5th Division (German Empire)
Encyclopedia
The 5th Division was a unit of the Prussia
n/German
Army
. It was formed in Crossen
in 1816 as a brigade, moved to Frankfurt an der Oder
in 1817, and became the 5th Division on September 5, 1818. The headquarters moved to Berlin
in 1840 and back to Frankfurt in 1845. The division was subordinated in peacetime to the III Army Corps
(III. Armeekorps). The division was disbanded in 1919 during the demobilization of the German Army after World War I. The division was recruited in the Province of Brandenburg
.
The 10th Brigade of the 5th Division fought in the Second Schleswig War of 1864, including the key Battle of Dybbøl
, or Düppeler Heights.The division then fought in the Austro-Prussian War
in 1866, including the Battle of Königgrätz
. In the Franco-Prussian War
of 1870-71, the division saw action in the battles of Spicheren
, Mars-la-Tour
, Gravelotte
, Beaune-la-Rolande
, Orléans
, and Le Mans
, and in the Siege of Metz
.
The division was mobilized as the 5th Infantry Division in August 1914 and sent to the west
for the opening campaigns of the war. In 1914 it fought in the Battle of the Marne
and the Race to the Sea
. It then settled into positional warfare in the trenches along the Somme. It fought in the Battle of the Somme and in the Battle of Verdun
in 1916 and in the Second Battle of the Aisne
(also called the Third Battle of Champagne) in 1917. In mid 1917, it was sent to the Eastern Front
in response to the Russian Kerensky Offensive
. In October 1917, the division was transferred to the Italian Front
, where it fought in the Battle of Caporetto
. It returned to the Western Front in December 1917, and remained there until war's end, participating in the German Spring Offensive
and the Allied offensives that followed. Until being bloodied in the offensives of 1918, the division was rated a first-class division by Allied intelligence.
, most divisional cavalry, including brigade headquarters, was withdrawn to form cavalry divisions or split up among divisions as reconnaissance units.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 5th Division was again renamed the 5th Infantry Division. Its initial wartime organization was as follows:
- one infantry brigade with three infantry regiments rather than two infantry brigades of two regiments (a "square 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 5th Infantry Division's order of battle on March 9, 1918 was as follows:
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 in Crossen
Crossen
Crossen may refer to:* Crossen an der Elster, municipality in Thuringia, Germany* Zwickau-Crossen, part of Zwickau in Saxony, Germany* Crossen , German name of Krosno Odrzańskie, Poland* part of the municipality Erlau in Saxony, Germany...
in 1816 as a brigade, moved to Frankfurt an der Oder
Frankfurt (Oder)
Frankfurt is a town in Brandenburg, Germany, located on the Oder River, on the German-Polish border directly opposite the town of Słubice which was a part of Frankfurt until 1945. At the end of the 1980s it reached a population peak with more than 87,000 inhabitants...
in 1817, and became the 5th Division on September 5, 1818. The headquarters moved to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
in 1840 and back to Frankfurt in 1845. The division was subordinated in peacetime to the III Army Corps
III Corps (German Empire)
The III Army Corps was a formation in the Imperial German Army. It was established in 1814 as the General Headquarters in Berlin and became the III Army Corps on April 3, 1820...
(III. Armeekorps). The division was disbanded in 1919 during the demobilization of the German Army after World War I. The division was recruited in the Province of Brandenburg
Province of Brandenburg
The Province of Brandenburg was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia from 1815 to 1946.-History:The first people who are known to have inhabited Brandenburg were the Suevi. They were succeeded by the Slavonians, whom Henry II conquered and converted to Christianity in...
.
The 10th Brigade of the 5th Division fought in the Second Schleswig War of 1864, including the key Battle of Dybbøl
Battle of Dybbøl
The Battle of Dybbøl was the key battle of the Second War of Schleswig and occurred on the morning of 18 April 1864 following a siege lasting from 7 April. Denmark suffered a severe defeat against the German Confederation which decided the war...
