1914.

Lorraine.

1. Upon mobilization, the 42d Division and the 31st Division formed the 21st Army Corps.

It was a part of the 6th Army (Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria), and fought, at the beginning of August, 1914, across the Lorraine frontier, in the vicinity of ChÂteau Salins, Dieuze, Rechicourt (Aug. 5–12). Engaged on the 20th northeast of Dieuze, the 42d Division reached LunÉville on the 22d and attacked Rehainviller and Gerbeviller on the 24th. These days had been very costly. On August 26 the 121st Infantry Regiment was reduced to 31 officers and 1,562 men. (Official Document.)

2. At the beginning of September it was sent to reenforce the 2d Bavarian Corps. On September 3 it was in the vicinity of Moyen-Domptail. It retired to Dieuze (Sept. 11–13) and entrained at Boulay on the 18th, for Cambrai.

Somme.

3. On September 24 it was on the Somme. It fought at Gruny, Maucourt, in the vicinity of Chaulnes-Pressoire (end of September to beginning of October). It took up its position on the Chaulnes front, along the road from Amiens to St. Quentin (November-December).

1915.

1. The 42d Division occupied the lines north of Chaulnes until the end of January, 1915. On December 26, the losses of the 131st Infantry Regiment since the beginning of the campaign amounted to 87 officers and 3,233 men. (Official List of Casualties.)

2. About January 25 the 42d Division was relieved and entrained for the Eastern Front with the 31st Division (21st Army Corps).

3. Concentrated in East Prussia at the beginning of February, it formed a part of the Hindenburg Army which was to force the Russians across the frontier.

4. From the vicinity of Augustowo (Feb. 14) it advanced rapidly to the east; it reached Sopockin on the 20th, and took up its position with the 21st Army Corps on the line Sopockin-Chtabine (north of Grodno). On March 9 the violent Russian counterattacks caused it heavy losses.

Mariampol.

5. At the beginning of March the 42d Division bore to the north; it was at Kalwarjia on March 26; occupied the vicinity of Mariampol on April 2. It fought in this sector from March 29 to April 24 and remained there until August. (On Apr. 13 the losses of the first two battalions of the 131st Infantry Regiment since the 6th of February had been 1,672 men, according to the Official Casualty List. The 7th Company had only 65 men left on Apr. 7.)

Vilna.

6. Renewing its forward march, the division reached Vilna on August 30; continuing toward the east, it reached Herviaty-Vorniany on September 20, then went toward Lake Narotch, vicinity of Postavy, where the front became stable.

In the autumn the 97th Infantry Regiment was transferred to the 108th Division, a new formation.

1916.

Lake Narotch.

1. The 42d Division held its positions at Lake Narotch until April, 1917.

2. At the end of March, 1916, it sustained the Russian attacks and suffered great losses.

1917.

Galicia.

1. On April 24, 1917, the 42d Division was relieved from the sector of Lake Narotch and entrained at Vilna for the Western Front. The activity along the Galician front caused its itinerary to be modified, and from Warsaw it was sent to Lemberg. In reserve first, it went into action on July 20 in the German counteroffensive of Brzezany, which took it to the region south of Tarnopol (Grjimalov, July 31).

2. Withdrawn from the Galician front at the beginning of August, it entrained at Lemberg on the 24th, and was transferred to Neugut (between Mitau and Jakobstadt) on August 27. It took part in the advance to Riga; one of its regiments crossed the Dvina, in the vicinity of Uxkull, on September 1.

Oesel Island.

3. At the end of September it was sent to Libau, where important forces were being concentrated for the occupation of the islands in the Baltic. On October 12 the 131st Infantry Regiment landed on the Oesel Island, which it occupied until November 1. The 138th Infantry Regiment remained at Moon until October 25. At the beginning of November the 42d Division was transferred to the vicinity of Kovel. At the end of November it took over a calm sector in the vicinity of Kachovka.

France.

4. Entraining at Kovel on December 23, it arrived in France on December 28. (Itinerary: Warsaw-Thorn-Posen-Leipzig-Dortmund-Cologne-Herbestal-Brussels. It detrained at Ascq on the 28th.)

5. After a stay in the vicinity of Lille, it relieved the 4th Division east of ArmentiÈres on January 23, 1918.

RECRUITING.

As the regional system of recruiting could not furnish dependable elements, the 42d Division is principally recruited from Westphalia and the Rhine Province. The Alsace-Lorrainers were fairly numerous, however, during the stay of the division on the Russian front.

VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.

The 42d Division occupied the Eastern Front from February, 1915, until the end of December, 1917.

In the offensive operations in which the 42d Division took part in 1917 the successes appear to have been fairly easy. The greater part of the time it has not had to sustain any serious action and its losses have been comparatively slight.

1918.

Battle of the Lys.

1. The division held the Armentieres sector until it was relieved about March 22 by the 32d Division. On April 9 it reenforced the battle front near Merris. It was engaged in heavy fighting, and between April 9 and 16 the losses of the division amounted to 50 per cent of the strength. On April 17 it was relieved by the 12th Division.

2. The division came in on the quiet Lens sector on April 25–26, relieving the 220th Division. It held the sector until June 25, when it was relieved by the 36th Reserve Division and moved to the region southwest of Soissons, where on June 30 it relieved the 14th Division. It suffered from the French attack of July 18, losing 1,400 prisoners. It was withdrawn about July 22.

3. The division rested nearly a month undergoing reconstitution by elements from the dissolved 211th Division. The 390th Regiment was completely merged with the 42d Division. From Laon the division moved to Rethel.

Champagne.

4. From its entry into the Champagne line on August 22 in relief of the 28th Division until October 1 it was engaged in resisting the French offensive operations in Champagne, during which period it lost about 2,000 prisoners. The division was withdrawn on October 1. After two weeks in the second line the division returned to line about October 14 near Olizy. It continued in line until the armistice. After November 3 the division was opposite the left flank of the American front.

VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.

The division was rated as third class. It was used as an attack division in the Lys offensive, but thereafter was employed solely on the defensive. The division had a good composition with a large percentage of men of the younger classes.