1914.

Alsace-Lorraine.

1. The 28th Division formed a part of the 14th Army Corps with the 29th Division, also from Baden. At the beginning of the campaign went to Upper Alsace to reenforce the 29th Division; fought at Mulhousen on August 9, and on the 13th west of Altkirch. Returning to Mulhousen on the 14th, it entrained at Muelheim on the 16th for Petite Pierre. The 14th Army Corps was placed on the left flank of the 6th Army and took part with it in the battle of the 20th. The 28th Division then crossed the frontier and advanced to Mortagne at the beginning of September. On September 11 it recrossed the frontier and went to the west of Pont À Mousson, where it went into action between September 20 and 29.

Artois.

2. Withdrawn from La Haye at the end of the month, it entrained on October 4 at Metz, detrained at Mons, and from there marched to the front—La BassÉe, Ablain, St. Nazaire.

1915.

Artois.

1. From October, 1914, to May, 1915, its regiments were exhausted one after the other on the plateau of Notre Dame de Lorette. (On November 30, 1914, the 110th Grenadier Regiment acknowledged casualties of 58 officers and 3,814 men since the beginning of the campaign.) The 28th Division again suffered very heavily during the winter (especially the 110th Grenadiers and the 40th Fusileers); finally it lost very heavily from April 9 to May 3 (Carency-Ouvrages-Blancs). In the course of these battles the 111th Infantry Regiment was almost completely destroyed. On May 10 its first battalion had only 3 officers and 272 men. (Notebook of the captain commanding the battalion.) The Casualty Lists report 32 officers and 1,737 men as casualties.

2. The division was relieved on May 15, sent to rest in the area Lens, Pont À Vendin, HÉuin-LiÉtard, and reorganized.

3. About May 25 it was put back into line (Ablain-Lorette) and again suffered very heavy losses.

Champagne.

4. Withdrawn from Artois about June 13, it was transferred to the northeast of Reims. Beginning with June 18, it occupied the front between BÉtheny and the Sillery-Beine road. In this sector it had only a few local actions and very few losses.

5. During the offensive of September, 1915, the division detached two battalions (one from the 109th Grenadiers and one from the 110th Grenadiers) to act as reinforcements in the Somme Py area.

6. On October 19 and 20 a gas attack was rather poorly carried out by the Badensian Infantry (La Pompelle-Prosnes front).

7. The 28th Division was relieved about November 10. At the beginning of December it went into the sector of Tahure-Butte du Mesnil which it occupied for the entire winter without any notable action.

1916.

1. About the end of April, 1916, the 28th Division left the sector of the Butte du Mesnil. It was sent to rest for a week in the Vouziers area, and about May 5 went back into line (sector of Maisons de Champagne-La Justice). During this time the units received intensive training.

2. During the first half of July the regiments of the division (minus the 109th Infantry Regiment, which had remained in Champagne) were successively relieved and transferred by way of Charleville, Hirson, and St. Quentin to the Biaches area (Somme). Between July 16 and 20 they established their positions between the Somme and the Barleux.

3. The 28th Division was retained in this sector until the beginning of October. It suffered heavy losses there, which were partially covered by reenforcements sent from the depots of the 14th Army Corps (1915 and 1916 classes).

4. At the beginning of October the division was sent to Champagne, into the sector east of Tahure. It left this about the 20th and reoccupied it from December until the end of January, 1917.

1917.

Meuse.

1. At this time the 28th Division was transferred to the Verdun area. It was sent into line in the CauriÈres wood sector and remained until the beginning of September. It took part in the attacks on this front in the middle of August.

Alsace.

2. Withdrawn from the Verdun area about the middle of September the division was sent to Alsace, northwest of Altkirch and was in the front line on October 20. It soon left this for the Montmedy area, then for Laon, and finally for the Cambrai front where it fought at Gonnelieu on November 30. Relieved at the beginning of December, it was sent to rest in the Ardennes and, at the beginning of February, 1918, occupied a sector at Mount Cornillet.

RECRUITING.

The 28th Division is recruited almost exclusively from Baden. A slight admixture from the 4th Corps District. The 40th Fusileers, although a Prussian regiment, was recruited in the Grand Duchy of Baden.

VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.

The 28th Division has always given a good account of itself and must be considered a good division (July, 1917).

At the beginning of March, 1917, it carried out an attack against the CauriÈres wood with a great deal of vigor. A division order (dated Mar. 3, 1917) found on a corpse praises the heroism of the valiant troops of the 28th Division and calls its regiments “The conquerors of Lorette.”

1918.

Aisne.

1. The division held the Butte du Mesnil sector continuously until May 13, when it rested for 10 days in the vicinity of Vouziers. On May 23 the division entrained at Montcornet and was moved to the region of Laon. It came into line on May 31, reenforcing the Aisne battle front between Chateau de Maucreux and TroËsnes. It was relieved on June 8 by the 10th Reserve Division.

Second Battle of the Marne.

2. Its stay out of line was short, for on June 13 it again relieved the 50th Division near Verneuil; about this time the divisional commander, Lieut. Gen. Hahn, was decorated. The division was withdrawn from the Marne front about July 1. It returned to reenforce the battle line near Chaumuzy, southwest of Rheims on July 24. It fell back to the Vesle, where it held the line until August 26.

Woevre.

3. The division then went to rest in the vicinity of Baroucourt for three weeks. It left that place on September 14 and marched via Amermont-Offleville-Gondrecourt Rouvers-Etain to a position in line near Grimacourt and Hermeville, relieving the 8th Landwehr Division which side slipped to the south. It held this sector until October 19, when it was withdrawn and moved from Conflans, via Arlon, to Flanders on October 22.

Mons.

4. On November 1, the division came into line at Maresches in which area it fought until the armistice. The last identifications were at Sebourg (Nov. 4), west of Roisin (6th), and Dour (9th).

VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.

The division was rated as second class. It was not greatly used in 1918, spending most of the time on quiet fronts. After the Vesle fighting in August, the battalions of the division were reduced to three companies.