United States. War Department. General Staff

“ There have also been many cases of mutiny, especially in the 59th Reserve, the worst of the three regiments. About the middle of August a batch of some 500 recruits started out from the interior for the division. To sustain the morale of the men, these recruits were told they were going to simply support the artillery. Notwithstanding this, less than 250 men remained when the draft reached its true destination—the front lines. The men are very tired of the war, but on the whole seem resigned to the necessity of doing their duty. ”

“ The effective strength is deduced from prisoners’ stories of recent losses incurred and drafts of new men arriving. In estimating the quality of a division the Intelligence Section considers principally the conditions under which the enemy command has used it in previous military operations.
All this information is kept posted up to date so that a history of present value can be written without delay and dispatched to our front-line troops opposite whom a new or additional enemy unit has appeared or is about to appear. ”

“ Gobert, the division was concentrated on April 15 in the vicinity of Monampteuil-Filain (Apr. 20) . On the 21st, on both banks of the Oise-Aisne Canal, it relieved the remnants of the division decimated by the French offensive of April 16 and at La Malmaison received the new attack of May 5. Very much exhausted (1,670 prisoners) , it was replaced at once (night of May 5–6) and transferred to the Woëvre first and then to the Côtes de Meuse northeast of St. Mihiel, where the division took over the sector of Chevaliers after being reorganized. ”

“ VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE. Most of the young men of the division were taken from it to be sent to other organizations early in the year. October 12 the corps commander telegraphed the King of Wurttemberg (the 2d Landwehr Division comes from Wurttemberg) : “The 2d Landwehr Division * * * has particularly distinguished itself by its bravery and intrepidity during the last combats in the Argonne and has thus contributed toward the failure of the enemy’s attempt to break through.” It was badly used on the opening day of the American attack, but it fought hard. ”

“ The use to our troops of these histories is obvious. Much of the information contained is of direct value to our commanders. The strength, morale, and fighting qualities of the opposing divisions are, of course, an important factor in our plans and operations. Other items, such as the names of the enemy commanders, assist the examining officer in checking the veracity and accuracy of prisoners’ statements. It has been often observed that the more the intelligence officer knows or appears to know of the prisoner’s organization the better results he obtains from his questions. ”

“ The history of an enemy division is a summary of all the information obtained from all sources. It includes the latest composition—that is, the regiments and other units that make up the division; a record of its past engagements; its recruitment and racial features; commanders; present strength; and morale. On a basis of these factors the division’s fighting quality is rated on a standard of classes adopted by General Headquarters and noted in the history. ”

“ About the 15th of October, 1917, the 85th Landwehr Division moved to the north. It left the Niemen region to go to the south of Dvinsk, near the lake of Drisviaty. In December it extended its sector toward the south (Vidzy) .
RECRUITING. The 21st Landwehr was recruited in the 17th Corps District, or more generally in western Prussia. There were numerous soldiers from Alsace and Lorraine in the division. Frequent desertions on the part of the men from Lorraine and men from the mining region of the Sarre in 1914 on the French front led to the decision which sent the 17th Landwehr to Russia. ”

“ The 29th Division is a division of Baden, like the 28th, with which it formed the 14th Army Corps. Entering the campaign with its three brigades, it fought at Mulhouse on August 9, 1914. On August 14 taken to the right bank of the Rhine, it entrained for Zabern and took part in the battle of the 20th, after which it crossed the French frontier of Lorraine. Suffering heavily on the Meurthe, it retired to Dieuze, from which place it was sent to the front at La Haye west of Pont a Mousson. ”

“ VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE. The 30th Bavarian Reserve Division is a sector division, as it has occupied the front either in Lorraine or Alsace since its formation. Its offensive value is mediocre.
In the 8th Bavarian Landwehr and the 4th Bavarian Ersatz Regiments, the average age of the men is 38 years. The men of the machine gun companies are younger, according to the ordinary rule. In the 15th Bavarian Landwehr Regiment the majority of the men are more than 30 years old. ”

“ On the Aisne (June-July, 1916) its combat value was just as great; it attacked vigorously and put up a stubborn resistance to our counterattacks. Besides that, it is mentioned in the German communiques: September, 1916, for its valor on the Somme, December 20, 1916, and January 25, 1917 (Hill 304) ; January 29, 1917, the 15th and the 13th Infantry Regiments are praised for their heroic resistance. It may be considered as a good division. ”

“ At the beginning of the war the 28th Reserve Division formed in the Grand Duchy of Baden, and constituting the 14th Reserve Corps, with the 26th Reserve Division, belonged to the 7th Army (Von Heeringen) . The division detraining near Emmendingen (Baden) , entered Alsace by way of Markolsheim on August 10. It was engaged in the valley of the Bruche beginning on the 15th, fought at Donon on the 20th, and went down toward the Meurthe, where it fought until September 5 (Nompatelize and la Bourgonce) , suffering heavy losses (two-thirds of the effectives of the 111th Reserve Infantry Regiment) . ”

“ Taking into account its recent long rest and its intensive training in offensive warfare and the declarations of prisoners captured in March, 1918, who all declare that their division is an assault division destined to take part in a great breaking through offensive, we must conclude that the 33d Reserve Division has again become an organization of high quality (Mar. 30, 1918) .
1918. Battle of the Aisne. 1. The division continued to hold its sector northwest of Rheims until the Aisne offensive in May. It advanced with the rest of the line, having as its objective the Marne River. ”

“ It loaned companies to various other divisions, including the 1st and 5th Guard Divisions, and for days at a time these Landwehr troops were making the greatest resistance in the Aire Valley. While the division lost only 795 prisoners during the offensive, its total losses undoubtedly are above 5,000, there being evidence to show that many companies did not have more than 25 men, there being only three companies per battalion, and—in at least one case—only two battalions in the regiment. ”