The 32nd Division (''32. Division''), formally the 3rd Division No. 32 (''3. Division Nr. 32'') was a unit of the

Saxon The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...

Army, a component of the Imperial German

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 ...

. The division was formed on April 1, 1887, and was headquartered in

Bautzen Bautzen () or Budyšin () is a hill-top town in eastern Saxony, Germany, and the administrative centre of the district of Bautzen. It is located on the Spree river. In 2018 the town's population was 39,087. Until 1868, its German name was ''Budis ...

. The division was subordinated in peacetime to the XII (1st Royal Saxon) Army Corps (''XII. (1. Königlich Sächsisches) Armeekorps''). The division was disbanded in 1919 during the demobilization of the German Army after World War I. The division was recruited in the eastern part of the Kingdom of Saxony.

Combat chronicle

During World War I, the division fought on the Western Front, seeing action 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 Fr ...

which culminated in the

First Battle of the Marne The First Battle of the Marne was a battle of the First World War fought from 5 to 12 September 1914. It was fought in a collection of skirmishes around the Marne River Valley. It resulted in an Entente victory against the German armies in the ...

. It then spent the next several years in the trenches. In 1917, it fought in the

Second Battle of the Aisne The Second Battle of the Aisne (french: Bataille du Chemin des Dames or french: Seconde bataille de l'Aisne, 16 April – mid-May 1917) was the main part of the Nivelle Offensive, a Franco-British attempt to inflict a decisive defeat on the Germa ...

, also known as the Third Battle of Champagne (and to the Germans, as the Double Battle of Aisne-Champagne), and in the Battle of Passchendaele. In 1918, it fought against the Allied Meuse-Argonne Offensive. Allied intelligence rated the division third class in 1918.

Pre-World War I organization

The organization of the 32nd Division in 1914, shortly before the outbreak of World War I, was as follows:''Rangliste der Königlich Sächsischen Armee für das Jahr 1914'' (1914), pp.11-12 *5. Infanterie-Brigade Nr. 63 (63. Infanterie-Brigade) **3. Infanterie-Regiment König Ludwig III von Bayern Nr. 102 **4. Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 103 **1. Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 12 (from 1.10.14) *6. Infanterie-Brigade Nr. 64 (64. Infanterie-Brigade) **12. Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 177 **13. Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 178 **2. Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 13 (to 1.10.14) *3. Kavallerie-Brigade Nr. 32 (32. Kavallerie-Brigade) **1. Husaren-Regiment, "König Albert" Nr. 18 **3. Husaren-Regiment Nr. 20 *3. Feldartillerie-Brigade Nr. 32 (32. Feldartillerie-Brigade) **2. Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 28 **5. Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 64

Order of battle on mobilization

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 32nd Division was redesignated the 32nd Infantry Division. Its initial wartime organization was as follows:Cron et al., ''Ruhmeshalle'' *5. Infanterie-Brigade Nr. 63 (63. Infanterie-Brigade) **3. Infanterie-Regiment König Ludwig III von Bayern Nr. 102 **4. Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 103 *6. Infanterie-Brigade Nr. 64 (64. Infanterie-Brigade) **12. Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 177 **13. Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 178 *1. Husaren-Regiment "König Albert" Nr. 18 *3. Feldartillerie-Brigade Nr. 32 (32. Feldartillerie-Brigade) **2. Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 28 **5. Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 64 *2.Kompanie/1. Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 12 *3.Kompanie/1. Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 12

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 32nd Infantry Division's order of battle on January 1, 1918, was as follows: *5. Infanterie-Brigade Nr. 63 (63. Infanterie-Brigade) **3. Infanterie-Regiment König Ludwig III von Bayern Nr. 102 **4. Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 103 **12. Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 177 *4.Eskadron/3. Husaren-Regiment Nr. 20 *Artillerie-Kommandeur 32 **5. Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 64 **Fußartillerie-Bataillon Nr. 80 (from April 3, 1918) *Stab Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 140 **2.Kompanie/1. Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 12 **5.Kompanie/1. Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 12 **3.Reserve-Kompanie/1. Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 12 **Minenwerfer-Kompanie Nr. 32 *Divisions-Nachrichten-Kommandeur 32

References

32. 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
online

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:32 Infantry divisions of Germany in World War I Military units and formations established in 1887 Military units and formations disestablished in 1919