4. About June 10–15, without any rest, it again took over th_Histories of two hundred and fifty-one divisions of the German army which participated in the war (1914-1918)

west of Tahure, which it occupied until August 20–25.

HILL 304.

5. Suddenly transferred to the Verdun area, the 54th Reserve Division

went into line on August 24, north of Hill 304; it remained there until

October 18.

FLANDERS.

6. Sent to Flanders, it was in the Dixmude sector from October 29 until

March 1918.

RECRUITING.

Mixed at the time of its formation, the 54th Reserve Division became

exclusively Wurttemberg, by the departure of its Saxon elements.

VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.

Since the number of prisoners of the 54th Reserve Division in Champagne,

as in the vicinity of Verdun, March to October 1917, was very slight, it

has been practically impossible to obtain information concerning this

division (November 1918).

1918.

BATTLE OF PICARDY.

1. The division which had been holding the Dixmude sector entrained at

Bruges on March 14, and detrained at Cambrai on the following day. On

March 20 it marched to Seranvillers, and a day later proceeded via

Lesdain to the high ground west of Honnecourt. On the 22d it reached

Gouzeaucourt; on the 23d it passed through Lechelle, Bus, and Sailly

Saillisel; on the 24th it progressed north of Mametz wood, being engaged

near Rozieres on the 25th and at Ovillers on the 26th. The division was

relieved on April 4 by the 27th Division after suffering heavy losses at

Aveluy.

SOMME.

2. The division was in reserve in immediate rear of the front until the

night of April 10–11, when it relieved the 13th Division at Ville sur

Ancre. The division held this sector until May 27 and again from June 28

until August 25. It was withdrawn in the Mametz area where it had fallen

back upon the British attack.

3. Early in September the division was dissolved. Prisoners stated that

the 248th Reserve Regiment was drafted to the 27th Division.

VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.

The division was rated as second class. Its efforts in the Somme

offensive were unsuccessful. Thereafter the effectives were used up and

the division dissolved.

56th Division.

COMPOSITION.

─────────────┬─────────────────────────────┬─────────────────────────────

│ 1915 │ 1916

─────────────┼──────────────┬──────────────┼──────────────┬──────────────

│ Brigade. │ Regiment. │ Brigade. │ Regiment.

─────────────┼──────────────┼──────────────┼──────────────┼──────────────

Infantry. │112. │35 Fus. │112. │35 Fus.

│ │88. │ │88.

│ │118. │ │118.

─────────────┼──────────────┴──────────────┼──────────────┴──────────────

Cavalry. │ (?) │17 Hus. Rgt. (Sqn.).

─────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────────

Artillery. │56 Brig.: │56 Brig.:

│ 111 F. A. Rgt. (6 Btries.). │ 111 F. A. Rgt.

│ 112 F. A. Rgt. (6 Btries.). │ 112 F. A. Rgt.

│ │

Engineers and│111 Pion. Co. │111 Pion. Co.

Liaisons. │ │

│112 Pion. Co. │112 Pion. Co.

│ │6 Field Co. 23 Pions.

│ │2 Res. Co. 23 Pions.

│ │56 T. M. Co.

│ │56 Pont. Engrs.

│ │56 Tel. Detch.

│ │

Medical and │ │

Veterinary.│ │

│ │

Transports. │ │

Odd units. │ │56 Cyclist Co.

─────────────┴─────────────────────────────┴─────────────────────────────

│ 1917 │ 1918

│ Brigade. │ Regiment. │ Brigade. │ Regiment.

Infantry. │112. │88. │112. │88.

│ │118. │ │118.

│ │186. │ │186.

Cavalry. │4 Sqn. 17 Hus. Rgt. │4 Sqn. 17 Hus. Rgt.

Artillery. │56 Art. Command: │56 Art. Command:

│ 112 F. A. Rgt. (9 Btries.). │ 112 F. A. Rgt.

│ │ 56 Ft. A. Btn.

│ │ 855 Light Am. Col.

│ │ 858 Light Am. Col.

│ │ 893 Light Am. Col.

Engineers and│Pion. Btn.: │139 Pion Btn.:

Liaisons. │ │

│ 111 Pion. Co. │ 111 Pion. Co.

│ 112 Pion. Co. │ 112 Pion. Co.

│ 56 T. M. Co. │ 56 T. M. Co.

