The 86th Infantry Division (86. Infanterie-Division) was a unit of the Imperial 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 in November 1914 as the Wernitz Division (Division Wernitz), named after its commander, and became the 86th Infantry Division in August 1915. The division was disbanded in 1919 during the demobilization of the German Army after World War I.

Combat chronicle

The 86th Infantry Division initially served on 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...

. It occupied the line by Mława from November 1914 to July 1915 and then participated 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...

, breaking through at Przasnysz

Przasnysz

Przasnysz is a town in Poland. Located in the Masovian Voivodship, about 110 km north of Warsaw and about 115 km south of Olsztyn, it's the capital of Przasnysz County. It has 18,093 inhabitants . One of the most important towns in Mazovia during the Middle Ages. City laws - 1427.-Famous...

 and fighting on the Narew, and then participating in follow-on fighting for the next several months until the line stabilized. In September 1915, it was in the Lithuanian swamps. It was engaged in positional warfare in the Vishnev sector on the Berezina, Olshanka and Krevljanka Rivers from September 1915 to March 1916. It then fought at Lake Narač

Lake Narac

Lake Narach is a lake in North-West Belarus . The lake is located in the northern part of the country, in the basin of the Vilija river. It is the largest lake in Belarus .Narach is a part of Narach lake group...

. It was along the Upper Styr and Stokhod Rivers from July 1916 to December 1917. In January 1918, after the armistice on the Eastern Front, the division was transported to the Western Front. It was in the line in various parts of the front, and fought in the Allied counterattack phase of the Second Battle of the Marne

Second Battle of the Marne

The Second Battle of the Marne , or Battle of Reims was the last major German Spring Offensive on the Western Front during the First World War. The German attack failed when an Allied counterattack led by France overwhelmed the Germans, inflicting severe casualties...

. It remained in the line until the end of the war. Allied intelligence rated the division as fourth class.

Order of battle on formation

The 86th Infantry Division was formed as 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...

. The order of battle of the division on July 7, 1915 was as follows:

• 171. Infanterie-Brigade
  • Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 341
  • Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 342
• 172. Infanterie-Brigade
  • Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 343
  • Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 344
• Reiter-Regiment Cleinow (Kavallerie-Regiment Nr. 86)
• Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 86
• I.Bataillon/2. Westpreußisches Fußartillerie-Regiment Nr. 17
• 3. Ersatz-Kompanie/Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 26
• 1. Landwehr-Pionier-Kompanie/XVII. Armeekorps

Late-war order of battle

The division underwent a number of organizational changes over the course of the war. It 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 1916, losing the 171st Infantry Brigade headquarters and the 342nd Infantry Regiment. Cavalry was reduced, artillery and signals commands were formed, and combat engineer support was expanded to a full pioneer battalion. The order of battle on February 3, 1918 was as follows:

• 172. Infanterie-Brigade
  • Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 341
  • Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 343
  • Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 344
  • Radfahrer-Kompanie Nr. 86
• 3. Eskadron/Ulanen-Regiment Großherzog Friedrich von Baden (Rheinisches) Nr. 7
• Artillerie-Kommandeur 65
  • Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 86
  • Fußartillerie-Bataillon Nr. 404 (from July 18, 1918)
• Stab Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 86
  • 3. Ersatz-Kompanie/Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 26
  • 3. Reserve-Kompanie/Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 34
  • Minenwerfer-Kompanie Nr. 86
• Divisions-Nachrichten-Kommandeur 86