54th Reserve Division (German Empire)
| 54th Reserve Division (54. Reserve-Division) | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1914-1918 |
| Country | Somme Offensive |
The 54th Reserve Division (54. Reserve-Division) was a unit of the
Army in World War I. The division was formed in September 1914 and organized over the next month, arriving in the line in October.[2] 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 initially part of XXVII Reserve Corps. The division was disbanded in September 1918 and its assets distributed to other units. The division was primarily raised in the Kingdom of Württemberg, but the division's 245th Reserve Infantry Regiment, 26th Reserve Jäger Battalion, and several support units were from the Kingdom of Saxony
. These non-Württemberg elements were all transferred out of the division at various points, making the division all-Württemberg by early 1917.
Combat chronicle
The 54th Reserve Division fought on the
Second Battle of the Somme (1918), also known as the Third Battle of the Somme. Allied intelligence rated the division as second class.[2][3]
Order of battle on formation
The 54th Reserve Division was initially organized as a square division, with essentially the same organization as the reserve divisions formed on mobilization. The order of battle of the 54th Reserve Division on September 10, 1914, was as follows:[4]
- 107. Reserve-Infanterie-Brigade
- Königlich Sächsisches Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 245
- Königlich Württembergisches Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 246
- Königlich Sächsisches Reserve-Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 26
- 108. Reserve-Infanterie-Brigade
- Königlich Württembergisches Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 247
- Königlich Württembergisches Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 248
- Königlich Württembergische Reserve-Kavallerie-Abteilung Nr. 54
- Königlich Württembergisches und Königlich Sächsisches Reserve-Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 54 (the I. Abteilung was Saxon; the II. and III. Abteilungen were from Württemberg)
- Königlich Sächsische Reserve-Pionier-Kompanie Nr. 54
Order of battle on March 14, 1918
The 54th Reserve Division was triangularized in January 1917, dissolving the 108th Reserve Infantry Brigade headquarters and sending the 245th Royal Saxon Reserve Infantry Regiment to the Saxon 192nd 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 March 14, 1918, was as follows:[5]
- 107.Reserve-Infanterie-Brigade
- Königlich Württembergisches Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 246
- Königlich Württembergisches Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 247
- Königlich Württembergisches Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 248
- Königlich Württembergische Reserve-Kavallerie-Abteilung Nr. 54
- Königlich Württembergischer Artillerie-Kommandeur 70:
- Königlich Württembergisches Reserve-Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 54
- II.Bataillon/Königlich Württembergisches Reserve-Fußartillerie-Regiment Nr. 24
- Königlich Württembergisches Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 354
- 1.Reserve-Kompanie/Königlich Württembergisches Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 13
- 2.Reserve-Kompanie/Königlich Württembergisches Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 13
- Königlich Württembergische Minenwerfer-Kompanie Nr. 254
- Königlich Württembergischer Divisions-Nachrichten-Kommandeur 454
References
- 54. Reserve-Division (Chronik 1914/1918) - Der erste Weltkrieg
- 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 1815-1939. (Biblio Verlag, Osnabrück, 1993), Bd. 1
- Histories of Two Hundred and Fifty-One Divisions of the German Army which Participated in the War (1914-1918), compiled from records of Intelligence section of the General Staff, American Expeditionary Forces, at General Headquarters, Chaumont, France 1919 (1920)
Notes
- ^ This is an average strength over the division's history. Square divisions had a strength of approximately 17,500; triangular divisions had a strength of approximately 12,500
- ^ a b 54. Reserve-Division (Chronik 1914-1918)
- ^ Histories of Two Hundred and Fifty-One Divisions of the German Army which Participated in the War (1914-1918), compiled from records of Intelligence section of the General Staff, American Expeditionary Forces, at General Headquarters, Chaumont, France 1919 (1920), pp. 514-516.
- ^ Hermann Cron et al., Ruhmeshalle unserer alten Armee (Berlin, 1935).
- ^ Cron et al., Ruhmeshalle.