│ 111 Searchlight Section. │ 186 Searchlight Section.

│ 56 Tel. Detch. │56 Signal Command:

│ │ 56 Tel. Detch.

│ │ 165 Wireless Detch.

Medical and │56 Ambulance Co. │56 Ambulance Co.

Veterinary.│ │

│349 Field Hospital. │349 Field Hospital.

│351 Field Hospital. │56 Vet. Hospital.

│Vet. Hospital. │

Transports. │M. T. Col. │

Odd units. │56 Cyclist Co. │

HISTORY.

(18th Corps District—Grand Duchy of Hesse and Hesse Nassau.)

1915.

The 56th Division was formed in March, 1915, of surplus regiments—the

35th Fusileer Regiment from the 6th Division (3d Corps District,

Brandenburg), the 88th and 118th Infantry Regiments from the 21st and

25th Divisions (18th Corps District, Hesse Nassau and the Grand Duchy of

Hesse). In May, 1917, the 35th Fusileer Regiment was replaced by the

186th Infantry Regiment (from the 25th Landwehr Division) recruited from

Hesse.

CHAMPAGNE.

1. Concentrated in March, 1915, near Vouziers, the 56th Division went to

the Champagne front, south of Ripont, in April.

GALICIA.

2. At the beginning of May it was transferred to the Eastern Front. It

took part in the Galician offensive (battles of Jaroslau, on May 18, and

of Rudka, on June 18), where it lost heavily.

FRANCE.

3. In June the division was brought back to the Western Front.

Entraining at Jaroslau on June 28, it detrained in the vicinity of

Valenciennes, where it remained at rest for a month.

LORRAINE.

4. On July 28 the division went to Lorraine and remained as a reserve

troop in the vicinity of Pfalzburg-Zabern-Schirmeck.

CHAMPAGNE.

5. On September 25 it was sent to Champagne to oppose the French

offensive. It was engaged in the sector of Maison de Champagne, but was

soon retired on account of its losses. The infantry had casualties of

107 officers and 5,968 men. (Official List of Casualties.)

6. After reorganization, it went into line north of Massiges and took

part in the attack of Mont Têtu at the beginning of November. It was

relieved in the middle of November.

7. In December it returned to the Champagne front.

1916.

CHAMPAGNE.

1. The 56th Division occupied the same calm sector south of Rouvroy

during the entire winter of 1915–16.

2. Relieved on April 25, 1916, it was sent to rest in the vicinity of

Sedan.

VERDUN (MORT-HOMME).

3. On May 26–27 it was sent into line on the left bank of the Meuse, at

the Mort Homme. It received a vigorous attack there on May 31, had heavy

losses, and continued to hold this sector until the middle of July.

ARTOIS.

4. After a short rest in the vicinity of Sedan, it went to the Vimy

Ridge, in Artois (end of July-end of August).

SOMME.

5. On August 24–25 it was engaged in the battle of the Somme, in

Belleville wood. On August 31 it launched a counterattack northeast of

the wood. It left the Somme on September 9.

CHAMPAGNE.

6. It then took over a quiet sector east of Rheims at Cernay-La

Pompelle. In the middle of November it returned to the Somme front (Pys)

until January 7, 1917.

1917.

1. In January, 1917, the 56th Division was sent to rest in the vicinity

of St. Quentin.

SOMME-HINDENBURG LINE.

2. About February 11 it went back into line south of the Somme in the

vicinity of Biaches, retired at the end of March to the north of St.

Quentin, and from there went to Courrieres in the vicinity of the Lens

mines.

LENS.

3. On April 10 it took over the sector of Lens, where it suffered

important losses from raids and local conflicts. It absorbed 1,000 men

from the 624th Infantry Regiment, dissolved, and some from the 625th

(Hessian).

MEUSE (RIGHT BANK).

4. Withdrawn from the Lens front at the end of June, it remained at rest

in the vicinity of Buzancy and Grandpré in July, near Carignan, at the

beginning of August; spent the second half of August in the Woevre,

reenforcing the Verdun front east of Vaux. In September it occupied the

sector north of the Chaume wood-Baumont, where it was relieved at the

end of October.

MEUSE (LEFT BANK).

5. About November 10 the 56th Division occupied the sector of Cheppy

wood, on the left bank of the Meuse, where it remained until March 20,

1918.

RECRUITING.

