Somme.
5. It came into line on August 8 at Trace le Mont. In the opening week of the offensive it lost many prisoners and retired from the line about August 20 to rest near St. Gobain. On the 29th it returned to line near Arblencourt-Champs. It withdrew early in September but returned to support the 80th Reserve Division in a counterattack executed in the region Sancy-Vauxillon September 16–18.
6. Following this the division was rested near Laon. On October 7 it was entrained and moved to the region of Tupigny-Mennevret.
7. It was engaged on October 9 to the east of Bohain before the extreme right of the 4th British Army. It was relieved in this sector on October 23 by the 200th Division. At this time the division was very low in effectives; two regiments had three battalions of three companies and one regiment had but two battalions. The average company strength was about 50 men.
8. Retired to rest for 15 days, the division returned to line on November 5, near Wiege Faty. It was last identified at Trelon on November 11.
VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.
The division was rated as a second-class division. In the earlier years it was a very good division, but through losses and lack of reinforcements during 1918 considerably reduced its value.
5th Ersatz Division.
COMPOSITION.
| 1916 | 1917 | 1918 | 1918 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brigade. | Regiment. | Brigade. | Regiment. | Brigade. | Regiment. | Brigade. | Regiment. | |
| Infantry. | 37 Mixed Ldw. | 73 Ldw. | 37 Ldw. | 3 Res. Ers. | 37 Ldw. | 73 Ldw. | 37 Ldw. | 73 Ldw. |
| 74 Ldw. | 73 Ldw. | 74 Ldw. | 74 Ldw. | |||||
| 2 Res. Ers. | 4 Res. Ers. | 74 Ldw. | 8 Landst. | (?) | ||||
| 3 Res. Ers. | ||||||||
| Cavalry. | 8 Cuirassier Rgt. (Ers. Sqn.). | 8 Cuirassier Rgt. (Ers. Sqn.). | 1 Sqn. 16 Drag. Rgt. | |||||
| 88 Cav. Rgt. (3 Sqn.). | ||||||||
| Artillery. | 102 F. A. Abtl. (1 Ers. Abt. 26 F. A. Rgt). | 102 F. A. Regt. | 250 Ldw. F. A. Rgt. | |||||
| Engineers and Liaisons. | 161 T. M. Co. | Pion. Btn.: | 2 Landst. Co. 9 C. Dist Pions. | |||||
| (?) 2 Landst. Co. 9 C. Dist. Pions. | 111 Searchlight Section. | |||||||
| 405 T. M. Co. | 555 Signal Command. | |||||||
| 303 Searchlight Section. | 555 Tel. Detch. | |||||||
| 555 Tel. Detch. | ||||||||
| Medical and Veterinary. | 269 Ambulance Co. | 269 Ambulance Co. | ||||||
| (?) (11 Ldw.) Field Hospital. | 500 Field Hospital. | |||||||
| 505 Vet. Hospital. | 11 Ldw. Field Hospital. | |||||||
| 505 Vet. Hospital. | ||||||||
| Transports. | 763 M. T. Col. | 763 M. T. Col. | ||||||
| Attached. | 2 Insterburg Landst. Inf. Btn. (1 C. Dist. Btn. No. 6). | |||||||