27th Division (2nd Royal Württemberg)

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27th (2nd Royal Württemberg) Division

active December 18, 1871 to 1919
Country Kingdom of Württemberg Kingdom of Württemberg
Armed forces Württemberg Army
Branch of service infantry
Type Infantry division
structure See outline
Location See garrisons
management
Commanders See list of commanders

The 27th Division (2. Königlich Württembergische) was a large association of the Württemberg Army in association with the Army of the German Empire .

organization

Association membership

The division was part of the XIII. (Royal Württemberg) Army Corps .

structure

Peace formation from August 1, 1914

Organization of war during mobilization in 1914

  • 53rd Infantry Brigade (3rd Royal Württemberg)
    • Grenadier Regiment "King Karl" (5th Württembergisches) No. 123
    • Infantry Regiment "King Wilhelm I." (6th Württembergisches) No. 124
  • 54th Infantry Brigade (4th Royal Württemberg)
    • Infantry Regiment "Kaiser Wilhelm, King of Prussia" (2nd Württembergisches) No. 120
    • 9th Württemberg Infantry Regiment No. 127
  • Uhlan regiment "King Karl" (1st Württembergisches) No. 19
  • 27th Field Artillery Brigade (2nd Royal Württemberg)
    • Field Artillery Regiment King Karl (1st Württembergisches) No. 13
    • 3rd Württemberg Field Artillery Regiment No. 49
  • 2nd and 3rd Company / Württemberg Pioneer Battalion No. 13

Division of War of March 8, 1918

  • 53rd Infantry Brigade (3rd Royal Württemberg)
    • Infantry Regiment "Kaiser Wilhelm, King of Prussia" (2nd Württembergisches) No. 120
    • Grenadier Regiment "King Karl" (5th Württembergisches) No. 123
    • Infantry Regiment "King Wilhelm I." (6th Württembergisches) No. 124
    • MG Sniper Division No. 53
    • 5th Squadron / Uhlan Regiment "King Karl" (1st Württembergisches) No. 19
  • Artillery Commander No. 27
    • Field artillery regiment "King Karl" (1st Württembergisches) No. 13
    • 3rd Württemberg Field Artillery Regiment No. 49 (from February 24, 1918 Army Artillery)
    • II. Division / Foot Artillery Regiment No. 13
  • Württemberg Pioneer Battalion No. 13
  • Division News Commander No. 27

history

The division was established on December 18, 1871. The establishment of the staff did not take place until March 4, 1872, and the divisional command was based in Ulm . With the mobilization in 1914, the 27th Cavalry Brigade was disbanded as planned and the two Uhlan regiments were subordinated to the 26th (Uhlan Regiment No. 19) and 27th Infantry Division (Uhlan Regiment No. 20) as division cavalry .

First World War

Trench warfare in the Argonne, 1915

On the western front as part of the 5th Army at the XIII. Corps deployed, the 27th Division wrestled in the Battle of Longwy between August 22 and 27, 1914 and advanced to the Othain sector. Between August 28 and the beginning of September the division fought for the Meuse crossings at Dun and stormed Mont-Montigny. After the French 3rd Army was driven away in the first battle between Varennes and Montfaucon, the enemy was pursued west of Verdun southwards by the Argonne . On September 11th the German advance ended on the heights south of Sommaisne. After the general German withdrawal from the Marne , the XIII. Corps to 24 September at Binarville to the new defensive positions in the northern Argonne and went into the trench warfare over. On October 7, 1914, the 27th Division was assigned to the XVI. Army Corps and, in contrast to the 26th Division going off to Flanders, remained in the Argonne. The division was involved in trench warfare at Vauquois and south of the Moreau Gorge. In June 1915, the division captured the opposing fortification sections "Cimitère" and "Bagatelle".