Since the substitution of the 186th Infantry Regiment for the 35th

Fusileers, the division has become entirely Hessian. By analogy with the

9th Landwehr Division, we sometimes find it designated as “Rhine

troops”; the Rhine Provinces in general cooperate with Hesse and Hesse-

Nassau in sending its replacements.

In the first months of 1918 the reenforcements received comprised men

from the 3d and 4th Corps Districts (Berlin and Silesia) belonging to

the industrial classes.

VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.

Having suffered heavily in the Galician campaign in 1915, and in

Champagne and at Verdun, the 56th Division had serious losses at Lens

between April and June, 1917. The 186th Infantry Regiment had heavy

losses during the battle of the Aisne (April, 1917) before joining the

56th Division. The division had few losses on the left bank of the Meuse

from January to March, 1918.

Of 84 prisoners coming from three regiments of the 56th Division,

captured on March 16 and 17, 1918, more than half belong either to the

active or to the reserve.

1918.

1. The division was relieved west of the Meuse about March 19 by an

extension of the front of the 13th Reserve Division and underwent a

course of training for open warfare. At this time the companies had

about 180 to 200 effectives. It had no men of the 1919 class and few

Alsatians or Poles. The quality of men in the division was high. On

April 18 the division entrained at Cesse (northwest of Stenay) and

traveled via Sedan-Dinant-Charleroi-Braine le Comte-Tournai-Roubaix,

from where it marched to Croix. On the 21st the 118th Regiment proceeded

via Mouveaux-Bondues-Roucq to Halluin, where it rested until the 23d. On

the following day the regiment marched via Wervicq-Comines to Messines.

KEMMEL.

2. The division came into line on the 25th and captured the village of

Kemmel. It was engaged in this vicinity until May 2, when it was

relieved by the 29th Division, and went to rest in the area north of

Menin. It returned to line on the night of May 11–12, relieving the 13th

Reserve Division on the Voormezeele sector. The division remained in

line South of Ypres until the night of June 3–4.

BELGIUM.

3. After its relief the division rested in the Bruges area until its

return to line northeast of Bailleul on July 2. From then until October

19 the division remained in line on this front. It had fallen back east

of Roubaix when it was withdrawn.

4. After several days in reserve the division was again in line near St.

Genois. The German communiqué of October 26 praised the fighting of the

118th Regiment. The last identification of the division was on November

8, when it was east of Avelghem.

VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.

The division was rated as second class. It was very actively engaged

during almost the entire last year of the war on the British front.

58th Division.

COMPOSITION.

│ 1915 │ 1916

│ Brigade. │ Regiment. │ Brigade. │ Regiment.

Infantry. │116. │106. │116. │106.

│ │107. │ │107.

│ │120 Res. │ │120 Res.

Cavalry. │4 Sqn. 18 Uhlan Rgt. │2 Sqn. 18 Uhlan Rgt.

Artillery. │58 Brig.: │58 Brig.:

│ 115 F. A. Rgt. (Saxon) (6 │ 115 F. A. Rgt.

│ Btries.). │

│ 116 F. A. Rgt. (Wurtt.) (6 │ 116 F. A. Rgt.

│ Btries.). │

│ │

Engineers and│115 Pion. Co. (Saxon). │115 Pion. Co.

Liaisons. │ │

│116 Pion. Co. (Wurtt.). │116 Pion. Co.

│ │58 Tel. Detch.

│ │58 Pont. Engs.

│ │

Medical and │ │

Veterinary.│ │

│ │

Transports. │ │

Odd Units. │ │58 Cyclist Co.

Attached. │ │7 Labor Btn.

│ 1917 │ 1918

│ Brigade. │ Regiment. │ Brigade. │ Regiment.

Infantry. │116. │106. │116. │106.

│ │107. │ │107.

│ │103 Res. │ │103 Res.

Cavalry. │4 Sqn. 18 Uhlan Rgt. │4 Sqn. 18 Uhlan Rgt.

Artillery. │58 Art. Command: │58 Art. Command:

│ 115 F. A. Rgt. (9 Btries.). │ 115 F. A. Rgt.

│ │

│ │ 97 Ft. A. Btn.

│ │

│ │ 711 Light Am. Col.

│ │ 832 Light Am. Col.

│ │ 931 Light Am. Col.

