HISTORY.
(From all of the Prussian territory, by selection, in the same manner as the guard.)
1914.
1. The 43d Reserve Division (first series of reserve divisions engaged in October, 1914) formed at this time, with the 44th Reserve Division, the 22d Reserve Corps. It was formed from the regimental recruit depots of the guard, and has preserved from that time a selective system of recruiting from the whole of the Prussian territory.
2. Going into training at the camp of Doeberitz at the beginning of September, the 43d Reserve Division entrained on October 13 for Belgium, and on the 19th it began fighting in the vicinity of Dixmude, Merckem, Bixschoote, etc. It was in action there until the end of November.
Yser.
3. After the battle of the Yser the elements of the division occupied different parts of the front between Ypres and Nieuport.
1915.
Flanders.
1. At the beginning of January, 1915, the 86th Reserve Brigade was in line at Westende.
2. About the end of February the 43d Reserve Division was reconcentrated and then sent to rest in the vicinity of Menin-Roulers until April 25.
Artois.
3. In May elements of the division were holding the sector Bixschoote-Boesinghe (North of the Ypres salient). Another part of the division was sent as a reenforcement north of Arras (Souchez) to oppose the French offensive. The 202d Reserve Infantry Regiment lost 76 officers and 1,320 men at Notre Dame de Lorette (Official List of Casualties).
Russia.
4. About the beginning of July the 86th Reserve Brigade was transferred to Russia and took part in the offensive of Mackensen in Poland. Between May 15 and September 29 the 204th Reserve Infantry Regiment listed as casualties 63 officers and 3,511 men. (Official List of Casualties.)
Champagne-Serbia.
5. The 85th Reserve Brigade, sent to Lorraine (Xivray), then to Woevre (July to September), took part in the battle of Champagne (end of September), and then rejoined the rest of the division in Serbia, where the 43d Reserve Division took part in the campaign in October.
1916.
France.
1. The division left Serbia to return to France at the end of January and beginning of February, 1916.
Verdun.
2. After a rest in the vicinity of Valenciennes (February-March) it was sent to the Verdun front at the end of March, and went into action west of the Meuse on April 10 (attacks of Bethincourt and the Mort Homme), where it suffered heavy losses between April 10 and May 25. The 12th Company of the 201st Reserve Infantry Regiment received not less than 185 men as replacements during the month of May. (Document.)
3. Toward the end of May the 43d Reserve Division was withdrawn from the front and sent to rest in the Thionville area. At Verdun it had lost 50 per cent of its infantry.
Russia.
4. At the middle of June it entrained at Novion Porcien and was again sent to Russia. Itinerary: Charleville-Trèves-Cassel-Leipzig-Dresden-Breslau-Cracow-Lemberg-Stojanow (southwest of Sokal.) The 204th Reserve Infantry Regiment detrained on June 19.
5. On the Russian front the division was engaged west of Loutsk in the German counteroffensive in June. (Its losses may be estimated from the fact that the 12th Company of the 201st Reserve Infantry Regiment received replacements of 152 men in July and August, the 3d Company at least 145 men from July 9 to 29.)
France.
6. On November 15 the division was brought back to the Western Front. (Itinerary Oderberg-Leipzig-Frankfort-Mayence-Thionville-Sedan-Thourout.) Reduced to three regiments by the assignment of the 204th Reserve Infantry Regiment to the 218th Division, a new formation, it was at rest for almost a month in the vicinity of Rethel.
Verdun.
7. In consequence of the French attack of December 15 north of Verdun, the division was concentrated in the vicinity of Azannes. On December 17 it relieved the remnants of the 10th Division in the Chambrettes sector.
1917.
1. The 43d Reserve Division remained at Verdun until January 31, 1917, without being engaged in any important action. However, it suffered rather heavy losses there.
Champagne.
2. After a rest in Alsace, the division was sent to Champagne, where, on February 22, it reenforced the front between Loivre and east of the Cavaliers du Courcy. The French attack of April 16 caused it serious losses.
Argonne.
3. Relieved at the end of April, and reorganized, it went back into line in the calm sector of Vauquois about May 9; the 12th Company of the 201st Reserve Infantry Regiment was filled up by the arrival of 100 men (1918 class; men from the 613th and 614th dissolved Infantry Regiments).
