(65th and 161st Regiments: 8th Corps District—Rhenish Province. 28th Reserve Regiment: 8th Corps District—Rhenish Province.)

1915.

The division was created in May, 1915. Merely a brigade (the 185th) at the outset, it was composed of the 185th Infantry (from various Baden regiments), of the 186th Regiment (Hessian elements), and of the 190th Regiment (Westphalian elements). Later the 185th Brigade underwent changes which entirely changed its original composition.

HÉbuterne.

1. In June, 1915, the 185th and 186th Infantry Regiments were engaged in the vicinity of HÉbuterne.

2. The three regiments of the 185th Brigade entrained at Douai at the end of July and were transferred to Alsace.

Alsace.

3. At first it was in reserve in the region of Mulhouse; later it was put in line between Altkirch and the Swiss frontier, where it stayed until the end of September.

Champagne.

4. At the beginning of October it was in Champagne holding the sector west of the Souain-Somme Py road.

1916.

1. The 185th Brigade stayed on the Champagne front (Tahure) until the middle of June, 1916.

Somme.

2. At the beginning of July it opposed the Franco-British offensive in the Somme at the northeast of Fricourt, near Thiepval, Contalmaison, and Bazentin (beginning of July to the 18th). It suffered serious losses.

3. At the end of July it rested at St. Quentin, Vermand and Cateau. At this time the 185th Brigade became the 185th Division by the transformation of its field artillery detachment into a regiment.

Oise-Aisne.

4. In August it held a sector to the west of Soissons (from the Oise to Chevillecourt). The 185th Division was reorganized by the transfer of its three infantry regiments which were replaced by the 65th and the 161st Infantry from the 15th Division and by the 28th Reserve Regiment from the 16th Reserve Division—both Rhenish divisions.

Somme.

5. The 185th, thus reorganized, was brought back to the Somme about September 7. It was engaged near Ginchy and Combles until the middle of October.

6. After a short stay north of Soissons (end of October to the beginning of November) it came back for a third time in the Somme district (Saillisel, night of Nov. 10–11). Here it was again put to a test.

7. It left the Somme on December 9 and rested in Belgium (Alost).

1917.

1. At the beginning of January elements of the division were in line to the south of Grenier wood (region of Lille).

Flanders.

2. The division occupied a sector north of Ypres (Wieltje) from the beginning of February to April 15.

3. About April 20 it was engaged in front of Arras (to the north of the Scarpe until the beginning of May). Losses sustained obliged it to have recourse to a distant source for replacements: the Ersatz Truppe of Warsaw (class of 1918 and men put back of the 1917 class), which reenforcements arrived at top speed on May 5.

La BassÉe.

4. The division held the La BasÉe sector (Hulluch-Vermelles) from the end of May to September 21.

5. In October it was at rest for three weeks in the vicinity of Carvin.

Flanders-Cambrai.

6. Transferred to Belgium (Oct. 28) it took over a sector to the west of Houthulst Forest (Nov. 6–7). In December it was on the Cambrai front (until about Jan. 10, 1918).

RECRUITING.

Since August, 1916, the division had been entirely composed of regiments coming from the Rhine Province (8th Corps District) and as such is entirely homogeneous.

VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.

The 185th Division gave good account of itself in all the battles in which it took part.

1918.

1. The 185th Division was withdrawn from the Cambrai front near Gonnelieu, being relieved by the 9th Reserve Division during the night of January 11–12. It went to the Solesmes area, where it was trained with a view of being used in offensive operations.

Arras.

2. About the middle of February it relieved the 24th Division near Monchy le Preux (southeast of Arras). On the 28th of March it attacked with all three regiments, and suffered heavy losses from enfilade machine-gun fire; officer casualties for the division amounted to 90. It was withdrawn about the 27th of April.

3. It relieved the 26th Reserve Division near Mercatel (southeast of Arras) between the 13th and 16th of May. It was relieved by the 39th Division during the night of August 2–3.

Somme.

4. On the 18th it reenforced the front near Herleville (south of Bray). It was withdrawn on September 5.

5. On the 18th it reenforced the front near Villeret (northwest of St. Quentin), and was withdrawn on the 1st of October. During these last two engagements the division lost heavily, more than 2,050 in prisoners alone.

6. A week later it reenforced the front near Ligny en Cambresis (west of Le Cateau). It was withdrawn on the 25th.

7. After a fortnight’s rest it relieved the 6th Division southwest of Mons on the 8th of November.

VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.

The 185th was rated as a second-class division. Although trained in open warfare, it was used in only one of the great German offensives, and there did nothing to indicate that it merited a better rating.