| 10th Ersatz Division (10. Ersatz-Division) | |
|---|---|
 The 10th Ersatz Division in 1916 | |
| Active | 1914 – 1918 |
| Country |  German Empire |
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | Approx. 15,000 |
| Engagements | World War I |
The 10th Ersatz Division (10. Ersatz-Division) was a unit of the German Army in World War I. [1] The division was formed on the mobilization of the German Army in August 1914. [2] The division was disbanded in 1919 during the demobilization of the German Army after World War I.
The 10th Ersatz Division was formed on mobilization from 12 brigade replacement battalions (Brigade-Ersatz-Bataillone). Each brigade replacement battalion was numbered after its parent infantry brigade, and was formed with two companies taken from the replacement battalion of each of the brigade's two infantry regiments. Thus, collectively, the 12 brigade replacement battalions represented troop contributions from 24 different infantry regiments. The division represented a broad cross-section of the German Empire. The units of the 25th Mixed Ersatz Brigade were from the VII Army Corps area, which included the Prussian Province of Westphalia, the Lower Rhine portion of the Prussian Rhine Province, the Principality of Lippe, and the Principality of Schaumburg-Lippe. The units of the 37th Mixed Ersatz Brigade were from the X Army Corps area, which included most of the Prussian Province of Hanover, the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg, and the Duchy of Brunswick. The units of the 43rd Mixed Ersatz Brigade were from the XI Army Corps area, which included the Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel) portion of the Prussian Province of Hesse-Nassau, the Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, the Duchies of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and Saxe-Meiningen, the Principalities of Reuss Elder Line, Reuss Younger Line, Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, and Waldeck, and portions of the Prussian Province of Saxony, including the region around Erfurt. [3]
The 10th Ersatz Division initially fought on the Western Front in World War I. It fought in the Battle of the Frontiers, seeing action in Lorraine and against the French defensive line from Nancy to Epinal. From December 1914 to February 1916, the division occupied the trenchlines in the Woëvre region. The division fought in the Battle of the Somme in September 1916. After a period in the trenchlines in the Champagne and near Verdun, the division saw action in 1917 in the Second Battle of the Aisne, also called the Third Battle of Champagne, and in the Battle of Passchendaele. In October 1917, the division was transferred to the Eastern Front, fighting in eastern Galicia until the armistice on that front. In January/February 1918, the division was in army reserve and was transferred back to the Western Front. It was in the trenchlines in Flanders and the Artois until April 1918, when it fought in the Battle of Armentières, part of the Battle of the Lys, also known as the German Lys Offensive or the Fourth Battle of Ypres. The division remained in the Flanders/Artois region after the German offensives and faced the various Allied counteroffensives, seeing action in the late-1918 Battle of Cambrai. It ended the war fighting in the Battle of Valenciennes and in the German retreat to its Antwerp-Meuse position. Allied intelligence rated the division as third class and of moderate value. [2] [4]
The order of battle of the 10th Ersatz Division on mobilization was as follows: [5]
The division underwent several structural changes as the war progressed. The mixed Ersatz brigades were converted to Ersatz infantry brigades as cavalry, artillery, and pioneer Ersatz units were grouped and reorganized. The brigade replacement battalions were grouped into infantry regiments. The 10th Ersatz Division was triangularized in October 1916. Cavalry was later reduced, pioneers were increased to a full battalion, and an artillery command and a divisional signals command were created. The division's order of battle on February 20, 1918, was as follows: [5]
The 37th Division was a unit of the Prussian/German Army. It was formed between March 25 and April 1, 1899, in Allenstein. The division was initially subordinated in peacetime to the I Army Corps. In 1912, it was transferred to the newly formed XX Army Corps. The division was disbanded in 1919 during the demobilization of the German Army after World War I. It was mainly recruited in the Prussian province of East Prussia.
The 41st Division was a unit of the Prussian/German Army. It was established on October 1, 1912, in Deutsch Eylau. The division was subordinated in peacetime to the XX Army Corps. The division was disbanded in 1919 during the demobilization of the German Army after World War I. It was mainly recruited in the Prussian province of West Prussia.
The 30th Royal Bavarian Reserve Division was a reserve infantry division of the Imperial German Army in World War I. It was initially the Main Reserve, Fortress Strasbourg and was designated the 30th Reserve Division from mobilization in August 1914. It was almost entirely made up of Bavarian units and thus, on December 26, 1916, it was renamed the 30th Royal Bavarian Reserve Division. It spent the war engaged in positional warfare in the Vosges mountains of France and the Alsace-Lorraine region.
The Guard Ersatz Division (Garde-Ersatz-Division) was a division of the Imperial German Army during World War I. Ersatz is German for "replacement"; the division was formed from companies of the replacement battalions (Ersatz-Bataillone) of the regiments of Prussian Guards and several other Prussian regiments. The division was formed on the mobilization of the German Army in August 1914.
The Bavarian Ersatz Division was a Bavarian division of the Imperial German Army in World War I. It was formed in August 1914 and dissolved on 6 October 1918. It was initially a Bavarian formation but soon received several non-Bavarian units which served with the division until 1917.
The 25th Division, officially the Grand Ducal Hessian (25th) Division, was a unit of the Prussian/German Army. It was headquartered in Darmstadt, the capital of the Grand Duchy of Hesse. The division was subordinated in peacetime to XVIII Army Corps when that corps was formed in 1899. The division was disbanded in 1919, during the demobilization of the German Army after World War I.
