COMPOSITION.
HISTORY.(6th and 8th JÄgers: Various sections of Prussia. 233d Reserve Regiment: 11th Corps District—Thuringen.) 1916.1. The division was organized in July, 1916, in the Ruddervoorde region with the following elements: (1) 233d Reserve Regiment, obtained from the 51st Reserve Division; (2) the 6th JÄgers (5th and 6th Battalions of JÄgers, 14th Battalion of JÄgers—the last after arriving on the Russian front was thereafter replaced by the 2d Reserve Battalion of JÄgers); (3) 8th JÄgers (4th, 16th, and 24th Battalions of Reserve JÄgers). Galicia.2. It was shortly thereafter transferred to Galicia. 3. The division took part in the open warfare of August, 1916. 4. It next went into line with Austrian troops in the Zloczow sector. 1917.France.1. It was transferred to the Western Front at the end of April, 1917. (Itinerary: Leniky-Cracovie-Oppeln-Breslau-Leipzig-Halle-Paderborn-Essen-Duesseldorf-Aix la Chapelle-Verviers-LiÉge-Louvain-Brussels-Cambrai.) 2. The division was successively in line in the Ypres sector (May), in the Wytschaete sector (June-July), and in the St. Quentin sector (August). 3. During the month of August it rested in the Walincourt region. Flanders.4. From October 3 to 12 it fought in the Passchendaele sector. It sustained heavy losses (more than 600 prisoners). 5. Relieved on October 12 the division was reorganized at Meulebecke from the 14th to the 18th and was transferred by rail to Gand. At the time it was relieved the 233d Reserve was reduced to 800 men (story of deserter). 6. On about the 21st it entrained at Heydinge and was brought via Brussels-Namur-Dinant-Givet-Charleville-Sedan-Montmedy and Conflans to Haye, where it detrained on the 23d. Haye.7. On October 28 it took over a sector to the southwest of Thiaucourt (Flirey). Italy.8. On November 11 the division was entrained at Metz for Italy. It detrained at Trente on November 14, where it rested until the 24th. It left Trente on December 3 without having participated in any engagement. (Itinerary: Trente-Innsbruck-Munich-Carlsruhe-Offenberg-Friberg-Mulhouse.) Alsace.9. Arriving on December 6, it was billeted in the region of Sundgau, where it stayed until February, 1918. RECRUITING.The division was very heterogeneous. The 233d came from Thuringen (11th Corps District). The various jaeger regiments came from various depot jaeger battalions (2d, 4th, 5th, 6th, and 11th Corps Districts). VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.The 195th Division was sorely tried in Flanders in October, 1917. In November, 1917, the greater part of its strength came from the classes called during the war. The average age was 25. It can be classed as a good division. 1918.Cambrai.1. The 195th Division left Alsace, where it had been resting since its return from Italy, the 5th and 6th of February, and proceeded to Valenciennes. On the 27th a prisoner was captured near Bullecourt (northeast of Bapaume), who stated that his battalion had relieved another battalion of the same regiment during the night of the 25th–26th. The 195th Division had probably relieved the 16th Bavarian Division some days before. It was relieved by the 16th Bavarian Division on the 2d of March. It was very probably trained in open warfare, but the fact has not been definitely established. 2. On the 21st it came back reenforcing the front near Noreuil (northeast of Bapaume). The heavy fighting on this front did not come in the first days of the offensive but a few days later the division was heavily engaged, especially on the 28th and 31st near Bucquoy. This represented an advance of only a few kilometers gained at the cost of heavy losses in many attacks. It was relieved by the 17th Division during the night of April 1–2. 3. On the 9th it relieved the 16th Bavarian Division in the Ayette sector (northwest of Bapaume). It remained here fighting hard until relieved by the 5th Bavarian Reserve Division about the 24th. In this fighting the losses were very heavy, especially in the 233d Reserve Regiment (the commander of which was awarded Pour le Merite) which was dissolved soon after; its place was taken by the 14th Jaeger Regiment. It was sent to the Cambrai region to rest and refit. Marne.4. The first day of the battle of the Marne-July 15—it reenforced the front near Chatillon sur Marne (northwest of Epernay). It was withdrawn early in August and went to rest near Metz. St. Mihiel.5. On the 14th of September, after the line reached by the American First Army had stabilized, the division entered line in the Haumont sector (northeast of St. Mihiel). It was not heavily engaged and was withdrawn about the 28th. Meuse-Argonne.6. The division then moved to the Champagne front, where it reenforced the front in the St. Etienne À Arnes sector (south of Machault) on the 6th of October. It was opposed by French troops until the 24th; after that it was opposite the Americans on account of a readjustment of sectors. It was withdrawn on the 29th. 7. On the 2d of November it was thrown back into line near Verrieres (northwest of Buzancy). Its losses were so heavy in this fighting, and the division was in such a state of exhaustion, that although the division was still in line on the 11th there were rumors that it was soon to be dissolved. VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.The 195th was rated a second-class division. Its conduct whenever heavily engaged was such as to lead to the conclusion that it was one of the better divisions of that class. |