(457th and 458th Infantry Regiments; 7th Corps District—Westphalia. 459th Infantry; Regiment; 16th Corps District—Lorraine.)

1917.

The 236th Division was formed at the Senne Camp at the end of December, 1916 and the beginning of January, 1917. Recruited from the 7th and 16th Corps Districts its regiments were composed of men belonging to the 1918 class (40 per cent) and of returned wounded.

Cambresis.

1. The 236th Division entrained at the Senne and Paderborn Camps on April 11 1917, and went to Cambrai by way of Dusseldorf-Aix la Chapelle-LiÉge-Namur-Charleroi-Valenciennes. Detraining at Caudry on April 13, it went into line southwest of Cambrai (Trestault-Gouzeaucourt) on the 18th. On April 24 it was attacked by British troops, lost the village of Villers Plouich, and suffered heavily (340 prisoners).

2. On May 9 it was sent to rest in the vicinity of Cambrai.

Artois.

3. It then occupied the sector of Cherisy (southeast of Arras) from June 4 to September 2, and did not go into any serious action during this period.

Flanders.

4. The division left Artois at the beginning of September, was sent to rest at Courtrai until the 17th, went to Iseghem by railroad, then marched to Roulers. Until September 20 it remained in reserve as a counterattacking division. Between the 20th and 26th, it was in a violent battle east of Ypres, toward the Polygon wood and between this wood and Zonnebeke to oppose the British advance. Before going into line, on September 20, the 2d Battalion of the 459th Infantry Regiment, had lost more than 200 men from artillery fire; on the 22d, the 8th Company had only 15 men left.

5. Withdrawn from the Flanders front, during the night of September 28–29, the 236th Division was sent to rest in the vicinity of Douai.

Artois.

6. On October 6 it went into line north of the Scarpe, between the Roeux and the Gavrelle; it enlarged its sector toward the north at the beginning of November. It was filled up by replacements taken from the Russian front; 400 men coming from the 32d Landwehr Regiment (197th Division) arrived in November.

RECRUITING.

The 236th Division was recruited from Westphalia and the Rhine Province.

VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.

The 236th Division had serious losses while fighting at Ypres and its morale was weakened in consequence. It may be considered a mediocre division (February, 1918).

According to a deserter’s statement (Jan. 23, 1918), the 236th Division was a shock division in 1917.

1918.

1. The division was engaged from March 21 to April 3. On the March Somme offensive, first at Cherizy, later at Heninel. It was relieved south of Arras on the night of April 3–4 and moved to Passchendaele by way of Aubigny au Bac, Iseghem, and Meulebeke.

Ypres.

2. It entered line at Passchendaele on April 6 and held a sector in this vicinity until June 22, when it was relieved by the 31st Division. The division rested during July at Deynze. It again held the sector southwest of Ypres from August 10 to September 13.

Lorraine.

3. The division moved from Flanders by way of Tourcoing-Brussels-LiÉge—Aachen-Cologne-Bonn-Bingen-Coblenz-Kreuznach to Strasburg. It did not detrain there, but was suddenly ordered to Metz, where it arrived on September 24 in the afternoon. It marched to Loringen, stayed one night and marched to Mars la Tour on September 26. The next morning it marched to Jarny and entrained there, going to Dun sur Meuse (via Longuyon and Montmedy). From Dun it marched through Doulcon to Villers, then to Cunel, and then forward into position.

4. The division was heavily engaged from September 29 to its retirement on October 17. It distinguished itself particularly, fighting stubbornly and successfully for many days in succession. It lost only 413 prisoners but its casualties were very heavy, estimated at 3,000. On November 4 the division was reengaged south of Beaumont and continued in line until the armistice.

VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.

The division was rated as third class. Apart from the fighting on the Meuse, the division did not do anything notable.