“As a fighting formation, the 88th Division thus appears to have been brought up to the standard of the majority of the German divisions in the western theater and in addition has a leader well acquainted with the conditions of warfare on this front.”
Although its subsequent conduct was not such as to justify completely the above estimate, it did at least prove that its rating as a fourth-class unit was too low.
89th Division.
COMPOSITION.
| 1915 | 1916 | 1917 | 1918 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brigade. | Regiment. | Brigade. | Regiment. | Brigade. | Regiment. | Brigade. | Regiment. | |
| Infantry. | 21 Ldw. | 10 Ldw. | 178. | 333. | 178. | 333. | 178. | 333. |
| 38 Ldw. | 375. | 375. | 375. | |||||
| (In November the above passed to the 14 Ldw Div.) | 8 Ldw. | 8 Ldw. | ||||||
| Jonas (178). | 333. | |||||||
| 375. | ||||||||
| 8 Ldw. | ||||||||
| Cavalry. | 89 Cav. Rgt. | 89 Cav. Rgt. | 4 Sqn. 11 Drag. Rgt. | 4 Sqn. 11th Drag. Rgt. | ||||
| Artillery. | 89 F. A. Abt. | 89 F. A. Rgt. | Art. Command: | 89 Field Art. Rgt. (Rgt. Staff, 1 Abt. Staff Btries. 1 to 3). | ||||
| 911 F. A. Btry. | 89 F. A. Rgt. | |||||||
| Engineers and Liaisons. | 5 Co. 6 Pions. | Pion. Btn.: | 5 Co. 26th Pion. Btn. | |||||
| 2 Res. Co. 17 Pions. | 5 Co. 26 Pions. | 89 Div. Signal Command. | ||||||
| 89 T. M. Co. | 2 Res. Co. 17 Pions. | 89 Tel. Detch. | ||||||
| 89 Pont. Engs. | 89 T. M. Co. | |||||||
| 89 Tel. Detch. | Tel. Detch. | |||||||
| Medical and Veterinary. | 68 Ambulance Co. | 68 Ambulance Co. | ||||||
| Field Hospital. | 264 Field Hospital. | |||||||
| Vet. Hospital. | 183 Vet. Hospital. | |||||||
| Transport. | 721 M. T. Col. | 586 M. T. Col. | ||||||
| Odd Units. | 36 Bav. Mun. Col. | |||||||
| Attached. | 11 Labor Btn. | |||||||
| 45 Labor Btn. | ||||||||
HISTORY.
(333d Regiment: 5th and 6th Corps District—Silesia. 375th Regiment: 17th Corps District—Western Prussia. 8th Landwehr: 3d Corps District—Brandenburg.)
1915.
The 89th Division reached its present form of organization about October, 1915. With the 87th Division, it was used to form, while named Westernhagen Division, the Thorn Corps, and was engaged on the Eastern Front from the beginning of the war. It at first was comprised of the 21st Landwehr Brigade, taken from the Breslau Corps and the Jonas Brigade (Keller Regiment and the 8th Landwehr) which became the 178th Brigade. In November, 1915, this division having given up the 21st Landwehr Brigade to form the 14th Landwehr Division, it brought up its strength to three regiments by taking the 333d Regiment from the 84th Division.