1. At the outbreak of the war the 16th Reserve Division with the 15th Reserve Division was a part of the 8th Reserve Corps and belonged to the 4th Army (Duke of Wurttemberg).
Champagne.
2. On August 14, 1914, it entered Luxemburg; on the 21st, Belgium. It went into action at St. Hubert on the 22d; at Matton on the 24th; crossed the Meuse at Sedan with heavy losses August 26–28. Entering Champagne by way of Vouziers, it took part in the battle of the Marne, along the canal from the Marne to the Rhine (Heiltz le Maurupt-Bignicourt-Le Buisson).
3. On September 9 it began its retreat, and retired by way of Suippes (Sept. 14) to Cernay en Dormois. About September 20 it stopped in the area of Minaucourt-Massiges and took up its position there.
4. The 16th Reserve Division occupied this sector of Champagne (north of Massiges) until the month of October, 1915. (On the 30th of January, 1915, the 29th Reserve Infantry Regiment had had a total of 79 officers and 3,090 men casualties.)
1915.
1. At the time of the French offensive in Champagne the 16th Reserve Division went into battle east of the road from Tahure to Perthes les Hurlus (Sept. 25). It was then a part of a new group under the orders of Gen. Ditfurth.
2. Having suffered heavily from these attacks, the 16th Reserve Division was relieved about October 15 and sent to the rest in the Chesne area. Between October 8 and 14 no less than 223 men came to the 5th Company of the 68th Reserve Infantry Regiment as replacements (in this number, recruits of the 1915 class who had had four months’ instruction).
Aisne.
3. At the end of October the 16th Reserve Division was sent north of the Aisne, where it took over the sector between Soissons and Vailly.