HISTORY.
(Third District—Brandenburg.)
1914.
The 5th Reserve Division is organically a part of the 3d Reserve Corps, with the 6th Reserve Division.
Belgium.
1. At the beginning of the war the division belonged to the 1st Army (Von Kluck). Detrained at Crefeld from August 10 to 12; entered Belgium the 18th. The 3d Reserve Corps was sent to France. The division was at Malines on August 22, at Vilvorde the 26th, and fought against the Belgians on that day. The 3d Reserve Corps then turned toward Antwerp, which it besieged. After the city was taken the corps advanced toward the sea through Ghent, Bruges, October 13 to 16. The 19th the 5th Reserve Division attacked in the direction of Nieuport. At the beginning of November it fought in the vicinity of Bixschoote, in the forest of Houthulst; then until the end of November it held the Dixmude-Langmarck front.
Russia.
2. About December 2 the division entrained for the eastern front. On arriving in Russia it became part of Mackensen’s army (9th Army). It was sent to the Bzura.
1915.
1. In February, 1915, the division was attached to the 10th Army and took part in the battle of Prasnysz.
2. In May one of its brigades remained before Kovno with the 10th Army (Gen. von Eichhorn). The other brigade joined the 3d Reserve Corps of the 9th Army (Gen. von Fabeck) and fought on the Bzura. The 52d Reserve Infantry was transferred to the 107th Division.
3. In July the division was reorganized. It was attached to the 9th Army before Warsaw and fought between the Bzura and the Pilica.
4. In November, after crossing the Vistula and the Bug it arrived before Baranovitchi. It remained in this region until March, 1917.
1916.
1. On January 1, 1916, it held the eastern sector of Novo-Grudok, north of Baranovitchi.
2. At the beginning of April the division was placed in reserve behind this sector.
3. During the first two weeks of July it was engaged between Gorodivche and Baranovitchi to oppose the Russian offensive started on this part of the front. On July 8 it suffered heavy losses. (The 8th Reserve had 1,200 men out of action.)
1917.
France.
1. It was relieved in this area about the middle of April and sent to the Western Front.
2. Entrained between the 17th and 18th of April at Molczacz (Baranovitchi sector) and went to France, via Brest-Litovsk-Warsaw-Oppeln-Breslau-Goerlitz-Dresden-Leipzig-Sondershausen-Frankfort on Main-Sarrebrucken-Metz. It detrained at Mars la Tour.
Woevre.
3. It was then sent to St. Maurice sous les Cotes, where it rested for a few days and then went to the Cotes de Meuse, east of the Combres Heights. It went into the sector before Combres (Calonne trench) on May 15 or 16, and there became accustomed to the Western Front.
Californie Plateau.
4. Relieved May 27, it was sent behind the Aisne front; spent about three weeks in the Sissonne region, and about June 19 went into line on Californie Plateau near Chaevreux. On June 24, July 3 and 22, the division executed some violent attacks on Californie Plateau, and some of its units lost half their men.
5. Partially relieved about July 23, the units of the division were sent to rest successively at St. Erme, Ramecourt, and La Selve. Before August 10 it was back on Californie Plateau (region of Craonne south of Corbeny).
6. The division took part on the same position in the general retreat of November 1 which brought the German lines back to the north of the Ailette following the French attack of La Malmaison. The division remained on these new lines (south and west of Corbeny) until January 22, 1918.
7. Relieved on this date and put through a course of training in the region of Chimay. On February 18 it marched to the sector of Juvincourt.
RECRUITING.
Brandenburg.
VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.
The division is considered by the Germans as a very good division. Its original elements came from the best corps, the Brandenburg corps, but it contains a large proportion of Poles. The division needs rest and replacements. When reconstituted it will probably again be a good unit. (Dec. 29, 1917.)
1918.
Laon.
1. On February 21 the division relieved the 113th Division at Juvincourt, which sector it held until March 26.
Picardy.
2. It was withdrawn to reinforce the battle front at Chauny, where it appeared on April 2. About April 11, it retired to second line, from which it returned to the battle front on April 25, relieving the 242d Division at Couchy le Pots. The division continued to hold this sector until early June.
Noyon.
3. Between June 1 and 10 it was moved from the Couchy le Pots sector to reinforce the Montdidier-Noyon battle front, where it was identified on June 12 near Courcelles. It was withdrawn on June 17.
4. During July the division rested in rear of the Amiens front.
Somme.
5. It came into line on August 8 at Trace le Mont. In the opening week of the offensive it lost many prisoners and retired from the line about August 20 to rest near St. Gobain. On the 29th it returned to line near Arblencourt-Champs. It withdrew early in September but returned to support the 80th Reserve Division in a counterattack executed in the region Sancy-Vauxillon September 16–18.
6. Following this the division was rested near Laon. On October 7 it was entrained and moved to the region of Tupigny-Mennevret.
7. It was engaged on October 9 to the east of Bohain before the extreme right of the 4th British Army. It was relieved in this sector on October 23 by the 200th Division. At this time the division was very low in effectives; two regiments had three battalions of three companies and one regiment had but two battalions. The average company strength was about 50 men.
8. Retired to rest for 15 days, the division returned to line on November 5, near Wiege Faty. It was last identified at Trelon on November 11.
VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.
The division was rated as a second-class division. In the earlier years it was a very good division, but through losses and lack of reinforcements during 1918 considerably reduced its value.