Part 45
In Russia the 36th Reserve Division took part in several major operations.
It did not come to the Western Front until June, 1917.
1918.
BATTLE OF THE LYS.
1. The division was relieved in the Foret de Holthust on April 4 by the 1st Landwehr Division, and marched via Amersveld to Cortemarch, where it entrained and arrived at Courtrai on April 5. It left Courtrai on the 8th and marched toward Armentieres. On the 10th the division followed up the German advance in support of an assault division, and on the 11th came into action north of Armentieres. Losses were severe and the division retired about April 13 to rest. It returned in the Ploegsteert area on April 17 and went to rest in the Roulers area. On May 11, the division came back to line for the third time north of Hinges.
2. It was withdrawn about May 25, rested behind the front until June 11, when it relieved the 235th Division northwest of Bethune, which sector it held until about June 22.
LENS.
3. On June 26 the division entered line in Artois area, southeast of Loos. It held this quiet sector until October 2.
BELGIUM.
4. On the night of October 4–5 the division relieved the 16th Bavarian Division southwest of Roulers. From then until about November 4, the division fought first in the Roulers area, and after October 15, at Thielt (17th), Deynze (26th), Ecke (Nov. 2). It was withdrawn from line about November 4 and did not reenter.
VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.
The division was rated as third class. It was heavily engaged on the Lys in the spring without achieving much success. Thereafter the division was employed on the defensive.
37th Division.
COMPOSITION.
─────────────┬───────────────────┬───────────────────┬─────────────────── │ 1914 │ 1915 │ 1916 ─────────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬───────── │Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment. ─────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼───────── Infantry. │73. │147. │73. │147. │73. │147. │ │151. │ │151. │ │151. │75. │146. │75. │146. │ │150. │ │150. │ │150. │ │ ─────────────┼─────────┴─────────┼─────────┴─────────┼─────────┴───────── Cavalry. │11 Drag. Rgt. │ │11 Drag. Rgt. (3 │ │ │ Squadrons). ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Artillery. │37 Brig.: │37 Brig.: │37 Brig.: │ 73 Rgt. │ 73 Rgt. │ 73 Rgt. │ 82 Rgt. │ 82 Rgt. │ 82 Rgt. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Engineers and│ │1 Pion. Btn. No. │1 Pion. Btn. No. Liaisons. │ │ 26: │ 26: │ │ Field Co. 26 Pion.│ 1 Co. 26 Pion. │ │ 37 Tel. Detch. │ 37 T. M. Co. │ │ 37 Pont. Engs. │ 37 Tel. Detch. │ │ │ 37 Pont. Engs. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Medical and │ │ │ Veterinary.│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Transports. │ │ │ ─────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────
─────────────┬───────────────────┬─────────────────── │ 1917 │ 1918 ─────────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬───────── │Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment. ─────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼───────── Infantry. │73. │147. │73. │147. │ │151. │ │150. │ │150. │ │151. │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼─────────┴─────────┼─────────┴───────── Cavalry. │3 Sq. 10 Jag. z. │3 Sqn. 10 Mounted │ Pf. │ Jag. Rgt. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Artillery. │37 Art. Command: │37 Art. Command: │ 73 Rgt. │ 73 F. A. Rgt. │ │ 2 Abt. 16 Ft. A. │ │ Rgt. (2, 9 and 10 │ │ Btries.). │ │ 846 Light Am. Col. │ │ 924 Light Am. Col. │ │ 1184 Light Am. │ │ Col. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Engineers and│134 Pion. Btn.: │134 Pion. Btn.: Liaisons. │ │ │ 3 Co. 26 Pion. │ 3 Co. 26 Pions. │ 250 Pion Co. │ 250 Pion. Co. │ 37 T. M. Co. │ 37 T. M. Co. │ 250 Searchlight │ 63 Searchlight │ Section. │ Section. │ 37 Tel. Detch. │37 Signal Command: │ │ 37 Tel. Detch. │ │ 82 Wireless Detch. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Medical and │40 Ambulance Co. │49 Ambulance Co. Veterinary.│ │ │317, 318 Field │317 Field Hospital. │ Hospital. │ │Vet. Hospital. │318 Field Hospital. │ │194 Vet. Hospital. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Transports. │Light Mun. Col. │ ─────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────
HISTORY.
(20th Corps District—East Prussia.)
1914.
