107th Infantry Division (German Empire)
Encyclopedia
The 107th Infantry Division (107. Infanterie-Division) was a unit of the Imperial German
Army
in World War I
. The division was formed on June 1, 1915 and organized over the next few weeks. It was part of a wave of new infantry divisions formed in 1915. The division was disbanded in 1919 during the demobilization of the German Army after World War I.
The division was formed primarily from the excess infantry regiments of existing divisions which were being triangularized
. The division's 213th Infantry Brigade was formerly the 98th Reserve Infantry Brigade of the 49th Reserve Division
, and came to the division with the 227th Reserve Infantry Regiment. The 52nd Reserve Infantry Regiment came from the 5th Reserve Division
and the 232nd Reserve Infantry Regiment came from the 50th Reserve Division
.
, seeing its first action in the Battle of Lemberg (now Lviv
) and later participating in the capture of Brest-Litovsk and of Pinsk. It was then transferred south to participate in the Serbian Campaign
. After a brief respite on the Macedonian front, the division went back to Russia at the beginning of January 1916. In November 1917, the division was sent to the Western Front
, entering the line in the German "Siegfried" position. It fought in the tank Battle of Cambrai in November 1917 and in the German counterattack in December. In April 1918, the division participated in the German Spring Offensive
, fighting in the First Battle of the Somme (1918), also known as the Second Battle of the Somme (to distinguish it from the 1916 battle). It remained in the Somme salient and fought against various Allied counteroffensives. The division moved to the St. Mihiel salient in September and then occupied the line in the Woëvre region. In October, it met the Allied Meuse-Argonne Offensive
. The division remained in the line until the end of the war. Allied intelligence rated the division as third class.
. The order of battle of the division on June 3, 1915 was as follows:
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
Army
German Army (German Empire)
The German Army was the name given the combined land forces of the German Empire, also known as the National Army , Imperial Army or Imperial German Army. The term "Deutsches Heer" is also used for the modern German Army, the land component of the German Bundeswehr...
in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. The division was formed on June 1, 1915 and organized over the next few weeks. It was part of a wave of new infantry divisions formed in 1915. The division was disbanded in 1919 during the demobilization of the German Army after World War I.
The division was formed primarily from the excess infantry regiments of existing divisions which were being triangularized
Triangular division
A triangular division is a designation given to the way divisions are organized. In a triangular organization, the division's main body is composed of three regimental maneuver elements. These regiments may be controlled by a brigade headquarters or directly subordinated to the division commander...
. The division's 213th Infantry Brigade was formerly the 98th Reserve Infantry Brigade of the 49th Reserve Division
49th Reserve Division (German Empire)
The 49th Reserve Division was a unit of the Imperial German Army in World War I. The division was formed in September 1914 and organized over the next month, arriving in the line in mid-October. It was part of the first wave of new divisions formed at the outset of World War I, which were...
, and came to the division with the 227th Reserve Infantry Regiment. The 52nd Reserve Infantry Regiment came from the 5th Reserve Division
5th Reserve Division (German Empire)
The 5th Reserve 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...
and the 232nd Reserve Infantry Regiment came from the 50th Reserve Division
50th Reserve Division (German Empire)
The 50th Reserve Division was a unit of the Imperial German Army in World War I. The division was formed in September 1914 and organized over the next month, arriving in the line in October. It was part of the first wave of new divisions formed at the outset of World War I, which were numbered...
.
Combat chronicle
The 107th Infantry Division initially served on the Eastern FrontEastern Front (World War I)
The Eastern Front was a theatre of war during World War I in Central and, primarily, Eastern Europe. The term is in contrast to the Western Front. Despite the geographical separation, the events in the two theatres strongly influenced each other...
, seeing its first action in the Battle of Lemberg (now Lviv
Lviv
Lviv is a city in western Ukraine. The city is regarded as one of the main cultural centres of today's Ukraine and historically has also been a major Polish and Jewish cultural center, as Poles and Jews were the two main ethnicities of the city until the outbreak of World War II and the following...
) and later participating in the capture of Brest-Litovsk and of Pinsk. It was then transferred south to participate in the Serbian Campaign
Serbian Campaign (World War I)
The Serbian Campaign was fought from late July 1914, when Austria-Hungary invaded Serbia at the outset of the First World War, until late 1915, when the Macedonian Front was formed...
. After a brief respite on the Macedonian front, the division went back to Russia at the beginning of January 1916. In November 1917, the division was sent to the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
, entering the line in the German "Siegfried" position. It fought in the tank Battle of Cambrai in November 1917 and in the German counterattack in December. In April 1918, the division participated in the German Spring Offensive
Spring Offensive
The 1918 Spring Offensive or Kaiserschlacht , also known as the Ludendorff Offensive, was a series of German attacks along the Western Front during World War I, beginning on 21 March 1918, which marked the deepest advances by either side since 1914...
, fighting in the First Battle of the Somme (1918), also known as the Second Battle of the Somme (to distinguish it from the 1916 battle). It remained in the Somme salient and fought against various Allied counteroffensives. The division moved to the St. Mihiel salient in September and then occupied the line in the Woëvre region. In October, it met the Allied Meuse-Argonne Offensive
Meuse-Argonne Offensive
The Meuse-Argonne Offensive, or Maas-Argonne Offensive, also called the Battle of the Argonne Forest, was a part of the final Allied offensive of World War I that stretched along the entire western front.-Overview:...
. The division remained in the line until the end of the war. Allied intelligence rated the division as third class.
Order of battle on formation
The 107th Infantry Division was formed as a triangular divisionTriangular division
A triangular division is a designation given to the way divisions are organized. In a triangular organization, the division's main body is composed of three regimental maneuver elements. These regiments may be controlled by a brigade headquarters or directly subordinated to the division commander...
. The order of battle of the division on June 3, 1915 was as follows:
- 213. Infanterie-Brigade
- Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 52
- Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 227
- Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 232
- 1.Eskadron/Kürassier-Regiment Nr. 6
- 2.Eskadron/Kürassier-Regiment Nr. 6
- Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 213
- Fußartillerie-Batterie Nr. 107
- Pionier-Kompanie Nr. 213
Late-war order of battle
The division underwent relatively few organizational changes over the course of the war. Cavalry was reduced, artillery and signals commands were formed, and combat engineer support was expanded to a full pioneer battalion. The order of battle on March 2, 1918 was as follows:- 213.Infanterie-Brigade
- Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 52
- Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 227
- Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 232
- 3.Eskadron/Ulanen-Regiment Nr. 1
- Artillerie-Kommandeur 157
- Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 213
- I. Bataillon/Kgl. Bayerisches 6. Fußartillerie-Regiment
- Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 107
- Pionier-Kompanie Nr. 213
- 4. Kompanie/Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 21
- Minenwerfer-Kompanie Nr. 107
- Divisions-Nachrichten-Kommandeur 107