The 37th Division (''37. 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 e ...

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 formed between March 25 and April 1, 1899, in

Allenstein Olsztyn ( , ; german: Allenstein ; Old Prussian: ''Alnāsteini'' * Latin: ''Allenstenium'', ''Holstin'') is a city on the Łyna River in northern Poland. It is the capital of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, and is a city with county rights. ...

(now Olsztyn, Poland). The division was initially subordinated in peacetime to the I Army Corps (''I. Armeekorps''). In 1912, it was transferred to the newly formed XX Army Corps (''XX. 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 List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. It was mainly recruited in the Prussian province of

East Prussia East Prussia ; german: Ostpreißen, label= Low Prussian; pl, Prusy Wschodnie; lt, Rytų Prūsija was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1773 to 1829 and again from 1878 (with the Kingdom itself being part of the German Empire from 187 ...

Pre-World War I organization

The organization of the 37th Division in 1914, shortly before the outbreak of World War I, was as follows: *73.Infanterie-Brigade **2. Masurisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 147 **2. Ermländisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 151 *75.Infanterie-Brigade **1. Masurisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 146 **1. Ermländisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 150 *37. Kavallerie-Brigade **Dragoner-Regiment König Albert von Sachsen (Ostpreußisches) Nr. 10 **Dragoner-Regiment von Wedel (Pommersches) Nr. 11 *37.Feldartillerie-Brigade **1. Masurisches Feld-Artillerie-Regiment Nr. 73 **2. Masurisches Feld-Artillerie-Regiment Nr. 82 *Landwehr-Inspektion Allenstein

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 37th Division was renamed the 37th Infantry Division. Its initial wartime organization was as follows: *73.Infanterie-Brigade **2. Masurisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 147 **2. Ermländisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 151 **Jäger-Bataillon Graf Yorck von Wartenburg (Ostpreußisches) Nr. 1 (to 05.IX.1914) *75.Infanterie-Brigade **1. Masurisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 146 **1. Ermländisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 150 *Dragoner-Regiment von Wedel (Pommersches) Nr. 11 *37.Feldartillerie-Brigade **1. Masurisches Feld-Artillerie-Regiment Nr. 73 **2. Masurisches Feld-Artillerie-Regiment Nr. 82 *1./Masurisches Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 26

Combat chronicle

The 37th Infantry Division began World War I on the Eastern Front. It participated in the battles of Tannenberg and 1st Masurian Lakes. In 1915, it saw action in the Gorlice-Tarnów Offensive. The division was transferred to the

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers * Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a maj ...

in December 1916. It occupied the trenchlines in 1917, and in 1918 participated in the German spring offensive, seeing action in 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 ...

. In the subsequent Allied counteroffensives, the division fought in the Meuse-Argonne. Allied intelligence rated the division a first class shock division.

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 37th Infantry Division's order of battle on February 20, 1918, was as follows:Cron et al., ''Ruhmeshalle'' *73.Infanterie-Brigade **2. Masurisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 147 **1. Ermländisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 150 **2. Ermländisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 151 **Maschinengewehr-Scharfschützen-Abteilung Nr. 57 *3.Eskadron/Jäger-Regiment zu Pferde Nr. 10 *Artillerie-Kommandeur 37: **1. Masurisches Feld-Artillerie-Regiment Nr. 73 **II.Bataillon/Lothringisches Fußartillerie-Regiment Nr. 16 *Stab Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 134 **3.Kompanie/Masurisches Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 26 **Pionier-Kompanie Nr. 250 **Minenwerfer-Kompanie Nr. 37 *Divisions-Nachrichten-Kommandeur 37

References

37. Infanterie-Division – 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

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:37 Infantry divisions of Germany in World War I Military units and formations established in 1899 Military units and formations disestablished in 1919 1899 establishments in Germany