The 6th Reserve Division (6. Reserve-Division) was a unit of the 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...

, 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 on mobilization of the German Army in August 1914. The division was disbanded in September 1918. The division was a reserve division of the III Reserve Corps and was raised primarily in the Prussian 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...

.

Combat chronicle

The 6th Reserve Division began the war 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...

. It fought in the opening campaigns against the Belgian Army and the British Expeditionary Force, including the Battle of Mons

Battle of Mons

The Battle of Mons was the first major action of the British Expeditionary Force in the First World War. It was a subsidiary action of the Battle of the Frontiers, in which the Allies clashed with Germany on the French borders. At Mons, the British army attempted to hold the line of the...

, and participated in the Siege of Antwerp

Siege of Antwerp

The Siege of Antwerp was an engagement between the German and the Belgian armies during World War I. A small number of British and Austrian troops took part as well.-Strategic Context:...

. It was in the Yser region during 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...

. In December 1914, the division was 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...

. In 1915, it fought in the 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...

. It remained on the Eastern Front until May 1917, when it was transferred to the Verdun region. It suffered heavy losses in the French offensive that August, and was returned to the Eastern Front, occupying a quiet sector in Galicia. In March 1918, it returned to the Western Front. It was dissolved and its units and soldiers dispersed to other units in September 1918. Allied intelligence considered it as a mediocre division, and rated it third class before its dissolution in 1918.

Order of battle on mobilization

The order of battle of the 6th Reserve Division on mobilization was as follows:

• 11.Reserve-Infanterie-Brigade
  • Brandenburgisches Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 20
  • Brandenburgisches Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 24
• 12.Reserve-Infanterie-Brigade
  • Magdeburgisches Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 26
  • Brandenburgisches Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 35
• Brandenburgisches Reserve-Ulanen-Regiment Nr. 3
• Reserve-Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 6
• 1.Reserve-Kompanie/Pionier-Bataillon von Rauch (1. Brandenburgisches) Nr. 3
• 2.Reserve-Kompanie/Pionier-Bataillon von Rauch (1. Brandenburgisches) Nr. 3

Order of battle on March 28, 1918

The 6th Reserve Division was triangularized

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...

in November 1915. Over the course of the war, other changes took place, including the formation of the artillery and signals commands. The order of battle on March 28, 1918 was as follows:

• 12.Reserve-Infanterie-Brigade
  • Brandenburgisches Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 20
  • Brandenburgisches Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 24
  • Brandenburgisches Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 35
• 5.Eskadron/Ulanen-Regiment Graf zu Dohna (Ostpreußisches) Nr. 8
• Artillerie-Kommandeur 94
  • Reserve-Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 6
  • Fußartillerie-Bataillon Nr. 39
• Stab Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 306:
  • 1.Reserve-Kompanie/Pionier-Bataillon von Rauch (1. Brandenburgisches) Nr. 3
  • 5.Kompanie/Pionier-Bataillon Prinz Radziwill (Ostpreußisches) Nr. 1
  • Minenwerfer-Kompanie Nr. 206
• Divisions-Nachrichten-Kommandeur 406