103rd Division (German Empire)

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The 103rd Division was a major unit of the Prussian army within the German Army in the First World War .

history

The division was assembled on the Eastern Front in May 1915 and deployed there until mid-April 1916. It was then moved to the western front . She stayed here until the end of the war, then marched home and was initially demobilized and finally dissolved at the end of November 1918 .

Battle calendar

1915

  • May 24th to July 13th --- First deployment on the Serbian border with the kuk army group Terzstyansky
  • July 16-18 --- Krasnostov breakthrough battle
  • July 19-28 --- Fighting following the breakthrough battle of Krasnostov
  • July 29th to 30th --- Breakthrough Battle of Biskupice
  • July 31 to August 19 --- Pursuit battles from Wieprz to the Bug
  • September 19 to 20 --- Chase battles between Bug and Jasiolda
  • September 21 to October 6 --- Second deployment on the northern Serbian border
  • October 6th to November 28th --- Campaign in Serbia
  • from December 1st --- deployment on the Greek border

1916

  • until March 3rd --- Deployment on the Greek border
  • March 4th to April 18th --- Trench warfare on the Greek border
  • April 18-29 --- Transport to the west
  • April 30th to June 16th --- Position battles in Champagne
  • June 19 to July 23 --- Battle of Verdun
  • June 23rd to July 21st --- Fights in the Chapitre Forest and in the Souville Gorge
  • July 23rd to August 25th --- Fights between Meuse and Moselle
  • August 26th to September 15th --- Trench warfare between Meuse and Moselle
  • September 21 to October 7 --- Trench warfare in Champagne
  • October 8th to November 11th --- Battle of the Somme
  • from November 16th --- Trench warfare in Champagne

1917

  • until January 14th --- Position battles in Champagne
  • January 14th to May 21st --- Position battles in front of Verdun
  • May 25th to 27th --- Double battle on the Aisne and in the Champagne
  • May 28 to October 23 --- Trench warfare at the Chemin des Dames
  • October 24th to November 2nd --- rearguard battles on and south of the Ailette
  • November 3rd to 24th --- Trench warfare north of the Ailette
  • November 24th to December 25th --- Fights in the Siegfried Line
  • from December 27th --- Position battles near St. Quentin and on the Oise

1918

  • until March 20 --- Trench warfare near St. Quentin and the Oise
  • March 21st to April 6th --- Great battle in France
  • April 7th to 11th --- Fighting on the Avre and near Montdidier and Noyon
  • April 12 to May 26 --- Trench warfare north of the Ailette
  • May 27th to June 13th --- Battle of Soissons and Reims
  • June 14th to July 4th --- Position battles between Oise, Aisne and Marne
  • July 5th to 14th --- Position battles between Aisne and Aire
  • July 15-17 --- Attack battle on the Marne and Champagne
  • July 18th to 25th --- Defensive battle between Soissons and Reims
  • July 26th to August 3rd --- Mobile defensive battle between Marne and Vesle
  • August 4th to 18th --- Trench warfare on the Vesle
  • August 18 to September 4 --- Defensive battle between Oise and Aisne
  • September 5th to 18th --- Fights in front of the Siegfried Line
  • September 18th to 25th --- Position battles in Champagne
  • September 26th to October 9th --- Defensive battle in Champagne and on the Meuse
  • October 10th to 12th --- Fighting in front of the Hunding and Brunhild fronts
  • October 13th to 17th --- Fights on the Aisne and Aire
  • October 18-23 --- Battle of Vouziers
  • October 24th to 31st --- Fights on the Aisne and Aire
  • November 1st to 4th --- Fights between Aisne and Maas
  • November 5th to 11th --- fighting in retreat in front of the Antwerp- Maas position
  • from November 12th --- evacuation of the occupied territory and march home

structure

Division of War of May 15, 1915

Division of War of April 19, 1918

  • 205th Infantry Brigade
    • 2nd Thuringian Infantry Regiment No. 32
    • 3rd Thuringian Infantry Regiment No. 71
    • Grand Ducal Hessian Reserve Infantry Regiment No. 116
    • 3rd Squadron / Magdeburg Dragoon Regiment No. 6
  • Artillery Commander No. 103
    • Field Artillery Regiment No. 205
    • III. Battalion / Reserve Foot Artillery Regiment No. 11
  • Engineer Battalion No. 103
  • Division News Commander No. 103

Commanders

Rank Surname date
Major general Ludwig von Estorff May 11, 1915 to August 28, 1916
Major general Fritz von Unger August 29 to September 18, 1916
Major general Arthur of Gabain September 18, 1916 to January 1, 1917
Major general Friedrich Wilhelm von Auer January 2, 1917 to January 3, 1918
Lieutenant General Hans Feodor Lepper January 5 to November 27, 1918

literature

  • Histories of Two Hundred and Fifty-One Divisions of the German Army Which Participated in the War (1914-1918). United States War Office as War Department . Document No. 905. Office of the Adjutant. 1920. pp. 584-588.
  • Hall of Fame of our Old Army. Published on the basis of official material from the Reich Archives . Military Publishing House. Berlin 1927. pp. 73, 156.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Lieutenant Colonel a. D. Radermacher: memorial sheets of the Grand Duke. Hessian Reserve Infantry Regiment No. 116 and the III. Batls. Kgl. Prussia. Agricultural Inf. Regts. No. 85 , Hessisches Staatsarchiv Darmstadt. ST F 174/50.
  2. ↑ Dermot Bradley (ed.), Günter Wegner: Occupation of the German Army 1815-1939. Volume 1: The higher command posts 1815–1939. Biblio Publishing House. Osnabrück 1990. ISBN 3-7648-1780-1 . P. 144.