The 12th Division (''12. Division'') was a unit of the

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

. It was formed in Neiße (now

Nysa, Poland Nysa ( or ''Neiße'') is a city in southern Poland on the Eastern Neisse ( Polish: ''Nysa Kłodzka'') river, situated in the Opole Voivodeship. With 43,849 inhabitants (2019), it is the capital of Nysa County. It comprises the urban portion of ...

) on September 5, 1818. The division was subordinated in peacetime to the VI Army Corps (''VI. Armeekorps''). The division was disbanded in 1919 during the demobilization of the German Army after World War I. The division was recruited primarily in the

Province of Silesia The Province of Silesia (; ; ) was a province of Prussia from 1815 to 1919. The Silesia region was part of the Prussian realm since 1742 and established as an official province in 1815, then became part of the German Empire in 1871. In 1919, as ...

, mainly in the region of

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Combat chronicle

The 12th Division fought in the

Austro-Prussian War The Austro-Prussian War (German: ''Preußisch-Österreichischer Krieg''), also known by many other names,Seven Weeks' War, German Civil War, Second War of Unification, Brothers War or Fraternal War, known in Germany as ("German War"), ''Deutsc ...

in 1866, including the Battle of Königgrätz. In the

Franco-Prussian War The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...

of 1870-71, the division fought in several battles and engagements, including the Siege of Paris. In

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the division served initially on the Western Front. It spent most of this period in various parts of the trenches and suffered heavily in the 1916

Battle of the Somme The Battle of the Somme (; ), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and the French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place between 1 July and 18 Nove ...

. At the end of December 1916, it was sent to the Eastern Front, where it did not participate in any major actions. The division returned to the Western Front in May–June 1917. At the end of September 1917, it was sent to the Italian Front, where it fought in the

Battle of Caporetto The Battle of Kobarid (also known as the Twelfth Battle of the Isonzo, the Battle of Caporetto or the Battle of Karfreit) took place on the Italian front of World War I. The battle was fought between the Kingdom of Italy and the Central P ...

. After returning to the Western Front, the division saw action in the

German spring offensive The German spring offensive, also known as ''Kaiserschlacht'' ("Kaiser's Battle") or the Ludendorff offensive, was a series of German Empire, German attacks along the Western Front (World War I), Western Front during the World War I, First Wor ...

of 1918, including the Battle of the Lys, and the subsequent Allied counteroffensives, including the 1918 Battle of Cambrai.12. Infanterie-Division
/ref>''Histories of Two Hundred and Fifty-One Divisions of the German Army which Participated in the War (1914-1918), compiled from records of Intelligence section of the General Staff, American Expeditionary Forces, at General Headquarters, Chaumont, France 1919'' (1920), pp. 211-214. The division was rated as a good second-class division by Allied intelligence.

Order of battle in the Franco-Prussian War

During wartime, the 12th Division, like other regular German divisions, was redesignated an infantry division. The organization of the 12th Infantry Division in 1870 at the beginning of the Franco-Prussian War was as follows: * 23. Infanterie-Brigade ** Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 22 ** Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 62 * 24. Infanterie-Brigade ** Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 23 ** Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 63 * Dragoner-Regiment Nr. 15

Pre-World War I organization

German divisions underwent various organizational changes after the Franco-Prussian War. The organization of the 12th Division in 1914, shortly before the outbreak of World War I, was as follows:''Rangliste der Königlich Preußischen Armee'' (1914), pp. 72-73. * 23. Infanterie-Brigade ** Infanterie-Regiment Keith (1. Oberschlesisches) Nr. 22 ** 3. Schlesisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 156 * 24. Infanterie-Brigade ** Infanterie-Regiment von Winterfeldt (2. Oberschlesisches) Nr. 23 ** 3. Oberschlesisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 62 * 78. Infanterie-Brigade ** 4. Oberschlesisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 63 ** 4. Schlesisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 157 * 12. Kavallerie-Brigade ** Husaren-Regiment von Schill (1. Schlesisches) Nr. 4 ** Husaren-Regiment Graf Goetzen (2. Schlesisches) Nr. 6 * 44. Kavallerie-Brigade ** Ulanen-Regiment von Katzler (Schlesisches) Nr. 2 ** Jäger-Regiment zu Pferde Nr. 11 * 12. Feldartillerie-Brigade: ** Feldartillerie-Regiment von Clausewitz (1. Oberschlesisches) Nr. 21 ** 2. Oberschlesisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 57

