The 41st 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 established on October 1, 1912 in Deutsch Eylau (now Iława, Poland). The division was subordinated in peacetime to the XX Army Corps

XX Corps (German Empire)

The XX Army Corps was a unit of the German Army that was stationed in Allenstein . At the beginning of World War I, the corps was transferred to the Eastern Front...

 (XX. 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...

. It was mainly recruited in the Prussian province of West Prussia

West Prussia

West Prussia was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1773–1824 and 1878–1919/20 which was created out of the earlier Polish province of Royal Prussia...

.

Pre-World War I organization

The organization of the 37th Division in 1914, shortly before the outbreak of World War I, was as follows:

• 72. Infanterie-Brigade
  • Infanterie-Regiment von Grolmann (1. Posensches) Nr. 18
  • Infanterie-Regiment Freiherr Hiller von Gaertringen (4. Posensches) Nr. 59
• 74. Infanterie-Brigade
  • 5. Westpreußisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 148
  • Deutsch Ordens-Infanterie-Regiment (1. Elsässisches) Nr. 152
• 41. Kavallerie-Brigade
  • Kürassier-Regiment Herzog Friedrich Eugen von Württemberg (Westpreußisches) Nr. 5
  • Ulanen-Regiment von Schmidt (1. Pommersches) Nr.
• 41. Feldartillerie-Brigade
  • 1. Westpreußisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 35
  • 3. Ostpreußisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 79

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 41st Division was renamed the 41st Infantry Division. Its initial wartime organization was as follows:

• 72. Infanterie-Brigade
  • Infanterie-Regiment von Grolmann (1. Posensches) Nr. 18
  • Infanterie-Regiment Freiherr Hiller von Gaertringen (4. Posensches) Nr. 59
• 74. Infanterie-Brigade
  • 5. Westpreußisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 148
  • Deutsch Ordens-Infanterie-Regiment (1. Elsässisches) Nr. 152
• Dragoner-Regiment König Albert von Sachsen (Ostpreußisches) Nr. 10
• 41. Feldartillerie-Brigade
  • 1. Westpreußisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 35
  • 3. Ostpreußisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 79
• 2.Kompanie/Masurisches Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 26
• 3.Kompanie/Masurisches Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 26

Combat chronicle

The 41st Infantry Division began World War I on 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...

. It participated in the battles of Tannenberg

Battle of Tannenberg (1914)

The Battle of Tannenberg was an engagement between the Russian Empire and the German Empire in the first days of World War I. It was fought by the Russian First and Second Armies against the German Eighth Army between 23 August and 30 August 1914. The battle resulted in the almost complete...

 and 1st Masurian Lakes. In 1916, it saw action in the Romanian Campaign

Romanian Campaign (World War I)

The Romanian Campaign was part of the Balkan theatre of World War I, with Romania and Russia allied against the armies of the Central Powers. Fighting took place from August 1916 to December 1917, across most of present-day Romania, including Transylvania, which was part of the Austro-Hungarian...

. The division was transferred 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...

 in February 1917. It occupied the trenchlines in 1917, and participated in the Second Battle of the Aisne

Second Battle of the Aisne

The Second Battle of the Aisne , was the massive main assault of the French military's Nivelle Offensive or Chemin des Dames Offensive in 1917 during World War I....

, also called the Third Battle of Champagne. In 1918 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...

. In the subsequent Allied counteroffensives, the division fought in the Meuse-Argonne

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:...

. Allied intelligence rated the division a second class division.

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...

"). The 41st Infantry Division was triangularized in May 1915. 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 41st Infantry Division's order of battle on March 31, 1918 was as follows:

• 74. Infanterie-Brigade
  • Infanterie-Regiment von Grolmann (1. Posensches) Nr. 18
  • 5. Westpreußisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 148
  • Deutsch Ordens-Infanterie-Regiment (1. Elsässisches) Nr. 152
• 4. Eskadron/Dragoner-Regiment König Albert von Sachsen (Ostpreußisches) Nr. 10
• Artillerie-Kommandeur 41:
  • 3. Ostpreußisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 79
  • II. Bataillon/2. Pommersches Fußartillerie-Regiment Nr. 15
• Stab Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 26:
  • 1.Kompanie/Masurisches Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 26
  • 2.Kompanie/Masurisches Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 26
  • Minenwerfer-Kompanie Nr. 41
• Divisions-Nachrichten-Kommandeur 41