204th (Württemberg) Infantry Division

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204th (Württemberg) Infantry Division

active June 8, 1916 to January 1919
Country Kingdom of Württemberg Kingdom of Württemberg
Armed forces Württemberg Army
Type Infantry division
structure See: Outline
Location See garrisons
First World War Western front
Commanders
Please refer: List of commanders

The 204th (Württemberg) Infantry Division was a large unit of the Württemberg Army in the network of the German Army during the First World War .

history

On June 8, 1916, by agreement of the Royal Württemberg and the Royal Saxon War Ministry by order of the Deputy General Command of the XIII. (Königl. Württ.) Army Corps ordered the creation of a Württemberg division staff (204th Infantry Division) and a complete, mixed Württemberg reserve brigade (Infantry Brigade Württemberg 407 XIII). All of the Württemberg line, reserve and Landwehr regiments had to participate in the formation of the new battalion by providing a "marching company" for each replacement battalion. The two infantry regiments were initially given the designation Replacement Infantry Regiment 1 XIII (then Infantry Regiment Stuttgart 413 XIII) and 2 XIII (then Infantry Regiment Ulm 414 XIII). The artillery was combined in the I. Department Field Artillery Regiment Württemberg (later Field Artillery Department Württemberg 407 XIII). Furthermore, Württemberg set up for the division: the foot artillery ammunition motor vehicle column Untertürkheim 1004 XIII, the ammunition column Ulm 607 XIII for infantry and field artillery, and the Ludwigsburg field hospital 407 XIII.

For reasons of concealment, the epithets were used without numbers until the march; later the nicknames were omitted.

The teams were partly made up of newly trained landstorm compulsory soldiers, but most of the troops already had combat experience.

On June 14 and 15, 1916, the Wuerttemberg division units met for further training at the Münsingen military training area. On the eve of the march to Münsingen, due to the large demands for replacement from the front, the middle age groups were withdrawn from the division and replaced by recruits born in 1897. As a result, the troops consisted mainly of young people aged eighteen to nineteen, with the exception of a few companies that were provided by the Landwehr regiments.

On July 19, 1916, the troops were declared mobile.

Saxony set up the mixed 408th Infantry Brigade Leipzig XIX. The Infantry Regiment Dresden 415 XII was formed on the Neuhammer military training area in Silesia from one replacement battalion each from Grenadier Regiment 100, Reserve Infantry Regiment 102 and Reserve Infantry Regiment 103. The Infantry Regiment Leipzig 416 XII was made up of underserved Landsturm men of the XIX. (II. Royal Saxon) Army Corps assembled on the Zeithain military training area. Furthermore, the Dresden Field Artillery Regiment 408 XII was set up with five batteries, including a field howitzer battery. The foot artillery battalion Posen 404 XII consisted of two heavy howitzer batteries. The pioneer company Riesa 404 XII, the headlight train Riesa 404 XII, the double telephone train Dresden 404 XII, the medical company 404 XII, the field hospital Leipzig 408, the ammunition column Leipzig 608 XII for infantry and field artillery as well as the fleet column Dresden 604 XII completed the Saxon- Württemberg infantry division on the immediate arrival in the area of Thourout and Cortemarck.

As of December 1916, the 204th (Saxon-Württemberg) Infantry Division was reclassified into a purely Württemberg unit after the Saxon formations had been exchanged.

In January 1919, the 204th (Württemberg) Infantry Division was disbanded.

Garrisons

Set up as a war formation, the division had no peace garrison.

Battle calendar

The division was formed on June 8, 1916 and used exclusively on the Western Front.

1916

Fighting in the Wytschaete-Bogen May / June 1916

1917

  • to May 26th - Trench warfare on the Yser in the Wytschaete-Bogen
  • May 27 to June 13 - Battle of Flanders
    • 0June 7th - Battle of Hooge
  • June 15 to July 7 - Trench warfare in Lorraine
  • 0July 7th to August 11th - trench warfare in Upper Alsace
  • August 12th to September 10th - Battle of Flanders
  • September 12th to November 11th - fighting in the Siegfried Line
  • November 12th to December 3rd - Battle of Flanders
  • from December 4th - trench warfare in Flanders

1918

  • until March 4th - Trench warfare in Flanders
  • 0March 5th to 22nd - Trench warfare in Flanders and Artois
    • March 17th to 20th - fighting in the Siegfriedstellung and preparation time for the Great Battle of Flanders
  • March 23 to April 6 - Great Battle of France
    • March 28th - attack on the Scarpe
  • 0April 7th to June 8th - fighting on the Avre and near Montdidier and Noyon
  • 0June 9th to August 7th - fighting on the Avre and Matz
    • 0June 9-13 - Battle of Noyon
  • 0August 8th to September 3rd - defensive battle between the Somme and Oise
  • 0September 4th to 18th - Trench warfare in Lorraine and the Vosges
  • September 18 to October 6 - Trench warfare in Lorraine
  • 0October 9th to November 4th - fights in front of and in the Hermann position
  • 05th to 11th November - fighting in retreat in front of the Antwerp - Meuse position
  • from November 12th - evacuation of the occupied territory and march home

