(190th Infantry Regiment and 55th Reserve Infantry Regiment; 7th Corps District—Westphalia. 99th Reserve Infantry Regiment; 15th Corps District—Alsace.)

1916.

The 220th Division was formed at the end of 1916 with regiments taken from divisions then in line on the Somme and south of Artois. The 207th Reserve Infantry Regiment coming from the 44th Reserve Division, the 55th Reserve Infantry Regiment and the 2d Reserve Guard Division and the 99th Reserve Infantry Regiment from the 26th Reserve Division.

1917.

Artois.

1. Concentrated at Boyelles (west of Croisilles) on February 6, 1917, the 220th Division went into line at Ransart, south of Arras. About March 18 it took part in the retirement of the German forces and established its position at HÉnin sur Cojeul, Ecoust St. Menin, Croisilles. It was engaged, in April, between Croisilles and Arras. In April the 190th Infantry Regiment replaced the 207th Reserve Infantry Regiment.

2. Withdrawn from the Arras front at the end of April, the 220th Division was sent to rest in the vicinity of Montagne du Nord, then to Belgium between May 6 and 15.

3. It came back to its old sector in Artois (Fontaine les Croisilles, Bullecourt) about May 29, and remained there until about July 6.

Lens.

4. After a rest in the rear of Douai, northwest of Lens, from the beginning of July to the middle of August, the division was engaged near Lens from August 16 to 22.

Ypres.

5. At the beginning of October it was sent to Belgium. On the 12th it went into line east of Zonnebeke.

Cambrai.

6. Sent to rest about October 15 in the vicinity of Bruges, it then fought on the Cambrai front, south of CrÈvecoeur, at the end of November (German counterattack).

7. It was sent to rest in December.

RECRUITING.

The 220th Division may be considered as Westphalian since two of its regiments were normally filled up from the 7th Corps District, and since the 99th Reserve Infantry Regiment, like a number of regiments in Alsace, received most of its men from there.

VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.

The regiments of the 220th Division did not appear to have any great offensive value.

The division lost quite heavily in the sector of Lens at the beginning of 1918.

1918.

La BassÉe.

1. During the night of December 31-January 1 it relieved the 1st Guard Reserve Division in the Hulluch-Loos sector (south of La BassÉe). On the 27th it was relieved by the 1st Guard Reserve Division.

2. A day or two later it relieved the 207th Division in the sector to the right of the one it had just held. During the night of the 18th–19th of February it was relieved by the 207th Division.

3. It went back to the Lens sector then and relieved the 1st Guard Reserve Division on the 20th. It was not withdrawn until April 25, when it was relieved by the 42d Division. During these three months the division had about 1,600 casualties (mainly gas), and so now a week or so was spent refitting in the region north of Douai.

4. On May 6 it relieved the 44th Reserve Division southeast of Locon (west of La BassÉe). This front had been stabilized by now, but still there was a great deal of artillery activity and constant raiding. The division was withdrawn about the 1st of August, the neighboring divisions extending their fronts.

Bapaume.

5. After a fortnight’s rest the division reenforced the front in the Biefvillers sector (northwest of Bapaume) about the 20th of August. It was withdrawn about the 3d of September after losing some 600 prisoners.

Cambrai.

6. It rested again for a fortnight, and then reenforced the front near BlÉcourt (north of Cambrai) about the 29th of the month. It was heavily engaged here and suffered severely; withdrawn on the 13th of October.

Valenciennes.

7. About the 21st it reenforced the front near Anzin (northwest of Valenciennes). It was withdrawn on November 4.

8. On the 7th it was put back into line near Elouges (southwest of Ghislain); it was not withdrawn before the armistice.

VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.

The 220th Division was not used in any of the German offensives during 1918; on the contrary, its rÔle seems to have been that of a holding division. The 55th Reserve Regiment was mentioned as having displayed “marked gallantry” in the German communiquÉ of October 2. It is rated as a second-class division.