Used in the Wytschaete-Bogen, autumn 1916

From the end of December 1915 to the end of July 1916, the 27th Division of the 4th Army was engaged in trench warfare on the Yser in Flanders . In June 1916, Lieutenant General von Moser had taken over the division, which was used from the end of July 1916 as part of the 1st Army in the Battle of the Somme . While the 26th Division at Longueval fended off British attacks at Delville Forest, the 27th Division wrestled south at Guillemont . Relocated back to Flanders on August 30, 1916 and this time deployed at the Wytschaete-Bogen , she returned to the Somme in mid-November .

In the winter of 1916/17 a new combat regulation “Principles for leadership in defensive battles” with a new general structure of a division came into force. In order to test the structure and to train commanders and general staff officers at the same time , the 27th Division (2nd Royal Württembergische) was designated as the "exercise division". From February to March 1917 she conducted the first three courses in Solesmes and the fourth in Valenciennes .

Tank battle at Bullecourt, April 1917

On March 12, 1917 Lieutenant General Maur was entrusted with the command of the division, which was assigned to the XIV Reserve Corps during the spring battle south of Arras and intervened in the fighting there. On April 11th, the division was able to withstand the attack of a superior enemy in a tank battle near Bullecourt and repel all further attacks by British and Australian forces. She was able to capture 28 officers and 1,150 men and capture 80 machine guns. At the beginning of June 1917 the 27th Division was between Gonnelieu and Honnecourt in the area of ​​Le Catelet and at the end of August southeast of St. Julien. As of September 12, 1917, the unit went into reserve northeast of Ghent for a month . Between 16 and 18 November 1917 it was transported to Upper Alsace , until the beginning of February 1918 it was in the area north of Colmar near Schlettstadt . Relocated to Graincourt in the area southwest of Cambrai at the beginning of February 1918 , it established itself in March 1918 in the area south of Cambrai near Villers-Guislain .

Use of the 27th Division in the Battle of Amiens, August 1918

During the German Michael Offensive in 1918, the 27th Division broke on the northern wing of the 2nd Army again at the XIII. Army Corps (Watter Group) deployed on the front between Gouzeaucourt and Vermand, stormed Vaucellette-Ferme on March 21 and Revelon and Fins on March 22. After a battle at Equancourt, chase battles followed through the summer area. Aveluy was reached by March 23 , where English counter-attacks were repulsed by April 6 and the front froze again.

On August 8, 1918, the Black Day of the German Army , the 27th Division in the section of General Command 54 was able to defend itself against the attacks of the British III. Corps (General Butler ) in the Morlancourt area initially asserted, but was forced to retreat the following day as a result of the collapse of the perforated front on both sides of Villers-Bretonneux .

After the armistice in Compiègne , the remnants of the large unit marched back home, where the division was initially demobilized and finally dissolved in 1919.

Battle calendar

1914

  • August 22-27 - Battle of Longwy-Longuyon and the Othain Sector
  • August 28th to September 1st - Battle of the Meuse crossings
  • 02nd to 3rd September - Battle of Varennes-Montfaucon (1st Battle of Varennes)
  • 0September 4-5 - pursuit west of Verdun and through the Argonne
  • 0September 6-12 - Battle of Vaubecourt-Fleury
    • September 7-11 - Battle for the heights south of Sommaisne
    • September 9-10 - Night raid south of Sommaisne
  • September 12 to 16 - rearguard battles on and in the Argonne
  • from September 25th - fight in the Argonne forest
    • September 28th - enforcement of the forest entrances at Binarville

1915

  • until December 31st - fight in the Argonne forest
  • from December 28 - Trench warfare at the Yser

1916

  • July 27th - trench warfare on the Yser
    • February 14th to March 3rd - Fighting at the Canal Bastion
    • June 2-3 - Fights for Doppelhöhe 60 and Hooge
  • July 29th to August 24th - Battle of the Somme
  • August 30th to November 13th - trench warfare in the Wytschaete Arch
  • November 14-26 - Battle of the Somme
  • from November 27th - trench warfare on the Somme