organization

structure

Division of war in July 1916

  • Division staff
  • 407th (Württ.) Infantry Brigade
    • Württemberg Infantry Regiment No. 413
    • Württemberg Infantry Regiment No. 414
  • 408th (Saxon) Infantry Brigade
    • Saxon. Infantry Regiment No. 415
    • Saxon. Infantry Regiment No. 416
    • Saxon. Cyclist company no. 204
  • Saxon. Field Artillery Regiment No. 408
  • Württ. Field Artillery Department No. 407
  • Saxon. Foot Artillery Battalion No. 404
  • Württ. Foot artillery ammunition motor vehicle column No. 1004
  • Saxon. Pioneer Company No. 404
  • Württ. Division bridge train 404
  • Saxon. Headlight train No. 404
  • Saxon. Double telephone train No. 404
  • Saxon. Medical company No. 404
  • Wuerttemberg field hospital No. 407
  • Saxon. Field hospital No. 408
  • Assigned: Landsturm Infantry Regiment von Schellerer

Division of war in 1917

  • Division staff
  • 407th (Württ.) Infantry Brigade
    • Württ. Reserve Infantry Regiment No. 120
    • Württemberg Infantry Regiment No. 413
    • Württemberg Infantry Regiment No. 414
  • Württemberg Artillery Commander No. 204
    • Württemberg Reserve Field Artillery Regiment No. 27
  • 4th Squadron / Uhlan Regiment "King Karl" (1st Württembergisches) No. 19
  • Württemberg Pioneer Battalion No. 204
    • Württ. Pioneer Company No. 116
    • Württ. 3rd Reserve Pioneer Company
  • Wuerttemberg Division News Commander No. 204
    • Württ. Divisional Telephone Department No. 204
  • Württ. Medical Company No. 563
  • Württ. Field Hospital No. 407
  • Württ. Field recruit depot No. 204

Division of war on March 20, 1918

  • Division staff
  • 407th Infantry Brigade
  • Artillery Commander No. 204
    • Reserve Field Artillery Regiment No. 27
    • 2nd Battalion / Reserve Foot Artillery Regiment No. 5
  • Engineer Battalion No. 204
  • Division News Commander # 204

Commanders

Rank Surname date
Lieutenant General Hermann von Stein July 20, 1916 to January 2, 1919

Others

Combat value

In 1917, the intelligence department of the General Staff of the American Expeditionary Forces judged the 204th (Württemberg) Infantry Division to be a pretty good division. The heavy losses as a result of the fierce August fighting in 1918 had a very negative effect on the morale of the troops and so they were only rated as third class.

See also

References

swell

Main State Archives Stuttgart , holdings M 410, M 433/2 and M 457

literature

  • E. Berger: The 204th (SW) Infantry Division in World War 1914-18 (Württemberg's Army in World War I. Issue 14). Bergisches Literarisches Büro, Stuttgart 1922.
  • Friedrich von Graevenitz : The development of the württemb. Army. The importance of the German top leadership in the World War for Württ. Armed Forces (Wuerttemberg's Army in World War I. Issues 1 and 2 [double volume]). Berger's literary man. Office and publishing house, Stuttgart 1921.
  • Otto von Moser : The Württemberg people in the world war. Chr.Belser AG, Stuttgart 1927.
  • Hall of Fame of our Old Army. Published on the basis of official material from the Reichsarchiv , Militär-Verlag, Berlin 1927, pp. 75, 165.
  • United States Army, American Expeditionary Forces General Staff, G-2: Histories of two hundred and fifty-one divisions of the German Army witch participated in the war (1914-1918). Chaumont, France, 1919 (1920).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Dermot Bradley (ed.), Günter Wegner: Occupation of the German Army 1815-1939. Volume 1: The higher command posts 1815–1939. Biblio Verlag, Osnabrück 1990, ISBN 3-7648-1780-1 , p. 153.

Remarks

  1. ↑ Was replaced by the newly established 407th (Württemberg) Infantry Brigade from the staff of the 53rd (Württ.) Landwehr Infantry Brigade. The "old" 407th Brigade was disbanded on September 3, 1916.
  2. ↑ Was replaced on December 18, 1916 by the Württ. Reserve Infantry Regiment No. 120.
  3. ↑ Was replaced on January 3, 1917 by the Württ. Infantry Regiment No. 413, which had temporarily left the division on August 29, 1916 and has now returned.
  4. ↑ Resigned from the division in mid-April 1917.
  5. ^ Was replaced on February 24, 1917 by the Württ. Reserve Field Artillery Regiment No. 27.
  6. ↑ Became III in mid-May 1917 Department of the Württ. Reserve Field Artillery Regiment No. 27.
  7. ↑ Left the division association on February 23, 1917.
  8. ↑ Was replaced in mid-January 1917 by the Württ. Pioneer Company No. 116.
  9. ↑ Relieved Cavalry Squadron No. 4 in mid-January 1917.