Champagne.

2. The 25th Brigade, going forward, fought east of St. Quentin on the 29th, and was at Montmirail on September 6, where it took part in the battle of the Marne. After the 26th Brigade was released it reached Laon on the 10th, and on the 12th the entire 13th Division went into position north of Rheims, forming a part of the 7th Army (Von Heeringen). It remained there until the end of the month.

Artois.

3. At the beginning of October the 13th Division was transferred to Artois, where it remained until the end of March, 1916. It fought in the sector Angres-Souchez in October and November, in that of Fromelles-Aubers in November and December.

1915.

Artois.

In March and in June, 1915, the division underwent two heavy attacks at Neuve Chapelle and at Festubert. The battles from the 6th to the 29th of March, 1915, cost the 13th Infantry Regiment 21 officers and 1,301 noncommissioned officers in killed, wounded, and missing. (Official list of Prussian casualties.)

In March the division transferred the 158th Infantry Regiment to the 50th Division, a new formation.

1916.

Verdun (Hill 304).

1. Relieved at the end of March, 1916, the 13th Division was sent to rest in the Cambrai area.

2. About the 5th of June the division entrained and was sent to the Verdun area by way of MontmÉdy-Stenay. It went into line in the sector of Hill 304, which it occupied until the month of September.

Somme.

3. Transferred to the Somme, it took part in the battle on September 12 (south of Vouchavesnes-ClÉry sur Somme). It suffered heavy losses there which necessitated its being relieved on September 19.

4. It was quickly reorganized in the Dun area and put back in the sector of Hill 304 (Oct. 10).

1917.

1. The 13th Division remained in line at Hill 304 until the middle of May, 1917. It was then relieved in this area and sent to the Aisne, where it remained at rest for three weeks near Laon.

Chemin des Dames.

2. On the 9th of June it began to take over the sector of Cerny. It launched an important attack on July 31 upon the Deimling salient, but was not able to retain the ground won. On August 2–3 it attacked again, but without success. The 13th and 15th Infantry Regiments each lost 600 men.

3. The 13th Division, very much exhausted, was relieved during the night of August 3–4. It was transferred by railroad to the St. Gobain area without having time to fill up its regiments, and went into line in the Deuillet-Servais sector, which it held from August 10 to September 17.

La Malmaison.

4. It was at rest in the area of CrÉpy en Laonnois (Sept. 20 to Oct. 11). The division was filled up from the recruit depots of neighboring divisions, although they were not Westphalians (5th Reserve Division, 29th Division, and 103d Division). About the 11th of October it again went into line on the Chemin des Dames east of Laffaux mill. Beginning with October 15, it suffered heavy losses from our artillery preparation. On the 23d it underwent the French attack. (Losses: 47 officers and 1,548 men prisoners, including 2 regimental commanders, a third being killed.) The division may be considered as exhausted at the Mennejean Farm.

5. It was sent to the Sedan area and reorganized. About November 10 it received 1,000 men from Russia as replacements (men at least 35 years of age).

Meuse.

6. About December 18 it occupied the sector of the Bois de Malancourt-Haucourt (and was still there on Jan. 23, 1918).

RECRUITING.

The 13th Division is a Westphalian Division, in addition to contingents from the two principalities of Lippe. These were even mentioned with honor in the German communique of July 1, 1917, a thing which would ordinarily be sufficient to identify the division.

It is manifest, however, that in 1917 the provincial character of the division had been very much changed. The replacements of September (1918 class) were taken from the recruit depots nearby (5th Reserved Division, 29th Division, 103d Division), and introduced, especially in the 15th Infantry Regiment, men from Brandenburg, Baden, and Thuringia. Some Westphalians came in October, but they were mostly older men (classes 1892 to 1903 of the Landsturm), coming from Landsturm battalion of the 7th Corps District.

VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.

In the Somme battle (September, 1916) the 13th Division put up a vigorous defense and did not yield any ground.

On the Aisne (June-July, 1916) its combat value was just as great; it attacked vigorously and put up a stubborn resistance to our counterattacks. Besides that, it is mentioned in the German communiques: September, 1916, for its valor on the Somme, December 20, 1916, and January 25, 1917 (Hill 304); January 29, 1917, the 15th and the 13th Infantry Regiments are praised for their heroic resistance. It may be considered as a good division.

It must be noticed, however, that on October 23, on the Chemin des Dames, in spite of stringent orders to hold its position, the 13th Division put up very little resistance; units surrendered en masse with their officers.

The 55th Infantry Regiment is probably only of mediocre worth since its reconstruction after the battle of Malmaison.

1918.

1. The division was relieved from the Verdun front about February 6 and went to rest in the vicinity of Arlon, and after February 15 at Valenciennes and Mons. It marched to the Somme front in four nights, and then rested at Clary for two days.

2. On March 21 it was in reserve of the 18th Division, during the advance toward Roisel. It was partially engaged on the 22d and 23d north of Marquaix and Peronne. Two days later the entire division was engaged north of the Somme, and on the 28th it passed to reserve near Morlancourt until April 4, when it returned to the battle front for four days, fighting at Dernancourt. Again the division retired to the second line, and was relieved on the 11th. The losses of the division in this offensive were about 40 per cent of its effectives.

Avre.

3. After 10 days’ rest (near Maricourt-Carnoy until the 18th and Caix until the 22d) during which it was reconstituted with returned wounded and 1919 recruits, it returned to line on the Avre (Castel) on April 23. The division executed attacks on Hill 82 and on Hailles on April 24. Other local attacks occurred on May 2 and 14. It was relieved on May 18. A further draft of 1,300 men was received on May 3.

Third Battle of the Somme.

4. The division rested near Montdidier in June, probably at Moreuil. On July 1 it relieved the 77th Reserve Division northeast of Villers-Bretonneux. The British attack on the Somme threw the division back on Mericourt with a loss of 2,769 prisoners. On August 12 it was withdrawn.

5. It was in reserve near Mericourt during the middle of August. On the 24th it was reengaged east of Albert (Bazentin). About the 30th it was withdrawn. The total loss in prisoners was 3,400.

Alsace.

6. The division was moved to Alsace for a rest. It entrained at Schlestadt on September 29 and was moved by Strasbourg, Metz, and Sedan.

Battle of the Argonne.

7. It went into line at Monthois-Challerange on September 30, remaining until October 3, when it went into support near Morel until the 8th, when it fell back toward Bourcq.

8. It was in support between Landres-Saint George and Bantheville on the 15th. It was engaged on the American front on the 16th in the Nantheville region. It was in line until the 30th, when it passed to reserve, but returned to line on the 2d. It continued to hold a sector until the armistice. An epidemic of Spanish fever greatly reduced the number of effectives in all the regiments. The 13th Regiment had less than 200 effectives at the end of October.

VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.

The division was rated as a first-class division. Its performance was excellent in the March offensive, but after that it took no special part in any offensive. At the armistice the division had been used up through losses and sickness.