Upon mobilization, the 37th Division, with the 41st Division, formed the 20th Army Corps (Allenstein).
RUSSIA.
1. At the beginning of the war the 37th Division was engaged on the Eastern Front. It took part in the battle of Tannenberg at the end of August, in the attempt against Warsaw in October, and in the battles on the Rawka during the winter of 1914 and 1915.
1915.
RUSSIA.
1. In April, 1915, the 37th Division was on the Narew. In May it ceded the 146th Infantry Regiment to the 101st Division, a new formation. The battles lasted until the end of July on the Narew, which was crossed on the 31st. The division was at Bielostok at the end of August, and entered Grodno on September 2.
2. In the course of September, it advanced from Niemen to the Berezina, and in October it occupied a sector in the vicinity of Dvinsk (Lake Sventen) on the stabilized front. It remained there until its departure for the Western Front in December, 1916.
1916.
1. One of its regiments, the 150th Infantry Regiment, was temporarily detached at the time of the Russian offensive of 1916 on the Stokhod and then made a part of the 91st Division.
FRANCE.
2. After taking part in the terrible battles on the Stokhod, in the course of which it suffered enormous losses, the 150th Infantry Regiment was transferred to Galicia at the end of September, 1916, and then returned to the 37th Division. The division was sent to the Western Front on December 10, 1916. Itinerary: Cracow-Breslau-Dresden-Leipzig- Nuremburg-Karlsruhe-Rastatt-Strassburg-Colmar-Neu Breisach.
1917.
UPPER ALSACE.
1. Regrouped with its three regiments in Upper Alsace (vicinity of Ferrette) at the end of 1916, the 37th Division spent some time at rest and, in the middle of January, 1917, went into line in the sector which extends from Niederlarg to the Swiss frontier.
The division occupied this sector until the month of May.
2. About May 1 it was relieved, entrained south of Mulhouse and sent to Charleville by way of Strassburg, Sarrebruecken, and Sedan, from which place it went to the vicinity of Gizy (6 kilometers from Sissonne).
AISNE.
3. After a week’s rest, it went into line on the Aisne at the Chemins des Dames, in the sector of Courtecon, which it occupied until the end of July.
4. During these two months (May 25 to the end of July), the 37th Division did not play an important rôle. However, units of the division carried out several local operations in the course of this period. On July 14, units from the three regiments aided by the assault troops of the 5th Assault Battalion, succeeded, at the expense of very heavy losses, in reducing a salient near the Cerny sugar refinery.
ST. GOBAIN.
5. On July 31 the 37th Division was relieved, and about August 3 went into line in the St. Gobain sector (in front of Coucy le Chateau) which it occupied until the end of November. On October 23 it suffered losses (Mont des Singes) from our bombardments. On the 24th the division withdrew its units across the canal and occupied the sector included between the Brancourt-Quincy road and Anizy.
RECRUITING.
The 37th Division is recruited from East and West Prussia. During its stay on the Eastern Front it contained a large number of Alsace- Lorrainers. Because of its circumscribed territorial extent, the 37th Division contains an admixture of elements coming from other districts (5th and 6th Corps Districts among others). Nevertheless, and in spite of their official designations (from Moravia, from Ermeland), its regiments are called “East Prussian” in the German communique of July 15, 1917.
VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.
On July 14 and 15, 1917, the 37th Division attacked with great energy. At that time, it seemed to be of good quality and of high morale. However, according to statements of prisoners of the 151st Infantry Regiment made in September, October, and November, the morale appears to have weakened (Jan. 18, 1918).
1918.
LAON.
1. During January and early February the 37th Division and the 14th Reserve Division relieved each other in the St. Gobain sector (north of Soissons). It seems probable (though the fact has never been proved) that during one of its periods out of line, the 37th Division was given a course of training in open warfare. On February 20, the 37th relieved the 14th Reserve in the same sector, and it was in turn relieved by the 14th Reserve about the 9th of March.
PICARDY.
2. On March 21 the division reinforced the front near Benay (south of St. Quentin) attacking with such dash that it received special mention by Prof. Wegener in the Koelnische Zeitung. It was withdrawn on the 30th.
3. The division rested for a few days between Champs and Folembray (north of Soissons), and then entered line north of Thiescourt (west of Noyon) on the 9th of April. It was withdrawn about the 20th, and went to rest and refit in the area southeast of Avesnes.
