45th Reserve Division (German Empire)
Encyclopedia
The 45th Reserve Division (45. Reserve-Division) was a unit of the Imperial German
Army
in World War I
. The division was formed in August 1914 and organized over the next two months. It was part of the first wave of new divisions formed at the outset of World War I, which were numbered the 43rd through 54th Reserve Divisions. The division was disbanded in 1919 during the demobilization of the German Army after World War I. The division was recruited primarily in the Prussian provinces of Pomerania and West Prussia, but the 212th Reserve Infantry Regiment was a Hanseatic regiment, raised in Hamburg
and Bremen
.
, entering the line in October along the Yser and remaining there until April 1915, when it went into the fight for Ypres. The division remained in the Yser region until September 1916. In September, the division fought in the Battle of the Somme. Thereafter, it remained in the Aisne region until April 1917. In April and May 1917, it fought in the Second Battle of the Aisne
, also known as the Third Battle of Champagne (and to the Germans as the Double Battle on the Aisne and in the Champagne). Thereafter, the division went into the trenchline around Verdun, remaining there until the end of September 1917, when it joined the Battle of Passchendaele. The division then returned to Verdun. In 1918, it fought in the German Spring Offensive
, including the breakthrough at St. Quentin and the follow-on battles in the Montdidier-Noyon region. It later saw action in the Second Battle of the Marne
and the Meuse-Argonne Offensive
. In 1918, Allied intelligence rated the division as second class.
, with essentially the same organization as the reserve divisions formed on mobilization. The order of battle of the 45th Reserve Division on September 10, 1914 was as follows:
in September 1916. Over the course of the war, other changes took place, including the formation of artillery and signals commands and a pioneer battalion. The order of battle on March 30, 1918 was as follows:
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 in August 1914 and organized over the next two months. It was part of the first wave of new divisions formed at the outset of World War I, which were numbered the 43rd through 54th Reserve Divisions. The division was disbanded in 1919 during the demobilization of the German Army after World War I. The division was recruited primarily in the Prussian provinces of Pomerania and West Prussia, but the 212th Reserve Infantry Regiment was a Hanseatic regiment, raised in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
and Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
.
Combat chronicle
The 45th Reserve Division fought on the Western FrontWestern 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...
, entering the line in October along the Yser and remaining there until April 1915, when it went into the fight for Ypres. The division remained in the Yser region until September 1916. In September, the division fought in the Battle of the Somme. Thereafter, it remained in the Aisne region until April 1917. In April and May 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....
, also known as the Third Battle of Champagne (and to the Germans as the Double Battle on the Aisne and in the Champagne). Thereafter, the division went into the trenchline around Verdun, remaining there until the end of September 1917, when it joined the Battle of Passchendaele. The division then returned to Verdun. In 1918, it fought in the German Spring Offensive
Spring Offensive
The 1918 Spring Offensive or Kaiserschlacht , also known as the Ludendorff Offensive, was a series of German attacks along the Western Front during World War I, beginning on 21 March 1918, which marked the deepest advances by either side since 1914...
, including the breakthrough at St. Quentin and the follow-on battles in the Montdidier-Noyon region. It later saw action in the Second Battle of the Marne
Second Battle of the Marne
The Second Battle of the Marne , or Battle of Reims was the last major German Spring Offensive on the Western Front during the First World War. The German attack failed when an Allied counterattack led by France overwhelmed the Germans, inflicting severe casualties...
and the Meuse-Argonne Offensive
Meuse-Argonne Offensive
The Meuse-Argonne Offensive, or Maas-Argonne Offensive, also called the Battle of the Argonne Forest, was a part of the final Allied offensive of World War I that stretched along the entire western front.-Overview:...
. In 1918, Allied intelligence rated the division as second class.
Order of battle on formation
The 45th Reserve Division was initially organized as a square divisionSquare 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...
, with essentially the same organization as the reserve divisions formed on mobilization. The order of battle of the 45th Reserve Division on September 10, 1914 was as follows:
- 89. Reserve-Infanterie-Brigade
- Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 211
- Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 212
- 90. Reserve-Infanterie-Brigade
- Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 209
- Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 210
- Reserve-Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 17
- Reserve-Kavallerie-Abteilung Nr. 45
- Reserve-Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 45
- Reserve-Pionier-Kompanie Nr. 45
Order of battle on March 30, 1918
The 45th Reserve Division was triangularizedTriangular 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. Over the course of the war, other changes took place, including the formation of artillery and signals commands and a pioneer battalion. The order of battle on March 30, 1918 was as follows:
- 90. Reserve-Infanterie-Brigade
- Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 210
- Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 211
- Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 212
- Reserve-Kavallerie-Abteilung Nr. 45
- Artillerie-Kommandeur 45
- Reserve-Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 45
- I.Bataillon/Fußartillerie-Regiment Nr. 20
- Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 345
- Divisions-Nachrichten-Kommandeur 445