1914.

France.

1. The 14th Division was mobilized at the outbreak of the war with two of its three peace-time brigades (27th and 79th Brigades) and sent its 28th Brigade to the 7th Reserve Corps (14th Reserve Division). The 27th Brigade (Cologne) was immediately sent against LiÉge, where it attacked with the five other brigades of five different army corps. On August 13 the entire division was before LiÉge, where the other division of the 7th Army Corps was on the 14th. With this latter division it formed part of the 2d Army (Von Buelow), of which it formed the right wing. It entered Belgium by way of Wavre and Nievelles, was engaged west of Charleroi, entered France by the valley of the Oise and took part in the battle of the Marne, at Petit Morin, southeast of Montmirail.

2. At the end of the retirement it stopped at the Chemin des Dames; was sent a short time afterwards to the area north of Rheims, from which place it was transferred, at the time of the race to the sea, to Lille, with the entire 7th Army Corps (at the beginning of October).

Artois.

3. Beginning with November, 1914, it occupied different sectors around Lille, La BassÉe, and Lens until the spring of 1916.

1915.

Artois.

1. The losses of the 14th Division were not very important during the first two years of the war. However, in March, 1915, and in June, 1915, it underwent two strong British attacks at Neuve Chapelle and Festubert, which inflicted heavy losses upon it, following which it had to be reenforced. From March 7 to March 12 the 3d Battalion of the 16th Infantry Regiment had no less than 589 casualties, 16 of whom were officers (official list of casualties).

1916.

1. The 14th Division was relieved at the end of 1916 from the Artois sector and, after a long period of rest near Tournai, was transferred to the Verdun area.

Verdun.

2. In June and July it occupied the Mort Homme sector.

3. At the end of July it crossed over to the right bank of the Meuse and held the sector of Thiaumont until August 25, where it suffered heavily.

4. It then returned to the left bank of the Meuse (Cumieres) after a short rest. It was again sent to the rear area about the middle of October.

5. When the French attack of October 24 broke out the 14th Division went into action north of Douaumont on the 27th.

6. On December 16 it suffered the shock of the French offensive and had to be retired at the end of the month, very much weakened (65 per cent casualties).

1917.

1. After a month behind the Verdun front the 14th Division once more took over its former sector at the beginning of February, 1917, on the left bank of the Meuse, north of Chattancourt (Cumieres, Mort Homme).

2. Relieved between April 14 and 20, it entrained between the 21st and the 25th at Sivry sur Meuse and Vilosnes and was transferred to the Aisne.

3. After a few days of rest in the Marchais area, at Sissonne Camp, it was brought back to the front, and on May 5 reenforced the sector between Ailles and Hurtebise, which was being held by guard divisions very much weakened by our attacks.

4. From May 7 to 12 it replaced the 1st Guard Division in line (west of Hurtebise) and then was sent to rest east of Laon. It remained in reserve, not taking part in any action as an entire division.

5. After a rest in the area northwest of Liesse, it came back into line in the sector Ailles-Hurtebise (June 20, 21) and there, on the 25th, underwent the French attack. It lost the Cave of the Dragon; the 57th Infantry Regiment lost 191 prisoners.

6. On July 26 the 14th Division attacked between Hurtebise and La Bovelle. Its efforts to regain the positions lost were futile. On Aug. 1 the 1st Battalion of the 56th Infantry Regiment was commanded by a first lieutenant (document).

7. At the end of July, very much weakened by its losses, it was sent to rest in the Vervins area and reconstituted (principally by men of the 1918 class from the Bevelloo Camp). Between December 21, 1916, and August, 1917, no less than 326 men came as replacements to the 9th Company of the 56th Infantry Regiment.

8. On September 17 the 14th Division came back into line in the Laffaux area, underwent our attacks on October 23, suffered heavy losses from our preparation fire, and left to the French the greater part of its artillery and numerous prisoners (1,763 men and 43 officers).

9. An eye witness reckons the number of infantrymen left after the battle at not more than 1,400 (letter). It was filled up with returned wounded, men borrowed from Landsturm battalions of the 11th Corps District and men coming from the Russian front.

10. After being thus reorganized, in the Vervins area, the division was sent to Haye in the Flirey sector, where it was engaged from the 5th of November on. It was relieved January 13, 1918.

RECRUITING.

The 14th Division is recruited principally from the Rhine districts of the 7th Corps District, and it is for this reason that it is called “Troops from the Lower Rhine” in the German communiques of July 27, 1917.

This region, very populous, suffices for its own recruiting. It is to be noticed, however, that in the course of the year 1917, in spite of the growing tendency to emphasize the sectional character of the large units, the 14th Division received replacement troops from other districts besides the seventh; in May, men from the 6th Corps District trained in the fourth (class of 1918); in August, men from the third, fourth, and eighth (class of 1918); in October, Pomeranians from the 22d Landwehr Division. The seventh district hardly counts except in the replacements of October, with convalescents and men from the Westphalian Landsturm battalions. The heavy losses suffered since December, 1916 would explain, to a certain extent, this falling off in numbers. It may also be that the morale of an industrial region such as Westphalia had been sufficiently shattered to make a mixture advisable.

VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.

During the French offensive of December 15, 1916, the 14th Division behaved very well.

South of Ailles (at the end of June, 1917) it attempted to regain lost ground with great tenacity.

It put up a strong resistance to the attacks of October 23.

“The 14th Division is a good division. It has just been withdrawn from a quiet sector to take part in a war of movement. It is a division destined to attack.” (Jan. 18, 1918—note from the 1st French Army.)

1. The 14th Division was relieved in the Flirey sector (east of St. Mihiel) by the 78th Reserve Division during the night of January 13–14.

Picardy.

2. After having gone through some maneuvers in the region of Mars la Tour the division entrained at that place (also Chambley) on March 27 and detrained at St. Quentin on the 29th. It remained in support for a few days and then reenforced the battle front west of Moreuil (northwest of Montdidier) on April 4. The same day attacked Rouvrel, but could make no progress. It suffered severely, and was withdrawn on the 11th, very much exhausted, to rest in the region of Bohain, where it was reconstituted, and went into intensive training for open warfare.

Aisne.

3. On May 27 the division entrained at Bohain, and detrained to the west of Laon, where it assembled in the forest of Coucy, and followed the offensive of the Aisne in the second line. It crossed the Aisne on May 30, and marched via CrÉcy au Mont to Hautebraye. Its objective was Vic sur Aisne, but it was completely checked with heavy losses. It was withdrawn about June 11.

4. On June 14 it relieved the 51st Reserve Division near St. Bandry (southwest of Soissons). It was badly shattered in the fighting that followed and was withdrawn about July 2.

5. On July 16 the division reinforced the front near Osly-Courtil (north of the Aisne—west of Soissons); it was withdrawn about the 26th of August.

Champagne.

6. During the night of September 18–19 the division relieved the 3d Guard Division southeast of Auberive; it was withdrawn about October 12 and went to rest in the area north of Rethel.

Solesmes.

7. The division marched by easy stages, and entered line near Englefontaine (east of Solesmes) during the night of October 25–26. It was still in line at the time of the signing of the armistice.

VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.

The 14th Division is rated as being in the second of four classes. Despite its two training periods (March and May), it did not distinguish itself on the offensive, being decidedly checked at Moreuil and Hautebraye. On the defensive, however, it fought tenaciously; it suffered heavy losses, the regiments being reduced to three companies. There is evidence supporting the view that there were not more than 1,800 rifles in the division the end of October.