and│4 Field Co. 2d │4 Field Co. 2d │4 and 6 Field Cos. Liaisons. │ Pion. Btn. No. │ Pion. Btn. No. │ 2 Pion. Btn. No. │ 10. │ 10. │ 10. │ │ │2 Gd. Res. Pontoon │ │ │ Engs. │ │ │2 Gd. Res. Tel. │ │ │ Detch. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Medical and │ │ │ Veterinary.│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Transport. │ │ │ ─────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────
─────────────┬───────────────────┬─────────────────── │ 1917 │ 1918 ─────────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬───────── │Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment. ─────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼───────── Infantry. │38 Res. │15 Res. │38 Res. │15 Res. │ │77 Res. │ │77 Res. │ │91 Res. │ │91 Res. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼─────────┴─────────┼─────────┴───────── Cavalry. │2d Sqn. 2 Res. │4 Cav. Sqn. │ Uhlan Regt. │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Artillery. │8 Gd. Art. Command:│116 Art. Command: │ │ │ 20 Res. F. A. Rgt.│ 20 Res. F. A. Rgt. │ (9 Btries.). │ │ │ 2 Abt. 23 Ft. A. │ │ Rgt. (4 and 6 │ │ Btries.). │ │ 714 Light Am. Col. │ │ 911 Light Am. Col. │ │ 1237 Light Am. │ │ Col. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Engineers and│4 and 6 Field Cos. │302 Pion. Btn.: Liaisons. │ Pion. Btn. No. │ │ 10. │ │6 Gd. T. M. Co. │ 6 Co. 10 Pions. │ │ │260 Searchlight │ 6 Gd. T. M. Co. │ Section. │ │402 Tel. Detch. │ 212 Searchlight │ (Gd.). │ section. │ │402 Gd. Signals │ │ Commands: │ │ 402 Tel. Detch. │ │ 21 Wireless Detch. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Medical and │268 Ambulance Co. │268 Ambulance Co. Veterinary.│ │ │389, 390, 17, and │45 Res. Field │ 45 Res. Field │ Hospital. │ Hospitals. │ │Vet. Hospital. │17 Res. Field │ │ Hospital. │ │204 Vet. Hospital. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Transport. │M. T. Col. │702 M. T. Col. ─────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────
HISTORY.
(15th Reserve: Eighth District—Westphalia. 77th and 91st Reserve: Tenth District—Hanover.)
1914.
BELGIUM.
1. At the beginning of the war the 2d Reserve Guard Division was grouped with the 19th Reserve Division in the 10th Reserve Corps. This corps formed a part of the Second German Army (Von Bülow).
The division entrained at Zulpich August 10, entered Belgium the 14th, passed the Meuse near Liege the 17th, surrounded Namur on the north, crossed the Sambre to the west of Charleroi on the 22d, fought at Marbaix the 23d, and the 29th and 30th at Ribemont and St. Quentin.
MARNE-CHAMPAGNE.
2. The 2d Reserve Guard Division was engaged in the battle of the Marne between Sezanne and Montmirail (Sept. 6–7). It retreated through Epernay and fought on the Rheims front. It held its position on this front (Courcy sector) up to the month of February, 1915.
1915.
ARTOIS.
1. Toward the middle of February, 1915, the two brigades of the 2d Reserve Guard Division were separated. The 26th Brigade went into the line between Thiescourt and the Oise and the 38th Brigade went to the forest of the Argonne.
2. Regrouped in Alsace in the vicinity of Schlestadt toward the end of April, the 2d Reserve Guard Division was transported about May 20 to the district of La Bassee. It was engaged in the Cuinchy-Givenchy sector (June-July).
3. About the 1st of August the division was sent to rest east of Cambrai.
4. In September it occupied the sector of Vingles-Hulluch to the south of the La Bassee Canal. September 25–26 it took part in the third battle of the Artois and suffered great losses. Portions of the 2d Reserve Guard Division participated in the attack near Loos October 8.
5. The division remained in the district of La Bassee up to April, 1916.
1916.
SOMME.
1. The 2d Reserve Guard Division was relieved about April 7 of the Cuinchy-Canal sector of La Bassee. After a rest in Belgium in the vicinity of Tournai, the division was placed in the Gommecourt sector (Somme), end of May.
2. The Franco-British offensive found it in this sector July 1. It was severely engaged from July to November, 1916, sometimes in the vicinity of Pozieres, Thiepval, Bazentin-le-Petit (from July to September), sometimes farther north, and suffered serious losses (51 per cent of its personnel).
