(114th Regiment: 14th Corps District—Southern part of the Grand Duchy of Baden. 357th Regiment: 2d Corps District—Pomerania. 237th Reserve Regiment: 8th Corps District—Rhine Province.)

1916.

The 199th Division was created in August, 1916, in the region of Stryj-Halicz (Galicia), with troops coming from the Western Front. Until the beginning of 1917 its infantry was made up as follows: The 237th Reserve Regiment (coming from the 52d Reserve Division), the 4th Bavarian Reserve Regiment (from the Bavarian Ersatz Division), and the 9th Jaegers (12th and 13th Battalions of Reserve Jaegers (Saxon) and the 8th Battalion of Jaegers).

Galicia.

1. From the end of August to the beginning of November the 199th Division was engaged in Galicia (Brzezany, Halicz, Zlota-Lipa) and suffered heavy losses.

2. About November 1 the division was transferred to the Western Front. (Itinerary: Lemberg-Cracaw-Breslau-Dresden-Leipzig-Coblenz-Treves-Sedan.) It detrained at Dun and was billeted for three weeks in the vicinity of Spincourt.

Somme.

3. Sent to the Champagne district at the end of November and then in the Bohain region, it went into line in the Rancourt-Saillizel sector (end of December).

1917.

1. At the beginning of 1917 the 114th and 357th replaced the 4th Reserve and the 9th Jaegers.

Somme.

2. The 199th Division stayed on the Rancourt front until March, 1917.

Hindenburg Line.

3. On March 27 it was identified to the east of Longavesnes; then at Villers-Faucon, Lempire, in the new German positions (April).

Artois.

4. Relieved about April 20, it was engaged to the southeast of Arras (Wancourt-Vis en Artois-Cherisy) and suffered heavy losses (April 27, May 3).

5. Coming back to the west of Catelet (Hargicourt-Bony) about the middle of May, it left this line on June 8 to go to rest in the vicinity of Ostend.

Belgian Flanders.

6. In the middle of July it took over the Nieuport-Lombartzyde sector, which it occupied until the beginning of August and was at rest near Ostend from August 10 to the middle of September.

7. It reappeared in the Lombartzyde sector until October 24. On November 10 after a short rest it was put in line to the north of Passchendaele, where it was found, with the exception of some brief withdrawals for rest, until February, 1918, when it went to rest near Courtrai.

RECRUITING.

Division with composite elements; a regiment from Baden (the 114th, active), a regiment from Pomerania (the 357th, growing out of brigade Ersatz Battalions), and a Rhenish regiment (the 237th).

VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.

The 114th was considered the best in the division. The 237th Reserve did not seem to have a very good combat value. It did not hold its ground when opposed by the British at Cherisy (April, 1917). It is said that a company of this regiment refused to come out of the trenches in the month of July, 1917.

Battle of Picardy.

1. The division left Flanders at the end of February and trained in the Le Quesnoy area until the middle of March; left on the 17th for the battle front. It marched to Escaromain, and on the 18th to Quievy. On the day before the offensive the division marched via Caudry to Villers Outreaux. It was not identified in the fight until the 25th at Hardecourt. The next day it was at Maricourt wood, after which it appears to have been withdrawn. On April 4 it relieved the 243d Division south of Thennes.

2. After its relief the division marched by stages via Beaucourt en Santerre-Vauvillers-Peronne to Templeux, la Fosse, where it rested for a fortnight. The heavy losses incurred by the division during its last time in line south of the Somme were made good chiefly by drafts of the 1919 class from the depots at Warsaw and Bruges. The division contained a large proportion of this class and its fighting quality suffered in consequence. On the 26th of April the division moved to Maurepas and proceeded to Maricourt on the 28th; from there it marched into line in the Morlancourt sector.

3. The division held the Morlancourt sector from about May 1 to 16. It was relieved by the 107th Division and rested in the Valenciennes area in June.

Champagne.

4. It was engaged at Le Teton on July 15 and held a sector in that area until the end of the month.

Rheims.

5. On August 3 it reenforced the battle front at Sapicourt west of Rheims. It was engaged in that area except for a week’s rest until the end of September.

6. After October 1 the division was engaged in Champagne in the region of Orfeuil. It contested hotly the advance through Vaudy and Vouziers until its relief in late October. It rested but a few days out of line and after November 3 was engaged at St. Lambert, Roix-Terron, and Dom le Mesnil (Nov. 10).

VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.

The division was rated as second-class. It was used as an attack division in March and did well. Thereafter it saw almost constant service in resisting allied pushes. In October’s fighting it was frequently spoken of by the German official communique.