The 30th Division was a unit of the Prussia

Prussia

Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...

n/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...

. It was formed on April 1, 1887 as the 33rd Division and became the 30th Division on April 1, 1890, and was headquartered in Straßburg

Strasburg

-Places:*Strasbourg, a city in Alsace *Straßburg, Austria, in Carinthia*Strasburg, Germany, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania*the former name of Brodnica, became Polish after World War I*Strassburg, the German name for Aiud, Alba...

 (now Strasbourg, France). The division was subordinated in peacetime to the XV Army Corps (XV. Armeekorps). The division was disbanded in 1919 during the demobilization of the German Army after 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 recruited primarily in the Rhineland and Westphalia, with the 105th Infantry Regiment recruited in the Kingdom of Saxony.

Combat chronicle

The division served in World War I 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...

. It saw 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...

 and in the Race for the Sea. It fought in the two major battles of 1916, the Battle of Verdun

Battle of Verdun

The Battle of Verdun was one of the major battles during the First World War on the Western Front. It was fought between the German and French armies, from 21 February – 18 December 1916, on hilly terrain north of the city of Verdun-sur-Meuse in north-eastern France...

 and the Battle of the Somme. In 1917, it fought in the Second Battle of the Aisne

Second Battle of the Aisne

The Second Battle of the Aisne , was the massive main assault of the French military's Nivelle Offensive or Chemin des Dames Offensive in 1917 during World War I....

 and the tank battle of Cambrai. In 1918, it fought in the Battle of Champagne-Marne and the Second Battle of Cambrai

Battle of Cambrai (1918)

The Battle of Cambrai was a battle between troops of the British First, Third and Fourth Armies and German Empire forces during the Hundred Days Offensive of the First World War. The battle took place in and around the French city of Cambrai, between 8 and 10 October 1918...

. Until the last campaigns of the war, the division was regarded as a first class division.

Pre–World War I organization

The organization of the 30th Division in 1914, shortly before the outbreak of World War I, was as follows:

• 60. Infanterie-Brigade
  • 2. Oberrheinisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 99
  • 4. Unter-Elsässisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 143
• 85. Infanterie-Brigade
  • Kgl. Sächs. 6. Infanterie-Regiment König Wilhelm II. von Württemberg Nr. 105
  • 4. Lothringisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 136
• 30. Kavallerie-Brigade
  • 3. Schleschisches Dragoner-Regiment Nr. 15
  • 2. Rheinisches Husaren-Regiment Nr. 9
• 30. Feldartillerie-Brigade
  • 2. Ober-Elsässisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 51
  • Straßburger Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 84

Order of battle on mobilization

On mobilization in August 1914 at the beginning of World War I, most divisional cavalry, including brigade headquarters, was withdrawn to form cavalry divisions or split up among divisions as reconnaissance units. Divisions received engineer companies and other support units from their higher headquarters. The 30th Division was redesignated the 30th Infantry Division. Its initial wartime organization was as follows:

• 60. Infanterie-Brigade
  • 2. Oberrheinisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 99
  • 4. Unter-Elsässisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 143
• 85. Infanterie-Brigade
  • Kgl. Sächs. 6. Infanterie-Regiment König Wilhelm II. von Württemberg Nr. 105
  • 4. Lothringisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 136
• Jäger-Regiment zu Pferde Nr. 3
• 30. Feldartillerie-Brigade
  • 2. Ober-Elsässisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 51
  • Straßburger Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 84
• Reserve-Ulanen-Regiment Nr. 601
• 1.Kompanie/1. Elsässisches Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 15

Late World War I organization

Divisions underwent many changes during the war, with regiments moving from division to division, and some being destroyed and rebuilt. During the war, most divisions became triangular

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...

 - one infantry brigade with three infantry regiments rather than two infantry brigades of two regiments (a "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...

"). An artillery commander replaced the artillery brigade headquarters, the cavalry was further reduced, the engineer contingent was increased, and a divisional signals command was created. The 30th Infantry Division's order of battle on April 1, 1918 was as follows:

• 60. Infanterie-Brigade
  • 2. Oberrheinisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 99
  • Kgl. Sächs. 6. Infanterie-Regiment König Wilhelm II. von Württemberg Nr. 105
  • 4. Unter-Elsässisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 143
• 2.Eskadron/Husaren-Regiment Kaiser Nikolaus II von Rußland (1. Westfälisches) Nr. 8
• Artillerie-Kommandeur 30
  • Reserve-Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 84
  • Kgl. Bayerisches 10. Fußartillerie-Bataillon
• Stab 1. Elsässisches Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 15
  • 1.Kompanie/Elsässisches Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 15
  • 5.Kompanie/Elsässisches Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 15
  • Minenwerfer-Kompanie Nr. 29
• Divisions-Nachrichten-Kommandeur 30