The 25th Division (''25. Division''), officially the Grand Ducal Hessian (25th) Division (''Großherzoglich Hessische (25.) 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 headquartered in

Darmstadt Darmstadt () is a city in the state of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Rhine-Main-Area (Frankfurt Metropolitan Region). Darmstadt has around 160,000 inhabitants, making it the fourth largest city in the state of Hesse ...

, the capital of 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 18 ...

. The division was subordinated in peacetime to XVIII Army Corps (''XVIII. Armeekorps'') when that corps was formed in 1899. 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, ...

. As the formal name indicates, the division was raised and recruited in the Grand Duchy of Hesse.

Evolution of the Grand Ducal Hessian Division

The Grand Ducal Hessian (25th) Division was officially formed on December 20, 1842, as the Infantry Division Command (''Infanterie-Divisions-Kommando''), but the division-strength Hessian Army had been around before that date. During the Napoleonic Wars, Hesse fielded a division-strength troop corps (''Truppenkorps''). In 1820, as part of the Hessian troop contribution to the

German Confederation The German Confederation (german: Deutscher Bund, ) was an association of 39 predominantly German-speaking sovereign states in Central Europe. It was created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 as a replacement of the former Holy Roman Empire, w ...

's Federal Army (''Bundesheer''), Hesse reorganized its army into two brigades of infantry, 1/2 company of horse artillery, two companies of foot artillery, one light horse regiment, one trains company and one sapper (later pioneer) company. This force was placed under the Infantry Division Command in 1842. On February 5, 1849, this force was redesignated the Grand Ducal Army Division (''Großherzogliche Armee-Division''). The organization of the Grand Ducal Army Division in 1858 was as follows: *Army Division Staff *Guard NCO Company *General Quartermaster Staff with Pioneer Company *Guard Light Horse Regiment *Grand Ducal Artillery Corps *Two infantry brigades of two regiments of two battalions each (8 total battalions, each with 5 companies). In 1860, the cavalry was expanded to brigade strength.Bredow, p.773 In 1867, Hesse, on the losing side of the Austro-Prussian War, entered into a convention with Prussia on military matters and reorganized its division along Prussian lines. The division was redesignated the Grand Ducal Hessian (25th) Division. It formally became a part of the Prussian Army in 1872, in accordance with the military convention of June 13, 1871. The organization of the division at the beginning of the Franco-Prussian War in 1870 was as follows: *49. Infanterie-Brigade **Hessisches Leib-Garde-Regiment Nr. 1 **Hessisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 2 **Hessisches Gardejäger-Bataillon Nr. 1 *50. Infanterie-Brigade **Hessisches Leib-Regiment Nr. 3 **Hessisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 4 **Hessisches Leibjäger-Bataillon Nr. 2 *Hessische 25. Kavallerie-Brigade **Hessisches 1. Reiter-Regiment **Hessisches 2. Reiter-Regiment

Combat chronicle

During the Franco-Prussian War, the Grand Ducal Hesse (25th) Division was subordinated to the Prussian IX Army Corps, along with the 18th Infantry Division. The Hessians fought in the battles of Mars-la-Tour and

Gravelotte Gravelotte (; german: Gravelotte) is a commune in the Moselle department in Grand Est in north-eastern France, 11 km west of Metz. It is part of the functional area (''aire d'attraction'') of Metz. Its population is 827 (2019). From 1871 ...

, and then participated in the Siege of Metz. It then fought at Noiseville and in the Second Battle of Orléans. During World War I, the Grand Ducal Hesse (25th) Infantry Division served on 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 ...

. It fought in the opening campaigns, including 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 Fro ...

that 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 ...

, and the subsequent

Race to the Sea The Race to the Sea (; , ) took place from about 1914 during the First World War, after the Battle of the Frontiers () and the German advance into France. The invasion had been stopped at the First Battle of the Marne and was followed by the ...

. After a period in the trenches, the division was heavily engaged in 1916 in the

Battle of Verdun The Battle of Verdun (french: Bataille de Verdun ; german: Schlacht um Verdun ) was fought from 21 February to 18 December 1916 on the Western Front in France. The battle was the longest of the First World War and took place on the hills north ...

and 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 be ...

. In 1917, it fought in the battle of Passchendaele, also known as the Third Battle of Ypres. In 1918 it participated in the German spring offensive and ended the war resisting the subsequent Allied counteroffensives. Allied intelligence rated the division as first class.

Pre-World War I organization

German divisions underwent various organizational changes after the Franco-Prussian War. The division was subordinated to the newly created XVIII Army Corps in 1899 and in the same year the division's 25th Field Artillery Brigade was created. The organization of the 25th Division in 1914, shortly before the outbreak of World War I, was as follows:''Rangliste der Königlich Preußischen Armee'' (1914), pp. 107-108. *49. Infanterie-Brigade (1. Großherzoglich Hessische) ** Leibgarde-Infanterie-Regiment (1. Großherzoglich Hessisches) Nr. 115 **Infanterie-Regiment Kaiser Wilhelm (2. Großherzoglich Hessisches) Nr. 116 **Infanterie-Regiment (5. Großherzoglich Hessisches) Nr. 168 *50. Infanterie-Brigade (2. Großherzoglich Hessische) **Infanterie-Leibregiment Großherzogin (3. Großherzoglich Hessisches) Nr. 117 **Infanterie-Regiment Prinz Carl (4. Großherzoglich Hessisches) Nr. 118 *25. Kavallerie-Brigade (Großherzoglich Hessische) **Garde-Dragoner-Regiment (1. Großherzoglich Hessisches) Nr. 23 **Leib-Dragoner-Regiment (2. Großherzoglich Hessisches) Nr. 24 *25. Feldartillerie-Brigade (Großherzoglich Hessische) **Großherzogliches Artilleriekorps, 1. Großherzoglich Hessisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 25 **2. Großherzoglich Hessisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 61 *Großherzoglich Hessische Train-Abteilung Nr. 18 *Großherzoglich Hessische Garde-Unteroffizier Kompanie

