51st Reserve Division (German Empire)
Encyclopedia
The 51st Reserve Division (51. Reserve-Division) was a unit of the Imperial German
Army
in World War I
. The division was formed in September 1914 and organized over the next month, arriving in the line in October. 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 234th Reserve Infantry Regiment was raised in the former Hesse-Kassel
(or Hesse-Cassel) in the Prussian Province of Hesse-Nassau
, and also included soldiers from the Principality of Waldeck
. The 235th and 236th Reserve Infantry Regiments were from the Prussian Rhine Province
. The 23rd Reserve Battalion was from the Prussian Province of Hanover
. Most support units were from Hesse-Kassel.
, entering the line in mid-October. As part of the so-called Race to the Sea
, it fought in the Battle of the Yser
in October–November 1914. It remained in positional warfare along the Yser until April 1915. It then took part in the Second Battle of Ypres
, which involved in the first large-scale use of poison gas in World War I. After the battle, it remained in the trenchlines along the Yser until September 1916. It saw action in the Battle of the Somme that month, and then went into the line in the Champagne region until April 1917. In May 1917, it fought in the Second Battle of the Aisne
, also called the Third Battle of Champagne. It then returned to the line in the Champagne region and later fought from August to October against the French offensive at Verdun. After Verdun, it again returned to the line in the Champagne, remaining there until March 1918. The division fought in the German Spring Offensive
and the Second Battle of the Marne
, and then resisted the subsequent Allied counteroffensives, including the Meuse-Argonne Offensive
. In 1918, Allied intelligence rated the division as a good second class division.
, with essentially the same organization as the reserve divisions formed on mobilization. The order of battle of the 51st Reserve Division on September 10, 1914 was as follows:
in August 1916, sending the 101st Reserve Infantry Brigade headquarters and the 233rd Reserve Infantry Regiment to the 195th Infantry Division. Over the course of the war, other changes took place, including the formation of artillery and signals commands and the enlargement of combat engineer support to a full pioneer battalion. The order of battle on February 16, 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 September 1914 and organized over the next month, arriving in the line in October. 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.
Recruitment
The division was relatively mixed. The 233rd Reserve Infantry Regiment (later transferred to another division) was from the Thuringian states, mainly Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and Saxe-MeiningenSaxe-Meiningen
The Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen was one of the Saxon duchies held by the Ernestine line of the Wettin dynasty, located in the southwest of the present-day German state of Thuringia....
. The 234th Reserve Infantry Regiment was raised in the former Hesse-Kassel
Hesse-Kassel
The Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel or Hesse-Cassel was a state in the Holy Roman Empire under Imperial immediacy that came into existence when the Landgraviate of Hesse was divided in 1567 upon the death of Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse. His eldest son William IV inherited the northern half and the...
(or Hesse-Cassel) in the Prussian Province of Hesse-Nassau
Province of Hesse-Nassau
Hesse-Nassau Province was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1868-1918, then a province of the Free State of Prussia until 1944.Hesse-Nassau was created as a consequence of the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 by combining the previously independent Hesse-Kassel , the Duchy of Nassau, the Free...
, and also included soldiers from the Principality of Waldeck
Waldeck (state)
Waldeck was a sovereign principality in the German Empire and German Confederation and, until 1929, a constituent state of the Weimar Republic. It comprised territories in present-day Hesse and Lower Saxony, ....
. The 235th and 236th Reserve Infantry Regiments were from the Prussian Rhine Province
Rhine Province
The Rhine Province , also known as Rhenish Prussia or synonymous to the Rhineland , was the westernmost province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia, within the German Reich, from 1822-1946. It was created from the provinces of the Lower Rhine and Jülich-Cleves-Berg...
. The 23rd Reserve Battalion was from the Prussian Province of Hanover
Province of Hanover
The Province of Hanover was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia from 1868 to 1946.During the Austro-Prussian War, the Kingdom of Hanover had attempted to maintain a neutral position, along with some other member states of the German Confederation...
. Most support units were from Hesse-Kassel.
Combat chronicle
The 51st 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 mid-October. As part of the so-called Race to the Sea
Race to the Sea
The Race to the Sea is a name given to the period early in the First World War when the two sides were still engaged in mobile warfare on the Western Front. With the German advance stalled at the First Battle of the Marne, the opponents continually attempted to outflank each other through...
, it fought in the Battle of the Yser
Battle of the Yser
The Battle of the Yser secured part of the coastline of Belgium for the allies in the "Race to the Sea" after the first three months of World War I.-Strategic Context:As part of the execution of the Schlieffen Plan, Belgium had been invaded by Germany...
in October–November 1914. It remained in positional warfare along the Yser until April 1915. It then took part in the Second Battle of Ypres
Second Battle of Ypres
The Second Battle of Ypres was the first time Germany used poison gas on a large scale on the Western Front in the First World War and the first time a former colonial force pushed back a major European power on European soil, which occurred in the battle of St...
, which involved in the first large-scale use of poison gas in World War I. After the battle, it remained in the trenchlines along the Yser until September 1916. It saw action in the Battle of the Somme that month, and then went into the line in the Champagne region until April 1917. In 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 called the Third Battle of Champagne. It then returned to the line in the Champagne region and later fought from August to October against the French offensive at Verdun. After Verdun, it again returned to the line in the Champagne, remaining there until March 1918. The division 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...
and 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 then resisted the subsequent Allied counteroffensives, including 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 a good second class division.
Order of battle on formation
The 51st 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 51st Reserve Division on September 10, 1914 was as follows:
- 101.Reserve-Infanterie-Brigade
- Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 233
- Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 234
- Reserve-Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 23
- 102.Reserve-Infanterie-Brigade
- Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 235
- Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 236
- Reserve-Kavallerie-Abteilung Nr. 51
- Reserve-Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 51
- Reserve-Pionier-Kompanie Nr. 51
Order of battle on February 16, 1918
The 51st 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 August 1916, sending the 101st Reserve Infantry Brigade headquarters and the 233rd Reserve Infantry Regiment to the 195th Infantry Division. Over the course of the war, other changes took place, including the formation of artillery and signals commands and the enlargement of combat engineer support to a full pioneer battalion. The order of battle on February 16, 1918 was as follows:
- 102.Reserve-Infanterie-Brigade
- Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 234
- Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 235
- Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 236
- Maschinengewehr-Scharfschützen-Abteilung Nr. 73
- Reserve-Kavallerie-Abteilung Nr. 51
- Artillerie-Kommandeur 51
- Reserve-Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 51
- I.Bataillon/Reserve-Fußartillerie-Regiment Nr. 11 (from April 16, 1918)
- Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 351
- Divisions-Nachrichten-Kommandeur 451