(Fourth District—Prussian Saxony.)

1914.

The Seventh Division was recruited in the Province of Prussian Saxony and, with the 8th Division, belonged to the 4th Army Corps (Magdeburg).

Marne.

1. The 14th Brigade, which had already obtained reservists July 30, entrained on the evening of August 2 and was one of the six brigades ordered to take Liege. The whole division moved into the region of Liege August 15. It belonged to the 1st Army (Von Kluck), and passed through Louvain August 18 and through Brussels the 20th. On the 23d it was on the Haine, west of St. Ghislain. On the 24th between QuiÉvrain and Audregnies it threatened to envelop the Allied left. Going through Le Cateau and Peronne on August 28, the division passed through Grand Morin and arrived at Choisy, southeast of Coulommiers, from where it was sent in all haste to the aid of the right wing of the 1st Army (Etavigny, etc.).

Belgium.

2. After the retreat it went to the north of the Aisne below Soissons until the last days of September (fights at Cuisy en Almont, Morsain, Nouvron, Fontenoy).

3. At the end of September it was attached to the 6th Army (Crown Prince of Bavaria) and sent to Artois.

Artois.

4. At the beginning of October it fought south of Arras (Monchy aux Bois, Ransart, Wailly). It established itself south of the Scarpe.

5. It held the sector until the end of May, 1915. During this period it limited itself to organizing defensively.

1915.

1. In March the division was reduced to three regiments by the transfer of the 66th Infantry to the 52d Division (new).

2. In May, 1915, at the time of the French offensive in Artois some units of the division were sent as reinforcements to the region of Neuville-St. Vaast. It left some prisoners and suffered heavy losses on May 12 to 13.

Artois.

3. June 12 the division left the sector south of the Scarpe and went into line the 13th between Lorette and Angres (from the Souchez-Aix Noulette Road to the Blanc work). The French offensive struck it June 13 and the days following north of the road from Souchez to Aix Noulette. It was forced to give ground and lost many prisoners (250 men, among them 6 officers from the 26th Infantry north of Bois Carre; the 2d Battalion of the 26th Infantry lost 12 officers and 597 men out of action, according to the Prussian casualty lists).

4. At the beginning of July the division established itself south of the railroad from Grenay to Lens, north of Souchez. September 25 it fought in the third battle of Artois, north of Bois en Hache, before Angres and Lievin. It showed considerable energy, but again had many of its men captured.

5. The division remained in this sector southwest of Loos (south of the Lens-BÉthune Road; Lene-Grenay Railroad) until July, 1916.

1916.

1. Until the beginning of July, 1916, the division had no serious battles.

2. About July 3 the division was relieved from the Loos front. On the 13th it was at Cambrai.

3. July 14 and 15 it began to be engaged in the battle of the Somme between Pozieres and Bazentin le Petit. It suffered terrible losses. Relieved May 28.

Artois.

4. After a rest in the region of Valenciennes it went into line east of Arras August 9 and stayed there until September 17. At this time it transferred its 27th Infantry to the 211th Division and took in exchange the 393d Infantry, composed of levies from the regiments of the 7th, 8th, and 12th Divisions, 50th Reserve Division and 38th Landwehr Brigade.

Somme.

5. About September 18 it again took part in the battle of the Somme in the sector of Courcelette. It fought bravely and again suffered heavily.

Artois.

6. Withdrawn from the Somme about October 2 and went into the sector southeast of Loos October 5. Again withdrawn from this sector November 10 it went almost immediately into the line south of the La Bassee Canal and stayed there until May 28, 1917.

1917.

Artois.

1. During the winter of 1916–17 the division had no big battles, but suffered from raids executed by the British troops.

Flanders.

2. May 28 it was withdrawn from the La Bassee front and sent to the region of Ypres (sector of Hollebeke-Wytschaete) June 8 to 19.

Alsace.

3. At the beginning of July it was sent to Alsace to the vicinity of Mulhouse where it rested.

4. July 27 to 28 it entrained again for Artois via Mulhouse-Strassbourg-Sarreguemines-Metz-Thionville-Sedan-Hirson-Valenciennes-St. Amand.

Artois.

5. After a few days’ rest in the region of St. Amand and Orchies July 28 to August 3, it went into the lines north of Lens (Loos sector) where it lost heavily from August 9 to the beginning of September.

Belgium.

6. Relieved then and sent to rest at Pont a Marcq, it went back into the line between the La Bassee Canal and Hulluch September 21. Withdrawn from this sector during October and sent to the region of Ypres where it held a front on October 29 between Becelaere and Gheluvelt. It was still identified there January 29, 1918.

RECRUITING.

Province of Magdeburg (Prussian Saxony) and part of Thuringia. The 393d Infantry gets replacements from the depot of the 153d Infantry (Altenburg). Its resources from these replacements are as a rule sufficient and the Fourth District has even furnished recruits to the regiments of the Fourteenth. In exchange when it has relatively few replacements it has been helped out by Polish drafts from Silesia (Sixth District).

1918.

1. The division was relieved on February 4 and rested in the Eecloo area, participating in a large-scale maneuver.

2. It returned to line in the Becelaere sector on March 3, relieving the 8th Bavarian Reserve Division. It was withdrawn March 26.

3. It fought near Hollebeke, Messines, Wytschaete, between April 9 and May 1. It took part in the attack on the Ypres-Comines Canal on April 25.

4. During May it was at rest in Belgium near Deyuze (Cruyhautern). It entrained for Nesle about June 8, moving through Audenarde, Coutrai, Lille, Douai, Cambrai, and Ham. It marched to the front, southeast of Montdidier by Roye and Tilloloy June 9–11.

5. It was in line near Ressons-Marqueglise from June 14 to 24.

6. The division rested south of St. Quentin June 26 to 29, then at Origny June 30 to July 4. It entrained at Origny on July 4 and moved to Sedan by Guise, Hirson, Liart, and Charleville. It was north of Grandpre from July 5 to 10. On the 10th it was sent toward the Champagne front by Grandpre, Monthois, and Maure.

Battle of Rheims.

7. The division was engaged at Repon, east of Tahure, on July 15. Heavy losses were incurred during the attack of July 15. It was taken out on August 15.

Ailette.

8. It was moved by railroad to Chauny (by Laon) and detrained about August 20. About this time a dozen men per company were received.

9. On August 26–27 it entered line south of Juvigny (north of Soissons). In the fighting that followed the division was withdrawn to Leuilly on the night of August 31-Sept 1. It was relieved on the 3d after losing 605 prisoners. The German communique of August 30 credited the 165th Regiment with the destruction of 20 tanks in one attack.

Battle of the Argonne.

10. The division rested near Attigny until September 24, when it reinforced the Somme-Py front. It was engaged until October 22 with very heavy losses. It returned from the second line two days later to assist in covering the retreat between La Neuville en Tourne a Fuy and Juniville. From there it fell back on the Aisne (Ambly) and was retired on October 14.

VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.

The division was rated as first class.