Engineers and│Pion. Btn.: │142 Pion. Btn.:

Liaisons. │ │

│ 2 Res. 22 Pions. │ 115 Pion. Co.

│ 115 Pion. Co. │ 404 Pion. Co.

│ 404 Pion. Co. │ 58 T. M. Co.

│ 58 T. M. Co. │ 127 Searchlight Section.

│ 115 Searchlight Section. │58 Signal Command.

│ 58 Tel. Detch. │ 58 Tel. Detch.

│ │ 135 Wireless Detch.

Medical and │58 Ambulance Co. │58 Ambulance Co.

Veterinary.│ │

│353 Field Hospital. │353 Field Hospital.

│354 Field Hospital. │354 Field Hospital.

│58 Vet. Hospital │58 Vet. Hospital.

Transports. │M. T. Col. │580 M. T. Col.

Odd Units. │ │

Attached. │ │

HISTORY.

(19th Corps District—Saxony.)

1915.

The 58th Division was formed on March 7, 1915, at Roulers, of surplus

regiments taken from old divisions—the 106th and 107th Infantry

Regiments, Saxon, came from the 24th Division; the 120th Reserve

Infantry Regiment (Wurttemberg), from the 26th Reserve Division. At the

end of 1916 the last-named regiment was replaced by the 103d Reserve

Regiment (Saxon). The provincial homogeneity is thus realized.

1. The division remained at Roulers until the beginning of May.

ARTOIS.

2. On May 12, 1915, the 58th Division took part in the battle of Artois

(Carency, May 12–15) and suffered heavy losses. On May 12 and 14 the 1st

Battalion of the 106th Infantry Regiment had casualties of 22 officers

and 642 men. (Official List of Casualties.) The casualties of the

division amounted to 116 officers and 4,194 men.

3. At the beginning of June the division fought at Neuville St. Vaast

(Le Labyrinthe.)

4. It was at rest in the middle of June in the vicinity of Douai.

RUSSIA.

5. On July 21 the division was transferred to Russia. (Itinerary:

Roubaix-Sedan-Longwy-Thionville-Trèves-Coblentz-Cassel-Berlin-

Marienburg-Koenigsberg-Loetzen.)

6. It took part in the offensive against the Russians in August and

September (Narew, Bobr, Bielostok, Vilna) as far as Lake Narotch.

FRANCE.

7. Brought back to France between October 16 and 22 (Itinerary: Vilna-

Kovno-Koenigsberg-Berlin-Hanover-Cassel-Frankfort-Mayence-Coblentz-

Trèves-Sarrebreucken), it took over a sector in Lorraine (Leintrey-

Domèvre) in November and December.

1916.

1. In January and February, 1916, the 58th Division was at rest in the

vicinity of Sarreburg.

LORRAINE.

2. About February 25 it returned to the sector of Leintrey-Embermenil

and remained there until the middle of March. It celebrated its first

anniversary there—150 days of fighting, 1,200 kilometers on foot, 4,400

by railroad (notebook).

VERDUN.

3. Brought back to Verdun at this time, it took part in the attack of

Caillette wood, near Douaumont, on April 2.

CHAMPAGNE.

4. The division was withdrawn from the Verdun front about April 7 and

sent to rest in the vicinity of Rethel. On April 30 it went to

Champagne, where it occupied the sector east of Rheims (Bétheny-Cernay,

La Pompelle).

SOMME.

5. In September the division was engaged on the Somme (Barleux). The 2d

Company of the 20th Reserve Infantry Regiment, 177 strong, was

destroyed, with the exception of 22 prisoners.

6. After occupying a calm sector on the Yser from September 29 to

October 23, it again fought on the Somme (Courcelette-Grandcourt) in

November.

7. On December 20 the division was withdrawn and reorganized—the 120th

Reserve Infantry Regiment left the division for the 204th Division, a

new formation, and went to Belgium.

1917.

VERDUN.

1. In January and February, 1917, the 58th Division became exclusively

Saxon (106th, 107th, 103d Reserve Infantry Regiments). It went to the

Verdun front and remained to the end of March, 1917.

CHAMPAGNE.

2. The latter part of March it went into line at Auberive, and suffered

heavy losses in the attack of April 16–17. Because of these losses, the

8th Company of the 103d Infantry Regiment required a minimum

reenforcement of 70 men.

RUSSIA-LAKE NAROTCH.

