The 54th Infantry Division (54.Infanterie-Division) was a division of the Imperial 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...

 during World War I. The division was formed on March 3, 1915 from units taken from other divisions or newly raised. Its infantry core was from different parts of the German Empire: the 27th Reserve Infantry Regiment from Prussian Saxony, taken from the 7th Reserve Division

7th Reserve Division (German Empire)

The 7th Reserve Division was a unit of the German Army, in World War I. The division was formed on mobilization of the German Army in August 1914. The division was disbanded during the demobilization of the German Army after World War I...

, the 84th Infantry Regiment from Schleswig-Holstein

Schleswig-Holstein

Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig...

, taken from the 18th Infantry Division

18th Division (German Empire)

The 18th Division was a unit of the Prussian/German Army. It was formed on October 11, 1866 and was headquartered in Flensburg. The division was subordinated in peacetime to the IX Army Corps . The division was disbanded in 1919 during the demobilization of the German Army after World War I...

, and the 90th Reserve Infantry Regiment from the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, taken from the 18th Reserve Division

18th Reserve Division (German Empire)

The 18th 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...

. Divisional cavalry was a squadron of Brunswick

Duchy of Brunswick

Brunswick was a historical state in Germany. Originally the territory of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel in the Holy Roman Empire, it was established as an independent duchy by the Congress of Vienna in 1815...

's Death's Head Hussars.

After a brief period on the line in France, the division was sent 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...

 in July 1915. It returned 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 October 1915. From May to November 1916, the division saw extensive action in the Battle of Verdun

Battle of Verdun

The Battle of Verdun was one of the major battles during the First World War on the Western Front. It was fought between the German and French armies, from 21 February – 18 December 1916, on hilly terrain north of the city of Verdun-sur-Meuse in north-eastern France...

, especially in the fight for Fort Douaumont

Fort Douaumont

Fort Douaumont was the largest and highest fort on the ring of 19 large defensive forts protecting the city of Verdun, France since the 1890s. However, by 1915 the French General Staff had concluded that even the best protected forts of Verdun could not resist bombardments from the German 420mm ...

. In 1917, it saw action in the Third Battle of Ypres, suffering heavy losses. It also faced the Allied tank attack in Cambrai in November 1917. It was rated by Allied intelligence in 1917 and 1918 as a second class division, mainly due to heavy losses in the attacks it faced or took part in.

Order of battle on March 3, 1915

The 54th Infantry Division's initial organization when formed in 1915 was as follows:

• 108.Infanterie-Brigade
  • Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 27
  • Infanterie-Regiment von Manstein (1. Schleswigsches) Nr. 84
  • Großherzoglich Mecklenburgisches Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 90
  • Radfahrer-Kompanie Nr. 54
• 1.Eskadron/Braunschweigisches Husaren-Regiment Nr. 17
• 54.Feldartillerie-Brigade
  • Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 107
  • Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 108
  • Fußartillerie-Bataillon Nr. 54
• Pionier-Kompanie Nr. 107
• Pionier-Kompanie Nr. 108

Late World War I organization

The division underwent comparatively fewer organizational changes during the course of the war than most other divisions. Its artillery, signals and engineers were reorganized as in other divisions. The 54th Infantry Division's order of battle on February 22, 1918 was as follows:

• 108.Infanterie-Brigade
  • Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 27
  • Infanterie-Regiment von Manstein (1. Schleswigsches) Nr. 84
  • Großherzoglich Mecklenburgisches Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 90
  • MG-Scharfschützen-Abteilung Nr. 39
• 1.Eskadron/Braunschweigisches Husaren-Regiment Nr. 17
• Artillerie-Kommandeur 54:
  • Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 108
  • Fußartillerie-Bataillon Nr. 54 (from 16.04.1918)
• Stab Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 138:
  • Pionier-Kompanie Nr. 107
  • Pionier-Kompanie Nr. 108
  • Minenwerfer-Kompanie Nr. 54
• Divisions-Nachrichten-Kommandeur 54