3. The 2d Reserve Guard Division was maintained in the Gommecourt- Hebuterne sector during the entire winter of 1916–17. At the end of 1916 it ceded the 55th Reserve Infantry to the 220th Division (organization).
1917.
HINDENBURG LINE.
1. The middle of March, 1917, the 2d Reserve Guard Division participated in the retreat of the German Army; it went back through Bucquoy, Lagnicourt, Beaumetz-les-Cambrai toward the Hindenburg line. It established itself on this line between Queant and Boursies until the end of May.
FLANDERS.
2. At the beginning of June the division remained at rest several days in the vicinity of Cambrai, and was then transported to the Thielt, (Pitthem-Eeghem) district (end of June). At the beginning of July it approached the front toward Staden.
3. On July 31, certain elements of the division, being surprised and later reassembled on the western border of the Houthulst forest, counter attacked in the direction of Bixschoote and suffered rather heavy losses.
4. The 2d Reserve Guard Division remained in this sector eight days. It was relieved August 8–9 and sent to rest in the district of Gand (Lakeren-Ostnieuwekerke) till the beginning of September.
5. About the 10th of September it was sent into the line on the front west of Passchendaele (southeast of St. Julien). It was withdrawn from this position toward the end of the month in order to go in again, almost immediately, to the southeast of Armentieres.
6. It remained there until the end of November, after which it reappeared on the front west and north of Passchendaele in December.
7. It was relieved February 1, 1918, and went into the district of Roulers.
VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.
The 2d Reserve Guard Division was always considered as being an excellent division because it had always fought well, though it showed only mediocre fighting qualities to the north of Ypres in 1917.
The 31st of July it counterattacked without energy and without success in the direction of Bixschoote. During the approach, a great number of men remained in the rear.
Following this, its attitude was passive.
1918.
FLANDERS.
1. The division remained in the Passchendaele sector until withdrawn about January 9.
2. It came back into line, relieving the 199th Division, during the night of January 23–24, north of Passchendaele. It was relieved by the 239th Division February 1.
3. February 7 it relieved the 239th Division; relieved by 41st Division March 3. It then was trained for a fortnight.
CAMBRAI.
4. March 21 the division reinforced the Cambrai front near St. Leger, fighting, with heavy losses, until the 26th.
ARRAS.
5. It came back into line west of Neuville-Vitasse about April 3, relieving the 236th Division. April 29 the division was relieved by the extension of the fronts of the neighboring divisions.
6. It went to the Douai area and rested there until coming into line in the Gavrelle sector during the night of June 7–8; it relieved the 187th Division. It was relieved by the 187th Division June 20 and went to be reconstituted in the Tournai area, receiving a draft from the 427th Infantry Regiment and another of over 500 men from Germany.
7. The division relieved the 5th Bavarian Reserve Division, near Bucquoy, August 7. During the heavy fighting that followed it lost 2,400 in prisoners alone. It was withdrawn August 25.
8. September 2 it reinforced the front near the Arras-Cambrai road, whence it was withdrawn about the middle of the month.
LA BASSÉE.
9. It then relieved the 9th Reserve Division near Neuve-Chapelle September 26.
FLANDERS.
10. October 5 prisoners belonging to the division were identified near Ledeghem. It remained there, being identified by prisoners November 11.
VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.
The general commanding the 2d Guard Reserve Division was decorated in February and again in May. The last decoration was Pour le Mérite, and was accompanied by promotion. August 15 Gen. Petersdorff reprimanded the division because, as he said, “within 14 days, 1 noncommissioned officer and 10 other ranks have been missing from the division * * *.” It is considered as a second-class division.
2d Division.
COMPOSITION.