3. Relieved about April 20, the 58th Division entrained on the 24th for

Russia. (Itinerary: Coblentz-Giessen-Halle-Lissa-Lodz-Warsaw-Brest-

Litowsk (Apr. 28).) It held the sector south of Lake Narotch from the

beginning of May until the beginning of October.

BELGIUM.

4. On October 6 it was brought back to France. (Itinerary: Vilna-

Koenigsberg-Luebeck-Hamburg-Crefeld-Aix la Chapelle-Liége-Ghent-Bruges-

Thourout (Oct. 11).)

HOUTHULST WOOD.

5. On October 17 it took over the sector south of Houthulst wood and

received the attack of October 22; it was relieved on the 24th.

6. On October 31 it again occupied the sector which it left at the end

of November.

7. It spent December at rest in the vicinity of Bruges.

RECRUITING.

Mixed at the beginning (Saxon and Wurttemberg), like the 54th Reserve

Division, the division became homogeneous by exchanging its Wurttemberg

troops for Saxon units.

VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.

When the 58th Division was on the Russian front, a division school was

formed in the month of June, 1917, with the purpose of teaching men the

method of attack.

The division school was dissolved a few days before the departure for

Russia. As soon as they arrived on the Western Front it was made an

assault detachment of the division.

On the Flanders front the 58th Division did not show any high combat

value. Rather frequent cases of abandoning the front line have been

proved (October, 1917).

1918.

YPRES.

1. About April 3 the division extended its left flank and relieved the

38th Division. At that time the division was holding two divisional

sectors. About May 19, it was relieved by the 49th Reserve Division and

moved to the Locre sector where it relieved the 31st Division a day

later. This sector was held by the division until the night of June

13–14 when it was relieved by the 52d Reserve Division.

2. It rested in the Courtrai area until July 7 when it returned to line

west of Dranoutre in relief of the 121st Division. The 52d Reserve

Division again relieved it on August 9.

SCARPE-SOMME.

3. The division entrained at Menin on August 25 and detrained at

Sancourt on the evening of the 26th coming into line on August 28 near

Hardecourt and Bullecourt. It sideslipped south about the 1st of

September and replaced the 52d Division which had been withdrawn. About

September 10 the division was withdrawn from the battle front after

suffering heavy losses. About this time the regiments of the division

were reduced to two battalions of three companies each.

4. On September 27, the division relieved the 39th Division north of

Ecourt-St. Quentin. It retreated by Arleux to a point west of

Valenciennes where it was relieved about October 22. Two days later it

came into line farther south at Ghent and fought until November 7. The

final identifications were at Hecq (Nov. 4), north of Berlaimont (Nov.

5) and north of Pont-sur-Sambre (Nov. 6).

VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.

The division was rated as second class. It was used as a strong

defensive division exclusively on the British front during 1918.

75th Reserve Division.

COMPOSITION.

│ 1915 │ 1916

│ Brigade. │ Regiment. │ Brigade. │ Regiment.

Infantry. │75 Res. │249 Res. │75 Res. │249 Res.

│ │250 Res. │ │250 Res.

│ │251 Res. │ │251 Res.

Cavalry. │75 Res. Cav. Detch. │75 Res. Cav. Detch.

Artillery. │75 Res. Brig.: │75 Res. Brig.:

│ 55 Res. F. A. Rgt. (6 │ 55 Res. F. A. Rgt.

│ Btries.). │

│ 57 Res. F. A. Rgt. (6 │ 57 Res. F. A. Rgt.

│ Btries.). │

│ │

Engineers and│75 Res. Pion. Co. │75 Res. Pion. Co.

Liaisons. │ │

│75 Res. Pont. Engs. │275 T. M. Co.

│ │75 Res. Pont. Engs.

│ │

Medical and │1 Ambulance Co. │

Veterinary.│ │

│ │

Transports. │75 Res. Train Detch. │

Odd units. │75 Res. Cyclist Co. │75 Res. Cyclist Co.

Attached. │ │Ers. Field Btn. of the 75th

│ │ Res. Div.

│ │Balloon Sqn. of the 75th Res.

│ │ Div.

│ │90 Labor Btn.

Histories of two hundred and fifty-one divisions of the German army which participated in the war (1914-1918) · 第 55 / 78 段

4. About June 10–15, without any rest, it again took over the sector