Part 40
1. At the beginning of the war the 28th Reserve Division formed in the Grand Duchy of Baden, and constituting the 14th Reserve Corps, with the 26th Reserve Division, belonged to the 7th Army (Von Heeringen). The division detraining near Emmendingen (Baden), entered Alsace by way of Markolsheim on August 10. It was engaged in the valley of the Bruche beginning on the 15th, fought at Donon on the 20th, and went down toward the Meurthe, where it fought until September 5 (Nompatelize and la Bourgonce), suffering heavy losses (two-thirds of the effectives of the 111th Reserve Infantry Regiment).
SOMME.
2. After September 5 the 28th Reserve Division retired toward Blamont on September 15. On September 22 and 23 it entrained at Teterchen (Lorraine) for Cambria, where it detrained on September 26 and 27. It was assigned to the 2d Army with the other division of the 14th Reserve Corps.
1915.
1. The division occupied the sector crossed by the Albert-Bapaume road (Ovillers to Fricourt) until July, 1916.
In April, 1915, the 28th Reserve Division lost the 40th Reserve Infantry Regiment, which went to the 115th Division, and its two battalions of Chasseurs left it—one in January, the other in May.
2. In August and September, 1915, elements of the division were in reserve in the area south of St. Quentin.
1916.
SOMME.
1. The 28th Reserve Division did not have any great losses on the Somme between October, 1915, and July, 1916. Its combat activity was weak during this period.
2. On July 1, 1916, the Division supported the entire weight of the British offensive north of the Somme, and suffered very heavy losses (casualties of the 111th Reserve Infantry Regiment, 39 officers and 1,821 men).
3. On July 4 the division was withdrawn from the front, sent to rest, and reorganized.
CHAMPAGNE.
4. Transferred to Champagne on July 10, it took over the sector west of Auberive (July 14 to the beginning of October).
SOMME.
5. The 28th Reserve Division was brought back to the Somme at Thiepval about October 5; it was in action until the end of October and lost heavily. On the one day of October 24 the 9th Company of the 111th Reserve Infantry Regiment noted the arrival of 134 men as replacements.
MEUSE (AVOCOURT).
Relieved about October 28, the division was sent to the Stenay area and reorganized.
Beginning of November, it occupied, at Verdun, the Avocourt sector at Hill 304.
1917.
1. On the Avocourt front the 28th Reserve Division took part in a few local engagements. It left this sector between April 7 and April 15.
CALIFORNIE PLATEAU.
2. Concentrated in the area northwest of Montfaucon, the division entrained about April 16 at Brieulles sur Meuse, Dun, Romagne and was transferred to Rozoy sur Serre; from there it marched to the sector east of Californie Plateau (Apr. 21). It underwent the French attack of May 4, which caused it heavy losses. Elements of the division lost very heavily counterattacking on the days following.
3. The division was relieved on May 18 and reorganized hastily (replacements of 1,100 men including 25 per cent of the 1918 class and men from the 626th Infantry Regiment dissolved). It was sent to Verdun to the Talou sector on May 20.
VERDUN.
4. The division, weakened by an epidemic of dysentery, was withdrawn from the front on July 8 and sent to rest in the area of Marville-Jametz until the beginning of August.
5. It went back into line at this date, on the right bank of the Meuse (Talou, Hill 344). It lost very heavily from the French attack of August 20 (47 officers and 1,150 men as prisoners) and was relieved on August 30.
CHAMPAGNE.
6. At the beginning of September it occupied the sector of Ville sur Tourbe in Champagne.
RECRUITING.
The 28th Reserve Division is recruited mostly from Baden. In addition, there are men from Rhenish-Hesse and the Rhine districts. There was also a small number of men from the 4th Corps District (1918 class).
VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.
The combat value of the 28th Reserve Division appears mediocre.
During the entire time that it spent on the Somme (October, 1914-July, 1916), the division remained on the defensive.
Having lost very heavily on the Somme, it showed no great activity on the Somme (August-October, 1916).
On the Californie Plateau (May, 1917), the 28th Reserve Division appeared very much inferior to the guard.
At Hill 344 (Aug. 20), the attitude of the regiments of the 28th Reserve Division was rather passive, and the resistance was quite weak.
1918.