, or Düppeler Heights.The division then fought in the Austro-Prussian War
Austro-Prussian War
The Austro-Prussian War was a war fought in 1866 between the German Confederation under the leadership of the Austrian Empire and its German allies on one side and the Kingdom of Prussia with its German allies and Italy on the...
in 1866, including the Battle of Königgrätz
Battle of Königgrätz
The Battle of Königgrätz , also known as the Battle of Sadowa, Sadová, or Hradec Králové, was the decisive battle of the Austro-Prussian War, in which the Kingdom of Prussia defeated the Austrian Empire...
. In the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
of 1870-71, the division saw action in the battles of Spicheren
Battle of Spicheren
The Battle of Spicheren, also known as the Battle of Forbach, was a battle during the Franco-Prussian War. The German victory compelled the French to withdraw to the defenses of Metz.- History :...
, Mars-la-Tour
Battle of Mars-La-Tour
The Battle of Mars-La-Tour was fought on 16 August 1870 during the Franco-Prussian War near the town of Mars-La-Tour in northeast France. Two Prussian corps encountered the entire French Army of the Rhine in a meeting engagement, and with the surprise entailed, successfully forced the Army of the...
, Gravelotte
Battle of Gravelotte
The Battle of Gravelotte was a battle of the Franco-Prussian War named after Gravelotte, a village in Lorraine between Metz and the former French–German frontier.-Terrain and armies:...
, Beaune-la-Rolande
Battle of Beaune-la-Rolande
The Battle of Beaune-la-Rolande on 28 November 1870 was a battle of the Franco-Prussian War, won by Prussia. In an attempt to relieve the Siege of Paris, French General Crouzat's XX Corps launched an attack against three Prussian brigades resting in Beaune-la-Rolande...
, Orléans
Second Battle of Orléans (1870)
The Second Battle of Orléans was a battle of the Franco-Prussian War of 1870. It took place on December 3 and 4, 1870 and was part of the Loire Campaign...
, and Le Mans
Battle of Le Mans
The Battle of Le Mans was a Prussian victory during the Franco-Prussian War which ended French resistance in western France.-Background:After the victory at the Battle of Orleans , Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia marched his army further to the west towards Le Mans. Antoine Chanzy had under his...
, and in the Siege of Metz
Siege of Metz
The Siege of Metz lasting from 19 August – 27 October 1870 was fought during the Franco-Prussian War and ended in a decisive Prussian victory.-History:...
.
The division was mobilized as the 5th Infantry Division in August 1914 and sent to the west
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...
for the opening campaigns of the war. In 1914 it fought in the Battle of the Marne
First Battle of the Marne
The Battle of the Marne was a First World War battle fought between 5 and 12 September 1914. It resulted in an Allied victory against the German Army under Chief of Staff Helmuth von Moltke the Younger. The battle effectively ended the month long German offensive that opened the war and had...
and 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...
. It then settled into positional warfare in the trenches along the Somme. It fought in the Battle of the Somme and 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...
in 1916 and 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 1917. In mid 1917, it 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 response to the Russian Kerensky Offensive
Kerensky Offensive
The Kerensky Offensive was the last Russian offensive in World War I. It took place in July 1917.- Background :...
. In October 1917, the division was transferred to the Italian Front
Italian Campaign (World War I)
The Italian campaign refers to a series of battles fought between the armies of Austria-Hungary and Italy, along with their allies, in northern Italy between 1915 and 1918. Italy hoped that by joining the countries of the Triple Entente against the Central Powers it would gain Cisalpine Tyrol , the...
, where it fought in the Battle of Caporetto
Battle of Caporetto
The Battle of Caporetto , took place from 24 October to 19 November 1917, near the town of Kobarid , on the Austro-Italian front of World War I...
. It returned to the Western Front in December 1917, and remained there until war's end, participating 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...
and the Allied offensives that followed. Until being bloodied in the offensives of 1918, the division was rated a first-class division by Allied intelligence.
