HISTORY.
(56th Landwehr Regiment: 7th Corps District-Westphalia. 87th Landwehr Regiment: 18th Corps District-Hesse. 436th Landwehr Regiment: 15th Corps District-Alsace.)
1915.
Alsace.
1. The 12th Landwehr Division was formed toward the end of April, 1915, with the elements of the Landwehr, which were distributed along the Alsatian front, between the Fecht and the district of Cernay, and which were assigned to the Fuchs Division at the time of the attacks upon Hartmannswillerkopf (March-April). The active brigade of the Fuchs Division having left the Vosges for Champagne, the 12th Landwehr Division grouped these elements of the Landwehr and occupied until May, 1917, the sectors included between the valley of Munster and Cernay. On the 21st of December, 1915, the 14th Jager Battalion, attached to the division, lost at Hartmannswillerkopf 840 killed, wounded, and missing (official list of casualties), and was withdrawn to be reorganized in Belgium.
1916.
Alsace.
1. Sector Guebwiller-Cernay.
At the end of September, 1916, the 40th Landwehr Regiment left the 12th Landwehr Division to be assigned to the 33d Division. It was replaced by the 436th Landwehr Regiment, which had been formed in May of the preceding year.
In October the battalions of Jagers and of the riflemen of the guard and the 9th Battalion of Jagers, attached to the 12th Landwehr Division, were sent to Macedonia.
1917.
Alsace.
1. January-May, 1917. Sector Munster-Cernay.
Galicia.
2. Relieved on the Alsatian front about the middle of May, the 12th Landwehr Division was transferred to Galicia. Itinerary: Cernay-Strassborg-Karlsruhe-Ludwigsburg-Munich, Salzburg-Vienna-Lemberg-Zloczow.
3. It occupied the sector south of Brody and northwest of Zalosce until the beginning of 1918. It took part in the attacks of July, 1917.
In the course of the final months of 1917 the 12th Landwehr Division had numerous troops taken to fill up units on the Western Front or to be sent to the 227th Division, 197th Division, or the 33d Reserve Division.
VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.
The 12th Landwehr Division, which was on the Alsatian front until May, 1917 and then in Galicia, appears to be of mediocre quality.
1918.
1. The history of the component elements of this division after their arrival on the Western Front is uncertain. Between March and June the 56th Landwehr Regiment was in the 6th Army, the 436th Landwehr Regiment was in the 2d Army, and the 87th Landwehr Regiment was in the 18th Army. The men of these units were assigned to various kinds of police work, guarding prisoners, etc. The staff of the division during this period was believed to be in Finland. About July 15 the division had been announced as dissolved by the French, British, and American general headquarters.
Alsace.
2. On August 7 the 87th Landwehr Regiment and the 436th Landwehr Regiment were joined as infantry under the 21st Landwehr Brigade Staff, Gen. Hoffman, of the 14th Landwehr Division. The 56th Landwehr Regiment was also identified in this region and the division was regarded as reconstituted in October.
3. Later identifications disclosed that the regiments were not forming a division but were acting independently. The division was again classed as dissolved about the middle of October.
VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.
The division was rated as a third-class division.