Part 92
─────────────┬─────────────────────────────┬───────────────────────────── │ 1917 │ 1918 ─────────────┼──────────────┬──────────────┼──────────────┬────────────── │ Brigade. │ Regiment. │ Brigade. │ Regiment. ─────────────┼──────────────┼──────────────┼──────────────┼────────────── Infantry. │192. │183. │192. │183. │ │192. │ │192. │ │245 Res. │ │245 Res. ─────────────┼──────────────┴──────────────┼──────────────┴────────────── Cavalry. │(?) Sqn. 1 Res. Hus. Schutz. │1 Sqn. 18 Res. Hus. Rgt. │ Rgt. │ ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Artillery. │(?) Art. Command: │192 Art. Command: │ 192 F. A. Rgt. (9 Btries.). │ 192 F. A. Rgt. │ │ 58 (Saxon) Ft. A. Btn. │ │ 850 Light Am. Col. │ │ 1150 Light Am. Col. │ │ 1162 Light Am. Col. ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Engineers and│(192) Pion Btn.: │192 Pion. Btn. Liaisons. │ │ │ 4 Co. 22 Pions. │4 Co. 22 Pions. │ 192 Pion. Co. │192 (Saxon) Pion. Co. │ 404 T. M. Co. │404 T. M. Co. │ 192 Searchlight Section. │129 Searchlight Section. │ 192 Tel. Detch. │192 Signal Command: │ │ 192 Tel. Detch. │ │ 173 Wireless Detch. ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Medical and │29 Ambulance Co. │29 Ambulance Co. Veterinary.│ │ │5 Res. Field Hospital. │2 Res. Field Hospital. │23 Ldw. Field Hospital. │3 Res. Field Hospital. │Vet. Hospital. │292 Vet. Hospital. ─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────── Transport. │M. T. Col. │ ─────────────┴─────────────────────────────┴─────────────────────────────
HISTORY.
(12th and 19th Corps Districts—Saxony.)
1915.
The 192d Brigade (became the 192d Division in June, 1916) was formed out of regiments created by selection of men from various units. It was formed at the beginning of June, 1915, with the 192d Infantry (Saxon), formed out of elements taken from the 32d Division, the 193d (Westphalian, 7th Corps District), detached after its creation to the 13th Reserve Division, and with the 25th Bavarian Regiment, formerly belonging to the 4th Bavarian Division, the regiments of which had contributed to the formation of this last regiment.
1. Until the month of September, 1915, the three regiments of the brigade occupied different sectors on the Western Front—the 192d near Charency in August, the 193d on the Aisne (region of Chamouille), and the 25th Bavarian near Warneton (Flanders) in July.
CHAMPAGNE.
2. At the end of September the elements of the 192d Brigade were brought together in the rear of the Champagne front. Engaged as a reenforcement against the French offensive (Sept. 27 to the beginning of October) near the Souain-Somme Py road, it suffered heavy losses (50 officers and 3,594 men out of action, according to official lists). The brigade stayed in the Souain sector until the end of November.
3. In December it was at rest in the region of Bignicourt-Machault.
1916.
CHAMPAGNE.
1. At the beginning of January, 1916, the 192d Brigade again took a sector in Champagne (until Jan. 26).
2. From the end of January to the beginning of March it was at rest in the vicinity of Montcornet.
3. From the 4th to the 18th of March the regiments were engaged in making defensive works in the region of Laon.
VERDUN-BOIS D’AVOCOURT.
4. On March 18 the brigade was brought near Vouziers and Stenay, then assembled in the rear of the Verdun front on the left bank of the Meuse (Mar. 22). On the 23d it relieved the 11th Bavarian Division, sorely tried by the attacks on Malancourt and the Bois d’Avocourt. It took part itself in the battles which effected the capture of that wood and suffered heavy losses. From April 13 to May 10 the 11th Company of the 192d Infantry received at least 125 replacements and the 12th Company 116 replacements.
