52nd Reserve Division (German Empire)
Encyclopedia
The 52nd Reserve Division (52. 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 division was primarily recruited in the Grand Duchy of Baden
and in the Prussian Rhine Province
.
, entering the line in mid-October. As part of the so-called Race to the Sea
, it fought in the Battle of the Yser
and the First Battle of Ypres
in October–November 1914. It remained in positional warfare and fighting 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, and in the Autumn of 1917 fought in the Battle of Passchendaele. The division then returned to the line in the Champagne, remaining there until April 1918. At the end of April it went into action in the fighting at Kemmel, Belgium, and then remained in the Flanders region until the end of the war. In 1918, Allied intelligence rated the division as a second class division, noting that although trained as an assault division, it was not so used in most of the German offensives that year.
, with essentially the same organization as the reserve divisions formed on mobilization. The order of battle of the 52nd Reserve Division on September 10, 1914 was as follows:
in August 1916, dissolving the 103rd Reserve Infantry Brigade headquarters and sending the 237th Reserve Infantry Regiment to the 199th 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 January 1, 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. The division was primarily recruited in the Grand Duchy of Baden
Grand Duchy of Baden
The Grand Duchy of Baden was a historical state in the southwest of Germany, on the east bank of the Rhine. It existed between 1806 and 1918.-History:...
and in 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...
.
Combat chronicle
The 52nd 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...
and the First Battle of Ypres
First Battle of Ypres
The First Battle of Ypres, also called the First Battle of Flanders , was a First World War battle fought for the strategic town of Ypres in western Belgium...
in October–November 1914. It remained in positional warfare and fighting 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, and in the Autumn of 1917 fought in the Battle of Passchendaele. The division then returned to the line in the Champagne, remaining there until April 1918. At the end of April it went into action in the fighting at Kemmel, Belgium, and then remained in the Flanders region until the end of the war. In 1918, Allied intelligence rated the division as a second class division, noting that although trained as an assault division, it was not so used in most of the German offensives that year.
Order of battle on formation
The 52nd 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 52nd Reserve Division on September 10, 1914 was as follows:
- 103.Reserve-Infanterie-Brigade
- Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 237
- Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 238
- Reserve-Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 24
- 104.Reserve-Infanterie-Brigade
- Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 239
- Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 240
- Reserve-Kavallerie-Abteilung Nr. 52
- Reserve-Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 52
- Reserve-Pionier-Kompanie Nr. 52
Order of battle on January 1, 1918
The 52nd 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, dissolving the 103rd Reserve Infantry Brigade headquarters and sending the 237th Reserve Infantry Regiment to the 199th 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 January 1, 1918 was as follows:
- 104.Reserve-Infanterie-Brigade
- Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 238
- Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 239
- Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 240
- Reserve-Kavallerie-Abteilung Nr. 52
- Artillerie-Kommandeur 69
- Reserve-Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 52
- Fußartillerie-Bataillon Nr. 51 (from August 8, 1918)
- Stab Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 352
- 8./2. Brandenburgisches Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 28
- Reserve-Pionier-Kompanie Nr. 52
- Minenwerfer-Kompanie Nr. 252
- Divisions-Nachrichten-Kommandeur 452