Histories of two hundred and fifty-one divisions of the German army which participated in the war (1914-1918)

by United States. War Department. General Staff

HISTORY.

(9th Corps District.—Schleswig—Holstein and the Hanseatic cities.)

1914.

1. The 17th Reserve Division formed with the 18th Reserve Division, the 9th Reserve Corps. One of its brigades is a surplus brigade of the 9th Army Corps (the 81st).

2. During the first part of the month of August, 1914, the 17th Reserve Division was used to guard the coast of Schleswig-Holstein.

Belgium.

3. Entraining on August 23 for Belgium, it was at Louvain on the 25th, at Brussels on the 30th (until Sept. 3). It reached Termonde on September 4, and remained outside of Antwerp.

Oise.

4. On September 9, it was transferred in haste to the Valenciennes area and then sent to the Oise. It detrained on the 13th at Chauny and went into action on the right bank of the Oise, south of Noyon (Sept. 15 to 20).

5. About October 7 the 17th Reserve Division was sent to the vicinity of Roye, where it lost heavily.

6. About the middle of November the division occupied the front between the Avre and Roye. On December 20 it was in line between Ribecourt and Thiescourt.

1915.

On January 4, 1915, the 75th Reserve Infantry Regiment entrained at Noyon for Upper Alsace (Hartmannswillerkopf), and did not return to the division until May.

Roye (Somme).

1. On February 6 the division left the banks of the Oise to go back to the area south of the Avre, between Lassigny and Roye. It remained in this sector until the month of October.

2. Toward the end of September elements of the division formed a part of the Hartz Division in Artois (Sick and Balthasar Regiments).

Artois.

3. In October the 17th Reserve Division was withdrawn from the front south of Roye and sent to Artois, near Lens (Liévin-Givenchy).

1916.

1. The 17th Reserve Division remained in Artois until the battle of the Somme. In February it launched several attacks.

Somme.

2. About the beginning of July the 163d Infantry Regiment was sent, temporarily, to reinforce the 185th Division, engaged along the Somme near Cantalmaison.

3. The 17th Reserve Division was in line as a whole north of the Somme about July 25 (Bazentin-Pozières). It remained there until August 9–14.

4. It was sent to rest and to be reorganized near Valenciennes.

5. At the end of August it occupied the sector of Loos-Hulluch (north of Lens). In September the 75th Reserve Infantry Regiment was sent to the 211th Division.

6. About September 21 the division returned to the Somme (Le Transloy-Combles), where it lost heavily (losses, 51 per cent).

7. Relieved about October 10 it was transferred to Belgium.

8. From October 23–25 to the end of January, 1917, it was in line between Het Sas and the Ypres-Roulers railroad.

1917.

1. At the end of January, 1917, the 17th Reserve Division was sent for a month’s rest near Bruges, and again took over its sector.

Artois.

2. It left the Ypres salient at the end of March and went into line southeast of Arras. On April 9 it suffered very heavy losses from the British offensives (2,100 prisoners).

3. On April 12–13 the division was relieved and sent to rest and to be reorganized.

Cambresis.

4. On April 27 it took over the sector of Havrincourt (southwest of Cambrai) and occupied it until June 1.

Artois.

5. Transferred to the Arras front, the 17th Reserve Division went back into line in the sector Guémappe-Monchy le Preux, where it launched several violent battles during the month of June. At the end of July it extended its sector toward the north (south of the Scarpe).

6. Relieved at the end of August it went back into line at the beginning of September southeast of Arras (Vis en Artois). It lost especially heavy during the gas attacks. (It received, on Oct. 23, 40 men per company, coming from Hamburg and Beverloo, slightly trained, and on Nov. 10 men taken from the Russian front.) (Summary of Information, Dec. 2.)

7. The 17th Reserve Division left Artois in the middle of November.

Flanders.

8. Sent to Flanders the division took over the sector at Becelaere about November 18. The division was engaged against the British attack of December 3 and suffered heavy losses. It underwent violent attacks and left the front in the beginning of January, 1918.

RECRUITING.

The division is recruited in Schleswig-Holstein, the Hanseatic cities, and adjacent parts of Hanover. Some replacement troops were from Westphalia, and in September, 1916, men from Brandenburg of the 1917 class.

VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.

During the year 1917 the 17th Reserve Division launched a great number of terrible attacks on the Arras front and in Flanders.

At Becelaere (Dec., 1917) it gave proof of great stubbornness. The 162d Infantry Regiment carried out a successful attack in this sector on December 14. However, a few months before, on June 18, the 163d Infantry Regiment is said to have refused to advance. (Summary of Information, June 19.)

Although this division is not one of the best in the German Army and its morale is mediocre it is capable of offering serious resistance.

1918.

Battle of the Lys.

1. The northern sector was a fairly quiet front in the winter months and the division remained in line here until just before the German offensive on the Lys of April 9. Prior to this attack all of the division but one battalion of the 76th Reserve Regiment was withdrawn and sent hurriedly to the vicinity of Messines. It attacked there with other German divisions on the morning of April 9 under orders to take Messines by the evening of the 10th and to push ahead as far as possible. It gained considerable ground at heavy cost. Elements of the 7th Division relieved part of the 17th Reserve Division a few days later, but the bulk of the division remained in line until about April 22, when it was relieved by the 13th Reserve Division and the 19th Reserve Division.

2. On April 24 the division arrived in the Maldeghem area for a long rest. While there the divisional and the brigade commanders were decorated for their part in the Lys offensive. Death notices published in the German newspapers disclosed the death of two battalion and many company commanders on the Lys. While at rest the division went through courses of training. On June 4 it entrained at Eecloo and moved via Mons and Marle to Tergnier. At this time the Noyon offensive (June 9) was being organized. The division marched at night to Boulogne la Grasse (10th) and went into line on the evening of the 11th near Mery, relieving the 227th Division.

Oise.

3. The division was in heavy fighting immediately and suffered severely in the successful French counteroffensive of June 16.

Battle of the Matz.

4. The French attack in August threw the division back on Canny sur Matz and later north of Fresnieres. It passed to second line about August 31, but was reengaged on September 5 at Esmery-Hallon. It suffered heavy losses and was taken out on September 9.

5. The division was moved to Lorraine, where it rested a month and returned to Le Cateau on October 10.

6. The division was engaged at Le Cateau on October 11 and resisted the British attack until November 3. It fought near Le Cateau (Oct. 18), Bazuel (21st), Forest (23d), Landrecies (24th), and Bois L’Eveque (Oct. 27). The division received the men of the 265th Reserve Regiment (108th Division) as a draft in October.

7. The division was out of line from November 3 to the armistice.

VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.

The division was rated as first class. Its effectives were generally young; 31 per cent belong to the 1919 class and 18 per cent to the 1918 class on October 1. It took a prominent part in the Lys and Noyon offensives, winning a reputation for its vigorous attacks. Its defensive work in October around Le Cateau was of a high order.