5. The 192d Brigade stayed in the Malancourt-Avocourt wood sector until the end of August, holding it alternately with the 11th Bavarian Division. During this period (May-August) it only took part in local engagements.
6. In June it was changed into a division, its composition remaining unchanged except for the expansion of its field artillery.
FLEURY-DOUAUMONT.
7. On August 22 the new division was relieved and transferred to the right bank of the Meuse (Charency-Longuyon). On the 28th it was engaged in the Fleury-Douaumont sector. Its regiments were sorely tried by the French attacks of September 3 and 9.
8. Relieved from the front at the end of September and beginning of October the division was entirely reorganized. The 193d Infantry went to the 222d Division (being organized) and was replaced by the 418th, newly formed; the 25th Bavarian went to the 14th Bavarian Division and was replaced by the 245th Reserve Regiment of the 54th Reserve Division.
CÔTES DE MEUSE.
9. About the end of October the 418th Regiment, which had been put in line in the Moranville sector (Côtes de Meuse), replaced the 183d Infantry in the 183d Division, the last-named regiment going to the 192d Division, which was now entirely Saxon.
BEZONVAUX.
The 192d Division, having thus acquired its present organization, took a position to the east of Bezonvaux in December.
1917.
VERDUN-BEZONVAUX.
1. It occupied this sector until December, 1917, and during this long period remained entirely passive.
HILL 344.
2. Relieved from this calm sector about December 10, 1917, it immediately went into line north of Hill 344, where it still was in January, 1918.
RECRUITING.
The division was entirely Saxon after the end of 1916.
VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.
The 192d Division stayed more than a year in a very calm sector (east of Bezonvaux, December 1916, to December, 1917).
In January, 1918, the division might be considered as rested, but its combat value at that time seemed rather mediocre. In the various actions in which it took part on the Verdun front it did not distinguish itself.
1918.
OISE.
1. The division held the sector on the Verdun front until the middle of April, when it was relieved, and on May 19 it relieved the 200th Division southeast of Rouvrel. It was still in line when the Allies attacked on August 8. About August 11 the division was withdrawn.
ST. MIHIEL.
2. The division marched to Origny via Rosieres-Athies-St. Quentin. It left there August 25 and went by train to Chambley via Ribemont-Crecy- Mortiers-Marle-Charleville-Sedan-Montmedy-Longuyon-Metz, arriving on August 26. On the 20th the division entered line in the tip of the St. Mihiel salient.
3. The division extracted itself from the salient and was relieved about September 22, when the line had stabilized. It was moved west and again came into line at Bezonvaux.
MEUSE-ARGONNE.
4. From October 8 until about October 22 the division held the Bezonvaux sector. It was then shifted northward to the area south of Etrayes, where it remained until the armistice.
VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.
The division was rated as third class. It did well at St. Mihiel, but in its other sectors its conduct was mediocre.
195th Division.
COMPOSITION.
─────────────┬───────────────────┬───────────────────┬─────────────────── │ 1916 │ 1917 │ 1918 ─────────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬───────── │Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment. ─────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼───────── Infantry. │101 Res. │6 Jag. │101 Res. │6 Jag. │101 Res. │6 Jag. │ │8 Jag. │ │8 Jag. │ │8 Jag. │ │233 Res. │ │233 Res. │ │14 Jag. ─────────────┼─────────┴─────────┼─────────┴─────────┼─────────┴───────── Cavalry. │ │(3 Sqn. 14 Uhlan │2 Sqn. 14 Uhlan │ │ Rgt.) │ Rgt. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Artillery. │260 F. A. Rgt. │Art. Command: │260 F. A. Rgt. │ │ 260 F. A. Rgt. │860 Light Am. Col. │ │ │873 Light Am. Col. │ │ │1282 Light Am. Col. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Engineers and│ │(195) Pion. Btn.: │195 Pion. Btn.: Liaisons. │ │ │ │ │ 1 Co. 32 Res. │ 1 Co. 32 Res. │ │ Pions. │ Pions. │ │ 55 Res. Pion. Co. │ 55 Res. Pion. Co. │ │ 195 T. M. Co. │ 102 Searchlight │ │ │ Section. │ │ 195 Tel. Detch. │195 Signal Command: │ │ │ 195 Tel. Detch. │ │ │ 66 Wireless Detch. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Medical and │ │207 Ambulance Co. │207 Ambulance Co. Veterinary.│ │ │ │ │22 Field Hospital. │22 Field Hospital. │ │347 Field Hospital.│347 Field Hospital. │ │ │231 Vet. Hospital. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Transport. │ │860 M. T. Col. │607 M. T. Col. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Attached. │64 (?). M. G. S. S.│ │ │ Detch. │ │ ─────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────
HISTORY.
