The 28th Division (german: 28. Division) was a unit of the
Prussian
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 e ...
and
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
**Ger ...
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 ...
, almost entirely made up of troops from the
Grand Duchy of Baden
The Grand Duchy of Baden (german: Großherzogtum Baden) was a state in the southwest German Empire on the east bank of the Rhine. It existed between 1806 and 1918.
It came into existence in the 12th century as the Margraviate of Baden and subs ...
. It was formed in
Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe ( , , ; South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the third-largest city of the German state (''Land'') of Baden-Württemberg after its capital of Stuttgart and Mannheim, and the 22nd-largest city in the nation, with 308,436 inhabitants. ...
on 1 July 1871. The division was subordinated in peacetime to the
XIV Army Corps (''XIV. Armeekorps''). The 28th 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, along with the other division of the XIV Army Corps, the
29th Division, was formed in the Grand Duchy of Baden, a member state of the
German Empire
The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...
. Both divisions grew out of the Grand Ducal Baden Division (''Großherzoglich Badische Division''), the army of the grand duchy. The Grand Ducal Baden Division had fought against Prussia in 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 ...
, but after Prussia's victory Baden and most other German states had entered into conventions subordinating their armies to Prussia's.
The Grand Ducal Baden Division served in the
Franco-Prussian War against
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
in 1870-71, where its regiments saw action in the
Siege of Strasbourg
The siege of Strasbourg took place during the Franco-Prussian War, and resulted in the French surrender of the fortress on 28 September 1870.
After the German victory at Wörth, troops from the Grand Duchy of Baden under Prussian General Aug ...
and the
Battle of the Lisaine
The Battle of the Lisaine, also known as the Battle of Héricourt, was fought from 15 January to 17 January 1871 between German and French forces. The French were led by Charles Denis Bourbaki, and were attempting to relieve the Siege of Belfor ...
.
In peacetime, the 28th Division was stationed in northern Baden (the 29th covered southern Baden), with garrisons in
Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe ( , , ; South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the third-largest city of the German state (''Land'') of Baden-Württemberg after its capital of Stuttgart and Mannheim, and the 22nd-largest city in the nation, with 308,436 inhabitants. ...
,
Mannheim
Mannheim (; Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (german: Universitätsstadt Mannheim), is the second-largest city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg after the state capital of Stuttgart, and Germany's 2 ...
,
Heidelberg
Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...
and
Rastatt
Rastatt () is a town with a Baroque core, District of Rastatt, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located in the Upper Rhine Plain on the Murg river, above its junction with the Rhine and has a population of around 50,000 (2011). Rastatt was an ...
, among other cities.
In World War I, the division served primarily on the
Western Front, seeing action at the
Battle of the Frontiers
The Battle of the Frontiers (, , ) comprised battles fought along the eastern frontier of France and in southern Belgium, shortly after the outbreak of the First World War. The battles resolved the military strategies of the French Chief of Staff ...
and then moving north during the
Race to the Sea
The Race to the Sea (; , ) took place from about 1914 during the First World War, after the Battle of the Frontiers () and the German advance into France. The invasion had been stopped at the First Battle of the Marne and was followed by the ...
. It participated in some of the most well-known battles and campaigns of the Western Front, including the 1916
Battle of the Somme
The Battle of the Somme ( French: Bataille de la Somme), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place bet ...
, the later phases of the
Battle of Verdun
The Battle of Verdun (french: Bataille de Verdun ; german: Schlacht um Verdun ) was fought from 21 February to 18 December 1916 on the Western Front in France. The battle was the longest of the First World War and took place on the hills north ...
, the tank battle of
Cambrai
Cambrai (, ; pcd, Kimbré; nl, Kamerijk), formerly Cambray and historically in English Camerick or Camericke, is a city in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department and in the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, regio ...
in 1917, the
German spring offensive of 1918, the
Third Battle of the Aisne
The Third Battle of the Aisne (french: 3e Bataille de l'Aisne) was a battle of the German spring offensive during World War I that focused on capturing the Chemin des Dames Ridge before the American Expeditionary Forces arrived completely in ...
, the
Battle of Belleau Wood
The Battle of Belleau Wood (1–26 June 1918) occurred during the German spring offensive in World War I, near the Marne River in France. The battle was fought between the U.S. 2nd (under the command of Major General Omar Bundy) and 3rd Divisi ...