1. The division was relieved south of Beine (Champagne) on February 16. It entrained on the following day for Cartignies, near Avesnes, where it underwent training for offensive operations. It remained there until the 14th of March, when it commenced to march by night to the front via Etreux-Fresnoy-Le Nouvion-Wassigny-Essigny le Petit Remancourt, arriving in line on March 20.
BATTLE OF THE SOMME.
2. The division was in the front line of the attack at Fayet on the 21st. On the 23d it passed through Savy and reached Vaux. On the 26th it passed through Parvillers and Erches, proceeding on the 27th via Warsy to Becquigny. The division distinguished itself in the fighting, though at a heavy cost. Some companies are known to have lost 75 per cent of their effectives. When withdrawn from the front line on March 29, the division was held in reserve on the front at Davenscourt, Warsy, and Gruny until April 17. Two thousand five hundred men, with a large percentage of the 1919 class, were received at this time as reinforcements.
BATTLE OF THE AISNE.
3. The division rested in the Avesnes-Maubeuge area until May 22, when it marched via Marle-Ste. Preuve-Montaigu May 22–27. The division was used as an attack division to break through on the Aisne front. It attacked southwest of Craonne on the 27th and advanced by Corbeny, southwest of Craonne, Merval, east of Fismes, Treloup (30th) and Jaulgonne. Prince von Buchau, the divisional commander, was killed on May 30. In the advance to the Marne the division covered 60 kilometers.
CHATEAU THIERRY.
4. The division was out of line June 3 to 7. On the 8th, it reentered line before Bouresches (west of Chateau Thierry) where it opposed the 2d United States Division until July 3. Heavy losses were received in the fighting in the Bois Belleu on June 10–11. The division received a draft of 200 men in June. The division was withdrawn on July 3 and rested southwest of Soissons from July 7 to 18.
SOISSONS.
5. It was alerted on July 18 and engaged south of Soissons (Berzy- Courmelles) on the next day. It was heavily engaged until August 1, when it entrained north of Laon and moved to north of Vouziers on August 1. Here the division rested until the middle of August. A draft of 400 men was received early in August.
CHAMPAGNE.
6. The division was engaged in the sector north of Mesnil les Hurlus about August 20 until the end of the month, when it was withdrawn.
7. After leaving the line at Tahure the division was shifted back and forth behind the Argonne and Meuse sectors ready to be thrust into line. It was moved from Juniville to Longuyon on September 5 and stayed at St. Jean les Buzy (west of Conflans) until the 26th. From there it moved to the Damvillers region, and on October 1 was sent to Milly and Villers devant Dun.
MEUSE-ARGONNE.
8. The division was engaged near Cunel from October 3 to 18, when it was withdrawn to Stenay where it received replacements. The company strength was brought up to 40–50 men. On the 24th it was again in line near Bantheville and continued in to the end. It fell back north of Villers devant Dun on November 1–2, where it was last identified.
VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.
The division was rated as first class. It was one of the best of the German divisions. It was used as an assault division in the Somme and Aisne offensives and met with great success. Following the attack it received in June in the Bois de Belleu, the division was not seriously engaged until it was thrown in the Argonne in an effort to stop the American advance. Its morale remained high up to the last though its effectives dwindled.
29th Division.
COMPOSITION.
