2. Sent to the Somme at the end of August, it was engaged southeast of Maurepas (Le Forest) at the time of the French attack of September 3, which ended in the capture of Le Forest and of Clery. It suffered heavy losses in counterattacking and in withstanding the new French offensive of September 13. Between September 6 and 12 the 241st Reserve Infantry Regiment listed 12 officers and 1,502 men as casualties. On September 3 the 244th Reserve Infantry Regiment had lost 400 prisoners.
Loos.
3. Relieved on September 14, it was transferred to the Loos front (between Hulluch and the Lens-Béthune railroad), from September 21 to October 5.
Champagne.
4. On October 9 it was in Champagne, where it occupied the sector of Prosnes, east of Rheims.
Galicia.
5. Withdrawn from the Champagne front, the 53d Reserve Division entrained for the Eastern Front on November 17. (Itinerary: Bétheniville-Rethel-Sedan-Trèves-Coblenz-Ems-Cologne-Halle-Cottbus-Liegnitz-Breslau-Cracow-Tarnow-Jaroslaw-Przemysl-Lemberg-Rohatyn.) It detrained at Pukow (south of Lemberg) on the 26th.
6. It was sent into reserve behind the line of the Narajowka in December. In the autumn of 1916 the 244th Reserve Infantry Regiment was transferred to the 215th Division; later it was transferred to the 96th Division (Saxon).
1917.
1. At the beginning of January, 1917, the 53d Reserve Division went into line at the junction of the Narajowka and the Dniester, and remained in this sector until the middle of June without any important engagement.