The 123rd Infantry Division (123. Infanterie-Division) was a unit of the Imperial German

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 April 1, 1915 and organized over the next several weeks. It was part of a wave of new infantry divisions formed in the spring of 1915. The division was disbanded in 1919 during the demobilization of the German Army after World War I.

The division was a Royal Saxon division, made up of troops from that kingdom. It was formed primarily from the excess infantry regiments of regular infantry 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 245th Infantry Brigade was the former 64th Infantry Brigade of the 32nd (3rd Royal Saxon) Infantry Division

32nd Division (German Empire)

The 32nd Division , formally the 3rd Division No. 32 was a unit of the Saxon Army, a component of the Imperial German Army. The division was formed on April 1, 1887 and was headquartered in Bautzen. The division was subordinated in peacetime to the XII Army Corps...

, and came to the division with the 182nd Infantry Regiment. The 106th Reserve Infantry Regiment came from the 24th (Royal Saxon) Reserve Division

24th Reserve Division (German Empire)

The Royal Saxon 24th Reserve Division was a unit of the Imperial 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 178th Infantry Regiment came from the 23rd (1st Royal Saxon) Infantry Division

23rd Division (German Empire)

The 23rd Division , also known as the 1st Division No. 23 was a unit of the Saxon and then Imperial German Army. The division was headquartered in Dresden. The division was subordinated in peacetime to the XII Army Corps .The 1st Division No...

. The division's 193rd Infantry Platoon came from Yugoslavia.

Combat chronicle

The 123rd Infantry Division initially fought on 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...

 in World War I, entering the line in the Aisne region in mid-April 1915. Later in 1915, it fought in the Battle of Loos

Battle of Loos

The Battle of Loos was one of the major British offensives mounted on the Western Front in 1915 during World War I. It marked the first time the British used poison gas during the war, and is also famous for the fact that it witnessed the first large-scale use of 'new' or Kitchener's Army...

. It remained on the front in the Flanders and Artois regions into 1916, and in July entered the Battle of the Somme, where it reportedly lost 6,000 men. It was transferred to the Eastern Front

Eastern 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...

 at the end of the month, where it went into the line near Lake Narač

Lake Narac

Lake Narach is a lake in North-West Belarus . The lake is located in the northern part of the country, in the basin of the Vilija river. It is the largest lake in Belarus .Narach is a part of Narach lake group...

 until November 1917, when it returned to the Western Front. It went into the line near Verdun until May 1918. It later fought in the Second Battle of the Marne

Second Battle of the Marne

The Second Battle of the Marne , or Battle of Reims was the last major German Spring Offensive on the Western Front during the First World War. The German attack failed when an Allied counterattack led by France overwhelmed the Germans, inflicting severe casualties...

 and then returned to the line near Verdun. Late in 1918, it faced 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:...

. It remained in the line until the end of the war. Allied intelligence rated the division as third class and of mediocre combat value.

Order of battle on formation

The 123rd Infantry Division was formed as a triangular division

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 order of battle of the division on April 1, 1915 was as follows:

• 245. Infanterie-Brigade
  • Kgl. Sächsisches Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 106
  • Kgl. Sächsisches 13. Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 178
  • Kgl. Sächsisches 16. Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 182
• 1.Eskadron/Kgl. Sächsisches 1. Husaren-Regiment "König Albert" Nr. 18
• 5.Eskadron/Kgl. Sächsisches 3. Husaren-Regiment Nr. 20
• Kgl. Sächsisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 245
• Fußartillerie-Batterie Nr. 123
• Kgl. Sächsische Pionier-Kompanie Nr. 245

Late-war order of battle

The division underwent relatively few organizational changes over the course of the war. The 182nd Infantry Regiment was sent to the newly-formed 212th Infantry Division in 1916 and was replaced by the 425th Infantry Regiment, which was in turn replaced by the 351st Infantry Regiment. 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 June 3, 1918 was as follows:

• 245. Infanterie-Brigade
  • Kgl. Sächsisches Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 106
  • Kgl. Sächsisches 13. Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 178
  • Kgl. Sächsisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 351
• 5.Eskadron/Kgl. Sächsisches 3. Husaren-Regiment Nr. 20
• Kgl. Sächsischer Artillerie-Kommandeur 123
  • Kgl. Sächsisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 245
  • Fußartillerie-Bataillon Nr. 137
• Kgl. Sächsisches Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 123
  • Pionier-Kompanie Nr. 123
  • Pionier-Kompanie Nr. 245
  • Minenwerfer-Kompanie Nr. 123
• Kgl. Sächsischer Divisions-Nachrichten-Kommandeur 123