─────────────┬───────────────────┬───────────────────┬─────────────────── │ 1914 │ 1915 │ 1916 ─────────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬───────── │Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment. ─────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼───────── Infantry. │57. │113. │57. │113. │57. │113. │ │114. │ │114. │ │114. │58. │112. │58. │112. │58. │112. │ │142. │ │142. │ │142. │84. │169. │84. │169. │ │ │ │170. │ │170. │ │ ─────────────┼─────────┴─────────┼─────────┴─────────┼─────────┴───────── Cavalry. │22 Drag. │ │5th Jag. z. Pf. │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Artillery. │29 Brig. │29 Brig. │29 Brig. │30 Regt. │30 Regt. │30 Regt. │76 Regt. │76 Regt. │76 Regt. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Engineers and│ │1 Pion. No. 14. │1 Pion. No. 14. Liaison. │ │ │ │ │Field Co. 14 Pion. │2 Co. 14 Pion. │ │29 Tel. Detch. │29 T. M. Co. │ │29 Pont. Engs. │29 Tel. Detch. │ │ │29 Pont. Engs. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Medical and │ │ │ Veterinary.│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Transports. │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Attached. │ │ │29 Div. M. G. Co. │ │ │60 Labor Btn. ─────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────
─────────────┬───────────────────┬─────────────────── │ 1917 │ 1918 ─────────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬───────── │Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment. ─────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼───────── Infantry. │58. │112. │58. │112. │ │113. │ │113. │ │142. │ │142. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼─────────┴─────────┼─────────┴───────── Cavalry. │4 Sq. 5th Jag. z. │4 Sqn. 5 Horse Jag. │ Pf. │ Rgt. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Artillery. │29 Art. Command: │29 Art. Command: │ 30 Regt. │ 30 F. A. Regt. │ │ 2 Abt. 9 Res. Ft. │ │ A. Regt. │ │ 734 Light Am. Col. │ │ 827 Light Am. Col. │ │ 932 Light Am. Col. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Engineers and│130 Pion. Btn. │130 Pion. Btn. Liaison. │ │ │1 and 5 14 Pion. │1 Co. 14 Pion. │29 T. M. Co. │5 Co. 14 Pion. │29 Tel. Detch. │29 T. M. Co. │ │185 Searchlight │ │ Section. │ │29 Signal Command: │ │ 29 Tel. Detch. │ │ 31 Wireless Detch. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Medical and │36 Ambulance Co. │36 Ambulance Co. Veterinary.│ │ │263, 266 Field │263 Field Hospital. │ Hospitals. │ │29 Vet. Hospital. │266 Field Hospital. │ │29 Vet. Hospital. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Transports. │562 Light Mun. Col.│562 M. T. Col. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Attached. │ │ │ │ ─────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────
HISTORY.
(14th Corps District—Southern part Grand Duchy of Baden and Upper Alsace.)
1914.
ALSACE-LORRAINE.
1. The 29th Division is a division of Baden, like the 28th, with which it formed the 14th Army Corps. Entering the campaign with its three brigades, it fought at Mulhouse on August 9, 1914. On August 14 taken to the right bank of the Rhine, it entrained for Zabern and took part in the battle of the 20th, after which it crossed the French frontier of Lorraine. Suffering heavily on the Meurthe, it retired to Dieuze, from which place it was sent to the front at La Haye west of Pont a Mousson.
ARTOIS.
2. It was transferred to the area north of Arras at the beginning of October, 1914 (front of La Bassee, Ablain, St. Nazaire).
1915.
ARTOIS.
1. From October, 1914, to May, 1915, all the regiments of the 29th Division suffered heavy losses on the plateau of Notre Dame de Lorette. On January 28, 1915, the 3d Company of the 196th Infantry Regiment had only 38 men left (letter). The 58th Brigade, especially, which contained a greater number of Alsace-Lorrainers than the others, lost very heavily in the course of this winter. At the end of November, 1914, the 142d Infantry Regiment had already had casualties of 44 officers and 2,603 men. On February 24, 1915, the 2d Company of the 142d Infantry Regiment had already received 358 men as successive replacements. But it was from May 8 to 13 that the regiments of the division suffered most heavily (1,000 men of the 114th Infantry Regiment). In March the 84th Brigade was taken from the 28th Division and transferred to the 52d Division (a new formation).
2. About May 15 the division was withdrawn from the front and sent to the area of Lens, Pont a Vendin, Henin-Lietard.
3. Sent back into line about May 25 (Souchez-Fond de Buval-Chateau de Carleul), it again suffered heavy losses.
CHAMPAGNE.
4. The division was again relieved about June 13 and sent northeast of Rheims (sector between the Sillery-Beine road and Prosne), on June 18. It held these lines until the beginning of November.
5. During its stay in the Rheims area, the 29th Division sent one battalion of the 113th Infantry Regiment into the Champagne battle.
6. On October 19 and 20 the 112th and 142d Infantry Regiments attempted a gas attack upon the sector La Pompelle-Prosnes. During this period (June to November, 1915) the losses of the division were insignificant.
7. About November 10 the 29th Division left this sector to go farther east, to the Tahure-Butte du Mesnil (Nov. 23). It occupied this sector until the end of September, 1916.
1916.
1. During the entire winter of 1915–16 the 29th Division held the front of Tahure-Butte du Mesnil without any notable action. In the course of their period of rest in the Vouziers area its battalions continued their training.
SOMME.
2. At the end of September, the division was transferred to the Somme. After this time the two divisions of the 14th Army Corps seemed to have become “flying divisions.” The 114th Infantry Regiment was withdrawn from the division and assigned to the 212th Division, later to 199th Division.
