The 8th Ersatz 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 a composite division, formed around 12 brigade replacement battalions (Brigade-Ersatz-Bataillone) from the Kingdom of Württemberg

Kingdom of Württemberg

The Kingdom of Württemberg was a state that existed from 1806 to 1918, located in present-day Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It was a continuation of the Duchy of Württemberg, which came into existence in 1495...

, the Grand Duchy of Hesse

Grand Duchy of Hesse

The Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine , or, between 1806 and 1816, Grand Duchy of Hesse —as it was also known after 1816—was a member state of the German Confederation from 1806, when the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt was elevated to a Grand Duchy, until 1918, when all the German...

, the Rhine Province

Rhine Province

The Rhine Province , also known as Rhenish Prussia or synonymous to the Rhineland , was the westernmost province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia, within the German Reich, from 1822-1946. It was created from the provinces of the Lower Rhine and Jülich-Cleves-Berg...

 and the Province of Hesse-Nassau

Province of Hesse-Nassau

Hesse-Nassau Province was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1868-1918, then a province of the Free State of Prussia until 1944.Hesse-Nassau was created as a consequence of the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 by combining the previously independent Hesse-Kassel , the Duchy of Nassau, the Free...

. It became more Württemberg as the war progressed and in February 1917 was officially designated a Royal Württemberg division. It was redesignated the 243rd Infantry Division

243rd Infantry Division (German Empire)

The 243rd Infantry Division was a division of the Imperial German Army during World War I. The division was established on April 1, 1917 by the renaming of the 8th Ersatz Division...

 in April 1917.

Formation

The division was formed on mobilization with 12 brigade replacement battalions. Each brigade replacement battalion was numbered after its parent infantry brigade, and was formed with two companies each taken from the replacement battalions of the brigade's two infantry regiments. In three cases, a brigade replacement battalion drew from three regiments. Thus, collectively, the 12 brigade replacement battalions represented troop contributions from 27 different infantry regiments. Four brigade replacement battalions were from the Kingdom of Württemberg

Kingdom of Württemberg

The Kingdom of Württemberg was a state that existed from 1806 to 1918, located in present-day Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It was a continuation of the Duchy of Württemberg, which came into existence in 1495...

; two were from the Grand Duchy of Hesse

Grand Duchy of Hesse

The Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine , or, between 1806 and 1816, Grand Duchy of Hesse —as it was also known after 1816—was a member state of the German Confederation from 1806, when the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt was elevated to a Grand Duchy, until 1918, when all the German...

; four were from the Prussian Rhine Province

Rhine Province

The Rhine Province , also known as Rhenish Prussia or synonymous to the Rhineland , was the westernmost province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia, within the German Reich, from 1822-1946. It was created from the provinces of the Lower Rhine and Jülich-Cleves-Berg...

 and two were from the Prussian Province of Hesse-Nassau

Province of Hesse-Nassau

Hesse-Nassau Province was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1868-1918, then a province of the Free State of Prussia until 1944.Hesse-Nassau was created as a consequence of the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 by combining the previously independent Hesse-Kassel , the Duchy of Nassau, the Free...

 (one representing troops from the former Duchy of Nassau and one representing the former Electoral Hesse). The infantry units were augmented with cavalry, artillery and combat engineers, also drawn from Ersatz formations.

Combat chronicle

The division initially fought in the Battle of the Frontiers

Battle of the Frontiers

The Battle of the Frontiers was a series of battles fought along the eastern frontier of France and in southern Belgium shortly after the outbreak of World War I. The battles represented a collision between the military strategies of the French Plan XVII and the German Schlieffen Plan...

 in 1914, including the battle before Nancy-Epinal. From September 1914 to October 1916, it was in the trenchlines and fought in the region between the Meuse and Moselle Rivers, especially in an area known as the Priest's Forest (German: Priesterwald, French: Bois Le Prêtre). In October 1916, it entered the Battle of the Somme. It returned to the Priesterwald thereafter, and was in that region when it was converted into the 243rd Infantry Division. Allied intelligence rated the division's elements as good.

Order of battle on mobilization

The order of battle of the 8th Ersatz Division on mobilization was as follows:

• 29. gemischte Ersatz-Brigade
  • Brigade-Ersatz-Bataillon Nr. 29
  • Brigade-Ersatz-Bataillon Nr. 30
  • Brigade-Ersatz-Bataillon Nr. 31
  • Brigade-Ersatz-Bataillon Nr. 32
• 51. (kgl. württemb.) gemischte Ersatz-Brigade
  • Brigade-Ersatz-Bataillon Nr. 51
  • Brigade-Ersatz-Bataillon Nr. 52
  • Brigade-Ersatz-Bataillon Nr. 53
  • Brigade-Ersatz-Bataillon Nr. 54
• 41. gemischte Ersatz-Brigade
  • Brigade-Ersatz-Bataillon Nr. 41
  • Brigade-Ersatz-Bataillon Nr. 42
  • Brigade-Ersatz-Bataillon Nr. 49
  • Brigade-Ersatz-Bataillon Nr. 50
• Kavallerie-Ersatz-Abteilung Nr. 41
• Feldartillerie-Ersatz-Abteilung Nr. 25
• Feldartillerie-Ersatz-Abteilung Nr. 27
• 1.Ersatz-Kompanie/Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 21

Order of battle on February 2, 1917

Divisions underwent many changes during the war, with regiments moving from division to division, and some being destroyed and rebuilt. The 8th Ersatz Division was reorganized and triangularized in July 1915, losing its two non-Württemberg Ersatz brigades. The brigade replacement battalions were consolidated and converted into infantry regiments. Over the course of the war, units were exchanged with other divisions, cavalry was reduced, engineers increased, and an artillery command and a divisional signals command were created. The 8th Ersatz Division's order of battle on February 2, 1917, when it was officially named a Royal Württemberg division and shortly before being renamed the 243rd Infantry Division, was as follows:

• 51. Ersatz-Infanterie-Brigade
  • Kgl. Württembergisches Ersatz-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 51
  • Kgl. Württembergisches Ersatz-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 52
  • Füsilier-Regiment Kaiser Franz Josef von Österreich, König von Ungarn (4. Württembergisches) Nr. 122
• 3.Eskadron/Ulanen-Regiment König Karl (1. Württembergisches) Nr. 19
• Artillerie-Kommandeur 135
  • Kgl. Württembergisches Ersatz-Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 65
  • Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 92
• Stab Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 508
  • Pionier-Kompanie Nr. 253
  • Pionier-Kompanie Nr. 306
  • Minenwerfer-Kompanie Nr. 162