The 31st Division was a unit of the Prussia

Prussia

Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...

n/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...

. It was formed on March 20, 1871, and was headquartered in Straßburg

Strasburg

-Places:*Strasbourg, a city in Alsace *Straßburg, Austria, in Carinthia*Strasburg, Germany, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania*the former name of Brodnica, became Polish after World War I*Strassburg, the German name for Aiud, Alba...

 (now Strasbourg, France) until 1912, and then in Saarbrücken

Saarbrücken

Saarbrücken is the capital of the state of Saarland in Germany. The city is situated at the heart of a metropolitan area that borders on the west on Dillingen and to the north-east on Neunkirchen, where most of the people of the Saarland live....

. The division was subordinated in peacetime to the XV Army Corps (XV. Armeekorps) until 1912, and then to the XXI Army Corps (XXI. Armeekorps). The division was disbanded in 1919 during the demobilization of the German Army after 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 recruited primarily in the southern part of the Rhine Province, but during 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...

 also drew replacements from Westphalia.

Combat chronicle

The division began World War I 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...

. It saw action in the Battle of the Frontiers

Battle of the Frontiers

The Battle of the Frontiers was a series of battles fought along the eastern frontier of France and in southern Belgium shortly after the outbreak of World War I. The battles represented a collision between the military strategies of the French Plan XVII and the German Schlieffen Plan...

 and in the Race for the Sea. In January 1915, 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...

, where it remained until December 1917. It fought in the Gorlice-Tarnów Offensive

Gorlice-Tarnów Offensive

The Gorlice–Tarnów Offensive during World War I started as a minor German offensive to relieve Russian pressure on the Austro-Hungarians to their south on the Eastern Front, but resulted in the total collapse of the Russian lines and their retreat far into Russia...

 in 1915. After returning to the Western Front, it participated in the 1918 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...

, including the Battle of the Lys. In September 1918, it faced an American/French offensive in the Battle of Saint-Mihiel

Battle of Saint-Mihiel

The Battle of Saint-Mihiel was a World War I battle fought between September 12–15, 1918, involving the American Expeditionary Force and 48,000 French troops under the command of U.S. general John J. Pershing against German positions...

. The division was rated as third class by Allied intelligence.

Pre-World War I organization

The organization of the 31st Division in 1914, shortly before the outbreak of World War I, was as follows:

• 32. Infanterie-Brigade
  • 8. Rheinisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 70
  • 10. Lothringisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 174
• 62. Infanterie-Brigade
  • Infanterie-Regiment Markgraf Carl (7. Brandenburgisches) Nr. 60
  • 2. Unter-Elsässisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 137
  • Infanterie-Regiment Hessen-Homburg Nr. 166
• 31. Kavallerie-Brigade
  • Westfälisches Dragoner-Regiment Nr. 7
  • Ulanen-Regiment Großherzog Friedrich von Baden (Rheinisches) Nr. 7
• 31. Feldartillerie-Brigade
  • 1. Unter-Elsässisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 31
  • 2. Unter-Elsässisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 67
• Landwehr-Inpsektion Saarbrücken

Order of battle on mobilization

On mobilization in August 1914 at the beginning of World War I, most divisional cavalry, including brigade headquarters, was withdrawn to form cavalry divisions or split up among divisions as reconnaissance units. Divisions received engineer companies and other support units from their higher headquarters. The 31st Division was redesignated the 31st Infantry Division. Its initial wartime organization was as follows:

• 32. Infanterie-Brigade
  • 8. Rheinisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 70
  • 10. Lothringisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 174
• 62. Infanterie-Brigade
  • Infanterie-Regiment Markgraf Carl (7. Brandenburgisches) Nr. 60
  • 2. Unter-Elsässisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 137
  • Infanterie-Regiment Hessen-Homburg Nr. 166
• Ulanen-Regiment Großherzog Friedrich von Baden (Rheinisches) Nr. 7
• 31. Feldartillerie-Brigade
  • 1. Unter-Elsässisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 31
  • 2. Unter-Elsässisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 67
• 1.Kompanie/2. Rheinisches Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 27

Late World War I organization

Divisions underwent many changes during the war, with regiments moving from division to division, and some being destroyed and rebuilt. During the war, most divisions became triangular

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...

 - one infantry brigade with three infantry regiments rather than two infantry brigades of two regiments (a "square division

Square division

A square division is a designation given to the way military divisions are organized. In a square organization, the division's main body is composed of four regimental elements. Since a regiment could be split into separate battalions for tactical purposes, the natural division within a division...

"). An artillery commander replaced the artillery brigade headquarters, the cavalry was further reduced, the engineer contingent was increased, and a divisional signals command was created. The 31st Infantry Division's order of battle on January 1, 1918 was as follows:

• 32. Infanterie-Brigade
  • 8. Rheinisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 70
  • Infanterie-Regiment Hessen-Homburg Nr. 166
  • 10. Lothringisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 174
• 5.Eskadron/Ulanen-Regiment Großherzog Friedrich von Baden (Rheinisches) Nr. 7
• Artillerie-Kommandeur 31:
  • 1. Unter-Elsässisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 31
  • Fußartillerie-Bataillon Nr. 44 (from June 22, 1918)
• Stab Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 93:
  • 1.Kompanie/2. Rheinisches Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 27
  • 3.Reserve-Kompanie/Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 32
  • Minenwerfer-Kompanie Nr. 31
• Divisions-Nachrichten-Kommandeur 31