3. On October 4 the 29th Division went into action on the Somme east of Cléry. It was retained in this area until the beginning of February, 1917. On January 31, its regiments, each of which contained four battalions since the autumn of 1916, were reduced to three, the men of the 4th battalion being assigned to the other three.
1917.
1. On February 15, 1917, the 29th Division was sent to rest north of St. Quentin, where it worked on the Hindenburg line.
CHAMPAGNE.
2. Transferred to the Rethel area on April 1, it was engaged south of Nauroy (west of Cornillet) on the 17th, where it lost heavily. It was relieved about April 20 and filled up with men of the 1918 class and of the 626th Infantry Regiment, dissolved at the end of April.
3. From May 10 until about the middle of June, it occupied the sector of Tahure-Butte du Mesnil.
4. About June 14 it was sent to the rear and rested in the area east of Vouziers-Attigny. The three regiments were filled up with important replacements (men of the 1918 class and the last of the 1917 class incorporated in the army in October, 1916).
VERDUN.
5. About July 10–12, the 29th Division entrained for the Verdun front and was sent into the sector of Avocourt wood. It underwent the French attack the 17th which caused it great losses.
6. On August 1 the 29th Division launched an attack to retake the positions lost on the 17th. Taken to the rear at the beginning of August, it was again engaged at the time of the French offensive of August 20 and counter attacked unsuccessfully (west of Hill 304) suffering heavy losses.
7. Relieved on October 24–25, it went to rest in the area of Joeuf (Landres, St. Georges, and vicinity), where it was reorganized. The gravity of its losses caused conscripts of the 1918 class called out in June, having only two months’ instruction, to be sent to it (5th company of the 142d Infantry Regiment for example).
8. About October 6, the division went back into line on the right bank of the Meuse (north of Hill 344). It remained there until the last of December.
RECRUITING.
The 29th Division is recruited almost exclusively in Baden, the regional character being accentuated by the return of the men from the 14th Corps District who had been serving in the regiments of the 4th Corps District.
VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.
Until the attacks of April, 1917, the 29th Division was considered a good division, well trained and well officered. The cohesion of the troops appears to have suffered from the large proportion of raw replacements, in consequence of their losses.
On August 21, 1917, the 142d Infantry Regiment launched a counter attack (west of Hill 304) which failed because of lack of cohesion and liaison between the different units and because of the heavy losses caused by the French machine guns.
1918.
VERDUN.
1. The division held the Beaumont sector until about April 1, when it was relieved by the 19th Ersatz Division. It rested in the Montmedy- Virton area (Meix) from April 6 to 25. The division was high in effectives at this time, the companies averaging 180 to 200 men.
2. On April 25–28 the division was railed to Belgium via Sedan- Charleville-Namur-Bruxelles-Courtrai. It marched to Wervieq, rested there until April 30 and marched into line northeast of Mount Kemmel on the night of May 1–2.
LYS.
3. The division was in line until May 15 at Kemmel. Losses from artillery fire were considerable. It was relieved by the 8th Division and rested at Oostroosebeke (north of Courtrai) until June 14.
4. On the night of the 14–15, the division entered line east of Langemarck, relieving the 49th Reserve Division. On July 15, the 49th Reserve Division returned and relieved the 29th Division, which rested near Gits (Roulers) until the 25th. Then it entrained and moved to the Laon district, detraining at Malmaison. From there the division was taken in trucks on the Vesle front.
AISNE.
5. It held the Courlaudon sector (east of Fismes) from August 1 to 31, when it retreated to the Aisne (Maizy). It was withdrawn about September 8. It rested near Laon until the 15th, when it was reengaged north of the Aisne (Allemant) from September 16 to 24. It retreated behind the Ailette Canal (east of Anizy and Chavignon) and was relieved on October 1.
6. The division left Laon on October 2 and was brought by rail and truck to Fresnoy le Grand, coming into line on October 6 in that area. On the 7th and 8th French attacks forced the division to withdraw by Croix Fonsomme, Seboncourt. On the 13th the division was relieved by elements of the 81st Reserve Division and held in rear of the line. On the 18th it was reengaged south of Le Cateau (Ribeauville). In November the division retreated on the axes Fresmy, Prisches, in the direction of Avesnes, where it was last identified on November 7.
VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.
