49th Reserve Division (German Empire)
Encyclopedia
The 49th Reserve Division (49. 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 numbered the 43rd through 54th Reserve Divisions. The division was disbanded in 1919 during the demobilization of the German Army after World War I. The division was initially recruited in the V Army Corps area, which covered the Prussian Province of Posen
and much of Lower Silesia
in the Province of Silesia
, and later received many replacements from the IV Army Corps area, which covered the Prussian Province of Saxony
, the Duchy of Anhalt, and several of the Thuringian states.
, entering the line in mid-October. It fought in the Battle of Łódź in November–December 1914 and then spent most of the period until mid-1915 fighting along the Rawka
and Bzura
Rivers. In July and August 1915 it fought in the Battle of Warsaw and then participated in the follow-on engagements as German forces drove the Russians back to a line along the Shchara and Servech Rivers. The division remained on the Shchara/Servech line until August 1916. The division then fought in various parts of the line, including in the Carpathians, until January 1917, when it was transferred to the Western Front
. In 1917, it fought in the Battle of Arras
, the Battle of Passchendaele, and the tank battle of Cambrai. It remained in the line in the Flanders region until the end of the war. In 1917, Allied intelligence assessed the division as a good division. In 1918 it was rated second class.
, with essentially the same organization as the reserve divisions formed on mobilization. The order of battle of the 49th Reserve Division on September 10, 1914 was as follows:
in June 1915. Over the course of the war, other changes took place, including the formation of artillery and signals commands and the enlargement of combat engineer support to a full pioneer battalion. The order of battle on August 22, 1918 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 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 numbered the 43rd through 54th Reserve Divisions. The division was disbanded in 1919 during the demobilization of the German Army after World War I. The division was initially recruited in the V Army Corps area, which covered the Prussian Province of Posen
Province of Posen
The Province of Posen was a province of Prussia from 1848–1918 and as such part of the German Empire from 1871 to 1918. The area was about 29,000 km2....
and much of Lower Silesia
Lower Silesia
Lower Silesia ; is the northwestern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia; Upper Silesia is to the southeast.Throughout its history Lower Silesia has been under the control of the medieval Kingdom of Poland, the Kingdom of Bohemia and the Austrian Habsburg Monarchy from 1526...
in the Province of Silesia
Province of Silesia
The Province of Silesia was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1815 to 1919.-Geography:The territory comprised the bulk of the former Bohemian crown land of Silesia and the County of Kladsko, which King Frederick the Great had conquered from the Austrian Habsburg Monarchy in the 18th...
, and later received many replacements from the IV Army Corps area, which covered the Prussian Province of Saxony
Province of Saxony
The Province of Saxony was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and later the Free State of Prussia from 1816 until 1945. Its capital was Magdeburg.-History:The province was created in 1816 out of the following territories:...
, the Duchy of Anhalt, and several of the Thuringian states.
Combat chronicle
The 49th Reserve Division initially fought 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...
, entering the line in mid-October. It fought in the Battle of Łódź in November–December 1914 and then spent most of the period until mid-1915 fighting along the Rawka
Rawka River
The Rawka River is a river in central Poland, a tributary of the Bzura river , with a length of 97 kilometres and the basin area of 1,192 km2....
and Bzura
Bzura
Bzura is a river in central Poland, a tributary of the Vistula river , with a length of 166 kilometres and the basin area of 7,788 km2.-Towns and townships:*Zgierz*Aleksandrów Łódzki*Ozorków*Łęczyca*Łowicz*Sochaczew...
Rivers. In July and August 1915 it fought in the Battle of Warsaw and then participated in the follow-on engagements as German forces drove the Russians back to a line along the Shchara and Servech Rivers. The division remained on the Shchara/Servech line until August 1916. The division then fought in various parts of the line, including in the Carpathians, until January 1917, when it 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 1917, it fought in the Battle of Arras
Battle of Arras (1917)
The Battle of Arras was a British offensive during the First World War. From 9 April to 16 May 1917, British, Canadian, New Zealand, Newfoundland, and Australian troops attacked German trenches near the French city of Arras on the Western Front....
, the Battle of Passchendaele, and the tank battle of Cambrai. It remained in the line in the Flanders region until the end of the war. In 1917, Allied intelligence assessed the division as a good division. In 1918 it was rated second class.
Order of battle on formation
The 49th Reserve Division was initially organized as a square divisionSquare 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...
, with essentially the same organization as the reserve divisions formed on mobilization. The order of battle of the 49th Reserve Division on September 10, 1914 was as follows:
- 97.Reserve-Infanterie-Brigade
- Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 225
- Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 226
- Reserve-Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 21
- 98.Reserve-Infanterie -Brigade
- Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 227
- Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 228
- Reserve-Kavallerie-Abteilung Nr. 49
- Reserve-Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 49
- Reserve-Pionier-Kompanie Nr. 49
Order of battle on August 22, 1918
The 49th Reserve Division was triangularizedTriangular 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...
in June 1915. Over the course of the war, other changes took place, including the formation of artillery and signals commands and the enlargement of combat engineer support to a full pioneer battalion. The order of battle on August 22, 1918 was as follows:
- 97.Reserve-Infanterie-Brigade
- Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 225
- Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 226
- Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 228
- Maschinengewehr-Scharfschützen-Abteilung Nr. 59
- 2.Eskadron/Garde-Dragoner-Regiment Nr. 2
- Artillerie-Kommandeur 49
- Reserve-Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 49
- II.Bataillon/Fußartillerie-Regiment Nr. 49
- Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 349
- Divisions-Nachrichten-Kommandeur 449