COMPOSITION.

1915.

The 108th Division was formed during the summer of 1915 in the Niemen Army (Scholtz Army) by taking the 137th Infantry from the 31st Division, the 97th Infantry from the 42d Division, and the 265th Reserve Infantry from the 80th Reserve Division. It was called the Beckmann Division in honor of its commanding general before it received the number 108.

Courland.

1. About December 1 it went into line to the west of Sventen Lake (region of Dvinsk).

1916.

Volhynia.

1. In June, 1916, the division was transferred to Volhynia and opposed the Russian offensive in the vicinity of Svinioukhi. Here it had heavy losses. On June 16 the 1st Battalion of the 137th Infantry reported 24 officers and 978 men out of action. (Casualty List).

2. It was in this sector until its departure for the Western Front (middle of December, 1917.)

1917.

France.

1. Entrained on December 12 in the vicinity of Brest-Litowsk.

2. Detrained near Hirson about December 18 and stayed at rest for three weeks in the vicinity of Aubenton.

RECRUITING.

The 97th and the 137th of the old 21st Corps were among those regiments which did not find a sufficient source of recruits in their home stations and filled up their ranks with soldiers from the Rhine Province and Westphalia.

The 265th Reserve Regiment, originally recruited from the Hanseatic cities, was now principally recruited in Mecklenberg.

VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.

The 108th Division, coming from Russia, only went in line on the Western Front on January 1, 1918.

At the end of January, 1918, the 137th and 97th still had in its ranks many men from Alsace and Lorraine, which must have been transferred shortly thereafter.

1918.

Aisne.

1. After having had some training in the Vervins area, the 108th Division relieved the 5th Reserve Division near Corbeny (northeast of Craonne) during the night of January 22–23. It was relieved about the 21st of April by the 103d Division.

Somme.

2. On the 30th it relieved the 9th Bavarian Reserve Division near Villers-Bretonneux (south of Corbie). During the night of May 19–20 it extended its front to the south and relieved the jaeger division. It was relieved by the 41st Division on the 9th of July, and went to rest in the Cappy area, south of the Somme.

3. On the 7th of August it relieved the 43d Reserve Division astride the Somme (west of Bray). The next day the British captured 1576 men from the division. It was withdrawn from line about the 23d. It went to the Cambrai region, and was there disbanded—the 137th Regiment was transferred to the 15th Division, the 97th Regiment to the 202d Division, and the 265th Reserve Regiment was dissolved.

The 108th was rated a third-class division, but considering that although it was trained in assault tactics (in January) it was not used in any of the German offensives, and that the only heavy fighting in which it participated was when it was caught by the British attack of the 8th of August, where it fought poorly, and also that the 15th and 202d Divisions—the units which received its regiments when it was disbanded—were second and third class, respectively, this rating seems to have been too high.