Part 66
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 About August 11 the division was withdrawn.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.
─────────────┬───────────────────┬───────────────────┬─────────────────── │ 1916 │ 1917 │ 1918 ─────────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬───────── │Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment. ─────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼───────── Infantry. │ │237 Res. │59 Ldw. │114. │59 Ldw. │114. │ │4 Bav. │ │357. │ │357. │ │ Res. │ │ │ │ │ │9 Jag. │ │237 Res. │ │237 Res. ─────────────┼─────────┴─────────┼─────────┴─────────┼─────────┴───────── Cavalry. │1 Sqn. 14 Uhlan │1 Sqn. 14 Uhlan │1 Sqn. 14 Uhlan │ Rgt. │ Rgt. │ Rgt. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Artillery. │263 F. A. Rgt. │Art. Command: │263 F. A. Rgt. │ │ 263 F. A. Rgt. │3 Abt. 2 Bav. Ft. │ │ │ A. Rgt. │ │ │927 Light Am. Col. │ │ │1240 Light Am. Col. │ │ │1241 Light Am. Col. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Engineers and│ │(199) Pion. Btn.: │199 Pion. Btn.: Liaisons. │ │ │ │ │ 199 T. M. Co. │ 6 Co. 23 Pions. │ │ 330 Searchlight │ 286 Pion. Co. │ │ Section. │ │ │ 199 Tel. Detch. │ 199 T. M. Co. │ │ │ 38 Searchlight │ │ │ Section. │ │ │199 Signal Command: │ │ │ 199 Tel. Detch. │ │ │ 10 Wireless Detch. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Medical and │ │209 Ambulance Co. │209 Ambulance Co. Veterinary.│ │ │ │ │Field Hospital. │68 Field Hospital. │ │Vet. Hospital. │339 Field Hospital. │ │ │244 Vet. Hospital. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Transport. │ │M. T. Col. │609 M. T. Col. ─────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────
HISTORY.
(114th Regiment: 14th Corps District—Southern part of the Grand Duchy of Baden. 357th Regiment: 2d Corps District—Pomerania. 237th Reserve Regiment: 8th Corps District—Rhine Province.)
1916.
The 199th Division was created in August, 1916, in the region of Stryj- Halicz (Galicia), with troops coming from the Western Front. Until the beginning of 1917 its infantry was made up as follows: The 237th Reserve Regiment (coming from the 52d Reserve Division), the 4th Bavarian Reserve Regiment (from the Bavarian Ersatz Division), and the 9th Jaegers (12th and 13th Battalions of Reserve Jaegers (Saxon) and the 8th Battalion of Jaegers).
GALICIA.
1. From the end of August to the beginning of November the 199th Division was engaged in Galicia (Brzezany, Halicz, Zlota-Lipa) and suffered heavy losses.
2. About November 1 the division was transferred to the Western Front. (Itinerary: Lemberg-Cracaw-Breslau-Dresden-Leipzig-Coblenz-Treves- Sedan.) It detrained at Dun and was billeted for three weeks in the vicinity of Spincourt.
SOMME.
3. Sent to the Champagne district at the end of November and then in the Bohain region, it went into line in the Rancourt-Saillizel sector (end of December).
1917.
1. At the beginning of 1917 the 114th and 357th replaced the 4th Reserve and the 9th Jaegers.
SOMME.
2. The 199th Division stayed on the Rancourt front until March, 1917.
HINDENBURG LINE.
3. On March 27 it was identified to the east of Longavesnes; then at Villers-Faucon, Lempire, in the new German positions (April).
ARTOIS.
4. Relieved about April 20, it was engaged to the southeast of Arras (Wancourt-Vis en Artois-Cherisy) and suffered heavy losses (April 27, May 3).
5. Coming back to the west of Catelet (Hargicourt-Bony) about the middle of May, it left this line on June 8 to go to rest in the vicinity of Ostend.
BELGIAN FLANDERS.
6. In the middle of July it took over the Nieuport-Lombartzyde sector, which it occupied until the beginning of August and was at rest near Ostend from August 10 to the middle of September.
7. It reappeared in the Lombartzyde sector until October 24. On November 10 after a short rest it was put in line to the north of Passchendaele, where it was found, with the exception of some brief withdrawals for rest, until February, 1918, when it went to rest near Courtrai.
RECRUITING.
Division with composite elements; a regiment from Baden (the 114th,
## active), a regiment from Pomerania (the 357th, growing out of brigade
Ersatz Battalions), and a Rhenish regiment (the 237th).
VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.
The 114th was considered the best in the division. The 237th Reserve did not seem to have a very good combat value. It did not hold its ground when opposed by the British at Cherisy (April, 1917). It is said that a company of this regiment refused to come out of the trenches in the month of July, 1917.
1918.
BATTLE OF PICARDY.
1. The division left Flanders at the end of February and trained in the Le Quesnoy area until the middle of March; left on the 17th for the battle front. It marched to Escaromain, and on the 18th to Quievy. On the day before the offensive the division marched via Caudry to Villers Outreaux. It was not identified in the fight until the 25th at Hardecourt. The next day it was at Maricourt wood, after which it appears to have been withdrawn. On April 4 it relieved the 243d Division south of Thennes.
2. After its relief the division marched by stages via Beaucourt en Santerre-Vauvillers-Peronne to Templeux, la Fosse, where it rested for a fortnight. The heavy losses incurred by the division during its last time in line south of the Somme were made good chiefly by drafts of the 1919 class from the depots at Warsaw and Bruges. The division contained a large proportion of this class and its fighting quality suffered in consequence. On the 26th of April the division moved to Maurepas and proceeded to Maricourt on the 28th; from there it marched into line in the Morlancourt sector.
