HISTORY.
(14th Corps District—Baden.)
1914.
Vosges.
1. At the beginning of the war the 28th Reserve Division formed in the Grand Duchy of Baden, and constituting the 14th Reserve Corps, with the 26th Reserve Division, belonged to the 7th Army (Von Heeringen). The division detraining near Emmendingen (Baden), entered Alsace by way of Markolsheim on August 10. It was engaged in the valley of the Bruche beginning on the 15th, fought at Donon on the 20th, and went down toward the Meurthe, where it fought until September 5 (Nompatelize and la Bourgonce), suffering heavy losses (two-thirds of the effectives of the 111th Reserve Infantry Regiment).
Somme.
2. After September 5 the 28th Reserve Division retired toward Blamont on September 15. On September 22 and 23 it entrained at Teterchen (Lorraine) for Cambria, where it detrained on September 26 and 27. It was assigned to the 2d Army with the other division of the 14th Reserve Corps.
1915.
1. The division occupied the sector crossed by the Albert-Bapaume road (Ovillers to Fricourt) until July, 1916.
In April, 1915, the 28th Reserve Division lost the 40th Reserve Infantry Regiment, which went to the 115th Division, and its two battalions of Chasseurs left it—one in January, the other in May.
2. In August and September, 1915, elements of the division were in reserve in the area south of St. Quentin.
1916.
Somme.
1. The 28th Reserve Division did not have any great losses on the Somme between October, 1915, and July, 1916. Its combat activity was weak during this period.
2. On July 1, 1916, the Division supported the entire weight of the British offensive north of the Somme, and suffered very heavy losses (casualties of the 111th Reserve Infantry Regiment, 39 officers and 1,821 men).
3. On July 4 the division was withdrawn from the front, sent to rest, and reorganized.
Champagne.
4. Transferred to Champagne on July 10, it took over the sector west of Auberive (July 14 to the beginning of October).
Somme.
5. The 28th Reserve Division was brought back to the Somme at Thiepval about October 5; it was in action until the end of October and lost heavily. On the one day of October 24 the 9th Company of the 111th Reserve Infantry Regiment noted the arrival of 134 men as replacements.
Meuse (Avocourt).
Relieved about October 28, the division was sent to the Stenay area and reorganized.
Beginning of November, it occupied, at Verdun, the Avocourt sector at Hill 304.
1917.
1. On the Avocourt front the 28th Reserve Division took part in a few local engagements. It left this sector between April 7 and April 15.
Californie Plateau.
2. Concentrated in the area northwest of Montfaucon, the division entrained about April 16 at Brieulles sur Meuse, Dun, Romagne and was transferred to Rozoy sur Serre; from there it marched to the sector east of Californie Plateau (Apr. 21). It underwent the French attack of May 4, which caused it heavy losses. Elements of the division lost very heavily counterattacking on the days following.
3. The division was relieved on May 18 and reorganized hastily (replacements of 1,100 men including 25 per cent of the 1918 class and men from the 626th Infantry Regiment dissolved). It was sent to Verdun to the Talou sector on May 20.
Verdun.
4. The division, weakened by an epidemic of dysentery, was withdrawn from the front on July 8 and sent to rest in the area of Marville-Jametz until the beginning of August.
5. It went back into line at this date, on the right bank of the Meuse (Talou, Hill 344). It lost very heavily from the French attack of August 20 (47 officers and 1,150 men as prisoners) and was relieved on August 30.
Champagne.
6. At the beginning of September it occupied the sector of Ville sur Tourbe in Champagne.
RECRUITING.
The 28th Reserve Division is recruited mostly from Baden. In addition, there are men from Rhenish-Hesse and the Rhine districts. There was also a small number of men from the 4th Corps District (1918 class).
VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.
The combat value of the 28th Reserve Division appears mediocre.
During the entire time that it spent on the Somme (October, 1914-July, 1916), the division remained on the defensive.
Having lost very heavily on the Somme, it showed no great activity on the Somme (August-October, 1916).
On the Californie Plateau (May, 1917), the 28th Reserve Division appeared very much inferior to the guard.
At Hill 344 (Aug. 20), the attitude of the regiments of the 28th Reserve Division was rather passive, and the resistance was quite weak.
1918.
1. The division was relieved south of Beine (Champagne) on February 16. It entrained on the following day for Cartignies, near Avesnes, where it underwent training for offensive operations. It remained there until the 14th of March, when it commenced to march by night to the front via Etreux-Fresnoy-Le Nouvion-Wassigny-Essigny le Petit Remancourt, arriving in line on March 20.
Battle of the Somme.
2. The division was in the front line of the attack at Fayet on the 21st. On the 23d it passed through Savy and reached Vaux. On the 26th it passed through Parvillers and Erches, proceeding on the 27th via Warsy to Becquigny. The division distinguished itself in the fighting, though at a heavy cost. Some companies are known to have lost 75 per cent of their effectives. When withdrawn from the front line on March 29, the division was held in reserve on the front at Davenscourt, Warsy, and Gruny until April 17. Two thousand five hundred men, with a large percentage of the 1919 class, were received at this time as reinforcements.
Battle of the Aisne.
3. The division rested in the Avesnes-Maubeuge area until May 22, when it marched via Marle-Ste. Preuve-Montaigu May 22–27. The division was used as an attack division to break through on the Aisne front. It attacked southwest of Craonne on the 27th and advanced by Corbeny, southwest of Craonne, Merval, east of Fismes, Treloup (30th) and Jaulgonne. Prince von Buchau, the divisional commander, was killed on May 30. In the advance to the Marne the division covered 60 kilometers.
Chateau Thierry.
4. The division was out of line June 3 to 7. On the 8th, it reentered line before Bouresches (west of Chateau Thierry) where it opposed the 2d United States Division until July 3. Heavy losses were received in the fighting in the Bois Belleu on June 10–11. The division received a draft of 200 men in June. The division was withdrawn on July 3 and rested southwest of Soissons from July 7 to 18.
Soissons.
5. It was alerted on July 18 and engaged south of Soissons (Berzy-Courmelles) on the next day. It was heavily engaged until August 1, when it entrained north of Laon and moved to north of Vouziers on August 1. Here the division rested until the middle of August. A draft of 400 men was received early in August.
Champagne.
6. The division was engaged in the sector north of Mesnil les Hurlus about August 20 until the end of the month, when it was withdrawn.
7. After leaving the line at Tahure the division was shifted back and forth behind the Argonne and Meuse sectors ready to be thrust into line. It was moved from Juniville to Longuyon on September 5 and stayed at St. Jean les Buzy (west of Conflans) until the 26th. From there it moved to the Damvillers region, and on October 1 was sent to Milly and Villers devant Dun.
Meuse-Argonne.
8. The division was engaged near Cunel from October 3 to 18, when it was withdrawn to Stenay where it received replacements. The company strength was brought up to 40–50 men. On the 24th it was again in line near Bantheville and continued in to the end. It fell back north of Villers devant Dun on November 1–2, where it was last identified.
VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.
The division was rated as first class. It was one of the best of the German divisions. It was used as an assault division in the Somme and Aisne offensives and met with great success. Following the attack it received in June in the Bois de Belleu, the division was not seriously engaged until it was thrown in the Argonne in an effort to stop the American advance. Its morale remained high up to the last though its effectives dwindled.