The 31st Division (''31. Division'') 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 em ...

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 ...

. It was formed on March 20, 1871, and was headquartered in

Straßburg Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label= Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...

(now Strasbourg, France) until 1912, and then in

Saarbrücken Saarbrücken (; french: link=no, Sarrebruck ; Rhine Franconian: ''Saarbrigge'' ; lb, Saarbrécken ; lat, Saravipons, lit=The Bridge(s) across the Saar river) is the capital and largest city of the state of Saarland, Germany. Saarbrücken is S ...

. The division was subordinated in peacetime to the XV Army Corps (''XV. Armeekorps'') until 1912, and then to the XXI Army Corps (''XXI. 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 recruited primarily in the southern part of the Rhine Province, but during

also drew replacements from Westphalia.

Combat chronicle

The division began World War I on the Western Front. It saw action in 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 in the

Race for 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 ...

. In January 1915, it was transferred to the Eastern Front, where it remained until December 1917. It fought in the Gorlice-Tarnów Offensive in 1915. After returning to the Western Front, it participated in the 1918 German spring offensive, including the Battle of the Lys. In September 1918, it faced an American/French offensive in the

Battle of Saint-Mihiel The Battle of Saint-Mihiel was a major World War I battle fought from 12–15 September 1918, involving the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) and 110,000 French troops under the command of General John J. Pershing of the United States against ...

. The division was rated as third class by Allied intelligence.

Pre-World War I organization

The organization of the 31st Division in 1914, shortly before the outbreak of World War I, was as follows: *32. Infanterie-Brigade **8. Rheinisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 70 **10. Lothringisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 174 *62. Infanterie-Brigade **Infanterie-Regiment Markgraf Carl (7. Brandenburgisches) Nr. 60 **2. Unter-Elsässisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 137 **Infanterie-Regiment Hessen-Homburg Nr. 166 *31. Kavallerie-Brigade **Westfälisches Dragoner-Regiment Nr. 7 **Ulanen-Regiment Großherzog Friedrich von Baden (Rheinisches) Nr. 7 *31. Feldartillerie-Brigade **1. Unter-Elsässisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 31 **2. Unter-Elsässisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 67 *Landwehr-Inpsektion Saarbrücken

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 31st Division was redesignated the 31st Infantry Division. Its initial wartime organization was as follows: *32. Infanterie-Brigade **8. Rheinisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 70 **10. Lothringisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 174 *62. Infanterie-Brigade **Infanterie-Regiment Markgraf Carl (7. Brandenburgisches) Nr. 60 **2. Unter-Elsässisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 137 **Infanterie-Regiment Hessen-Homburg Nr. 166 *Ulanen-Regiment Großherzog Friedrich von Baden (Rheinisches) Nr. 7 *31. Feldartillerie-Brigade **1. Unter-Elsässisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 31 **2. Unter-Elsässisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 67 *1.Kompanie/2. Rheinisches Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 27

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 31st Infantry Division's order of battle on January 1, 1918, was as follows:Cron et al., ''Ruhmeshalle'' *32. Infanterie-Brigade **8. Rheinisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 70 **Infanterie-Regiment Hessen-Homburg Nr. 166 **10. Lothringisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 174 *5.Eskadron/Ulanen-Regiment Großherzog Friedrich von Baden (Rheinisches) Nr. 7 *Artillerie-Kommandeur 31: **1. Unter-Elsässisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 31 **Fußartillerie-Bataillon Nr. 44 (from June 22, 1918) *Stab Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 93: **1.Kompanie/2. Rheinisches Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 27 **3.Reserve-Kompanie/Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 32 **Minenwerfer-Kompanie Nr. 31 *Divisions-Nachrichten-Kommandeur 31

References

31. 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:31 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