3. The division held the Morlancourt sector from about May 1 to 16. It was relieved by the 107th Division and rested in the Valenciennes area in June.
CHAMPAGNE.
4. It was engaged at Le Teton on July 15 and held a sector in that area until the end of the month.
RHEIMS.
5. On August 3 it reenforced the battle front at Sapicourt west of Rheims. It was engaged in that area except for a week’s rest until the end of September.
6. After October 1 the division was engaged in Champagne in the region of Orfeuil. It contested hotly the advance through Vaudy and Vouziers until its relief in late October. It rested but a few days out of line and after November 3 was engaged at St. Lambert, Roix-Terron, and Dom le Mesnil (Nov. 10).
VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.
The division was rated as second-class. It was used as an attack division in March and did well. Thereafter it saw almost constant service in resisting allied pushes. In October’s fighting it was frequently spoken of by the German official communique.
200th Division.
COMPOSITION.
─────────────┬───────────────────┬───────────────────┬─────────────────── │ 1916 │ 1917 │ 1918 ─────────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬─────────┼─────────┬───────── │Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment.│Brigade. │Regiment. ─────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼───────── Infantry. │2 Jag. │3 Jag. (4│2 Jag. │3 Jag. (4│2 Jag. │3 Jag. │ │ Btns.).│ │ Btns.).│ │ │ │4 Jag. │ │4 Jag. │ │4 Jag. │ │5 Jag. │ │5 Jag. │ │5 Jag. ─────────────┼─────────┴─────────┼─────────┴─────────┼─────────┴───────── Cavalry. │ │1 Sqn. 1 Uhlan Rgt.│2 Sqn. 1 Uhlan Rgt. │ │ (passed to 228 │ │ │ Div. in June, │ │ │ 1917). │ │ │2 Sqn. 2 Uhlan Rgt.│ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Artillery. │257 F. A. Rgt. │(?) Art. Command: │22 F. A. Rgt. │2 Mountain Art. │ 257 F. A. Rgt. │1 Abt. 26 Ft. A. │ Abt. (Bavarian). │ │ Rgt. (1 and 3 │ │ │ Btries.). │ │ 7 Mountain Art. │843 Light Am. Col. │ │ Abt. │ │ │ │1157 Light Am. Col. │ │ │1161 Light Am. Col. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Engineers and│ │(220) Pion. Btn.: │42 Pion. Btn.: Liaisons. │ │ │ │ │ 105 Pion. Co. │ 105 Pion. Co. │ │ 282 Pion. Co. │ 282 Pion. Co. │ │ 173 Mountain T. M.│ 173 T. M. Co. │ │ Co. │ │ │ 200 Tel. Detch. │ 99 Searchlight │ │ │ Section. │ │ │200 Signal Command: │ │ │ 200 Tel. Detch. │ │ │ 50 Wireless Detch. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Medical and │ │214 Ambulance Co. │214 Ambulance Co. Veterinary.│ │ │ │ │44 Field Hospital. │44 Field Hospital. │ │370 Field Hospital.│19 Bav. Field │ │ │ Hospital. │ │Vet. Hospital. │300 Vet. Hospital. ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Transport. │ │M. T. Col. │ ─────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────── Attached. │35 Landst. Inf. │ │ │ Rgt. │ │ │37 Landst. Inf. │ │ │ Rgt. │ │ ─────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────────────
HISTORY.
1916.
CARPATHIAN MOUNTAINS.
1. The 200th Division, composed of three regiments of Jaegers, was formed in July, 1916, in Galicia with the 3rd Jaeger Regiment (4 battalions equipped with skis) coming from the Alpine Corps, with the 4th Jaegers (11th Battalion of Jaegers), 5th and 6th Battalions of Reserve Jaegers, and with the 5th Jaegers (17th, 18th, and 23d Battalions of Reserve Jaegers).
BUKOVINA.
The 200th Division, together with the 1st Division, formed the Carpathian Corps. The division took part in the counteroffensive in the Carpathians against the Russians and beginning in September 1, 1916, occupied a sector to the north of Mont Tomnatik (Bukovina.)
1917.
BUKOVINA.
1. The 200th Division stayed in the same part of the Carpathians (south of Mt. Pnevié-Mt. Tomnatik) until July, 1917. At this time it took part in the offensive waged in Bukovina and took a position north of the Sereth. It was kept here until September.
2. At the end of September the 200th Division was entrained for Italy. Its itinerary to Vienna was Kolomea-Lemberg-Cracaw.
ITALY.
3. Detraining in the vicinity of Laibach, it went toward the Italian frontier, where it took about 15 days’ rest. On October 22 it drew near the Italian frontier and on the 24th was engaged in the offensive on the Isonzo and advanced by way of Cividale and Udine, where it fought the Italian rear guards (Oct. 28–30). It reached Codroipo about November 3 and Quero on the Piave the 23d.
MONT TOMBA.
4. After a short period of rest it was again sent to the Mont Tomba region in December.
RECRUITING.
The 200th Division had recruits from the various mountainous districts of the empire—Upper Silesia, Harz, Black Forest, etc.—which gave it a certain character in spite of the different sources of its recruiting.
VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.
Composed of young and vigorous men with high morale, the 200th was one of the best divisions in the German Army (1918).
1918.
FRANCE.
1. After having suffered heavy losses, the 200th Division was withdrawn about the 1st of January, and went to rest for about a month southeast of Bellune. Early in February, it entrained at Santa Lucia and traveled via Rosenheim-Munich-Ulm-Freiburg-Colmar. It detrained at Bening and went to rest and to be trained for about three weeks in the vicinity of St. Avold.
MONTDIDIER.