1914.

France.

1. With the 7th Division, the 8th Division formed the 4th Army Corps. It detrained August 10 to 12 near Dusseldorf and, with that corps, was part of the 1st Army (Von Kluck). Entered Belgium the 15th, passed through Louvain the 19th, and through Brussels the 20th, and executed with the 7th Division an enveloping movement on the left of the Allies. Fought at Solesmes the 26th and arrived east of Coulommiers September 6, from where it was sent in a great hurry to the right of the 1st Army, with the 7th Division (Lizy sur Ourcq-Plessis, Placy, etc.). September 8 the 11th Company of the 93d Infantry was reduced to 96 men (notebook).

2. After the retreat, beginning the 15th, it was engaged against the left wing of the British north of Soissons (battle of the Aisne, Cuffies, Chavigny, Pasly, etc.).

3. At the end of September it went with the 4th Army Corps to Artois with the 6th Army.

4. At the beginning of October it took part in the attacks south of Arras and held the lines near Monchy aux Bois.

1915.

1. The division held the Monchy sector during the first few months of 1915. At the end of May it was relieved from this sector and put in the reserve of the army near Douai after transferring the 36th Fusiliers to the 113th Division, newly formed (March).

2. During the first two weeks of June it went into line in the Souchez sector and opposed the French attacks. Relieved at the beginning of September and became army reserve near Tourcoing and Roubaix.

Loos.

3. At the battle of Loos during the counterattack the division suffered heavy losses in September and October.

1916.

1. In 1916 until the battle of the Somme the division did not take part in any serious engagements. It was established in the Loos sector. July 3 it left this front for the Somme.

Somme.

2. In the middle of July it went into battle on the Pozieres-Longueval-Bois Delville front and suffered very heavy losses.

3. Toward the end of July it was relieved and sent to rest in the region of Valenciennes.

4. August 9 it took over a quiet sector before Arras and stayed there about five weeks.

5. About September 18 it again went into the battle of the Somme. It held the Thiepval-Courcelette sector, where it had some hard fighting, which caused it heavy losses.

Artois.

6. October 1 it left this sector to again hold the trenches northeast of Loos.

1917.

1. During the winter of 1916–17 the division had no heavy fighting. However, in April, May, and June it had serious losses due to the many raids executed by the British.

2. Toward the end of July and the beginning of August the division suffered considerably from artillery fire. It was relieved before the attack of the British before Lens.

3. August 5 it entrained for Rethel. Rested for some time in the region of Semide, then held the sector west of Butte du Mesnil from August 15 to September 15.

Belgium.

4. About September 18 it was sent in the region of Bouziers and October 4 went into line west of Becelaere (Belgium), and shortly afterwards, October 9, south of Hollebeke. It was still there January 20, 1918.

RECRUITING.

Province of Prussian Saxony, Duchy of Anhalt, and part of Thuringia. Same remarks as for the 7th Division. The fluctuations in the resources of the region are evidenced by the following facts: On November 4, 1917, a man came to the 5th Company of the 93d Infantry who was born in 1898 in the Eighth District, was a farmer, and had been called up September 3, having had just two months of training. He was sent by a depot in Cologne.

VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.

Since the battles of 1914 the division remained entirely on the offensive. It always defended itself well in attacks and held its positions with tenacity.

During its stay on the Champagne it did not show any activity, but also it had no desertions. It may be said that its morale is good. (September, 1917).

1918.

1. The division was relieved by the 17th Reserve Division in the Hollebeke sector about January 31. It rested and trained near Coutrai during February and until March 7.

2. On March 7 it was engaged west of Zandvoorde, where it was in line until April 11.

Battle of the Lys.

3. The division came into the battle line west of Merville on April 11, which town it captured. About the 23d it passed to the second line.

4. The division rested for two weeks at Canteleu (a suburb of Lille). It returned to a rest camp north of Kemmel about May 12th.

Ypres.

5. It was engaged south of Ypres from May 15 until the 1st of July in the sector, with division headquarters at Halluin.

6. The division rested near Coutrai during July, from where it returned to its former sector south of Ypres on July 26 and was in line until the night of September 17–18.

Le Catelet.

7. It was moved south to relieve the Alpine Corps at Vendhuile, where it came in on September 23. In the fighting the division was driven back by Aubencheul-Villers Cutreaux on Maretz-Clary early in October. After suffering heavy casualties and losing over 400 prisoners, it was withdrawn on October 14.

8. The division rested in the Guise area until October 22.

9. It was reengaged north of Le Cateau on October 22–23, but withdrew about November 1. On the 5th it was identified in line north of Maulde, where it remained until the end.

VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.

The division was regarded as a first-class division. A majority of its men came from the younger classes. Its effectives were high and the morale good. Apart from the Armentieres offensive in April, the division was on the defensive during 1918.