AISNE.
4. On May 27, the first day of the battle of the Aisne, the division attacked near Presles (south of Laon), and advanced via Braine (the 28th) as far as the Troesnes-Longpont sector (east of Villers Cotterets). It was relieved by the 115th Division on the 4th of June, and went to the area northeast of Braine to rest and to be thoroughly trained.
MARNE.
5. It set out the evening of the 12th of July, and in two night marches, reached its point of assembly in the woods north of Verneuil (northeast of Dormans). It was planned that the 37th with three other divisions, forming the v. Conta Group, should “leap-frog” the divisions in line, and to sweep up the valley of the Marne, beginning with the line Vincelles-Antheney and ending at a line passing north of Avenay and north of Moslins. It was thought that this movement, combined with the push of the units to the east of Rheims, would result in the fall of that city and also of the Montagne de Rheims to the south. The division attacked on the 15th, crossed the Marne, reached the Bois du Chataignier (south of Mareuil-east of Dormans); and was stopped there. It delivered its last counterattack on the 19th, and the order having been given, crossed the Marne, and continued its retreat toward the north. It was identified by prisoners for the last time on the 28th in the vicinity of Champvoisy (north of Dormans). It then went to the Charleville area to rest and refit; the 10th Landwehr Division having been disbanded, the 372d Regiment was drafted to the regiments of the 37th Division.
VERDUN.
6. During the night of the 12th–13th of August, it relieved the 231st Division to the north of Avocourt (north of Verdun). It was relieved by the 117th Division about the 20th of September, and moved to the vicinity of Billy (south of Longuyon,) where it rested for about a week.
ARGONNE.
7. On September 26, it reinforced the 117th Division near Montfaucon, where they counterattacked the same day. It was heavily engaged until withdrawn October 1.
8. It moved some kilometres to the west, in the vicinity of Exermont, in anticipation of the American attack of October 4, and came into line in that region on the 5th. It was engaged in a number of minor actions, that proved quite costly; its losses in prisoners alone was 962. It was withdrawn on the 18th, and went to rest near Verpel (northeast of Grandpre).
9. On November 9, the division came back into line near Abaucourt (northeast of Verdun); it had not been withdrawn on the 11th.
VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.
The 37th has always been considered a first-class shock division. It did very well in the offensives in which it took part (Somme, Aisne, Marne), and one of its regiments, the 147th, “The Marshal von Hindenburg Regiment” was particularly mentioned in the German Communique for its work on October 10. It suffered such heavy losses throughout the year that, despite numerous large drafts of replacements, the regiments were reduced to four companies of 80 men each at the end of the war.
38th Division.
COMPOSITION.
─────────────┬───────────────────┬───────────────────┬─────────────────── │ 1914 │ 1915 │ 1916 ─────────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬───────── │Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment. ─────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼───────── Infantry. │76. │71. │76. │71. │83. │94. │ │95. │ │95. │ │95. │83. │94. │83. │94. │ │96. │ │96. │ │96. │ │ │ 11 Jag. Btn. │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────┴─────────┼─────────┴───────── Cavalry. │6 Cuir. Rgt. (3 │6 Cuir. Rgt. (3 │2 Sqn. 6 Cuir. Rgt. │ Sqns.). │ Sqns.). │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Artillery. │38 Brig.: │38 Brig.: │38 Brig.: │ 19 Rgt. │19 Rgt. │ 19 Rgt. │ │ │ │ 55 Rgt. │55 Rgt. │ 55 Rgt. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Engineers and│3 Field Co., 1 │3 Field Co., 1 │3 Field Co., 1 Liaisons. │ Pion. No. 11. │ Pion. No. 11. │ Pion. No. 11. │ │ 38 Pont. Engs. │ 38 T. M. Co. │ │ 38 Tel. Detch. │ 38 Pont. Engs. │ │ │ 38 Tel. Detch. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Medical and │ │ │ Veterinary.│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Transports. │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Attached. │ │ │25 Labor Btn. ─────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────
─────────────┬───────────────────┬─────────────────── │ 1917 │ 1918 ─────────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬───────── │Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment. ─────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼───────── Infantry. │83. │94. │83. │94. │ │95. │ │95. │ │96. │ │96. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼─────────┴─────────┼─────────┴───────── Cavalry. │3 Sqn. 6 Cuir. Rgt.│3 Sqn. 6 Cuir. Rgt. │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Artillery. │38 Art. Command: │38 Art. Command: │ 19 Rgt. (9 │ 19 F. A. Rgt. │ Btries.). │ │ │ 61 Ft. A. Btn. │ │ (Staff, 1, 2, and │ │ 3 Btries.). │ │ 704 Light Am. Col. │ │ 726 Light Am. Col. │ │ 1258 Light Am. │ │ Col. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Engineers and│128 Pion. Btn. │125 Pion. Btn.: Liaisons. │ │ │ 3 Co. 11 Pion. │ 3 Co. 11 Pions. │ 285 Pion. Co. │ 285 Pion. Co. │ 38 T. M. Co. │ 46 Searchlight │ │ Section. │ Tel. Detch. │38 Signal Command: │ │ 38 Tel. Detch. │ │ 118 Wireless │ │ Detch. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Medical and │Ambulance Co. │27 Ambulance Co. Veterinary.│ │ │108 Field Hospital.│104 Field Hospital. │Vet. Hospital. │108 Field Hospital. │ │38 Vet. Hospital. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Transports. │Light Mun. Col. │571 M. T. Col. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Attached. │ │ ─────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────
HISTORY.