(6th and 8th Jägers: Various sections of Prussia. 233d Reserve Regiment: 11th Corps District—Thuringen.)
1916.
1. The division was organized in July, 1916, in the Ruddervoorde region with the following elements: (1) 233d Reserve Regiment, obtained from the 51st Reserve Division; (2) the 6th Jägers (5th and 6th Battalions of Jägers, 14th Battalion of Jägers—the last after arriving on the Russian front was thereafter replaced by the 2d Reserve Battalion of Jägers); (3) 8th Jägers (4th, 16th, and 24th Battalions of Reserve Jägers).
GALICIA.
2. It was shortly thereafter transferred to Galicia.
3. The division took part in the open warfare of August, 1916.
4. It next went into line with Austrian troops in the Zloczow sector.
1917.
FRANCE.
1. It was transferred to the Western Front at the end of April, 1917. (Itinerary: Leniky-Cracovie-Oppeln-Breslau-Leipzig-Halle-Paderborn- Essen-Duesseldorf-Aix la Chapelle-Verviers-Liége-Louvain-Brussels- Cambrai.)
2. The division was successively in line in the Ypres sector (May), in the Wytschaete sector (June-July), and in the St. Quentin sector (August).
3. During the month of August it rested in the Walincourt region.
FLANDERS.
4. From October 3 to 12 it fought in the Passchendaele sector. It sustained heavy losses (more than 600 prisoners).
5. Relieved on October 12 the division was reorganized at Meulebecke from the 14th to the 18th and was transferred by rail to Gand. At the time it was relieved the 233d Reserve was reduced to 800 men (story of deserter).
6. On about the 21st it entrained at Heydinge and was brought via Brussels-Namur-Dinant-Givet-Charleville-Sedan-Montmedy and Conflans to Haye, where it detrained on the 23d.
HAYE.
7. On October 28 it took over a sector to the southwest of Thiaucourt (Flirey).
ITALY.
8. On November 11 the division was entrained at Metz for Italy. It detrained at Trente on November 14, where it rested until the 24th. It left Trente on December 3 without having participated in any engagement. (Itinerary: Trente-Innsbruck-Munich-Carlsruhe-Offenberg-Friberg- Mulhouse.)
ALSACE.
9. Arriving on December 6, it was billeted in the region of Sundgau, where it stayed until February, 1918.
RECRUITING.
The division was very heterogeneous. The 233d came from Thuringen (11th Corps District). The various jaeger regiments came from various depot jaeger battalions (2d, 4th, 5th, 6th, and 11th Corps Districts).
VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.
The 195th Division was sorely tried in Flanders in October, 1917. In November, 1917, the greater part of its strength came from the classes called during the war. The average age was 25. It can be classed as a good division.
1918.
CAMBRAI.
1. The 195th Division left Alsace, where it had been resting since its return from Italy, the 5th and 6th of February, and proceeded to Valenciennes. On the 27th a prisoner was captured near Bullecourt (northeast of Bapaume), who stated that his battalion had relieved another battalion of the same regiment during the night of the 25th–26th. The 195th Division had probably relieved the 16th Bavarian Division some days before. It was relieved by the 16th Bavarian Division on the 2d of March. It was very probably trained in open warfare, but the fact has not been definitely established.
