1914.

Belgium.

1. At the outbreak of the war the 38th Division, forming the 11th Army Corps with the 22d Division, belonged to the 3d Army (Von Hausen), which went through the Belgian Ardennes. It halted in front of Namur until the surrender of this place.

East Prussia-Poland.

2. In consequence of the invasion of East Prussia, the 38th Division as well as the 22d Division, left Belgium about August 27. Going by way of Aix la Chapelle, it detrained in East Prussia, where it fought from September 9 to 11. From that place it was taken to the southern part of Poland (Pinczow, Sept. 28; Opatow, Oct. 4). The enveloping movement of the Russians obliged it to retire from the Lodz front with the army group to which it was attached. It was assigned to the 9th Army (Mackensen) in November and to the 10th Army in December.

3. During the winter of 1914 and 1915 it took part in several important engagements on the Bzura and the Rawka, as well as on the Pilica.

1915.

Poland.

1. Returning to the 9th Army (Von Fabeck), at the beginning of 1915, the 38th Division fought in the vicinity of Rava, on March 6 and 7. It was then separated from the 22d Division and rejoined the army detachment of Von Gallitz, north of Warsaw. In May it transferred the 71st Infantry Regiment to the 103d Division, a new formation.

2. During the summer offensive it took part in numerous battles from July 13 to September 19, advanced to the southeast of Bielostok, reached the Svislotch on September 1 and marched beyond this until September 19.

France.

3. At the end of September the 38th Division was concentrated in the vicinity of Grodno and entrained for France on September 25. (Itinerary: Lyck-Graudenz-Berlin-Hanover-Minden-Cologne-Aix la Chapelle-Liege-Namur-Douai.) Detraining on October 1, it completed its reorganization. Between August 30 and October 8 the 5th Company of the 94th Infantry Regiment had received not less than 161 men as replacements.

Oise.

4. Sent to the south of the Oise, the 38th Division went into line in the sector of Tracy le Val., which it held until the beginning of May, 1916, without any serious engagements.

1916.

Verdun.

1. On May 11, 1916, the division entrained at Tergnier and was transferred to the Verdun front.

2. On May 13 it took over the sector of Hill 304, which it did not leave until October 10, seriously weakened by the battles which it had sustained for five months (losses, 52 per cent of the infantry).

Somme.

3. Sent to the Somme on October 12, it went into action on October 12; it went into action on October 22 at Thiepval-Grandcourt, and remained there only three weeks, because of the severe losses which it suffered.

4. It left the front on November 13 to go to rest and to be reorganized on the coast of Flanders, between Ostend and the Dutch frontier.

5. On December 19 it was brought back to the Somme.

1917.

Somme.

1. In January, 1917, elements of the division were sent as reenforcements north of Courcelette and southwest of Serre.

2. On January 17 the entire 38th Division went into line in the vicinity of Puisieux-HÉbuterne, where it was relieved about March 8 without any serious losses.

3. On March 17 the division replaced the 4th Guard Division near Beugny Bertincourt, which had lost heavily at the beginning of its retirement to the Hindenburg Line, and the 38th Division itself continued to withdraw by way of Beaumetz and Doignies. It took up its position between Demicourt and Boursies, west of Cambrai, and remained there until the end of April.

Artois.

4. After a period of rest in the Cambrai-Douai area during the first half of May, the 38th Division took over the sector east of Arras (north of the Scarpe), on May 16. It left this front on May 31, after having been greatly weakened on the 16th, during the counterattacks on the village of Rouex (800 men were sent to make up these losses from the dissolved 624th Infantry Regiment).

Flanders.

5. The division remained at rest at Douai, until June 8; at this time, it was transferred to the vicinity of Gheluwe and sent into reserve to reenforce finally the Messines front.

6. On July 27, before the British attack, the 38th Division went into line east of Ypres (Hooge). It suffered heavy losses on July 31, the day of the attack, and also the three days preceding.

7. Relieved on August 1, it was sent to Antwerp for rest and reorganization (August).

Artois.

8. On September 2, it took over the sector of Monchy le Preux, south of the Scarpe, where it again lost heavily from artillery fire.

Flanders.

9. Withdrawn from the front on November 2, the 38th Division after a week’s rest in the vicinity of Douai, again took over the lines north of Ypres (Staden) from November 19 to November 25, then north of Passchendaele where on December 3, a British attack inflicted heavy losses upon it.

10. The division was relieved on November 19 and sent to rest in the vicinity of Bruges.

RECRUITING.

The 38th Division is recruited from the small Thuringian States. At the beginning of 1917, it included a rather large number of men from Baden, almost all of whom have been withdrawn.

VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.

The 38th Division is a good division.

As a rule it gave a good account of itself in the numerous battles in which it took part. On June 13, 1916, however, at the Mort Homme, the 94th Infantry Regiment is said to have refused to go over the top (letter).

The heavy losses which it suffered at the end of 1917 in the course of the attack upon Ypres, were made up by the replacements composed, for the most part, of the 1918 class.

This element did not have a good effect upon the morale of the division.

Battle of the Lys.

1. The division remained in Passchendaele area until its relief by the 58th Division about April 5. It rested in the Lille area until the night of April 15–16 when it entered the line at Meteren to reenforce the battle line. It was withdrawn about May 8.

2. The division rested at Provin after May 12. It entered line north of Givenchy on May 21 and held that sector until July 5, when it was relieved by the 1st Guard Reserve Division. It rested at Lille until August 6, when it was alerted and railed to Cambrai, remaining there until August 9. The division moved from Cambrai by motor trucks on August 10 and came into line on the battle front near Lihons on the same day.

Somme.

3. Until September 22, the division was engaged in resisting the allied advance. It held a sector south of Chaulnes until August 20, when it retired to the St. Christ area (22d). After the 8th of September the division was falling back in a northeasterly direction by PÉronne toward Le Catelet. It was withdrawn from line near Hargicourt on September 22.

Cambrai.

4. After a rest of only one week, the division was brought back to reenforce the Cambrai battle front at Rumilly (Oct. 1). It was heavily engaged until October 16 when it went to reserve in the Cambrai area. Since August 11 the division had lost more than 2,000 prisoners.

Belgium.

5. On October 29, the division returned to line northeast of Roubaix. It remained in line until the armistice. The last identification was at Renaix on November 8.

VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.

The division was rated as second class. Its worth as a defensive division was proved by the extent to which it was used in the last three months of the war.