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 25th Cavalry Brigade was sent to help form the 3rd Cavalry Division and the 25th Division received cavalry support from the cavalry brigade of the 21st Division, its sister division in the XVIII Army Corps. The 25th Division was renamed the 25th Infantry Division and its initial wartime organization was as follows:Cron et al., ''Ruhmeshalle'' *49. Infanterie-Brigade (1. Großherzoglich Hessische) **Leibgarde-Infanterie-Regiment (1. Großherzoglich Hessisches) Nr. 115 **Infanterie-Regiment Kaiser Wilhelm (2. Großherzoglich Hessisches) Nr. 116 *50. Infanterie-Brigade (2. Großherzoglich Hessische) **Infanterie-Leibregiment Großherzogin (3. Großherzoglich Hessisches) Nr. 117 **Infanterie-Regiment Prinz Carl (4. Großherzoglich Hessisches) Nr. 118 *Magdeburgisches Dragoner-Regiment Nr. 6 *25. Feldartillerie-Brigade (Großherzoglich Hessische) **Großherzogliches Artilleriekorps, 1. Großherzoglich Hessisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 25 **2. Großherzoglich Hessisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 61 *2.Kompanie/1. Nassauisches Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 21 *3.Kompanie/1. Nassauisches Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 21

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 25th Infantry Division's order of battle on February 19, 1918, was as follows: *49. Infanterie-Brigade (1. Großherzoglich Hessische) **Leibgarde-Infanterie-Regiment (1. Großherzoglich Hessisches) Nr. 115 **Infanterie-Regiment Kaiser Wilhelm (2. Großherzoglich Hessisches) Nr. 116 **Infanterie-Leibregiment Großherzogin (3. Großherzoglich Hessisches) Nr. 117 **Maschinengewehr-Scharfschützen-Abteilung Nr. 49 *1.Eskadron/Magdeburgisches Dragoner-Regiment Nr. 6 *Artillerie-Kommandeur 25: **Großherzogliches Artilleriekorps, 1. Großherzoglich Hessisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 25 **I.Bataillon/Reserve-Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 24 *Stab Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 129: **3.Kompanie/1. Nassauisches Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 21 **Reserve-Pionier-Kompanie Nr. 89 **Minenwerfer-Kompanie Nr. 25 *Divisions-Nachrichten-Kommandeur 25

Commanders

* Generalleutnant

Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse English: Frederick William Louis Charles , house = Hesse-Darmstadt , father = Prince Charles of Hesse and by Rhine , mother = Princess Elisabeth of Prussia , birth_date = , birth_place = Prinz-Carl-Palais, Darmstadt, Gra ...

(1867-1877) * Generalleutnant Hermann von Wichmann (1877-1879) * General der Kavallerie

Prince Heinrich of Hesse and by Rhine Prince Heinrich Ludwig Wilhelm Adalbert Waldemar Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine (November 28, 1838 - September 16, 1900) was a member of the House of Hesse-Darmstadt and a General of the Cavalry. Biography He was the second son of Prince Char ...

(1879-1887) * Generalleutnant Friedrich von Wißmann (1887-1889) *Generalleutnant Adolf von Bülow (1890-1895) *Generalleutnant Heinrich von Gossler (1895-1896) *Generalleutnant Friedrich von Müller (1896-1898) *Generalleutnant Wilhelm Schilling von Cannstatt (1898-1900) *Generalleutnant Georg von Perbandt (1900-1902) *Generalleutnant Karl von Gall (1902-1906) *Generalleutnant

Hermann von Strantz Hermann Christian Wilhelm von Strantz (13 February 1853 in Nakel an der Netze – 3 November 1936 in Dessau) was a Prussian officer, and later General of Infantry during World War I. He was a recipient of Pour le Mérite. World War I In 1914, ...

(1906-1911) *Generalleutnant Otto von Plüskow (1911- 1913) *Generalleutnant

Walther von Lüttwitz Walther Karl Friedrich Ernst Emil Freiherr von Lüttwitz (2 February 1859 – 20 September 1942) was a German general who fought in World War I. Lüttwitz is best known for being the driving force behind the Kapp–Lüttwitz Putsch of 1920 ...

(1914-1914) *Generalmajor/Generalleutnant

Viktor Kühne Otto Viktor Kühne (28 March 1857 – 9 February 1945) was a German General of the Artillery who served as a corps commander during World War I. Biography Earlier Years Kühne was born as the son of a district administrator and after graduating ...

(1914-1916) *Generalmajor/Generalleutnant Hermann von Dresler und Scharfenstein (1916-1919)

References

25. 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)

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:25 Infantry divisions of Germany in World War I Military units and formations disestablished in 1919 Military units and formations established in 1866