HISTORY.
(19th Corps District—Saxony.)
1914.
1. The 24th Reserve Division (12th Reserve Corps with the 33d Reserve Division) belonged at the outbreak of the war to the 3d German Army (Von Hausen).
2. Detraining on August 12–13, 1914, northeast of Trèves, (Coblentz-Trèves railroad), entering Belgium by way of Viel-Salm on the 19th, it advanced into France by way of the Ardennes and Champagne and from there to Sompuis (west of Vitry le François, Sept. 8).
Marne.
3. Going into action on September 8 and 9 in the vicinity of Mailly, it retired by way of Mourmelon and Sept-Saulx to the east of Rheims (Moronvilliers-Vaudesincourt). It made a stand in this sector and established its position there (end of September).
1915.
Champagne.
1. The 24th Reserve Division remained in line on the Champagne front (north of Souain, south of St. Souplet-Moronvilliers) from September, 1914, until the beginning of July, 1916. In April, 1915, the 106th Reserve Infantry Regiment was transferred to the 123d Division, a new formation.
2. At the end of September, 1915, it suffered very heavy losses while opposing the French offensive.
1916.
Somme.
1. Relieved from its sector in Champagne about the beginning of July, 1916, the 24th Reserve Division was transferred to the Somme. It went into action between Longueval and Hardecourt, from the middle to the end of July.
2. Some elements of the division were still fighting on the Somme (near Martinpuich in September).
Artois.
3. About September 21, the 24th Reserve Division was put in line north of Arras (area from Lievin to Roclincourt).
Somme.
4. It left Artois in the middle of November to return to the Somme, south of Bapaume (Le Transloy-Gueudecourt). It remained there until December 12, then returned to Artois (sector east of Arras) at the end of December.
1917.
Artois.
1. The 24th Reserve Division occupied the sector east of Arras until March 25, 1917. Relieved at this date, it was sent to rest northeast of Ghent.
Galicia.
2. On April 26 it entrained for the Eastern Front. Itinerary: Herbestal-Aix la Chapelle-Dusseldorf-Barmen-Leipzig-Dresden-Georlitz-Lemberg. Detraining in Galicia, it went into line south of Brzezany, at the beginning of May. It underwent the Russian offensive at the beginning of July, in the course of which prisoners of the three regiments and a part of the artillery of the division were left in the hands of the Russians (366 prisoners from the 133d Reserve Infantry Regiment).
3. Withdrawn from the front and reorganized, the 24th Reserve Division again went into action on July 20 (German counterattack). It advanced as far as Zbrucz and suffered new losses.
4. About August 16 it took over the sector of Skala.
5. Entraining for the Western Front on October 24, it detrained at Bruges on the 31st. Itinerary: Stanislau-Lemberg-Breslau-Dresden-Leipzig-Cassel-Trèves—Brussels.
Cambrai.
6. After a rest in Belgium during the month of November, the 24th Reserve Division fought at Cambrai (end of November). It remained in the sector Flesquieres-Graincourt until the end of February, 1918.
VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.
The 24th Reserve Division took part in numerous battles; it is a fairly good division.
1918.
1. The division was relieved in the Cambrai sector on February 6 by the 27th Division and went to rest in the Ivny area. On the 28th it marched via Cambrai-Sains Inchy to Prouville and went into line.
Battle of the Somme.
2. It took part in the initial attack and by the 22d had reached Boursies. On the following day, the division advanced through Hermies to Ruyaulcourt and was relieved in the evening. The division rested until April 6 when it came into line north of Hangard where it was engaged until April 19, when the 19th Division relieved it. The division suffered very heavily from artillery and machine gun fire in this sector.
3. The division was at rest until May 1, when it returned to the front south of the Somme, relieving the 1st Division. About the 24th of May the division sideslipped north and took the sector astride the Somme. It was relieved about the middle of June.
Second Battle of the Marne.
4. The division rested in the Cambrai area undergoing training. It left Cambrai about July 19 and was engaged west of Fere en Tardenois on July 24. The division took part in the fighting on the Aisne until about September 5. It passed to second line for about two weeks and returned to line at Pinon on September 20. Until the armistice, it was constantly engaged in resisting the Allied advance. It was identified at Verneuil (Oct. 19), Chalaudry (21st), Mortiers (26th), Crecy (28th), and south of Landouzy on November 7.
VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.
The division was rated as third class. It was used as an attack division in March, but thereafter was engaged entirely on the defensive. It appears to have resisted as well as the average German division.