HISTORY.
(255th Regiment: 7th Corps District—Westphalia. 257th Regiment, 332d Regiment: 8th Corps District—Rhenish Province.)
1915.
The 77th Reserve Division was formed at the Senne Cantonment (7th Corps Region) in January, 1915, with six field battalions (Nos. 31–36) of the 7th Corps Region and three of the 8th, (Nos. 37–39.) With the 78th Reserve Division, it composed the 39th Reserve Corps.
Russia.
1. Brought to the Eastern Front at the beginning of February, detraining at Insterburg, it was a part of the army operating in Eastern Prussia after February 12.
2. At the beginning of March it was engaged on the Sopotzkyn-Chtabin front in the region of Simno; on March 9 it covered the retreat of the 21st Corps and fell back to Seiny, Suwalki and Augustowo (Mar. 10 to 31).
3. During May and June the 77th Reserve Division took part in the Courland raid. On May 5 it was identified as being on the Rossieny-Beisagola front (to the South of Chavli).
Grodno.
4. Taking part in the summer offensive, it advanced through the regions of Grodno, Olita (Aug 30) and Vileiki (Sept 27).
5. At the beginning of November it established itself in the vicinity of Kchtchava, east of Novo-Alexandrovsk.
1916.
Courland.
1. The 77th Reserve Division stayed in the region north of Kchtchava—and south of Dvinsk during all of 1916 and until August 1917. In August of 1916 it gave one of its regiments—the 256th—to the Mitau group and later to the 218th Division.
1917.
Courland.
1. At the end of August, 1917, the 77th Reserve Division was transferred from the region of the Dvinsk to the Riga front, being brought up to strength by the addition of the 332d Regiment, the latter having originally come from the 83d Division after having successively been part of the 11th Landwehr Division and the 8th Cavalry Division.
2. In October the 77th Reserve Division appeared in the vicinity of Friedrichstadt; near Jakobstadt, at the end of October. The 255th Regiment may have participated about this date in the occupation of the island of Oesel.
3. On November 5 the division is identified in the region of Libau; on January 20, the 257th Regiment at Mitau; and to the northwest of the Novo-Alexandrovsk-Dvinsk railway, the 255th Regiment on February 10. On March 1 the 332d Regiment of Infantry was to leave “in order to advance in the East” (letter).
RECRUITING.
Principally Westphalia for the 255th Regiment; Rhenish provinces for the 257th and 332d Regiments. Numerous recruits from Lorraine and Alsace. Poles in the 332d Regiment, which received the Ersatz Battalion of the 19th Infantry at the time it was formed.
VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.
The 77th Reserve Division did not leave the Russian front. One of its present regiments, the 332d, is a former regiment of the Posen garrison, of which two of the three battalions were Rhenish Landsturm battalions. Successive replacements gave this regiment the appearance of an ordinary regiment. In January, 1918, the older and sickly men were released.
1918.
1. The division left Russia about April 1 and traveled via Magdebourg-Hildesheim-Cologne-Gerolstein-Gouvy-Bastogne-Lebramont-Sedan-Liart-Rozay-Montcornet, detraining in the vicinity of Laon on April 4. It marched by stages toward Villers-Carbonnel-Athies, where it rested and trained from April 11 to 19. On April 20 it entered the line north of Hangard and was engaged until the end of the month.
Somme.
2. It returned to line east of Villers-Bretonneux on May 18 and held that sector until July 4.
Woevre.
3. The division was moved to the Woevre by Hirson and Montmedy and on July 14 relieved the 183d Division in the Flirey sector. It held that sector until the American attack on St. Mihiel on September 12. The division suffered very heavy losses in prisoners, but had few other casualties, the prisoners stating that they were completely cut off by the American barrage. It was withdrawn on September 16 and did not thereafter return to line.
4. What remained of the 77th Reserve Division was reassembled at Pagny and was occupied in organizing the ground between Pagny and Prenay. A report of October 11 stated that the division passed through Berlin on its way to the Balkan front on October 2. The division was then considered as withdrawn from the Western Front.
VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.
The division was rated as third class. It was not seriously engaged except in the St. Mihiel attack, which practically destroyed the division. Its morale was only mediocre. Deserters from the Alsace-Lorraine element in the division were numerous.