Order of battle in the Franco-Prussian War
During wartime, the 5th Division, like other regular German divisions, was redesignated an infantry division. The organization of the 5th Infantry Division in 1870 at the beginning of the Franco-Prussian War was as follows:- 9. Infanterie-Brigade
- Leibgrenadier-Regiment Nr. 8
- Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 48
- 10. Infanterie-Brigade
- Grenadier-Regiment Nr. 12
- Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 52
- Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 3
- Dragoner-Regiment Nr. 12
Pre-World War I organization
German divisions underwent various organizational changes after the Franco-Prussian War. The 5th Division was no exception, but unlike many divisions, there were no changes in the division's core infantry regiments. The organization of the division in 1914, shortly before the outbreak of World War I, was as follows:- 9. Infanterie-Brigade
- Leib-Grenadier-Regiment König Friedrich Wilhelm III (1. Brandenburgisches) Nr. 8
- Infanterie-Regiment von Stülpnagel (5. Brandenburgisches) Nr. 48
- 10. Infanterie-Brigade
- Grenadier-Regiment Prinz Karl von Preußen (2. Brandenburgisches) Nr. 12
- Infanterie-Regiment von Alvensleben (6. Brandenburgisches) Nr. 52
- 5. Kavallerie-Brigade
- 1. Brandenburgisches Dragoner-Regiment Nr. 2
- Ulanen-Regiment Kaiser Alexander II von Rußland (1. Brandenburgisches) Nr. 3
- 5. Feldartillerie-Brigade
- Feldartillerie-Regiment General-Feldzeugmeister (2. Brandenburgisches) Nr. 18
- Neumärkisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 54
Order of battle on mobilization
On mobilization in August 1914 at the beginning of World War IWorld 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...
, 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 5th Division was again renamed the 5th Infantry Division. Its initial wartime organization was as follows:
- 9.Infanterie-Brigade:
- Leib-Grenadier-Regiment König Friedrich Wilhelm III (1. Brandenburgisches) Nr. 8
- Infanterie-Regiment von Stülpnagel (5. Brandenburgisches) Nr. 48
- 10.Infanterie-Brigade:
- Grenadier-Regiment Prinz Karl von Preußen (2. Brandenburgisches) Nr. 12
- Infanterie-Regiment von Alvensleben (6. Brandenburgisches) Nr. 52
- Brandenburgisches Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 3
- "1/2" Husaren-Regiment von Zieten (Brandenburgisches) Nr. 3Zieten HussarsThe Zieten Hussars,Also known as the Ziethen Hussars , last designation: "Hussars Regiment 'von Zieten' No. 3" The Zieten Hussars,Also known as the Ziethen Hussars (both spellings are used in sources on military history) , last designation: "Hussars Regiment 'von Zieten' (Brandenburg) No. 3" The...
- 5.Feldartillerie-Brigade:
- Feldartillerie-Regiment General-Feldzeugmeister (2. Brandenburgisches) Nr. 18
- Neumärkisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 54
- 1./Pionier-Bataillon von Rauch (1. Brandenburgisches) Nr. 3
- 3./Pionier-Bataillon von Rauch (1. Brandenburgisches) Nr. 3
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 triangularTriangular 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 5th Infantry Division's order of battle on March 9, 1918 was as follows:
- 10.Infanterie-Brigade:
- Leib-Grenadier-Regiment König Friedrich Wilhelm III (1. Brandenburgisches) Nr. 8
- Grenadier-Regiment Prinz Karl von Preußen (2. Brandenburgisches) Nr. 12
- Infanterie-Regiment von Alvensleben (6. Brandenburgisches) Nr. 52
- Machinengewehr-Scharfschützen-Abteilung Nr. 13
- 3.Eskadron/Husaren-Regiment von Zieten (Brandenburgisches) Nr. 3Zieten HussarsThe Zieten Hussars,Also known as the Ziethen Hussars , last designation: "Hussars Regiment 'von Zieten' No. 3" The Zieten Hussars,Also known as the Ziethen Hussars (both spellings are used in sources on military history) , last designation: "Hussars Regiment 'von Zieten' (Brandenburg) No. 3" The...
- Artillerie-Kommandeur 142:
- Feldartillerie-Regiment General-Feldzeugmeister (2. Brandenburgisches) Nr. 18
- Fußartillerie-Bataillon Nr. 67
- Stab Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 116:
- 1./Pionier-Bataillon von Rauch (1. Brandenburgisches) Nr. 3
- 3./Pionier-Bataillon von Rauch (1. Brandenburgisches) Nr. 3
- Minenwerfer-Kompanie Nr. 5
- Divisions-Nachrichten-Kommandeur 5