The 87th Infantry Division (87. Infanterie-Division) was a unit 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 in February 1915 as the provisional Dickhuth Corps (Korps Dickhuth), named after its commander, and became the 87th Infantry Division in August 1915. The division was disbanded in 1919 during the demobilization of the German Army after World War I.

Combat chronicle

The 87th Infantry Division initially served on the Eastern Front

Eastern Front (World War I)

The Eastern Front was a theatre of war during World War I in Central and, primarily, Eastern Europe. The term is in contrast to the Western Front. Despite the geographical separation, the events in the two theatres strongly influenced each other...

, fighting on the Polish frontier and in the Gorlice-Tarnów Offensive

Gorlice-Tarnów Offensive

The Gorlice–Tarnów Offensive during World War I started as a minor German offensive to relieve Russian pressure on the Austro-Hungarians to their south on the Eastern Front, but resulted in the total collapse of the Russian lines and their retreat far into Russia...

. It fought in the battle of Lake Njemen and the battle of Vilnius

Vilnius

Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...

 in September 1915. From October 1915 to September 1917, the division occupied the line between Lake Narač

Lake Narac

Lake Narach is a lake in North-West Belarus . The lake is located in the northern part of the country, in the basin of the Vilija river. It is the largest lake in Belarus .Narach is a part of Narach lake group...

 and Lake Drūkšiai

Lake Drukšiai

Lake Drūkšiai, also called Lake Drysviaty or Lake Drysvyaty, or Drisvyaty is a lake located partly in the northeastern part of Lithuania and partly in the Vitebsk Voblast, in Belarus. The lake water was used to cool the reactors of the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant.The greatest depth of the lake is...

. In November/December 1917, it occupied the line near Daugavpils. After the armistice on the Eastern Front, the division remained stationary on the armistice line until February and March 1918, when it was involved in fighting in the Baltic region. At the end of March 1918, the division was transferred to 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...

, where it entered the line in the Champagne region. It later fought against the Allied counterattacks 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...

. The division remained on various parts of the front until the end of the war. Allied intelligence rated the division as fourth class.

Order of battle on formation

The 87th Infantry Division was formed as 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...

. The order of battle of the division on August 20, 1915 was as follows:

• 173. Infanterie-Brigade
  • Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 345
  • Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 346
• 179. Infanterie-Brigade
  • Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 347
  • Landsturm-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 8
• Kavallerie-Regiment Nr. 87
• Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 87
• 4.Kompanie/Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 26
• 2.Garde-Landwehr-Pionier-Kompanie

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 December 1917. Cavalry was reduced, artillery and signals commands were formed, and combat engineer support was expanded to a full pioneer battalion. The order of battle on February 24, 1918 was as follows:

• 179. Infanterie-Brigade
  • Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 345
  • Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 347
  • Reserve-Ersatz-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 3
  • Radfahrer-Kompanie Nr. 156
• 1.Eskadron/Grenadier-Regiment zu Pferde 3
• Artillerie-Kommandeur 3
  • Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 38
• Stab Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 87
  • 3. Landwehr-Kompanie/Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 6
  • 2. Ersatz-Kompanie/Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 25
  • Minenwerfer-Kompanie Nr. 87
• Divisions-Nachrichten-Kommandeur 87