HISTORY.
(2d District—Pomerania.)
1914.
East Prussia-Russia.
1. At the beginning of the war the 3d Reserve Division, recruited in the 2d District (Pomerania), formed a part of the 8th German Army (Hindenburg). It fought with this army in eastern Prussia; it was engaged in the battle of Tannenberg (Aug. 26–28), in the battles of Biallo, Lyck, Suwalki, and Augustowo (September-October).
1915.
1. In February, 1915, the 3d Reserve Division participated in the battle of the Mazurian Lakes, and in May in the battles on the Polish frontier.
2. During the great offensive of the summer of 1915 the division was engaged in the operations on the Bobr, which resulted in the taking of Ossovietz. In August it fought in the vicinity of Kovno. It participated in the siege of this city (Aug. 13–18) at the battle of Niemen (Aug. 19-Sept. 8). When the front was stabilized it took position to the north of Smorgoni (southeast of Vilna).
1916.
1. The 3d Reserve Division occupied this sector (north of Smorgoni) up to March, 1917. At this time it was placed in reserve in the Vilna sector.
Belgium.
2. At the beginning of May, 1917, it was sent to the western front. It entrained May 13 at Soly (east of Vilna), and was transported via Vilna, Wirballen, Gumbinnen, Berlin, Hanover, Aix-la-Chapelle, Liege, Louvain, and Brussels up to Bruges, where it detrained May 18. It was sent to rest in this district until June 4.
3. On this date the division was transported to the district north of St. Quentin and went into the line on the 8th in the Vendhuille-Bellicourt sector (west of Catelet), where it habituated itself to the western front.
1917.
Ypres.
4. The division was relieved the end of July. After having been in reserve for several days it engaged in the battle of Ypres on the Frezenberg front on August 4; here it was severely tried by artillery fire.
5. It was withdrawn from the front August 18 and sent to rest, first at Tournai and later in the Moorslede District.
6. On September 23 it was again sent into the line in the battle of Flanders to the south of Zonnebeke (Polygone wood), and again suffered serious losses on the 26th.
Alsace.
7. The 3d Reserve Division was relieved September 28 and transported to Alsace (Mulhouse District), where it remained in repose up to the middle of October.
8. About the 10th or 15th of October it occupied the sector north of the canal from the Rhone to the Rhine, and remained there till the end of October.
9. At this time it was withdrawn from the front. It entrained for Metz November 10. In December it was in the vicinity of Sissone.
Aisne.
10. About December 13 it entered the line in the Craonne sector (Juvincourt area). At the beginning of January it took over the neighboring sector (Bouconville).
VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.
Very mediocre morale. The 49th Reserve Regiment was very severely tested by losses and desertions to such a point that it had to be returned to the rear after August 18, 1917. September 26 the 8th Company of the same regiment refused to take part in the attack. The relatively high proportion of men of the 2d Landsturm levy may be responsible for these facts, since they formed part of the regiments of the Second District.
According to prisoners captured in February, 1918, the 3d Reserve Division seemed to be of mediocre quality: “6,000 men lost in Flanders, poorly replaced by men 50 per cent of whom were old, many being above 40, and by 30 per cent Poles.”
Nevertheless, despite the mediocrity of its personnel, it must be noted that the 49th Reserve was subjected to a special training for attack troops in November and December.
1918.
Laon.
1. The division held the line in the Craonne sector until about April 20, when it was relieved.
Oise.
2. It reappeared on May 1 near Hainvillers (southeast of Montdidier), where it remained until about June 20. The division was in the thick of the June fighting on the Oise and lost heavily.
3. About June 20 the division went to rest in the region of Guise.
Marne.
4. The division participated in the fighting between the Marne and Soissons when the Allies delivered their attack on the Marne salient. It relieved the 115th Division at Longpont on July 18 and withstood the attack until July 31. The 49th Reserve Regiment was almost annihilated in the course of the fighting near Mery. The other regiments were reduced to 70–80 rifles per company.
5. Retired from the front on July 31, the division rested at La Capelle until September 1.
Cambrai.
6. The division came into line east of Chevisy on September 2. Its composition had been altered by the disbandment of the 2d Reserve Regiment and the addition of the 2d Grenadier Regiment from the 109th Division. The British attack on the Somme of September 12 engulfed the division, which lost 1,300 prisoners.
Belgium.
7. It was withdrawn about September 27 and transferred to Belgium, where it entered the line near Dixmude on September 29. It held the line in this sector until October 16, when it passed into the second line for a week’s rest. Returning to line on the 23d, it remained in line until the armistice.
VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.
The division is rated as a third-class division. Its morale was on the whole bad. The Polish elements deserted freely. In July pillaging of supply trains was apparently prevalent in the divisional area. Elements of the division refused to fight in the Oise battle in June, and the German command appeared to have confidence in its fighting value.