(11th Corps District—Thuringian States.)
1914.
BELGIUM.
1. At the outbreak of the war the 38th Division, forming the 11th Army Corps with the 22d Division, belonged to the 3d Army (Von Hausen), which went through the Belgian Ardennes. It halted in front of Namur until the surrender of this place.
EAST PRUSSIA-POLAND.
2. In consequence of the invasion of East Prussia, the 38th Division as well as the 22d Division, left Belgium about August 27. Going by way of Aix la Chapelle, it detrained in East Prussia, where it fought from September 9 to 11. From that place it was taken to the southern part of Poland (Pinczow, Sept. 28; Opatow, Oct. 4). The enveloping movement of the Russians obliged it to retire from the Lodz front with the army group to which it was attached. It was assigned to the 9th Army (Mackensen) in November and to the 10th Army in December.
3. During the winter of 1914 and 1915 it took part in several important engagements on the Bzura and the Rawka, as well as on the Pilica.
1915.
POLAND.
1. Returning to the 9th Army (Von Fabeck), at the beginning of 1915, the 38th Division fought in the vicinity of Rava, on March 6 and 7. It was then separated from the 22d Division and rejoined the army detachment of Von Gallitz, north of Warsaw. In May it transferred the 71st Infantry Regiment to the 103d Division, a new formation.
2. During the summer offensive it took part in numerous battles from July 13 to September 19, advanced to the southeast of Bielostok, reached the Svislotch on September 1 and marched beyond this until September 19.
FRANCE.
3. At the end of September the 38th Division was concentrated in the vicinity of Grodno and entrained for France on September 25. (Itinerary: Lyck-Graudenz-Berlin-Hanover-Minden-Cologne-Aix la Chapelle-Liege-Namur- Douai.) Detraining on October 1, it completed its reorganization. Between August 30 and October 8 the 5th Company of the 94th Infantry Regiment had received not less than 161 men as replacements.
OISE.
4. Sent to the south of the Oise, the 38th Division went into line in the sector of Tracy le Val., which it held until the beginning of May, 1916, without any serious engagements.
1916.
VERDUN.
1. On May 11, 1916, the division entrained at Tergnier and was transferred to the Verdun front.
2. On May 13 it took over the sector of Hill 304, which it did not leave until October 10, seriously weakened by the battles which it had sustained for five months (losses, 52 per cent of the infantry).
SOMME.
3. Sent to the Somme on October 12, it went into action on October 12; it went into action on October 22 at Thiepval-Grandcourt, and remained there only three weeks, because of the severe losses which it suffered.
FLANDERS.
4. It left the front on November 13 to go to rest and to be reorganized on the coast of Flanders, between Ostend and the Dutch frontier.
5. On December 19 it was brought back to the Somme.
1917.
SOMME.
1. In January, 1917, elements of the division were sent as reenforcements north of Courcelette and southwest of Serre.
2. On January 17 the entire 38th Division went into line in the vicinity of Puisieux-Hébuterne, where it was relieved about March 8 without any serious losses.
