The 8th Ersatz Division (''8. Ersatz-Division'') was a unit of the
German
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** 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 ...
in
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 on mobilization of the German Army in August 1914.
[8. Ersatz-Division (Chronik 1914/1917)](_blank)
/ref> The division was a composite division, formed from 14 brigade replacement battalions (''Brigade-Ersatz-Bataillone'') from the Kingdom of Württemberg
The Kingdom of Württemberg (german: Königreich Württemberg ) was a German state that existed from 1805 to 1918, located within the area that is now Baden-Württemberg. The kingdom was a continuation of the Duchy of Württemberg, which exist ...
, the Grand Duchy of Hesse
The Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine (german: link=no, Großherzogtum Hessen und bei Rhein) was a grand duchy in western Germany that existed from 1806 to 1918. The Grand Duchy originally formed from the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt in 1806 ...
, the Rhine Province
The Rhine Province (german: Rheinprovinz), also known as Rhenish Prussia () or synonymous with the Rhineland (), was the westernmost province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia, within the German Reich, from 1822 to 1946. It ...
, the Province of Hesse-Nassau
The Province of Hesse-Nassau () was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1868 to 1918, then a province of the Free State of Prussia until 1944.
Hesse-Nassau was created as a consequence of the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 by combining the p ...
and the Imperial Territory of Alsace-Lorraine
Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism.
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* Imperial, California
* Imperial, Missouri
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. It became more Württemberg as the war progressed; and, in February 1917, it was officially designated a Royal Württemberg division. It was redesignated the 243rd Infantry Division in April 1917.
Formation
The division was formed on mobilization with 14 brigade replacement battalions. Each brigade replacement battalion was numbered after its parent infantry brigade, and was formed with two companies taken from the replacement battalion of each of the brigade's two infantry regiments. In two cases, a brigade replacement battalion drew from three regiments. Thus, collectively, the 12 brigade replacement battalions represented troop contributions from 30 different infantry regiments. Four brigade replacement battalions were from the Kingdom of Württemberg
The Kingdom of Württemberg (german: Königreich Württemberg ) was a German state that existed from 1805 to 1918, located within the area that is now Baden-Württemberg. The kingdom was a continuation of the Duchy of Württemberg, which exist ...
; two were from the Grand Duchy of Hesse
The Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine (german: link=no, Großherzogtum Hessen und bei Rhein) was a grand duchy in western Germany that existed from 1806 to 1918. The Grand Duchy originally formed from the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt in 1806 ...
; four were from the Prussian Rhine Province
The Rhine Province (german: Rheinprovinz), also known as Rhenish Prussia () or synonymous with the Rhineland (), was the westernmost province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia, within the German Reich, from 1822 to 1946. It ...
; two were from the Prussian Province of Hesse-Nassau
The Province of Hesse-Nassau () was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1868 to 1918, then a province of the Free State of Prussia until 1944.
Hesse-Nassau was created as a consequence of the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 by combining the p ...
(one with troops from the former Duchy of Nassau, the other from the former Electorate of Hesse
The Electorate of Hesse (german: Kurfürstentum Hessen), also known as Hesse-Kassel or Kurhessen, was a landgraviate whose prince was given the right to elect the Emperor by Napoleon. When the Holy Roman Empire was abolished in 1806, its prin ...
); and two from the Imperial Territory of Alsace-Lorraine. The infantry units were augmented with cavalry, artillery and combat engineers, also drawn from ''Ersatz'' formations.
Combat chronicle
The division initially fought 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 ...
in 1914, including the battle before Nancy-Epinal. From September 1914 to October 1916, it was in the trenchlines and fought in the region between the Meuse and Moselle Rivers, especially in an area known as the Priest's Forest (German: ''Priesterwald'', French: ''Bois Le Prêtre''). In October 1916, it entered 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 ...
. Afterwards, it returned to the Priesterwald, where it was converted into the 243rd Infantry Division. Allied intelligence rated the division's elements as good.[''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), pp. 741-743.]
Order of battle on mobilization
The order of battle of the 8th Ersatz Division on mobilization was as follows:[Cron et al., ''Ruhmeshalle''.]
*29. gemischte Ersatz-Brigade
**Brigade-Ersatz-Bataillon Nr. 29
**Brigade-Ersatz-Bataillon Nr. 30
**Brigade-Ersatz-Bataillon Nr. 31
**Brigade-Ersatz-Bataillon Nr. 32
**Brigade-Ersatz-Bataillon Nr. 80
**Brigade-Ersatz-Bataillon Nr. 86
**Kavallerie-Ersatz-Abteilung Nr. 29
**Feldartillerie-Ersatz-Abteilung Nr. 23
**Feldartillerie-Ersatz-Abteilung Nr. 44
*51. (kgl. württemb.) gemischte Ersatz-Brigade
**Brigade-Ersatz-Bataillon Nr. 51
**Brigade-Ersatz-Bataillon Nr. 52
**Brigade-Ersatz-Bataillon Nr. 53
**Brigade-Ersatz-Bataillon Nr. 54
**Kavallerie-Ersatz-Abteilung Nr. 51
**Feldartillerie-Ersatz-Abteilung Nr. 29
**Feldartillerie-Ersatz-Abteilung Nr. 65
*41. gemischte Ersatz-Brigade
**Brigade-Ersatz-Bataillon Nr. 41
**Brigade-Ersatz-Bataillon Nr. 42
**Brigade-Ersatz-Bataillon Nr. 49
**Brigade-Ersatz-Bataillon Nr. 50
**Kavallerie-Ersatz-Abteilung Nr. 41
**Feldartillerie-Ersatz-Abteilung Nr. 25
**Feldartillerie-Ersatz-Abteilung Nr. 27
**1. Ersatz-Kompanie/Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 21
Order of battle on February 2, 1917
Divisions underwent many changes during the war, with regiments moving from division to division, and some being destroyed and rebuilt. The 8th Ersatz Division was reorganized and triangularized in July 1915, losing its two non-Württemberg Ersatz brigades. The brigade replacement battalions were consolidated and converted into infantry regiments. Over the course of the war, units were exchanged with other divisions, cavalry was reduced, engineers increased, and an artillery command and a divisional signals command were created. The 8th Ersatz Division's order of battle on February 2, 1917, when it was officially named a Royal Württemberg division and shortly before being renamed the 243rd Infantry Division, was as follows:
*51. Ersatz-Infanterie-Brigade
**Kgl. Württembergisches Ersatz-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 51
**Kgl. Württembergisches Ersatz-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 52
**Füsilier-Regiment Kaiser Franz Josef von Österreich, König von Ungarn (4. Württembergisches) Nr. 122
*3. Eskadron/Ulanen-Regiment König Karl (1. Württembergisches) Nr. 19
*Artillerie-Kommandeur 135
**Kgl. Württembergisches Ersatz-Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 65
**Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 92
*Stab Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 508
**Pionier-Kompanie Nr. 253
**Pionier-Kompanie Nr. 306
**Minenwerfer-Kompanie Nr. 162
References
8. Ersatz-Division (Chronik 1914/1917) - 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 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:8th Ersatz Division (German Empire)
Infantry divisions of Germany in World War I
Military units and formations established in 1914
Military units and formations disestablished in 1917
1914 establishments in Germany