The 9th Bavarian Reserve Division (9. Bayerische Reserve-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 on September 26, 1916 and entered the line in October. It was part of a large wave of new divisions (approximately 40) formed in the summer and autumn of 1916 and was recruited in the Kingdom of Bavaria

Kingdom of Bavaria

The Kingdom of Bavaria was a German state that existed from 1806 to 1918. The Bavarian Elector Maximilian IV Joseph of the House of Wittelsbach became the first King of Bavaria in 1806 as Maximilian I Joseph. The monarchy would remain held by the Wittelsbachs until the kingdom's dissolution in 1918...

. It was disbanded in June 1918 and its assets distributed to other units.

Order of battle on formation

The 9th Bavarian Reserve Division was formed as a triangular division

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...

. The order of battle of the division on October 25, 1916 was as follows:

• 17. Bayer. Reserve-Infanterie-Brigade
  • Kgl. Bayer. Ersatz- Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 3
  • Kgl. Bayer. Landwehr-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 8
  • Kgl. Bayer. Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 14
• 1. Eskadron/Kgl. Bayer. Reserve-Kavallerie-Regiment Nr. 1
• Kgl. Bayer. Reserve-Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 11
• 4. Kompanie/Kgl. Bayer. 2. Pionier-Bataillon
• Minenwerfer-Kompanie Nr. 209

Combat chronicle

The 9th Bavarian Reserve Division fought 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...

, seeing its first action on the Aisne, where it remained until December 1916 when it went into reserve until late January. It then returned to the trenchlines along the Aisne, and fought 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. The division then went to the trenchlines in Lorraine. It went to Flanders in August and saw action in the Battle of Passchendaele, also known as the Third Battle of Ypres. It then returned to the southern part of the front and went into the St. Mihiel

Saint-Mihiel

Saint-Mihiel is a commune in the Meuse department in Lorraine in north-eastern France.-History:Saint-Mihiel was captured by the Germans in the first year of World War I, and was re-captured during the Battle of Saint-Mihiel from 12 September to 19 September 1918, during World War...

 salient. The division returned to Flanders in November 1917 and saw action in the Allied tank attack in the Battle of Cambrai, as well as the subsequent German counterattack. In 1918, the division fought 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...

, seeing action in the First Battle of the Somme (1918), also known as the Second Battle of the Somme (to distinguish it from the 1916 battle). The 9th Bavarian Reserve Division's last major action was in the German attack in the Montdidier-Noyon sector in June 1918. The division was dissolved soon thereafter. Allied intelligence rated the division as second class.

Order of battle on March 21, 1918

Over the course of the war, various structural changes took place, including the formation of artillery and signals commands and the expansion of combat engineer support to a full pioneer battalion. The order of battle on March 21, 1918 was as follows:

• 17. Bayer. Reserve-Infanterie-Brigade:
  • Kgl. Bayer. Ersatz- Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 3
  • Kgl. Bayer. Landwehr-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 8
  • Kgl. Bayer. Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 14
• 1. Eskadron/Kgl. Bayer. Reserve-Kavallerie-Regiment Nr. 1
• Kgl. Bayer. Artillerie-Kommandeur 9
  • Kgl. Bayer. 4. Feldartillerie-Regiment König
  • Fußartillerie-Bataillon Nr. 50
• Kgl. Bayer. Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 21
  • Kgl. Bayer. Reserve-Pionier-Kompanie Nr. 8
  • Kgl. Bayer. Reserve-Pionier-Kompanie Nr. 12
  • Kgl. Bayer. Minenwerfer-Kompanie Nr. 209
• Kgl. Bayer. Divisions-Nachrichten-Kommandeur 409