2. On the 21st it came back reenforcing the front near Noreuil (northeast of Bapaume). The heavy fighting on this front did not come in the first days of the offensive but a few days later the division was heavily engaged, especially on the 28th and 31st near Bucquoy. This represented an advance of only a few kilometers gained at the cost of heavy losses in many attacks. It was relieved by the 17th Division during the night of April 1–2.
3. On the 9th it relieved the 16th Bavarian Division in the Ayette sector (northwest of Bapaume). It remained here fighting hard until relieved by the 5th Bavarian Reserve Division about the 24th. In this fighting the losses were very heavy, especially in the 233d Reserve Regiment (the commander of which was awarded Pour le Merite) which was dissolved soon after; its place was taken by the 14th Jaeger Regiment. It was sent to the Cambrai region to rest and refit.
MARNE.
4. The first day of the battle of the Marne-July 15—it reenforced the front near Chatillon sur Marne (northwest of Epernay). It was withdrawn early in August and went to rest near Metz.
ST. MIHIEL.
5. On the 14th of September, after the line reached by the American First Army had stabilized, the division entered line in the Haumont sector (northeast of St. Mihiel). It was not heavily engaged and was withdrawn about the 28th.
MEUSE-ARGONNE.
6. The division then moved to the Champagne front, where it reenforced the front in the St. Etienne à Arnes sector (south of Machault) on the 6th of October. It was opposed by French troops until the 24th; after that it was opposite the Americans on account of a readjustment of sectors. It was withdrawn on the 29th.
7. On the 2d of November it was thrown back into line near Verrieres (northwest of Buzancy). Its losses were so heavy in this fighting, and the division was in such a state of exhaustion, that although the division was still in line on the 11th there were rumors that it was soon to be dissolved.
VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.
The 195th was rated a second-class division. Its conduct whenever heavily engaged was such as to lead to the conclusion that it was one of the better divisions of that class.
197th Division.
COMPOSITION.
─────────────┬───────────────────┬───────────────────┬─────────────────── │ 1916 │ 1917 │ 1918[31] ─────────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬───────── │Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment. ─────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼───────── Infantry. │210. │273 Res. │210. │273 Res. │210. │273 Res. │ │7 Jag. │ │7 Jag. │ │7 Jag. │ │ (Saxon).│ │ │ │ (Saxon). │ │32 Ldw. │ │32 Ldw. │ │28 Ers. ─────────────┼─────────┴─────────┼─────────┴─────────┼─────────┴───────── Cavalry. │2 Sqn. 14 Uhlan │2 Sqn. 14 Uhlan │2 Sqn. 14 Uhlan │ Rgt. │ Rgt. │ Rgt. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Artillery. │261 F. A. Rgt │(?) Art. Command: │(?) Art. Command: │262 F. A. Abt. │ 261 F. A. Rgt. │ 261 F. A. Rgt. │ (Saxon). │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Engineers and│170 T. M. Co. │197 Pion. Btn.: │197 Pion. Btn.: Liaisons. │ │ │ │ │ 90 Res. Pion. Co. │ 90 Res. Pion. Co. │ │ 2 Co. 32 Res. │ 2 Co. 32 Res. │ │ Pions. │ Pions. │ │ 415 T. M. Co. │ 300 Searchlight │ │ │ Section. │ │ 195 Tel. Detch. │ 426 T. M. Co. │ │ │ 197 Tel. Detch. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Medical and │ │208 Ambulance Co. │208 Ambulance Co. Veterinary.│ │ │ │ │284 Field Hospital.│284 Field Hospital. │ │532 Field Hospital.│532 Field Hospital. │ │Vet. Hospital. │Vet. Hospital. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Transport │ │1053 M. T. Col. │M. T. Col. ─────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────
Footnote 31:
Composition at the time of dissolution Nov. 1, 1918.