1917

  • until March 15 - trench warfare on the Somme
  • March 16-28 - fighting in front of the Siegfried Front
  • 0April 9th ​​to May 11th - Spring battle near Arras
  • May 13th to June 20th - fighting in front of the Siegfried Front
  • June 21 to August 15 - fighting in the Siegfriedstellung
  • August 16 to September 14 - Autumn battle in Flanders
  • September 15 to October 8 - Border patrol on the Belgian-Dutch border
  • 0October 9th to November 13th - Battle of Flanders
  • from November 17th - trench warfare in Upper Alsace

1918

  • until February 1st - trench warfare in Upper Alsace
  • 0February 1 to March 20 - Fighting in the Siegfriedstellung and preparation time for the Great Battle in France
  • March 21 to April 6 - Great battle in France
    • March 21st - Storming of the Vancellette Ferme
    • March 22nd - Storming of Revelon and taking of Fins
    • March 23-26 - Pursuit battles in the summer area
    • April 6 - Defense against English attacks at Aveluy
  • 0April 7th to May 19th - Fights on the Ancre
  • May 19 to August 4 - Trench warfare in French Flanders and Artois
  • 0August 8-20 - Defensive battle between Somme and Avre
    • August 8th to 9th - tank battle between Ancre and Avre
    • August 10th to 12th - Battle of the Roman Road
  • August 22nd to September 2nd - Battle of Albert - Péronne
  • 0September 6th to 25th - trench warfare in front of Verdun
  • September 29 to November 11 - Defensive battle in Champagne and on the Meuse
    • September 26th to October 31st - defensive battles between Argonne and Meuse
    • November 1st to 11th - defensive battles between Aire and Maas, retreat battles and transition to the right bank of the Meuse
  • from November 12th - evacuation of the occupied territory and march home

guide

Rank Surname date
Lieutenant General Friedrich von Starkloff 0March 4, 1872 to May 17, 1876
Lieutenant General Otto Knappe von Knappstädt May 18, 1876 to December 8, 1878
Lieutenant General Alexander of Salviati 0December 9, 1878 to February 22, 1881
Lieutenant General Wilhelm of the East March 15, 1881 to November 15, 1882
Lieutenant General Hermann von Guretzky-Cornitz November 16, 1882 to November 14, 1887
Lieutenant General Otto von Haldenwang November 15, 1887 to October 26, 1890
Lieutenant General Berthold Nickisch from Rosenegk October 27, 1890 to April 1, 1895
Lieutenant General Wilhelm von Pfaff 0April 2, 1895 to January 26, 1897
Lieutenant General Alfred von Sick January 27, 1897 to June 3, 1899
Lieutenant General Fritz von Hiller 0June 4, 1899 to January 26, 1902
Lieutenant General Karl von Stohrer January 27 to April 3, 1902
Lieutenant General Rudolf von Freudenberg April 22, 1902 to April 21, 1905
Lieutenant General Alexander von Linsingen April 22, 1905 to August 12, 1907
Lieutenant General Richard von Beck August 13, 1907 to August 30, 1909
Lieutenant General Eberhard von Kurowski August 31, 1909 to April 24, 1912
Lieutenant General Franz von Pfeil and Klein-Ellguth April 25, 1912 to June 13, 1916
Lieutenant General Otto von Moser June 14, 1916 to March 11, 1917
Major general Heinrich von Maur March 12, 1917 to December 9, 1918

See also

References

literature

  • Otto von Moser : The Wuerttembergians in the World War. second expanded edition, Chr.Belser AG, Stuttgart 1928.
  • Hall of Fame of our Old Army. Published on the basis of official material from the Reichsarchiv , Militär-Verlag, Berlin 1927, pp. 68, 127–128.
  • 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. 370-373.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Otto von Moser: Die Württemberger in the world war. Publishing bookstore Chr.Belser AG Stuttgart, 1927, p. 74.
  2. ↑ 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. 123 f.