The 39th Division was a unit of the Prussian/German Army. It was formed on April 1, 1899, and was headquartered in Colmar. The division was subordinated in peacetime initially to the XIV Army Corps and then to the XV Army Corps. The division was disbanded in 1919 during the demobilization of the German Army after World War I.
The 8th Landwehr Division was a unit of the Prussian/German Army. The division was formed on January 31, 1915, out of the formerly independent 56th Landwehr Infantry Brigade, which had been dissolved on January 25, 1915. The division spent the period from its formation to early 1917 mainly involved in positional warfare in Upper Alsace, after which it occupied the trenchlines near Verdun. It remained in positional warfare in this general region until the end of the war. It participated in no major battles, but was primarily suited to quieter sectors of the line. Allied intelligence rated the division as a fourth class division, though it noted that "in the attack it did fairly well, without heavy loss." The division was disbanded in 1919 during the demobilization of the German Army after World War I.
The 8th Ersatz Division was a unit of the German Army in World War I. The division was formed on mobilization of the German Army in August 1914. The division was a composite division, formed from 14 brigade replacement battalions (Brigade-Ersatz-Bataillone) from the Kingdom of Württemberg, the Grand Duchy of Hesse, the Rhine Province, the Province of Hesse-Nassau and the Imperial Territory of Alsace-Lorraine. It became more Württemberg as the war progressed; and, in February 1917, it was officially designated a Royal Württemberg division. It was redesignated the 243rd Infantry Division in April 1917.
The 5th Ersatz Division was a unit of the German Army, in World War I. The division was formed in June 1915 as a temporary division known as the Division Basedow, named after its commander, Heino von Basedow. It was formed from two previously independent Brigades: 37th Mixed Landwehr and 2nd Reserve Ersatz. The division was converted into the 5th Ersatz Division in June 1916. The 5th Ersatz Division was disbanded in 1919, during the demobilization of the German Army after World War I.
The 33rd Reserve Division was a unit of the Imperial German Army, in World War I. The division was formed on the mobilization of the German Army in August 1914. The division was disbanded in August 1918. The division began the war as part of the central reserve of Fortress Metz.
The 44th Reserve Division was a unit of the Imperial German Army in World War I. The division was formed in August 1914 and organized over the next two months. It was part of the first wave of new divisions formed at the outset of World War I, which were numbered the 43rd through 54th Reserve Divisions. The division was disbanded in 1919 during the demobilization of the German Army after World War I. The division was part of the XXII Reserve Corps and was recruited primarily in the Prussian Province of Brandenburg, but the 208th Reserve Infantry Regiment was raised in the Province of Hanover and the Duchy of Brunswick.
The 4th Ersatz Division was a unit of the German Army, in World War I. The division was formed on mobilization of the German Army in August 1914. The division was disbanded in 1919, during the demobilization of the German Army after World War I.
The 19th Ersatz Division was a unit of the German Army, in World War I. The division was formed on the mobilization of the German Army in August 1914. The division was disbanded in 1919, during the demobilization of the German Army after World War I.
The 3rd Landwehr Division was an infantry division of the Imperial German Army during World War I. It was formed on the mobilization of the German Army in August 1914 under the "Higher Landwehr Commander 3". The Landwehr was the third category of the German Army, after the regular Army and the reserves. Thus Landwehr divisions were made up of older soldiers who had passed from the reserves, and were intended primarily for occupation and security duties rather than heavy combat. While the division was a Landwehr formation, at the beginning of the war it also had an attached Ersatz infantry brigade, made up of cadres from various regimental replacement battalions. The division was primarily raised in the Prussian provinces of Posen, Lower Silesia, and West Prussia. The division was disbanded in 1919 during the demobilization of the German Army after World War I.
The 4th Landwehr Division was an infantry division of the Imperial German Army during World War I. It was formed on mobilization of the German Army in August 1914 under the "Higher Landwehr Commander 4". The Landwehr was the third category of the German Army, after the regular Army and the reserves. Thus Landwehr divisions were made up of older soldiers who had passed from the reserves, and were intended primarily for occupation and security duties rather than heavy combat. The division was primarily raised in the Prussian provinces of Upper and Lower Silesia. It was disbanded in 1919 during the demobilization of the German Army after World War I.
The 83rd Infantry Division was a formation of the Imperial German Army in World War I. The division was formed in November 1914 as the "Division Posen 1", part of the Posen Corps, and became the 83rd Infantry Division in June 1915. It was initially formed from the garrison infantry regiments of Fortress Posen. The division was disbanded in 1919 during the demobilization of the German Army after World War I.
The 84th Infantry Division was a formation of the Imperial German Army in World War I. The division was formed in November 1914 as the "Division Posen 2", part of the Posen Corps, and became the 84th Infantry Division in June 1915. It was initially formed from the garrison infantry regiments of Fortress Posen. The division was disbanded in 1919 during the demobilization of the German Army after World War I.
The 86th Infantry Division was a formation of the Imperial German Army in World War I. The division was formed in November 1914 as the Wernitz Division, named after its commander General Theodor von Wernitz, and became the 86th Infantry Division in August 1915. The division was disbanded in 1919 during the demobilization of the German Army after World War I.
The 1st Bavarian Landwehr Division was a unit of the Bavarian Army, part of the Imperial German Army, in World War I. The division was formed on August 21, 1914, as the "Reinforced Bavarian Landwehr Division" and was also known initially as the Wening Division, named after its commander, Otto Wening. It became the 1st Bavarian Landwehr Division in September 1914. The division was disbanded in 1919 during the demobilization of the German Army after World War I.