Order of battle on mobilization

On mobilization in August 1914 at the beginning of World War I, most divisional cavalry, including brigade headquarters, was withdrawn to form cavalry divisions or split up among divisions as reconnaissance units. Divisions received engineer companies and other support units from their higher headquarters. The 12th Division was again renamed the 12th Infantry Division. Its initial wartime organization was as follows:Cron et al., ''Ruhmeshalle'' * 24. Infanterie-Brigade: ** Infanterie-Regiment von Winterfeldt (2. Oberschlesisches) Nr. 23 ** 3. Oberschlesisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 62 * 78. Infanterie-Brigade: ** 4. Oberschlesisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr.63 ** 4. Schlesisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 157 * Ulanen-Regiment von Katzler (Schlesisches) Nr. 2 * 12. Feldartillerie-Brigade: ** Feldartillerie-Regiment von Clausewitz (1. Oberschlesisches) Nr. 21 ** 2. Oberschlesisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 57 * 2. Kompanie/Schlesisches Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 6 * 3. Kompanie/Schlesisches Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 6

Late World War I organization

Divisions underwent many changes during the war, with regiments moving from division to division, and some being destroyed and rebuilt. During the war, most divisions became triangular - one infantry brigade with three infantry regiments rather than two infantry brigades of two regiments (a "

square division A square division is a designation given to the way military divisions are organized. In a square organization, the division's main body is composed of four "maneuver," i.e., infantry regimental elements. Other types of regiments, such as artiller ...

"). An artillery commander replaced the artillery brigade headquarters, the cavalry was further reduced, the engineer contingent was increased, and a divisional signals command was created. The 12th Infantry Division's order of battle in 1918 was as follows: * 24. Infanterie-Brigade: ** Infanterie-Regiment von Winterfeldt (2. Oberschlesisches) Nr. 23 ** 3. Oberschlesisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 62 ** 4. Oberschlesisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 63 ** Maschinengewehr-Scharfschützen-Abteilung Nr. 20 * 4. Eskadron/Ulanen-Regiment von Katzler (Schlesisches) Nr. 2 * Artillerie-Kommandeur 12: ** Feldartillerie-Regiment von Clausewitz (1. Oberschlesisches) Nr. 21 ** Fußartillerie-Bataillon Nr. 88 * Schlesisches Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 6 * Divisions-Nachrichten-Kommandeur 12

References

12. Infanterie-Division - Der erste Weltkrieg
* Claus von Bredow, bearb., ''Historische Rang- und Stammliste des deutschen Heeres'' (1905) * Hermann Cron et al., ''Ruhmeshalle unserer alten Armee'' (Berlin, 1935) * Hermann Cron, ''Geschichte des deutschen Heeres im Weltkriege 1914-1918'' (Berlin, 1937) * Günter Wegner, ''Stellenbesetzung der deutschen Heere 1815-1939.'' (Biblio Verlag, Osnabrück, 1993), Bd. 1 * ''Histories of Two Hundred and Fifty-One Divisions of the German Army which Participated in the War (1914-1918), compiled from records of Intelligence section of the General Staff, American Expeditionary Forces, at General Headquarters, Chaumont, France 1919'' (1920)

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:12 Infantry divisions of Germany in World War I Military units and formations established in 1818 Military units and formations disestablished in 1919