HISTORY.
(17th Landwehr: 21st Corps District—Lorraine. 21st Landwehr: 17th Corps District—Western Prussia. 99th Landwehr: 15th Corps District—Alsace.)
1915.
The 85th Landwehr Division is the old Breugel Division, which at the beginning of the war, together with the Woernitz Division (86th Division), formed the Graudenz Corps (also known as the Zastrow Corps and in 1915 the 17th Reserve Corps), and operated on the Eastern Front.
Russia.
1. Two of the regiments, the 17th Landwehr and the 99th Landwehr, went to the Eastern Front, the former at the beginning of the war and the latter in the spring of 1915.
Poland.
1. Until July, 1915, the Breugel Division was engaged in Poland (Prasnysz, region of Mlawa).
2. In July it took part in the offensive against the Russians, advancing to the west of Pultusk (middle of July); besieged Novo-Georgievsk; was on the Bug (beginning of August) and near Bielsk (end of August). The 61st Landwehr entered Warsaw on August 22 and remained there during the month of September.
3. With the stabilization of the front the former Breugel, now the 85th Landwehr Division occupied the Vichnev sector (to the south of Krevo) on the Little Berezina.
1916.
Vichnev.
1. The 85th Landwehr Division remained on the Vichnev-Deliatitchi front for more than two years (September, 1915—October, 1917). In September, 1917, it gave up the 61st Landwehr Regiment to the 217th Division, then newly organized.
1917.
Vichnev.
1. About the 15th of October, 1917, the 85th Landwehr Division moved to the north. It left the Niemen region to go to the south of Dvinsk, near the lake of Drisviaty. In December it extended its sector toward the south (Vidzy).
RECRUITING.
The 21st Landwehr was recruited in the 17th Corps District, or more generally in western Prussia. There were numerous soldiers from Alsace and Lorraine in the division. Frequent desertions on the part of the men from Lorraine and men from the mining region of the Sarre in 1914 on the French front led to the decision which sent the 17th Landwehr to Russia.
VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.
Remained a long while in quiet sectors on the Russian front. The 85th Landwehr Division had but a very mediocre combat value.
1918.
Courland.
1. Toward the end of January the men of the 85th Landwehr Division were still fraternizing in the Vidzy region. The 17th Landwehr Regiment was in the vicinity of Jakobstadt in April and the 99th Landwehr Regiment participated at this time in the operations in Finland.
Ukraine.
2. Early in May the whole division, with the exception of some elements (14th Jaeger Battalion, 1st Guard Uhlan Regiment, 229th Mounted Machine Gun Co.), moved to the Polotsk region. Regiments of the division were identified in this area early in September. There was a rumor that the division had been transferred to the Western Front early in October, but this seems unlikely.
VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.
The division was rated as fourth class.