The 1st Bavarian Landwehr Division (1. Bayerische Landwehr-Division) was a unit of the Bavarian Army, part of the Imperial German

German Empire

The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...

 Army

German Army (German Empire)

The German Army was the name given the combined land forces of the German Empire, also known as the National Army , Imperial Army or Imperial German Army. The term "Deutsches Heer" is also used for the modern German Army, the land component of the German Bundeswehr...

, in World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

. The division was formed on August 21, 1914 as the "Reinforced Bavarian Landwehr Division" (Verstärkte Bayerische Landwehr-Division) and was also known initially as the Wening Division (Division Wening), named after its commander, Otto Wening. It became the 1st Bavarian Landwehr Division in September 1914. The division was disbanded in 1919 during the demobilization of the German Army after World War I.

The division was formed from various separate Landwehr

Landwehr

Landwehr, or Landeswehr, is a German language term used in referring to certain national armies, or militias found in nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Europe. In different context it refers to large scale, low strength fortifications...

 units. Although called Bavarian, the division initially included several non-Bavarian units. Its 14th Landwehr Infantry Brigade included one Bavarian and one Württemberg regiment. Its 60th Landwehr Infantry Brigade (initially commanded by Lt. Gen. Hans von Blumenthal

Von Blumenthal

The von Blumenthal family are German nobility from Brandenburg-Prussia. Other, unrelated, families of this name exist in Switzerland and formerly in Russia, and many unrelated families called "Blumenthal" without "von" are to be found worldwide.The family was already noble from earliest times ,...

, who had come out of retirement) included one regiment formed in Alsace-Lorraine and one formed in Thuringia. The Thuringian regiment included Prussians and soldiers from the principalities of Reuss Junior Line

Reuss Junior Line

The Principality of Reuss Younger Line formed a state in Germany, ruled by members of the House of Reuss. The Counts Reuss of Gera, of Schleiz, of Lobenstein, of Köstritz and of Ebersdorf, each became princes in 1806, and they and their reigning successors bore the title Prince Reuss, Younger Line...

 and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen

Schwarzburg-Sondershausen

Schwarzburg-Sondershausen was a small principality in Germany, in the present day state of Thuringia, with capital at Sondershausen.-History:...

. The 60th Landwehr Infantry Brigade would be transferred to the newly-formed 13th Landwehr Division in May 1915. In January 1916, the 1st Bavarian Landwehr Division was reorganized and became all-Bavarian.

Combat chronicle

The 1st Bavarian Landwehr Division served on the Western Front

Western Front (World War I)

Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...

, initially seeing action in the Battle of the Frontiers

Battle of the Frontiers

The Battle of the Frontiers was a series of battles fought along the eastern frontier of France and in southern Belgium shortly after the outbreak of World War I. The battles represented a collision between the military strategies of the French Plan XVII and the German Schlieffen Plan...

. From September 1914 to the end of May 1915, it fought south of Dieuze

Dieuze

Dieuze is a commune in the Moselle department in Lorraine in north-eastern France.-People:Dieuze was the birthplace of:*Charles Hermite, mathematician*Edmond François Valentin About, novelist, publicist and journalist*Émile Friant, painter...

. From June 1915 to November 1918, the division occupied the line in Lorraine. Allied intelligence rated the division as fourth class; it was considered primarily a sector holding unit and remained generally on the defensive except for various raids.

Order of battle on formation

The 1st Bavarian Landwehr Division was formed as a two-brigade square division

Square division

A square division is a designation given to the way military divisions are organized. In a square organization, the division's main body is composed of four regimental elements. Since a regiment could be split into separate battalions for tactical purposes, the natural division within a division...

, and received a third brigade in September 1914. The order of battle of the division on December 4, 1914 was as follows:

• 13. Bayerische Landwehr-Infanterie-Brigade
  • Kgl. Bayer. Landwehr-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 8
  • Kgl. Bayer. Landwehr-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 10
• 14. Landwehr-Infanterie-Brigade
  • Kgl. Württemb. Landwehr-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 122
  • Kgl. Bayer. Landwehr-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 15
• 60. Landwehr-Infanterie-Brigade
  • Landwehr-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 60
  • Thüringisches Landwehr-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 71
• Kavallerie-Ersatz-Abteilung/2.Garde-Ulanen-Regiment
• 1. Landwehr-Eskadron/II. Bayerisches Armeekorps
• Ersatz-Abteilung/2. Westfälisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 22
• Ersatz-Abteilung/Straßburger Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 84
• Kgl. Bayerische Landsturm-Batterie Landau
• 1. Landwehr-Pionier-Kompanie/II. Bayerisches Armeekorps

Late-war order of battle

The division underwent a number of organizational changes over the course of the war. It was triangularized

Triangular division

A triangular division is a designation given to the way divisions are organized. In a triangular organization, the division's main body is composed of three regimental maneuver elements. These regiments may be controlled by a brigade headquarters or directly subordinated to the division commander...

in September 1916. Cavalry was reduced, artillery and signals commands were formed, and combat engineer support was expanded to a full battalion. The order of battle on February 15, 1918 was as follows:

• 5. Bayerische Landwehr-Infanterie-Brigade
  • Kgl. Bayer. Landwehr-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 4
  • Kgl. Bayer. Landwehr-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 6
  • Kgl. Bayer. Landwehr-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 7
  • Maschinengewehr-Scharfschützen-Abteilung Nr. 6
• 3. Eskadron/Kgl. Bayer. 8. Chevaulegers-Regiment
• Kgl. Bayer. Artillerie-Kommandeur 22
  • Kgl. Bayer. Landwehr-Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 1
• Stab Kgl. Bayer. Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 24
  • Kgl. Bayer. Reserve-Pionier-Kompanie Nr. 18
  • Kgl. Bayer. Landwehr-Pionier-Kompanie Nr. 1
  • Kgl. Bayer. Minenwerfer-Kompanie Nr. 301
• Kgl. Bayer. Divisions-Nachrichten-Kommandeur 501