The 27th Division (''27. Division''), formally the 27th Division (2nd Royal Württemberg) (''27. Division (2. Königlich Württembergische)''), was a unit of the

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

. It was headquartered in

Ulm Ulm () is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Danube on the border with Bavaria. The city, which has an estimated population of more than 126,000 (2018), forms an urban district of its own (german: link=no, ...

in the eastern part of the

Kingdom of Württemberg The Kingdom of Württemberg (german: Königreich Württemberg ) was a German state that existed from 1805 to 1918, located within the area that is now Baden-Württemberg. The kingdom was a continuation of the Duchy of Württemberg, which existe ...

. The division was subordinated in peacetime to the

XIII (Royal Württemberg) Corps The XIII (Royal Württemberg) Army Corps / XIII AK (german: XIII. (Königlich Württembergisches) Armee-Korps) was a corps of the Imperial German Army. It was, effectively, also the army of the Kingdom of Württemberg, which had been integrated i ...

(''XIII. (Königlich Württembergisches) Armeekorps''). The division was disbanded in 1919 during the demobilization of the German Army after

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 ...

. The division was raised and recruited in the Kingdom of Württemberg. Among the most famous soldiers to serve in the division was Erwin Rommel (later ''

Generalfeldmarschall ''Generalfeldmarschall'' (from Old High German ''marahscalc'', "marshal, stable master, groom"; en, general field marshal, field marshal general, or field marshal; ; often abbreviated to ''Feldmarschall'') was a rank in the armies of several ...

'') who fought as a lieutenant with the division on the Western Front before being transferred to the Württemberg mountain battalion.

Evolution of the 27th Division

The 27th Division was formed in 1817 as Württemberg's 2nd Infantry Division. It was merged with Württemberg's 1st Infantry Division on July 27, 1849, to form Württemberg's Infantry Division and was dissolved in 1868.Bredow, p.1128. The division was reestablished after the Franco-Prussian War on December 18, 1871, as the 27th Division (2nd Royal Württemberg), taking its new numbering as part of the Prussian Army structure.

Combat chronicle

Although the 27th Division was not formed until 1871, its predecessors saw action in the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 against Prussia and in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71 on the side of Prussia against France. The Württemberg Infantry Division saw action in the Main campaign in 1866. During the Franco-Prussian War, the Württemberg Field Division fought at the battles of

Wœrth Wœrth or Woerth (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Bas-Rhin Departments of France, department and Grand Est Regions of France, region of north-eastern France. The town, which lies some north of Strasbourg, is known for being the si ...

and Sedan, and then participated in the Siege of Paris and the

Battle of Villiers The Battle of Villiers, also called the Battle of Champigny, was the largest of the French sorties from besieged Paris during the Franco-Prussian War. Background After news reached Paris of the French defeat at the battle of Le Bourget and th ...

(November 30 and December 2, 1870). During World War I, the division served on the Western Front. In 1914, it fought in the Allied

Great Retreat The Great Retreat (), also known as the retreat from Mons, was the long withdrawal to the River Marne in August and September 1914 by the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and the French Fifth Army. The Franco-British forces on the Western Fro ...

. It fought in the Battle of the Somme in 1916 and the Battle of Arras in 1917. The division served in the 1918 German spring offensive and the subsequent Allied counteroffensives, including the Hundred Days Offensive and the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. Allied intelligence rated the division as one of the very best German divisions and described it as a first class shock unit.

Pre-World War I organization

The organization of the 27th Division in 1914, shortly before the outbreak of World War I, was as follows:''Rangliste der Königlich Preußischen Armee'' (1914), pp. 1162-1163. *53. Kgl. Württembergische Infanterie-Brigade **Grenadier-Regiment König Karl (5. Württembergisches) Nr. 123 **Infanterie-Regiment König Wilhelm I (6. Württembergisches) Nr. 124 *54. Kgl. Württembergische Infanterie-Brigade **Infanterie-Regiment Kaiser Wilhelm, König von Preußen (2. Württembergisches) Nr. 120 **9. Württembergisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 127 **10. Württembergisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 180 *27. Kavallerie-Brigade **Ulanen-Regiment König Karl (1. Württembergisches) Nr. 19 **Ulanen-Regiment König Wilhelm I (2. Württembergisches) Nr. 20 *27. Kgl. Württembergische Feldartillerie-Brigade **Feldartillerie-Regiment König Karl (1. Württembergisches) Nr. 13 **3. Württembergisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 49

Order of battle on mobilization

On mobilization in August 1914, at the beginning of World War I, most divisional cavalry, including brigade headquarters, was withdrawn to form cavalry divisions or split up among divisions as reconnaissance units. Divisions received engineer companies and other support units from their higher headquarters. The 27th Division was renamed the 27th Infantry Division. Its initial wartime organization was as follows:Cron et al., ''Ruhmeshalle'' *53. Kgl. Württembergische Infanterie-Brigade **Grenadier-Regiment König Karl (5. Württembergisches) Nr. 123 **Infanterie-Regiment König Wilhelm I (6. Württembergisches) Nr. 124 *54. Kgl. Württembergische Infanterie-Brigade **Infanterie-Regiment Kaiser Wilhelm, König von Preußen (2. Württembergisches) Nr. 120 **9. Württembergisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 127 *Ulanen-Regiment König Karl (1. Württembergisches) Nr. 19 *27. Kgl. Württembergische Feldartillerie-Brigade **Feldartillerie-Regiment König Karl (1. Württembergisches) Nr. 13 **3. Württembergisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 49 *2.Kompanie/Württembergisches Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 13 *3.Kompanie/Württembergisches Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 13

Late World War I organization

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 27th Infantry Division's order of battle on March 20, 1918, was as follows: *53. Infanterie-Brigade: **Infanterie-Regiment Kaiser Wilhelm, König von Preußen (2. Württembergisches) Nr. 120 **Grenadier-Regiment König Karl (5. Württembergisches) Nr. 123 **Infanterie-Regiment König Wilhelm I (6. Württembergisches) Nr. 124 **Maschinengewehr-Scharfschützen-Abteilung Nr. 53 *5. Eskadron/Ulanen-Regiment König Karl (1. Württembergisches) Nr. 19 *Artillerie-Kommandeur 27: **Feldartillerie-Regiment König Karl (1. Württembergisches) Nr. 13 **II./Hohenzollernsches Fußartillerie-Regiment Nr. 13 *Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 13 **2.Kompanie/Württembergisches Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 13 **3.Kompanie/Württembergisches Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 13 **Minenwerfer-Kompanie Nr. 27 *Divisions-Nachrichten-Kommandeur 27

References

27. Infanterie-Division (Chronik 1914/1918) - Der erste Weltkrieg
* Claus von Bredow, bearb., ''Historische Rang- und Stammliste des deutschen Heeres'' (1905) * 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

{{DEFAULTSORT:27 Infantry divisions of Germany in World War I Military units and formations established in 1817 Military units and formations disestablished in 1919