109th Infantry Division (German Empire)

109th Infantry Division (109. Infanterie-Division) 1915–18 German Empire Army Infantry Approx. 12,500 World War I Romanian Campaign German spring offensive First Battle of the Somme (1918) The 109th Infantry Division (109. Infanterie-Division) was a formation of the Imperial German Army in World War I. The division was formed in November 1915.http://www.1914-18.info/erster-weltkrieg.php?u=205 109. Infanterie-Division (Chronik 1915/1918) 2007-09-17 2024-09-20 https://web.archive.org/web/20240920140815/http://ww16.1914-18.info/erster-weltkrieg.php?u=205&sub1=20240921-0008-132d-b5e7-47b847d765ad dead It was the last of a wave of new infantry divisions formed in 1915. The division was disbanded in August 1918 and its assets distributed to other units. The division was formed primarily from the excess infantry regiments of existing divisions that were being triangularized. The division's 2nd Grenadier Regiment came from the 3rd Infantry Division. The 26th Reserve Infantry Regiment came from the 6th Reserve Division. The 376th Infantry Regiment was formerly the 2nd Ersatz Infantry Regiment "Königsberg" (Ersatz-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 2 "Königsberg"). Combat chronicle The 109th Infantry Division initially served on the Eastern Front, serving in the Baltic region until late October 1916. It then went south to participate in the Romanian Campaign. The division's 2nd Grenadiers were the first troops into Bucharest in December 1916. It then occupied the line on the Putna and Siret Rivers until the armistice on the Romanian Front in December 1917, after which the division remained in the occupation forces in the region. In March 1918, the division was sent to the Western Front. It participated in the German spring offensive, fighting in the First Battle of the Somme (1918), also known as the Second Battle of the Somme (to distinguish it from the 1916 battle). It remained in the Somme region until it was dissolved on August 24, 1918. Allied intelligence rated the division as third class.598-599 Order of battle on formation The 109th Infantry Division was formed as a triangular division. The order of battle of the division on November 12, 1915, was as follows:Hermann Cron et al., Ruhmeshalle unserer alten Armee (Berlin, 1935). 174. Infanterie-Brigade Grenadier-Regiment König Friedrich Wilhelm IV (1. Pommersches) Nr. 2 Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 376 Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 26 Kavallerie-Regiment Nr. 89 Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 227 Landwehr-Fußartillerie-Bataillon Nr. 28 1.Garde-Landwehr-Pionier-Kompanie Late-war order of battle The division underwent relatively few organizational changes over the course of the war. 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 8, 1918, was as follows:Cron et al., Ruhmeshalle. 174. Infanterie-Brigade Grenadier-Regiment König Friedrich Wilhelm IV (1. Pommersches) Nr. 2 Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 376 Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 26 5.Eskadron/Dragoner-Regiment König Albert von Sachsen (Ostpreußisches) Nr. 10 Artillerie-Kommandeur 109 Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 227 Fußartillerie-Bataillon Nr. 64 (from April 24, 1918) Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 218 1.Garde-Landwehr-Pionier-Kompanie Pionier-Kompanie Nr. 388 Minenwerfer-Kompanie Nr. 109 Divisions-Nachrichten-Kommandeur 109 References 109. Infanterie-Division (Chronik 1915/1918) - Der erste Weltkrieg https://web.archive.org/web/20240920140815/http://ww16.1914-18.info/erster-weltkrieg.php?u=205&sub1=20240921-0008-132d-b5e7-47b847d765ad 2024-09-20 Hermann Cron et al., Ruhmeshalle unserer alten Armee (Berlin, 1935) Hermann Cron, Geschichte des deutschen Heeres im Weltkriege 1914-1918 (Berlin, 1937) Günter Wegner, Stellenbesetzung der deutschen Heere 1825-1939. (Biblio Verlag, Osnabrück, 1993), Bd. 1 Notes June 2016 Category:Infantry divisions of Germany in World War I Category:Military units and formations established in 1915 Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1918 Category:1915 establishments in Germany