8th Bavarian Reserve Division (German Empire)
Encyclopedia
The 8th Bavarian Reserve Division (8. Bayerische Reserve-Division) was a unit of the Imperial German
Army
in World War I
. The division was formed at the end of December 1914 and organized over the next month, arriving in the line in late January 1915. It was part of the second large wave of new divisions formed at the outset of World War I. The division was disbanded in 1919 during the demobilization of the German Army after World War I. The division was recruited in the Kingdom of Bavaria
and was considered to be skilled in mountain warfare
.
, seeing its first action in the trenches in Alsace, where it remained until May 1915. It was then transferred to the Eastern Front
, fighting in the breakthrough battle at Lubaczów
and in the 1915 Battle of Lemberg. It was sent back to the Western Front in July, again fighting in Alsace, where it remained until July 1916. From 19 July to 22 August, it fought in the Battle of the Somme. In October 1916, the division entered the Romanian Campaign
, where it engaged in mountain warfare. The division remained in combat in various parts of Romania until December 1916, and then engaged in positional warfare in Transylvania until July 1917, when it went back on the offensive. In October 1917, the division returned to the Western Front, fighting in Flanders. It fought in the trenches and saw action in the Battle of Armentières in April 1918, part of the Battle of the Lys, also known as the Lys Offensive and the Fourth Battle of Ypres. It continued fighting along the Western Front until the end of the war. Allied intelligence rated the division as first class.
. The order of battle of the division on December 31, 1914 was as follows:
in October 1916, losing the 15th Bavarian Reserve Infantry Brigade headquarters and the 18th Bavarian Reserve Infantry Regiment. Over the course of the war, other changes took place, including the formation of artillery and signals commands. The order of battle on June 28, 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 at the end of December 1914 and organized over the next month, arriving in the line in late January 1915. It was part of the second large wave of new divisions formed at the outset of World War I. The division was disbanded in 1919 during the demobilization of the German Army after World War I. The division was recruited in the Kingdom of Bavaria
Kingdom of Bavaria
The Kingdom of Bavaria was a German state that existed from 1806 to 1918. The Bavarian Elector Maximilian IV Joseph of the House of Wittelsbach became the first King of Bavaria in 1806 as Maximilian I Joseph. The monarchy would remain held by the Wittelsbachs until the kingdom's dissolution in 1918...
and was considered to be skilled in mountain warfare
Mountain warfare
Mountain warfare refers to warfare in the mountains or similarly rough terrain. This type of warfare is also called Alpine warfare, named after the Alps mountains...
.
Combat chronicle
The 8th Bavarian Reserve Division initially 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...
, seeing its first action in the trenches in Alsace, where it remained until May 1915. It was then transferred to 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 in the breakthrough battle at Lubaczów
Lubaczów
Lubaczów is a town in southeastern Poland, close to the border with Ukraine, with 12,405 inhabitants .Situated in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship , it is the capital of Lubaczów County and is located 50 kilometers northeast of Przemyśl....
and in the 1915 Battle of Lemberg. It was sent back to the Western Front in July, again fighting in Alsace, where it remained until July 1916. From 19 July to 22 August, it fought in the Battle of the Somme. In October 1916, the division entered the Romanian Campaign
Romanian Campaign (World War I)
The Romanian Campaign was part of the Balkan theatre of World War I, with Romania and Russia allied against the armies of the Central Powers. Fighting took place from August 1916 to December 1917, across most of present-day Romania, including Transylvania, which was part of the Austro-Hungarian...
, where it engaged in mountain warfare. The division remained in combat in various parts of Romania until December 1916, and then engaged in positional warfare in Transylvania until July 1917, when it went back on the offensive. In October 1917, the division returned to the Western Front, fighting in Flanders. It fought in the trenches and saw action in the Battle of Armentières in April 1918, part of the Battle of the Lys, also known as the Lys Offensive and the Fourth Battle of Ypres. It continued fighting along the Western Front until the end of the war. Allied intelligence rated the division as first class.
Order of battle on formation
The 8th Bavarian Reserve Division, unlike the other divisions of its wave and like earlier German divisions, 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...
. The order of battle of the division on December 31, 1914 was as follows:
- 15.Bayer. Reserve-Infanterie-Brigade
- Kgl. Bayer. Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 18
- Kgl. Bayer. Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 19
- 16. Bayer. Reserve-Infanterie-Brigade
- Kgl. Bayer. Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 22
- Kgl. Bayer. Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 23
- Kgl. Bayerische Reserve-Radfahrer-Kompanie Nr. 8
- Kgl. Bayer. Reserve-Kavallerie-Abteilung Nr. 8
- Kgl. Bayer. Reserve-Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 8
- Kgl. Bayer. Reserve-Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 9
- 3.Batterie/Kgl. Bayer. Reserve-Fußartillerie-Bataillon Nr. 6
- Kgl. Bayer. Reserve-Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 2
- Kgl. Bayer. Reserve-Pionier-Kompanie Nr. 8
- Kgl. Bayer. Reserve-Pionier-Kompanie Nr. 9
Order of battle on June 28, 1918
The 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 October 1916, losing the 15th Bavarian Reserve Infantry Brigade headquarters and the 18th Bavarian Reserve Infantry Regiment. Over the course of the war, other changes took place, including the formation of artillery and signals commands. The order of battle on June 28, 1918 was as follows:
- 16. Bayer. Reserve-Infanterie-Brigade
- Kgl. Bayer. Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 19
- Kgl. Bayer. Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 22
- Kgl. Bayer. Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 23
- Kgl. Bayer. Reserve-Kavallerie-Abteilung Nr. 8
- Kgl. Bayer. Artillerie-Kommandeur 8
- Kgl. Bayer. Reserve-Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 9
- Kgl. Bayer. Fußartillerie-Bataillon Nr. 19
- Kgl. Bayer. Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 20
- Kgl. Bayer. Divisions-Nachrichten-Kommandeur 408