3. On March 17 the division replaced the 4th Guard Division near Beugny Bertincourt, which had lost heavily at the beginning of its retirement to the Hindenburg Line, and the 38th Division itself continued to withdraw by way of Beaumetz and Doignies. It took up its position between Demicourt and Boursies, west of Cambrai, and remained there until the end of April.
ARTOIS.
4. After a period of rest in the Cambrai-Douai area during the first half of May, the 38th Division took over the sector east of Arras (north of the Scarpe), on May 16. It left this front on May 31, after having been greatly weakened on the 16th, during the counterattacks on the village of Rouex (800 men were sent to make up these losses from the dissolved 624th Infantry Regiment).
FLANDERS.
5. The division remained at rest at Douai, until June 8; at this time, it was transferred to the vicinity of Gheluwe and sent into reserve to reenforce finally the Messines front.
6. On July 27, before the British attack, the 38th Division went into line east of Ypres (Hooge). It suffered heavy losses on July 31, the day of the attack, and also the three days preceding.
7. Relieved on August 1, it was sent to Antwerp for rest and reorganization (August).
ARTOIS.
8. On September 2, it took over the sector of Monchy le Preux, south of the Scarpe, where it again lost heavily from artillery fire.
FLANDERS.
9. Withdrawn from the front on November 2, the 38th Division after a week’s rest in the vicinity of Douai, again took over the lines north of Ypres (Staden) from November 19 to November 25, then north of Passchendaele where on December 3, a British attack inflicted heavy losses upon it.
10. The division was relieved on November 19 and sent to rest in the vicinity of Bruges.
RECRUITING.
The 38th Division is recruited from the small Thuringian States. At the beginning of 1917, it included a rather large number of men from Baden, almost all of whom have been withdrawn.
VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.
The 38th Division is a good division.
As a rule it gave a good account of itself in the numerous battles in which it took part. On June 13, 1916, however, at the Mort Homme, the 94th Infantry Regiment is said to have refused to go over the top (letter).
The heavy losses which it suffered at the end of 1917 in the course of the attack upon Ypres, were made up by the replacements composed, for the most part, of the 1918 class.
This element did not have a good effect upon the morale of the division.
1918.
BATTLE OF THE LYS.
1. The division remained in Passchendaele area until its relief by the 58th Division about April 5. It rested in the Lille area until the night of April 15–16 when it entered the line at Meteren to reenforce the battle line. It was withdrawn about May 8.
2. The division rested at Provin after May 12. It entered line north of Givenchy on May 21 and held that sector until July 5, when it was relieved by the 1st Guard Reserve Division. It rested at Lille until August 6, when it was alerted and railed to Cambrai, remaining there until August 9. The division moved from Cambrai by motor trucks on August 10 and came into line on the battle front near Lihons on the same day.
SOMME.
3. Until September 22, the division was engaged in resisting the allied advance. It held a sector south of Chaulnes until August 20, when it retired to the St. Christ area (22d). After the 8th of September the division was falling back in a northeasterly direction by Péronne toward Le Catelet. It was withdrawn from line near Hargicourt on September 22.
CAMBRAI.
4. After a rest of only one week, the division was brought back to reenforce the Cambrai battle front at Rumilly (Oct. 1). It was heavily engaged until October 16 when it went to reserve in the Cambrai area. Since August 11 the division had lost more than 2,000 prisoners.
BELGIUM.
5. On October 29, the division returned to line northeast of Roubaix. It remained in line until the armistice. The last identification was at Renaix on November 8.
VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.
The division was rated as second class. Its worth as a defensive division was proved by the extent to which it was used in the last three months of the war.
38th Landwehr Division.
COMPOSITION.
─────────────┬───────────────────┬───────────────────┬─────────────────── │ 1914 │ 1915 │ 1916 ─────────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬───────── │Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment. ─────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼───────── Infantry. │38 Ldw. │77 Ldw. │38 Ldw. │77 Ldw. │38 Ldw. │77 Ldw. │(Mixed). │78 Ldw. │(Mixed). │78 Ldw. │(mixed). │78 Ldw. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼─────────┴─────────┼─────────┴─────────┼─────────┴───────── Cavalry. │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Artillery. │ │ │1st Mobile Ers. │ │ │Abt. 59 F. A. Rgt. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Engineers and│ │ │ Liaisons. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Medical and │ │ │ Veterinary.│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Transports. │ │ │ ─────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────