─────────────┬───────────────────┬───────────────────┬─────────────────── │ 1914 │ 1915 │ 1916 ─────────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬───────── │Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment. ─────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼───────── Infantry. │3. │4 Gren. │3. │4 Gren. │3. │4 Gren. │ │44. │ │44. │ │33 Fus. │4. │33 Fus. │4. │33 Fus. │ │44. │ │45. │ │45. │ │3 Landst. ─────────────┼─────────┴─────────┼─────────┴─────────┼─────────┴───────── Cavalry. │10 Horse Jag. Rgt. │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Artillery. │2 Brig.: │2 Brig.: │2 Brig.: │ 1 F. A. Rgt. │ 1 F. A. Rgt. │ 1 F. A. Rgt. │ 37 F. A. Rgt. │ 37 F. A. Rgt. │ 37 F. A. Rgt. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Engineers and│ │1 Pion. Btn. No. 1:│1 Pion. Btn. No. 1: Liaisons. │ │ │ │ │ Field Co. 1 Pion. │ 2 Co. 1 Pion. Btn. │ │ Btn. │ │ │ 2 Pontoon, Engrs. │ 2 T. M. Co. │ │ 2 Tel. Detch. │ 2 Pontoon, Engrs. │ │ │ │ │ │ 2 Tel. Detch. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Medical and │ │ │ Veterinary.│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Transport. │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Attached. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────
─────────────┬───────────────────┬─────────────────── │ 1917 │ 1918 ─────────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬───────── │Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment. ─────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼───────── Infantry. │3. │4 Gren. │3. │4 Gren. │ │33 Fus. │ │33 Fus. │ │44. │ │44. │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼─────────┴─────────┼─────────┴───────── Cavalry. │10 Horse Jag. Rgt. │10 Horse Jag. Rgt. │ (2d Sqn.). │ (2 Sqn.). ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Artillery. │2 Art. Command: │2 Art. Command: │ 1 F. A. Rgt. │ 1 F. A. Rgt. │ │ 4 Abt. 6 Res. Ft. │ │ A. Rgt. │ │ 872 Light Am. Col. │ │ 1,364 Light Am. │ │ Col. │ │ 1,392 Light Am. │ │ Col. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Engineers and│1 Pion. Btn. No. 1:│1 Pion. Btn.: Liaisons. │ │ │ 2 Co. 1 Pion. │ 2 Co. 1 Pion. │ │ │ 4 Co. 1 Pion. │ 4 Co. 1 Pion. │ 2 T. M. Co. │ 4 Searchlight │ │ Section. │ 2 Searchlight │ 2 Signals Command. │ Section. │ │ 2 Tel. Detch. │ 2 Tel. Detch. │ │ 159 Wireless │ │ Detch. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Medical and │Ambulance Co. │5 Ambulance Co. Veterinary.│ │ │11 Field Hospital. │11 Field Hospital. │12 Field Hospital. │12 Field Hospital. │195 Vet. Hospital. │195 Vet. Hospital. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Transport. │535 M. T. Col. │535 M. T. Col. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Attached. │150 Bav. Anti- │ │ Aircraft Section.│ │Cyclist Detch. 2 │ │ Landst. Btn. │ ─────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────
HISTORY.
(First District—Oriental Prussia.)
1914.
The first and second divisions formed the 1st Army Corps.
RUSSIA.
1. At the beginning of the war the 2d Division was sent to the Russian front. Up to the month of November it participated in the operations in Oriental Prussia (Tannenberg, Aug. 27–29).
2. In November, 1914, the 2d Division, minus one brigade, which continued to hold its old sector, was withdrawn and included in the group which attacked in the direction of Lodz and operated between the Vistula and the Warta; continuing its activities, it attempted to cross the Bzura-Rawka opposite Warsaw in the district of Lowicz.
1915.
1. At the beginning of February, 1915, it reappeared in Oriental Prussia and participated in the offensive which ejected the Russians from this Province. It was engaged in its entirety in the district of Lyck and marched upon Augustowo and Grodno.
2. The Russian counter attack launched in the vicinity of Prasnysz toward the end of March drew the 2d Division to this sector.
3. In July during the development of the Hindenburg offensive, it emerged from the Ostrolenka-Pultusk line and proceeded in a northerly direction.
4. Upon the stabilization of the front the 2d Division held a sector between Illukst and Lake Drisviaty (Dwinsk District).
1916.
1. At the end of July, 1916, portions of the 2d Division were assigned to duty in Galicia to oppose the Russian advance.
1917.
1. The reconstituted 2d Division was engaged in the Mitau sector up to the end of January, 1917; all its units were identified in the vicinity of Kalnzen.
2. On February 8 it entrained at Mitau for the western front. (Itinerary: Chavli, Kovno, Insterburg, Konigsberg, Stettin, Hamburg, Munster, Aix-la-Chapelle, Liège, Louvain, Bruxelles, Audenarde.)
BELGIUM.
3. Detrained February 13 and remained at rest up to the end of March. It received reinforcements of various classes of men (wounded, convalescents, class 1917 reservists).
4. The division occupied the Wytschaete sector from the 25th of March to the beginning of June. (On April 15 and May 10 and 15 it received the first reinforcements from the class of 1918, the last having had only three months’ instruction; in all, 4,460 men between January 1 and June 1.) On June 7 it left 2,825 men in the hands of British troops.
5. On June 10 the 2d Division retired from the Belgian front. It was placed at rest in the district of Audenarde in June and then entrained for the eastern front (end of June).
RUSSIA.
6. It arrived in Russia at the beginning of July and was put at rest in the district of Vilna. On July 14 it was identified in the Illukst District.