4. At the end of May the division was withdrawn from the Argonne. It was rested and reorganized first in the Ardennes, then in the vicinity of Laon.
Chemin des Dames.
5. From July 18 to 20, it went into the sector Panthéon-Épine du Chevregny (south of Pargny-Filain) and almost at once underwent the artillery preparation and the French attack of July 30 which caused it heavy losses, increased by the counterattacks which it attempted on July 31 and August 10. On July 30 the 12th Company of the 202d Reserve Infantry Regiment had only 5 noncommissioned officers and 56 men left (document). On August 10 the 201st Reserve Infantry Regiment was almost completely destroyed and left 124 men as prisoners south of La Royère.
6. The 43d Reserve Division was relieved from the Chemin des Dames on August 23 and sent to rest until the end of September in the vicinity of Laon. It was filled up and reorganized.
La Malmaison.
7. Receiving training at the beginning of October in view of an offensive which was to anticipate the expected French attack, the elements of the 43d Reserve Division were engaged, beginning with October 15, to reenforce weakened divisions at Vaudesson, La Malmaison, and Bruyeres. They underwent the attack of October 23, which caused them heavy losses (53 officers, 2,190 men, prisoners). The remnants of the division were relieved on the Ailette on October 28.
Russia.
8. The division was sent to Russia soon afterwards, where it detrained on November 11, in the vicinity of Baranovitchi, after five days’ travel. It then relieved the 201st Division, scheduled to go to France.
RECRUITING.
The 43d Reserve Division was recruited, as was the guard in which it had its origin, from the whole of the Prussian territory. The trained men (returned, wounded, and sick), who figure in the reenforcements which it received, had the same origin (Guard, 1st Reserve Guard Division, 261st and 262d Reserve Guard Ersatz Divisions, Guard Landsturm Battalions, etc.). In April, 1917, the division absorbed a part of the 613th and 614th Regiments formed from the Guard recruit depots and dissolved on March 31.
VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.
The 43d Reserve Division has always been considered a very good organization (December, 1917).
On August 10, 1917, south of La Royère, the 201st Ersatz Regiment attacked “with very great energy.”
In October, 1917, at La Malmaison, the 43d Reserve Division was brought up for reenforcement as an attacking division.
Because of its recent losses (in the attack of Oct. 3) the 43d Reserve Division needs to be completely reorganized before going into action (December, 1917).
It is to be noted that all the recruits of the division come from the Guard recruit depots. (After the losses suffered on Apr. 16, 1917, the division received 3,000 men from the depots of Brandenburg.)
The human material at the disposition of the division is of high quality.
1918.
1. The division left Russia on February 9 and arrived at the Camp Alten-Grabon near Magdeburg about the middle of February. After resting there about five weeks the division entrained on March 18 and traveled via Bielefeld-Gladbach-Aachen-Visé—Hasselt-Louvain-Brussels-Denderleeuw-Audenarde-Courtrai-Tourcoing to Lille, where the regiment detrained on the 22d, billeting at Loos. On the night of April 1–2 the 202d Reserve Infantry Regiment marched via Emmerin and Wattignies to Herrin, continuing on the night of April 2–3 via Chemy-Camphin-Ostricourt to Malmaison and thence to Herrin-Lietard. On April 4 the regiment proceeded to Noyelles-Godault, on the 5th back to Malmaison, and thence on the 7th to Billy Berclau.
La Bassee Canal.
2. The division was engaged at Festubert on April 9. The objective of the division was to break through the enemy’s positions, force the passage of the Lawe and the La Bassee Canals, and capture the heights of Hinges and the town of Bethum. It was held up by British resistance at Festubert and did not penetrate farther. On April 29 it was relieved by the 9th Reserve Division.
Somme.
3. After its relief, the division rested in the area south of Lille until June 24, when it relieved the 24th Reserve Division at Bouzencourt. Until August 8, it held the sector on the Somme. In the fighting in August, the division lost 600 prisoners. On August 20 it returned to line at Bray and was engaged until the end of the month. The total number of prisoners lost by the division in these two engagements was 1,100.
4. Early in September the division was broken up. The 203d Reserve Regiment was turned into the Guard Ersatz Division, the 202d Reserve Regiment to the 2d Guard Division.
VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.
The division was rated as third class. Its complete failure on the La Bassee attack in April and its subsequently long retention in line on the Somme prepared the way for its dissolution about the first of September.