The 1st Guards Reserve Division (''1. Garde-Reserve-Division'') was a reserve infantry division of the

Imperial German Army The Imperial German Army (1871–1919), officially referred to as the German Army (german: Deutsches Heer), was the unified ground and air force of the German Empire. It was established in 1871 with the political unification of Germany under the l ...

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. It was a reserve formation of the Prussian Guards, the elite regiments raised throughout the

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (german: Königreich Preußen, ) was a German kingdom that constituted the state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Re ...

. It was formed on mobilization in August 1914 as part of the

Guards Reserve Corps The Guards Reserve Corps (german: Garde-Reserve-Korps / Garde RK) was a corps level command of the German Army in World War I. Formation Guards Reserve Corps was formed on the outbreak of the war in August 1914 as part of the mobilisation of th ...

and dissolved in 1919 during the demobilization of the German Army after the Armistice. The division saw action on both the

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and

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Fronts during World War I. It was not heavily engaged in the war's major well-known battles, but was rated by Allied intelligence as a dependable division willing to take losses to hold and retake the line.''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.22-25
online
.

Order of battle on mobilization

On mobilization in August 1914, the reserves of the Prussian Guards were called up and formed into the 1st Guard Reserve Division. The 1st Guard Reserve Division's initial wartime organization was as follows:Cron et al., ''Ruhmeshalle'' *1.Garde-Reserve-Infanterie-Brigade: **1. Garde-Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment **2. Garde-Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment **Garde-Reserve-Jäger-Bataillon *15.Reserve-Infanterie-Brigade: **Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 64 **Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 93 **Garde-Reserve-Schützen-Bataillon *Garde-Reserve-Dragoner-Regiment *Garde-Reserve-Feldartillerie-Brigade: **1.Garde-Reserve-Feldartillerie-Regiment **3.Garde-Reserve-Feldartillerie-Regiment *2./2. Brandenburgisches Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 28 *3./2. Brandenburgisches Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 28

Order of battle on February 23, 1918

Divisions underwent many changes during the war, with regiments moving from division to division, and some being destroyed and rebuilt. During the war, most divisions became

triangular A triangle is a polygon with three edges and three vertices. It is one of the basic shapes in geometry. A triangle with vertices ''A'', ''B'', and ''C'' is denoted \triangle ABC. In Euclidean geometry, any three points, when non- collinea ...

- one infantry brigade with three infantry regiments rather than two infantry brigades of two regiments (a "

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 "maneuver," i.e., infantry regimental elements. Other types of regiments, such as artillery, ...

"). An artillery commander replaced the artillery brigade headquarters, the cavalry was further reduced, the engineer contingent was increased, and a divisional signals command was created. The 1st Guard Reserve Division's order of battle on February 23, 1918, was as follows: *1. Garde-Reserve-Infanterie-Brigade: **1. Garde-Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment **2. Garde-Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment **Garde-Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 64 **MG-Scharfschützen-Abteilung Nr. 70 *1. Eskadron/Garde-Reserve-Dragoner-Regiment *Garde-Artillerie-Kommandeur 8: **1.Garde-Reserve-Feldartillerie-Regiment **II./2.Garde-Reserve-Fußartillerie-Regiment *Stab 2. Brandenburgisches Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 28: **2./2. Brandenburgisches Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 28 **3./2. Brandenburgisches Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 28 **5.Garde-Minenwerfer-Kompanie *Divisions-Nachrichten-Abteilung Nr. 401

References

1.Garde-Reserve-Division - Der erste Weltkrieg
* ''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
online
* Hermann Cron et al., ''Ruhmeshalle unserer alten Armee'' (Berlin, 1935) * Hermann Cron, ''Geschichte des deutschen Heeres im Weltkriege 1914-1918'' (Berlin, 1937)

External links

Histories of two hundred and fifty-one divisions of the German army which participated in the war (1914-1918)
(p. 22-25)

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:1st Guards Reserve Division (German Empire) Military units and formations established in 1914 Military units and formations disestablished in 1919 1914 establishments in Germany Infantry divisions of Germany in World War I