The 42nd 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 October 1, 1912, and was the last regular division created in the Imperial German Army. It was headquartered in Saarburg in Lothringen (now Sarrebourg

Sarrebourg

Sarrebourg is a commune in the Moselle department in Lorraine in north-eastern France. It lies in on the upper course of the river Sarre.It should not be confused with Saarburg in Germany....

, France). The division was subordinated in peacetime 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 primarily recruited in the Rhine Province

Rhine Province

The Rhine Province , also known as Rhenish Prussia or synonymous to the Rhineland , was the westernmost province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia, within the German Reich, from 1822-1946. It was created from the provinces of the Lower Rhine and Jülich-Cleves-Berg...

 and the Province of Westphalia

Province of Westphalia

The Province of Westphalia was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia from 1815 to 1946.-History:Napoleon Bonaparte founded the Kingdom of Westphalia, which was a client state of the First French Empire from 1807 to 1813...

, as the German population in Alsace-Lorraine was insufficient to fill the division.

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...

, fighting 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 then in the Race to the Sea

Race to the Sea

The Race to the Sea is a name given to the period early in the First World War when the two sides were still engaged in mobile warfare on the Western Front. With the German advance stalled at the First Battle of the Marne, the opponents continually attempted to outflank each other through...

. The division was then 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...

, seeing action in 1915 in the Second Battle of the Masurian Lakes

Second Battle of the Masurian Lakes

The Second Battle of the Masurian Lakes, also known as the Winter Battle of the Masurian Lakes, was the northern part of the Central Powers' offensive on the Eastern Front in the winter of 1915...

, 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...

 and Operation Albion

Operation Albion

Operation Albion was the German land and naval operation in September-October 1917 to invade and occupy the Estonian islands of Saaremaa , Hiiumaa and Muhu , then part of the Russian Republic...

. It remained on the Eastern Front until December 1917, when it returned to France. In 1918, it fought in the Battle of the Lys and faced various Allied offensives, including the Hundred Days Offensive

Hundred Days Offensive

The Hundred Days Offensive was the final period of the First World War, during which the Allies launched a series of offensives against the Central Powers on the Western Front from 8 August to 11 November 1918, beginning with the Battle of Amiens. The offensive forced the German armies to retreat...

. Allied intelligence rated the division as third class.

Pre-World War I organization

The organization of the 42nd Division in 1914, shortly before the outbreak of World War I, was as follows:

• 59. Infanterie-Brigade
  • 1. Oberrheinisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 97
  • 3. Unter-Elsässisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 138
• 65. Infanterie-Brigade
  • Infanterie-Regiment Graf Barfuß (4. Westfälisches) Nr. 17
  • 2. Lothringisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 131
• 42. Kavallerie-Brigade
  • Ulanen-Regiment Graf Haeseler (2. Brandenburgisches) Nr. 11
  • Schleswig-Holsteinisches Ulanen-Regiment Nr. 15
• 42. Feldartillerie-Brigade
  • Feldartillerie-Regiment von Holtzendorff (1. Rheinisches) Nr. 8
  • 1. Ober-Elsässiches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 15

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 42nd Division was redesignated the 42nd Infantry Division. Its initial wartime organization was as follows:

• 59. Infanterie-Brigade
  • 1. Oberrheinisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 97
  • 3. Unter-Elsässisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 138
• 65. Infanterie-Brigade
  • Infanterie-Regiment Graf Barfuß (4. Westfälisches) Nr. 17
  • 2. Lothringisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 131
• Westfälisches Dragoner-Regiment Nr. 7
• 42. Feldartillerie-Brigade
  • Feldartillerie-Regiment von Holtzendorff (1. Rheinisches) Nr. 8
  • 1. Ober-Elsässiches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 15
• 2.Kompanie/2. Rheinisches Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 27
• 3.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 42nd Infantry Division's order of battle on January 1, 1918 was as follows:

• 65. Infanterie-Brigade
  • Infanterie-Regiment Graf Barfuß (4. Westfälisches) Nr. 17
  • 2. Lothringisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 131
  • 3. Unter-Elsässisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 138
• 1. Eskadron/Westfälisches Dragoner-Regiment Nr. 7
• Artillerie-Kommandeur 42
  • 1. Ober-Elsässiches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 15
  • III. Bataillon/2. Pommersches Fußartillerie-Regiment Nr. 15 (from April 5, 1918)
• Stab Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 27
  • 3.Kompanie/2. Rheinisches Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 27
  • 5.Kompanie/2. Rheinisches Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 27
  • Minenwerfer-Kompanie Nr. 42
• Divisions-Nachrichten-Kommandeur 42