HISTORY.
(273 Reserve Regiment; 10th Corps District—Hanover and Brunswick. 7th Jaeger; 12th and 19th Corps Districts—Saxony. 28th Ersatz; 14th Corps District—Grand Duchy of Baden.)
1916.
The 197th Division was created in August, 1916, on the Eastern Front by the union of the following regiments: (1) 273d Reserve Regiment, formed out of four battalions taken from the 362d Infantry (4th Ersatz Division); the 368th Infantry (10th Ersatz Division); the 130th Reserve (33d Reserve Division) which all came from France. (2) 7th Jaegers (13th Battalion of Jaegers), 25th and 26th Battalions of Reserve Jaegers, all Saxon, and also all coming from France. (3) The 32d Landwehr, which had been under orders of the 33d Division in the Argonne.
GALICIA.
1. As part of the 2d Austrian Army (Boehm-Ermoli), the 197th Division occupied in August 1916 the Zborow sector (northwest of Tarnopol) where it met the offensive carried on by Broussilov. On August 10 the 7th Regiment of Jaegers had 35 officers and 1,039 men out of action (letter).
2. In September it was in line to the northeast of Zalosce and to the north of Zborow and later in the vicinity of Zloczow.
1917.
GALICIA.
1. The 197th Division stayed in this same Zloczow sector until July, 1917. While there it met the Russian attack of July 1, which reduced the strength of the 1st Battalion of the 32d Landwehr to 160 men (letter).
2. The division participated in the German counteroffensive of July 19 and advanced by way of Zborow up to Husjatin (August), where it was relieved to go into reserve.
3. It went back into line at the beginning of September at Hlesczawa (region of Trembowla).
4. At the beginning of November the 32d Landwehr was replaced by the 28th Ersatz, taken from the Bavarian Ersatz Division, and originally from the 14th Corps District (Grand Duchy of Baden). This replacement of a mediocre regiment for a good one was the prelude of preparations for a transfer to the Western Front.
RECRUITING.
This division had a composite make-up. The 7th Jaegers was Saxon; the 28th Ersatz was from Baden; and the 273d was formed from battalions coming from the 7th, 9th, and 10th Corps District and got its replacements in theory from the 10th Corps District.
VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.
The 197th Division, coming from Galicia, appeared for the first time on the Western Front in March, 1918. All the maneuvers executed in the rear and at rest in Galicia tended to accustom the units to defensive warfare methods (Verteidigungskrieg). (Interrogation of a prisoner of the 273d Reserve on Mar. 13, 1918.)
This was also true of its stay in the Marchais region (February 1918).
1918.
CHATEAU THIERRY.
The division held the quiet Chemin des Dames sector until the Aisne offensive of May 27. Attack divisions passed through the 197th Division, which followed up the attack in close reserve and was engaged on May 31 northwest of Chateau Thierry. It came in for some heavy local fighting while opposite the 2d United States Division near Veuilly before it was relieved on June 8.
VERDUN.
2. It was moved to Eastern Champagne, and on June 23 relieved the 15th Bavarian Division in the Ornes sector. During July the division received drafts. It held this sector without loss until about the 1st of August.
ST. QUENTIN-OISE.
3. On August 15 the division reenforced the front at Ribecourt. Until September 10 it was constantly engaged in the Noyon fighting. After resting nine days the division returned to line north of Gricourt, and until October 19 resisted every foot of the way to Seboncourt.
4. After the withdrawal from line the division was broken up. The 273d Reserve Regiment and the 28th Ersatz Regiment were disbanded, while the 7th Jaeger Regiment passed intact to the 241st Division.
VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.
The division was rated as third class. It was heavily engaged on an active front for two months in 1918 during which fighting it suffered so heavily in casualties and morale that it was dissolved in late October.
199th Division.
COMPOSITION.