HISTORY.
(4th and 8th Bavarian Infantry Regiments: Second Bavarian District. 25th Bavarian Infantry Regiment: Bavarian District.)
1916.
The 14th Bavarian Division was formed, at the beginning of August, 1916, with the 8th Bavarian Brigade (4th and 8th Bavarian Infantry Regiments), withdrawn from the 33d Reserve Division, and with the 29th Bavarian Infantry Regiment, formed at this time.
Verdun.
1. The 14th Bavarian Division, going into line at the end of August, 1916, in the Vaux Chapitre wood, launched a violent attack on September 3 to the southwest of the fort of Vaux and continued to hold this sector until October 10.
At the end of October, the 29th Bavarian Infantry Regiment, whose losses in the Vaux sector were considerable, was dissolved and replaced by the 25th Bavarian Infantry Regiment, taken from the 192d Division, and raised from two to three battalions.
2. Having thus received its present composition, the 14th Bavarian Division went back into line on the Haute de Meuse (Calonne trench) on October 22.
Somme-Ancre.
3. Relieved at the beginning of November and sent to rest, it was then sent to the Somme, where, about November 26, it took over the sector north of the Ancre.
1917.
1. The 14th Bavarian Division left the Ancre front at the end of January, 1917, passed the month of February at rest in the Denain area, and came back into line on the Somme, northeast of Gueudecourt, on February 26. It was withdrawn on March 20 at the time of the German retirement.
Artois.
2. At the beginning of April it went into action against the British offensive in the Roclincourt (north of Arras) and suffered heavily (about 2,800 prisoners on Apr. 9).
Russia-Riga.
3. Sent to rest in Belgium, it remained for several days in the Ghent area, and then entrained for the Eastern Front (Apr. 26–28). About May 14 it went into line near Lipsk (south of Baranovitchi); in June it took over the sector of Tsirin, where it remained until the end of the August. It was then transferred to the Riga front (Sept. 1) and went into action on September 14 in the neighborhood of Uxkuell. It left there on September 18.
4. About September 20 it went into line west of Jakobstadt and took part in the action of the 21st.
5. At the end of October the 14th Bavarian Division was sent to Galicia. It was identified in the neighborhood of Tarnopol on November 1 and, for the last time, on December 14 (fraternizing).
France.
6. The division left the Tarnopol area on December 19 for the Western Front. Itinerary: Posen-Leipzig-Frankfort-Kreuznach-Thionville. It detrained at Wasigny and Saulces-Monclin (near Rethel) on December 23.
RECRUITING.
The 14th Bavarian Division is recruited from the 2d and 3d Bavarian Corps Districts.
VALUE.
The 8th Bavarian Brigade (4th and 8th Bavarian Infantry Regiments), which helped form the 14th Bavarian Division, is a strong body belonging, in peace times, to the garrison at Metz.
It distinguished itself at the battle of Eparges (March-April, 1915), at the attack of September 3, 1916 (Vaux-Chapitre wood).
The morale of the 14th Bavarian Division appears to be high. No deserter has been found since the arrival of the division on the Western Front (December, 1917). The 14th Bavarian Division has always been a good division (January, 1918).
1918.
Champagne.
1. The 14th Bavarian Division embarked at Tarnopol on December 19 and traveled via Kalicz-Posen-Leipsic-Frankfort-Kreusnach-Thionville-Wassigny (north of Rethel), where it detrained on the 23d. On January 12 it relieved the 7th Reserve Division in the Mont Haut sector. It was relieved by the 80th Reserve Division on April 22.
Picardy.
2. On the 26th the division entrained at Neuflize, detraining on the following day near Mericourt (northeast of St. Quentin). From there it marched via Bellenglise-Vermand-Mons en Chaussee-Brie-Foucaucourt to Framerville. On May 3 it relieved the 208th Division in the Hangard sector (southeast of Amiens). It was relieved on the 21st by the 225th Division.
3. The division remained in close support, and relieved the 15th Division one sector to the south on the 23d. It was withdrawn during the night of June 20–21, and rested in rear of the front for over a month.
4. About July 23, it relieved the 21st Division in the Castel sector (north of Hangard). In the fighting that followed the division suffered heavy losses, especially in the British attack of August 8. It was withdrawn about the 13th in a badly shattered condition, it having lost some 2,500 prisoners.
5. It was in line again on the 29th northwest of Villers-Carbonnel (southwest of Peronne), and was withdrawn about the 2d of September. Soon thereafter, the 14th Bavarian Division was disbanded—the 4th Bavarian went to the 4th Bavarian Division to replace the 5th Bavarian Reserves (dissolved); the 8th Bavarian went to the 16th Bavarian Division to replace the 21st Bavarian Reserves (dissolved); the 25th Bavarian went to the 6th Bavarian Reserves Division to replace the 17th Bavarian Reserves (dissolved). The commanding general and his staff were identified at Malineson October 24, but there is nothing to show what they were doing there, or where they went.
VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.
Previous to 1918 the 14th Bavarian was always considered a first-class division. Since then, however, it seems to have fallen off somewhat; it was not used in any of the German offensives, and it is significant that a battalion of the 2d Bavarian Division was used in its sector (south of Hailles) when it was desired to make a raid, and also that two of the divisions receiving regiments when the 14th Bavarian was disbanded were second class. The division lost over 2,000 prisoners, including all three regiment staffs and the staffs of several of the battalions.