The division was rated as first class. In 1918 it was used to hold
## active defensive sectors. In the middle of October its effectives had
greatly diminished.
29th Landwehr Division.
COMPOSITION.
─────────────┬───────────────────┬───────────────────┬─────────────────── │ 1914 │ 1915 │ 1916 ─────────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬───────── │Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment. ─────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼───────── Infantry. │29 │28 Ldw. │29 │28 Ldw. │29 Ldw. │28 Ldw. │ (Mixed)│ │ (Mixed)│ │ │ │ Ldw. │ │ Ldw. │ │ │ │ │29 Ldw. │ │29 Ldw. │ │29 Ldw. │ │ │ │ (427). │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼─────────┴─────────┼─────────┴─────────┼─────────┴───────── Cavalry. │ │ │5 Sqn. 8 Uhlan Rgt. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Artillery. │1 Ldst. Btry. 8 │247 Rgt. │247 Art. Command. │ Corps. │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Engineers and│ │ │Pion. Bn. Liaisons. │ │ │ │ │ │182 T. M. Co. │ │ │289 Wireless. │ │ │302 Wireless. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Medical and │ │ │Ambulance Co. Veterinary.│ │ │ │ │ │Field Hospital. │ │ │Vet. Hospital. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Attached. │ │11th Ldst. Bn. │ ─────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────
─────────────┬───────────────────┬─────────────────── │ 1917 │ 1918 ─────────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬───────── │Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment. ─────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼───────── Infantry. │ │ │29 Ldw. │28 Ldw. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │29 Ldw. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ (?) ─────────────┼─────────┴─────────┼─────────┴───────── Cavalry. │ │4 Sqn. 8 Uhlan Rgt. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Artillery. │ │ (?) │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Engineers and│ │ (?) Liaisons. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Medical and │ │555 Ambulance Co. Veterinary.│ │ │ │327 Field Hospital. │ │140 Vet. Hospital. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Attached. │ │ ─────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────
HISTORY.
(8th Corps District—Rhine Province.)
1915.
1. The 29th Landwehr Division was formed from the 29th Landwehr Brigade. The latter was transformed into a division on the Russian Front about November 1917.
FRANCE.
2. Entering Belgium on August 20, 1914, at Charleroi on the 31st, at Berry au Bac at the end of September, then attached to the 18th Army Corps north of St. Quentin, then to the 14th Reserve Corps, the 29th Landwehr Brigade was transferred to the Eastern Front at the end of March, 1915. In April and May it was in Poland south of Rawa; it was then attached to the Posen Corps (9th Corps).
COURLAND.
3. The German offensive in the summer of 1915 sent the 28th Landwehr Regiment to Courland (vicinity of Toukkoum, in August). This regiment took up its position in October in the vicinity of Kalnzem (north of Mitau). The 29th Landwehr Regiment, after taking part in the operations at Vilna, was brought to the east of Olai, in October, and rejoined the 28th Landwehr Regiment in the vicinity of Kalnzem, at the beginning of November.
1916.
COURLAND.
1. The 29th Landwehr Brigade remained on the Mitau Front (Kalnzem- Chmarden) during the whole of the year 1916 and until March, 1917. It then formed a part of the Winecken detachment. In October it received a new regiment, the 427th Infantry Regiment, which was taken from it in January, 1917.
1917.
COURLAND.
1. About the middle of March, 1917, the 29th Landwehr Brigade was relieved north of Mitau and sent west of Jakobstadt. It appears to be in reserve in this sector at the time of the operations against Riga. It then came into line north of Kreuzburg (vicinity of Jakobstadt).
2. About the month of November the 29th Landwehr Brigade was transformed into the 29th Landwehr Division, which did not prevent the taking of men from the division to reinforce its neighbor, the 77th Reserve Division.
VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.
On the Russian Front since 1914, the elements of the 29th Landwehr Division can have only a mediocre combat value.
1918.
ESTHONIA.
1. The 29th Landwehr Division occupied a very extended sector north of Kreuzburg until March, 1918. The division was sent then to the Polotsk- Vitebsk region and then to the Baltic Provinces. It was in Esthonia at the beginning of May; to the west of Reval early in June. “I have been in Esthonia three weeks now for guard duty,” a man wrote on May 19. The division was identified here several times subsequently, the last identification being on the 5th of September.
VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.
The division was rated as fourth class.
30th Division.
COMPOSITION.