The 39th Division (''39. 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 em ...

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 **Ger ...

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 on April 1, 1899, and was headquartered in

Colmar Colmar (, ; Alsatian: ' ; German during 1871–1918 and 1940–1945: ') is a city and commune in the Haut-Rhin department and Grand Est region of north-eastern France. The third-largest commune in Alsace (after Strasbourg and Mulhouse), it is ...

(now in France). The division was subordinated in peacetime initially to the XIV Army Corps (''XIV. Armeekorps'') and then to the XV Army Corps (''XV. 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 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 ...

Recruitment

The division was a mixed unit: its Prussian elements, although designated Upper Alsatian, were mainly raised in the more densely populated

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 ...

and the

Province of Westphalia The Province of Westphalia () was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia from 1815 to 1946. In turn, Prussia was the largest component state of the German Empire from 1871 to 1918, of the Weimar Republic and from 1918 ...

, as the Alsatian German population was insufficient to support all the units stationed there. The 126th Infantry Regiment was 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 66th Field Artillery was 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 subs ...

. The 14th Jäger Battalion, attached on mobilization from the XIV Army Corps, was from the

Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin The Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin was a territory in Northern Germany held by the House of Mecklenburg residing at Schwerin. It was a sovereign member state of the German Confederation and became a federated state of the North German Conf ...

Combat chronicle

The division began World War I fighting 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 ...

, and then fought in the

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 ...

, culminating in the

Battle of the Yser The Battle of the Yser (french: Bataille de l'Yser, nl, Slag om de IJzer) was a battle of the First World War that took place in October 1914 between the towns of Nieuwpoort and Diksmuide, along a stretch of the Yser River and the Yperlee ...

. The division remained on the Yser front until January 1916, when it was transferred to the vicinity of Verdun. It then fought 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 also saw action in the later phases of 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 ...

. It spent the first half of 1917 in the trenches of the Champagne and served in the

Second Battle of the Aisne The Second Battle of the Aisne (french: Bataille du Chemin des Dames or french: Seconde bataille de l'Aisne, 16 April – mid-May 1917) was the main part of the Nivelle Offensive, a Franco-British attempt to inflict a decisive defeat on the Germa ...

, also known as the Third Battle of Champagne (and to the Germans as the Double Battle Aisne-Champagne). It then moved to Flanders and saw action in the Battle of Passchendaele. In 1918, it fought in the German spring offensive and remained in the Flanders region during the subsequent Allied offensives. Allied intelligence rated the division as second class.

Pre-World War I organization

The organization of the 39th Division in 1914, shortly before the outbreak of World War I, was as follows: *61. Infanterie-Brigade **Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 126 Großherzog Friedrich von Baden (8. Württembergisches) **1. Unter-Elsässisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 132 *82. Infanterie-Brigade **2. Ober-Elsässiches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 171 **3. Ober-Elsässiches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 172 *39. Kavallerie-Brigade **Kurmärkisches Dragoner-Regiment Nr. 14 **Jäger-Regiment zu Pferde Nr. 3 *39. Feldartillerie-Brigade **4. Badisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 66 **3. Ober-Elsässisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 80

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 39th Division was redesignated the 39th Infantry Division. Its initial wartime organization was as follows: *61. Infanterie-Brigade **Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 126 Großherzog Friedrich von Baden (8. Württembergisches) **1. Unter-Elsässisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 132 *82. Infanterie-Brigade **2. Ober-Elsässiches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 171 **3. Ober-Elsässiches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 172 **Großherzoglich Mecklenburgisches Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 14 *Kurmärkisches Dragoner-Regiment Nr. 14 *39. Feldartillerie-Brigade **4. Badisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 66 **3. Ober-Elsässisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 80 *2.Kompanie/1. Elsässisches Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 15 *3.Kompanie/1. Elsässisches Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 15

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 39th Infantry Division's order of battle on February 20, 1918, was as follows:Cron et al., ''Ruhmeshalle''. *61. Infanterie-Brigade **Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 126 Großherzog Friedrich von Baden (8. Württembergisches) **1. Unter-Elsässisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 132 **3. Ober-Elsässiches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 172 **Maschinengewehr-Scharfschützen-Abteilung Nr. 19 *1. Eskadron/Reserve-Husaren-Regiment Nr. 8 *Artillerie-Kommandeur 39 **3. Ober-Elsässisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 80 **Fußartillerie-Bataillon Nr. 406 *Stab Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 136: **2.Kompanie/1. Elsässisches Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 15 **3.Kompanie/1. Elsässisches Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 15 **Minenwerfer-Kompanie Nr. 39 *Divisions-Nachrichten-Kommandeur 39

References

39. 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:39 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