1914.

Luxemburg.

1. The 25th Division, also known as the Hessian Grand Ducal Division, formed, in August, 1914, with the 21st Division, the 18th Army Corps. On August 3 its 50th Brigade set out for Koenigsmacher, near Thionville, as covering troops. On August 10 and 11 the 25th Division entered the Grand Duchy of Luxemburg, which it crossed, and entered Belgian Luxemburg on the 19th.

Ardennes.

2. It formed a part of the 4th Army (Duke of Wurttemberg) and fought at Maissin, northwest of Neufchateau on August 22. On August 24, it entered France; on the 27th it crossed the Meuse below Mouzon. (On Aug. 31 the losses had been such that the remnants of the 116th Infantry Regiment formed only four companies.)

Marne.

3. On September 6 and the days immediately following the 25th Division took part in the battle of the Marne between Vitry and Sermaize. In the middle of the month, it was northwest of Rheims, on the Aisne-Marne Canal. On September 26 it entrained at Laon for Ham.

Somme.

4. In October the 18th Army Corps was reattached to the 2d Army which formed at this time the extreme right flank of the German Army (PÉronne area) and the division went into line—the Lihons-Chaulnes road to the banks of the Avre.

1915.

Somme.

1. The 25th Division was retained in this sector north of the Avre until October 15, 1915. During this time it did not take part in any important action. In March it ceded the 118th Infantry Regiment to the 56th Division, a new formation.

2. After a long rest in the St. Quentin area (the staff of the 18th Army Corps was at Fresnoy le Grand in December, 1915, and that of the 25th Division at Busigny in January, 1916) the 25th Division was transferred to the sector north of Verdun at the beginning of February, 1916.

1916.

Verdun.

1. On February 21, 1916, it took part in the general attack north of Verdun. After advancing rapidly, the 18th Army Corps was stopped in the area west of Douaumont. On March 9 it failed in its attacks on the Haudremont Farm.

2. The Army Corps was then sent to rest in the rear area to be reorganized.

3. About April 10, the 18th Army Corps reappeared in line (Caillette wood). The 25th Division suffered very heavy losses in its attacks.

4. Relieved about April 25, it was put in line about the middle of May in the vicinity of Craonne.

Somme.

5. It was withdrawn from this sector about the 1st of September and transferred to the Somme, where it went into action from September 15 to October 1, and again lost very heavily.

6. At the beginning of October the 25th Division left the Somme to occupy the sector Apremont-Ailly wood in the Woevre.

7. Again transferred to the Somme at the end of November, it was put into line in the area north of Chaulnes (sector from Kratz wood to the Demi-Lune). It was in this sector at the time of the retirement on March 16, 1916.

1. On this date it carried out its retreat by way of Villecourt-Matigny-Douchy-Roupy, in the direction of St. Quentin.

St. Quentin.

2. On March 20 it began to withstand our advance on the line. Savy-Dallon-Giffecourt, and when the front was stabilized on April 4 it occupied the sector in front of St. Quentin and did not leave until the end of May, after having pillaged the town.

3. It spent the month of June at rest (area of Neuvillette-Bernot).

4. On July 2 it went into line (Itancourt sector), and on July 18 launched an attack upon the salient Moulin de Tous Vents (south of St. Quentin).

Flanders.

5. Relieved about the middle of September, it was sent to the active sector of Flanders (north of Zandvoorde).

6. At the beginning of October it was sent to rest in the Ghent area.

7. It reappeared on the front, near Passchendaele, in the middle of November, and remained there except for a few short intervals until its relief on February 10, 1918.

RECRUITING.

The 25th Division is recruited from the Grand Duchy of Hesse. Men are furnished principally from the rest of the 18th Corps District and the Rhine District (7th and 8th Corps Districts).

VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.

The 18th Army Corps has been considered one of the best corps in the German Army.

In September, 1917, the morale of the 25th Division appeared good. At this time, as the division had not taken part in any important actions since September, 1916, it was difficult to form a judgment as to the combat value of this organization.

Its local operation on the salient of Moulin de Tous Vents (July 18, 1917) was carried out energetically.

1918.

1. The reports concerning the location of the 25th Division during January and early February are conflicting, mention being made in some of two reliefs; it seems most likely, however, that the division was not relieved until February 10, when the 15th Division took over its sector east of Passchendaele.

Mons.

2. On the 15th it entrained at Iseghem and traveled via Courtrai-Ath-Mons to Givry; from here it marched to Bavai (southwest of Mons), where it underwent a course of intensive training in open warfare; cooperation with tanks was featured.

St. Quentin.

3. The division marched from Pommereuil on the 16th, via Le Cateau and Busigny, to Becquigny, and from there, on the 19th, to Wiancourt, reenforcing the battle front near Le Verguier (northwest of St. Quentin) on the 21st. It was relieved about the 30th, after having suffered heavy losses.

Amiens.

4. On April 1 it went back into line southeast of Hangard en Santerre (southeast of Amiens); it was withdrawn about the 12th and moved by easy stages to the Lille area, where, on account of its good fighting on the St. Quentin and Amiens fronts, it was inspected by the Kaiser on April 20. The commander of the 115th Regiment received Pour le MÉrite at the same time.

5. During the night of the 26–27th of April it relieved the 240th Division near Hinges (north of Bethune); relieved by the 36th Reserve Division on the 10th of May, it went to rest in the area north of Douai.

Lys.

6. On July 4 the division moved up into close reserve in the Laventie-Estaires area, and during the night of the 6–7th it relieved the 16th Division near Merville, north of the Lys. On the 20th it was withdrawn, the 16th Division coming back into line, and went to the Lille area.

Somme.

7. After about a month’s rest it reenforced the front near Montauban (southeast of Albert). The front was being forced back here, and so the division passed successively through Hardecourt, Combles, and the St. Pierre-Vaast wood, where it was withdrawn September 5, after losing about 900 prisoners, and went to rest in the Bohain-Malincourt area.

Cambrai.

8. The division reenforced the front near Briastre (east of Cambrai) on October 11, and was withdrawn about the 28th.

Valenciennes.

9. On November 1 it came back into line north of Valenciennes, and had not been withdrawn on the 11th.

VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.

The 25th is rated as a first-class division. It did very well in the large amount of heavy fighting in which it participated during 1918, and as a result suffered exceedingly heavy losses, especially in officers. It received numerous large drafts, and so the division’s strength was rather larger than the average.