The 88th Infantry Division (''88. Infanterie-Division'') was a formation of the

Imperial German ', literally translated "Germans of the ", is an archaic term for those ethnic Germans who resided within the German state that was founded in 1871. In contemporary usage, it referred to German citizens, the word signifying people from the Germ ...

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 ...

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 formed in November 1914 as the Menges Division (''Division Menges''), named after its commander, and made up primarily of

Landwehr ''Landwehr'', or ''Landeswehr'', is a German language term used in referring to certain national army, armies, or militias found in nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Europe. In different context it refers to large-scale, low-strength fortif ...

troops. It became the 88th Infantry Division in August 1915.88. Infanterie-Division (Chronik 1915/1918)
/ref> The division was disbanded in 1919 during the demobilization of the German Army after World War I.

Combat chronicle

The Menges Division initially served on the Eastern Front, receiving its baptism of fire in the Battle of Łódź. In 1915, it participated in the Gorlice-Tarnów Offensive, breaking through at Przaznysz and fighting in the battle on the Narew. On August 2, 1915, it became the 88th Infantry Division. From November 1915 to December 1917, the division occupied the line near Daugavpils. In December 1917, after the armistice on the Eastern Front, the division was transferred to the Western Front, where it entered the line in positions near St. Quentin and on the Oise. It participated in the 1918 German spring offensive, fighting in the

First Battle of the Somme (1918) Operation Michael was a major German military offensive during the First World War that began the German Spring Offensive on 21 March 1918. It was launched from the Hindenburg Line, in the vicinity of Saint-Quentin, France. Its goal was to ...

, also known as the Battle of St. Quentin or the Second Battle of the Somme (to distinguish it from the 1916 battle). From April to July 1918, it was in the line in the Champagne region, and then fought in 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 ...

. Except for minor periods, it remained in the Champagne region until the end of the war, and faced the Allied Meuse-Argonne Offensive in October and November 1918. Allied intelligence rated the division as fourth class.

Order of battle on formation

The 88th Infantry Division was formed as an overstrength

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, ...

, with three infantry brigades. The order of battle of the division on August 2, 1915, was as follows: *175. Landwehr-Infanterie-Brigade **Landwehr-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 349 **Landwehr-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 350 *176. Infanterie-Brigade **Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 351 **Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 352 *177. Infanterie-Brigade **Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 353 **Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 354 *Kavallerie-Regiment Nr. 88 *Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 88 *Landwehr-Fußartillerie-Bataillon Nr. 6 *Landwehr-Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 6

Late-war order of battle

The division underwent a number of organizational changes over the course of the war. It was triangularized in the summer of 1916. Cavalry was reduced, artillery and signals commands were formed, and combat engineer support was expanded to a full pioneer battalion. The order of battle on October 21, 1918, was as follows:Cron et al., ''Ruhmeshalle''. *176. Infanterie-Brigade **Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 352 **Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 353 **Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 426 *1. Eskadron/ Jäger-Regiment zu Pferde Nr. 10 *Artillerie-Kommandeur 59 **Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 88 **Fußartillerie-Bataillon Nr. 123 *Stab Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 88 **3. Reserve-Kompanie/ Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 33 **Pionier-Kompanie Nr. 249 **Minenwerfer-Kompanie Nr. 88 *Divisions-Nachrichten-Kommandeur 88

References

Division Menges (Chronik 1914/1915) - Der erste Weltkrieg

88. Infanterie-Division (Chronik 1915/1918) - Der erste Weltkrieg
* 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 1825-1939.'' (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:88 Infantry divisions of Germany in World War I Military units and formations established in 1914 Military units and formations disestablished in 1919 1914 establishments in Germany