The 1st Guards Infantry Division (German: 1. Garde-Infanterie-Division) was a unit of the Prussian (and later)
Imperial German Army and was stationed in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
.
Lineage
The division was created on September 5, 1818 when the guards brigades, which had been created in 1813 and were assigned to various commands, were grouped into a single formation.
Ernst Ludwig von Tippelskirch was appointed as the first commander of the division.
Austro-Prussian War
The division was active during the
Austro-Prussian War
The Austro-Prussian War, also by many variant names such as Seven Weeks' War, German Civil War, Brothers War or Fraternal War, known in Germany as ("German War"), (; "German war of brothers") and by a variety of other names, was fought in 186 ...
. It was commanded by Generalmajor
Constantin von Alvensleben
Reimar Constantin von Alvensleben (26 August 1809 – 28 March 1892) was a Prussian (and later Imperial German) general.
Born at Eichenbarleben in the Province of Saxony, Alvensleben entered the Prussian Guards from the cadet corps in 1827. ...
and part of the
Second Army.
Franco-Prussian War
During the
Franco-Prussian War, the division was commanded by Generalmajor
Alexander August Wilhelm von Pape
Alexander August Wilhelm von Pape (2 February 1813 – 7 May 1895) was a Royal Prussian infantry Colonel-General with the special rank of Generalfeldmarschall.
Biography
Pape was born in Berlin. He started his military career in 1830 as Fah ...
. It was part of the
Second Army, commanded by Prince
Friedrich Karl of Prussia. Throughout the war 4 officers, 70 men, and 10 horses were killed.
Order of Battle: 1870
* 1st Guards Infantry Brigade
**
1st Foot Guards
**
3rd Foot Guards
**
Guards Fusilier Regiment
* 2nd Guards Infantry Brigade
**2nd Foot Guards
**
4th Foot Guards
*Divisional Troops
**Guards Jäger Battalion
**
Guards Hussars
**1st Foot Battalion, Guards Artillery
Imperial German Army
By 1914 the division was subordinate to the
Guards Corps of the Imperial German Army. At the outbreak of the
First World War
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 commanded by Gen-Lt.
Oskar von Hutier
Oskar Emil von Hutier (27 August 1857 – 5 December 1934) was a German general during the First World War. He served in the German Army from 1875 to 1919, including war service. During the war, he commanded the army that took Riga, Russian Repub ...
.
* Order of Battle: 1914
** 1st Guards Infantry Brigade
***
1st Foot Guards
***
3rd Foot Guards
** 2nd Guards Infantry Brigade
***2nd Foot Guards
***
4th Foot Guards
** 1st Guards Field Artillery Brigade
***1st Guards Field Artillery
***2nd Guards Field Artillery
** Guards Hussar Regiment (2nd, 3rd, and 5th Squadrons)
** 1st Company, Guards Pioneer Battalion
** 1st and 3rd Section, Guards Field Ambulance Company
** 1st Guards Divisional Pontoon Train
References
External links
Prussian Army Units, by Michael Hughes
{{DEFAULTSORT:1st Guards Infantry Division (German Empire)
Infantry divisions of Germany in World War I
Military units and formations established in 1818
Military units and formations disestablished in 1919