, the
Second Battle of the Marne
The Second Battle of the Marne (french: Seconde Bataille de la Marne) (15 July – 18 July 1918) was the last major German offensive on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front during the World War I, First World War. The attack failed wh ...
and the
Battle of Soissons. When the Armistice took effect, the division was occupying defensive positions on the right bank of the Meuse, in the northern part of the Argonne Forest.
28. Infanterie-Division - Der erste Weltkrieg
/ref>
Pre-World War I organization
* 55th Infantry Brigade (''55. Infanterie-Brigade'')
** 109th Baden Life Grenadier Regiment (''Badisches Leib-Grenadier-Regiment Nr. 109'')
** 110th Baden Grenadier Regiment "Kaiser Wilhelm I" (''2. Badisches Grenadier-Regiment Kaiser Wilhelm I. Nr. 110'')
* 56th Infantry Brigade (''56. Infanterie-Brigade'')
** 40th Fusilier Regiment "Prince Karl-Anton von Hohenzollern" (''Füsilier-Regiment Fürst Karl-Anton von Hohenzollern (Hohenzollernsches) Nr. 40'')
** 111th Infantry Regiment "Margrave Ludwig Wilhelm" (''Infanterie-Regiment Markgraf Ludwig Wilhelm (3. Badisches) Nr. 111'')
* 28th Cavalry Brigade (''28. Kavallerie-Brigade'')
** 20th Baden Life Dragoon Regiment (''1. Badisches Leib-Dragoner-Regiment Nr. 20'')
** 21st Baden Dragoon Regiment (''2. Badisches Dragoner-Regiment Nr. 21'')
* 28th Field Artillery Brigade (''28. Feldartillerie-Brigade'')
** 14th Baden Field Artillery Regiment "Grand Duke" (''Feldartillerie-Regiment Großherzog (1. Badisches) Nr. 14'')
** 50th Baden Field Artillery Regiment (''3. Badisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 50'')
August 1914 organization
On mobilization in August 1914 at the beginning of 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 ...
, 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 28th Division was renamed the 28th Infantry Division. Its initial wartime organization (major units) was as follows:[Cron et al., ''Ruhmeshalle'']
* 55th Infantry Brigade (''55. Infanterie-Brigade'')
** 109th Baden Life Grenadier Regiment (''Badisches Leib-Grenadier-Regiment Nr. 109'')
** 110th Baden Grenadier Regiment "Kaiser Wilhelm I" (''2. Badisches Grenadier-Regiment Kaiser Wilhelm I. Nr. 110'')
* 56th Infantry Brigade (''56. Infanterie-Brigade'')
** 40th Fusilier Regiment "Prince Karl-Anton von Hohenzollern" (''Füsilier-Regiment Fürst Karl-Anton von Hohenzollern (Hohenzollernsches) Nr. 40'')
** 111th Infantry Regiment "Margrave Ludwig Wilhelm" (''Infanterie-Regiment Markgraf Ludwig Wilhelm (3. Badisches) Nr. 111'')
* 5th Horse Jäger Regiment (''Jäger-Regiment zu Pferde Nr. 5'')
* 28th Field Artillery Brigade (''28. Feldartillerie-Brigade'')
** 14th Baden Field Artillery Regiment "Grand Duke" (''Feldartillerie-Regiment Großherzog (1. Badisches) Nr. 14'')
** 50th Baden Field Artillery Regiment (''3. Badisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 50'')
* 2nd Company, 14th Baden Engineer Battalion (''2./Badisches Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 14'')
* 3rd Company, 14th Baden Engineer Battalion (''3./Badisches Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 14'')
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, and the engineer contingent was increased. The 28th Infantry Division's order of battle on 26 May 1918 was as follows:
Notable commanders
* Paul von Hindenburg (1900-1903) - Later a 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 ...
and President of Germany.
* Max von Fabeck
Herrmann Gustav Karl Max von Fabeck (6 May 1854 – 16 December 1916) was a Prussian military officer and a German '' General der Infantarie'' during World War I. He commanded the 13th Corps in the 5th Army and took part in the Race to the Sea on ...
(1906-1910) - later commander of the 1st Army (1915-1916)
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:28
Infantry divisions of Germany in World War I
Military units and formations established in 1871
Military units and formations disestablished in 1919
1871 establishments in Germany
1919 disestablishments in Germany
Military of the Grand Duchy of Baden