The 52nd Infantry Division (''52.Infanterie-Division'') was a division of the

Imperial German Army The Imperial German Army (1871–1919), officially referred to as the German Army (german: Deutsches Heer), was the unified ground and air force of the German Empire. It was established in 1871 with the political unification of Germany under the ...

during

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, ...

. The division was formed on March 6, 1915, from units taken from other divisions or newly raised. The division was initially mixed, with two infantry regiments 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 sub ...

, one infantry regiment from Prussian Saxony, and Prussian and Baden support units (cavalry, artillery, engineers, and service and support units). While the infantry regiments and the divisional cavalry squadron were regular army units, the rest of the division was made up of reserve units and units formed during the war. The 66th Magdeburg Infantry Regiment was taken from the 7th Infantry Division, and the 169th and 170th Infantry Regiments were taken from Baden's 29th Infantry Division. The 52nd Infantry Division became more Baden as the war progressed, as the 66th Magdeburg Infantry Regiment, the regiment from Prussian Saxony, was replaced on April 6, 1917, by Baden's 111th Infantry Regiment "Margrave Ludwig Wilhelm". Shortly after its formation, the division went into the line facing the British Army near

Arras Arras ( , ; pcd, Aro; historical nl, Atrecht ) is the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department, which forms part of the region of Hauts-de-France; before the reorganization of 2014 it was in Nord-Pas-de-Calais. The historic centre of the ...

, France, on the Western Front. In 1916, the division fought in the

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 division remained on the Western Front for the duration of the war, although it moved to various sectors. Allied intelligence rated it one of the best German divisions.''Histories of Two Hundred and Fifty-One Divisions''

Order of battle on March 6, 1915

* 104. Infanterie-Brigade ** 3. Magdeburgisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 66 ** 8. Badisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 169 ** 9. Badisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 170 ** Radfahrer-Kompanie Nr. 52 * 4.Eskadron/Ulanen-Regiment Hennigs von Treffenfeld (Altmärkisches) Nr. 16 * 52.Feldartillerie-Brigade ** Badisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 103 ** Badisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 104 ** Fußartillerie-Bataillon Nr. 52 * Pionier-Kompanie Nr. 103 * Pionier-Kompanie Nr. 104

Order of battle on February 11, 1918

* 104.Infanterie-Brigade ** Infanterie-Regiment Markgraf Ludwig Wilhelm (3. Badisches) Nr. 111 ** 8. Badisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 169 ** 9. Badisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 170 ** MG-Scharfschützen-Abteilung Nr. 38 * 4.Eskadron/Ulanen-Regiment Hennigs von Treffenfeld (Altmärkisches) Nr. 16 * Artillerie-Kommandeur 52: ** Badisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 104 ** II.Bataillon/Reserve-Fußartillerie-Regiment Nr. 17 (from 15.04.1918) * Stab Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 137: ** Pionier-Kompanie Nr. 103 ** Pionier-Kompanie Nr. 104 ** Minenwerfer-Kompanie Nr. 52 * Divisions-Nachrichten-Kommandeur 52

Commanders

* Generalleutnant Karl von Borries (3.3.15 – 25.10.18) * Generalmajor Eugen Glück (25.10.18 – 12.12.18) * Generalleutnant Wilhelm Ribbentrop (12.12.18 – 23.1.19)

References

* Hermann Cron, ''Geschichte des deutschen Heeres im Weltkriege 1914-1918'' (Berlin, 1937) * ''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

{{German Empire Armies, 5th=y Military units and formations established in 1915 1915 establishments in Germany Infantry divisions of Germany in World War I Military units and formations disestablished in 1919