The 17th Division (''17. 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 on October 11, 1866, and initially headquartered in

Kiel Kiel ( ; ) is the capital and most populous city in the northern Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein. With a population of around 250,000, it is Germany's largest city on the Baltic Sea. It is located on the Kieler Förde inlet of the Ba ...

. It moved its headquarters to

Schwerin Schwerin (; Mecklenburgisch-Vorpommersch dialect, Mecklenburgisch-Vorpommersch Low German: ''Swerin''; Polabian language, Polabian: ''Zwierzyn''; Latin: ''Suerina'', ''Suerinum'') is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Germ ...

in 1871. The division was subordinated in peacetime to the IX Army Corps (''IX. Armeekorps''). The division was disbanded in 1919 during the demobilization of the German Army after the

First World War 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 ...

Recruitment

The 17th Division was one of the more mixed units of the German Army. It was formed by merging the contingents of the Hanseatic Cities with those of the Mecklenburg grand duchies. The division's 33rd Infantry Brigade was composed of the contingents of

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and

Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (, ), is the capital of the States of Germany, German state of the Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (), a two-city-state consisting of the c ...

(and until the formation of the 162nd Infantry Regiment in 1897, that of

Lübeck Lübeck (; or ; Latin: ), officially the Hanseatic League, Hanseatic City of Lübeck (), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 220,000 inhabitants, it is the second-largest city on the German Baltic Sea, Baltic coast and the second-larg ...

). The division's 34th (Grand Ducal Mecklenburg) Infantry Brigade was composed of the infantry contingents of the grand duchies of

Mecklenburg-Schwerin The Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin () was a duchy in northern Germany created in 1701, when Frederick William, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Frederick William and Adolphus Frederick II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Adolphus Frederick II divided ...

and

Mecklenburg-Strelitz The Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was a duchy in Northern Germany consisting of the eastern fifth of the historic Mecklenburg region, roughly corresponding with the present-day Mecklenburg-Strelitz district (the former Lordship of Stargard) ...

. The 81st Infantry Brigade, formed in 1897, included the newly raised Lübeck regiment and a Prussian regiment from Schleswig-Holstein. The divisional cavalry brigade was the 17th (Grand Ducal Mecklenburg) Cavalry Brigade, with two dragoon regiments from Mecklenburg-Schwerin and, at various periods in its history, attached Prussian cavalry. The 17th Artillery Brigade included a regiment from Holstein and a regiment from the two Mecklenburg grand duchies.

Combat chronicle

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 was initially part of the reserve of the Prussian Army. It was sent into action in September 1870, beginning with the Siege of Metz and the Siege of Paris. The division then entered the Loire campaign, fighting in the battles of Loigny-Poupry, 2nd Orléans, Beaugency-Cravant, and

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. During World War I, the division marched through Luxembourg, Belgium and France, in what became known to the Allies as the

Great Retreat The Great Retreat (), also known as the retreat from Mons, was the long withdrawal to the River Marne in August and September 1914 by the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and the French Fifth Army. The Franco-British forces on the Western F ...

, culminating in the

First Battle of the Marne The First Battle of the Marne or known in France as the Miracle on the Marne () was a battle of the First World War fought from the 5th to the 12th September 1914. The German army invaded France with a plan for winning the war in 40 days by oc ...

. One of its brigades was detached for the

Battle of Liège The Battle of Liège (5–16 August 1914) was the opening engagement of the German invasion of Belgium and the first battle of the First World War. The city of Liège was protected by a ring of modern fortresses, one of several fortified cities ...

. In 1916, it fought in the

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 ...

. It saw action in 1917 in the

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, also known as the Third Battle of Ypres and to the Germans as the Autumn Battle in Flanders. It participated in the 1918

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 ...

and defended against the subsequent Allied counteroffensives, including the

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. Allied intelligence rated it a first class division, one of the best in the German Army.

Order of battle in the Franco-Prussian War

During wartime, the 17th Division, like other regular German divisions, was redesignated an infantry division. The organization of the 17th Infantry Division in 1870 at the beginning of the Franco-Prussian War was as follows: *33. Infanterie-Brigade **Füsilier-Regiment Nr. 36 **Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 75 **Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 76 *34. Infanterie-Brigade **Mecklenburgisches Grenadier-Regiment Nr. 89 **Mecklenburgisches Füsilier-Regiment Nr. 90 **Mecklenburgisches Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 14 *17. Kavallerie-Brigade **1. Mecklenburgisches Dragoner-Regiment Nr. 17 **2. Mecklenburgisches Dragoner-Regiment Nr. 18 **Ulanen-Regiment Nr. 11

Pre-World War I organization

German divisions underwent various organizational changes after the Franco-Prussian War. As noted above, a third brigade was added in 1897. The organization of the 17th Division in 1914, shortly before the outbreak of World War I, was as follows:''Rangliste der Königlich Preußischen Armee'' (1914), pp. 82-83. *33. Infanterie-Brigade **Infanterie-Regiment Bremen (1. Hanseatisches) Nr. 75 **Infanterie-Regiment Hamburg (2. Hanseatisches) Nr. 76 *34.Infanterie-Brigade (Großherzoglich Mecklenburgisches) **Großherzoglich Mecklenburgisches Grenadier-Regiment Nr. 89 **Großherzoglich Mecklenburgisches Füsilier-Regiment Kaiser Wilhelm Nr. 90 *81. Infanterie-Brigade **Infanterie-Regiment Lübeck (3. Hanseatisches) Nr. 162 **Schleswig-Holsteinisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 163 *17. Kavallerie-Brigade (Großherzoglich Mecklenburgisches)) **1. Großherzoglich Mecklenburgisches Dragoner-Regiment Nr. 17 (Assigned to IX Armeekorps, fought on Eastern Front for entire war **2. Großherzoglich Mecklenburgisches Dragoner-Regiment Nr. 18 *17. Feldartillerie-Brigade: **Holsteinisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 24 **Großherzoglich Mecklenburgisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 60

Order of battle on mobilization

On mobilization in August 1914 at the beginning of

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 ...

, 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 17th Division was again renamed the 17th Infantry Division. The 81st Infantry Brigade was sent to the 17th Reserve Division. The 17th Infantry Division's initial wartime organization was as follows:Cron et al., ''Ruhmeshalle'' *33. Infanterie-Brigade **Infanterie-Regiment Bremen (1. Hanseatisches) Nr. 75 **Infanterie-Regiment Hamburg (2. Hanseatisches) Nr. 76 *34.Infanterie-Brigade **Großherzoglich Mecklenburgisches Grenadier-Regiment Nr. 89 **Großherzoglich Mecklenburgisches Füsilier-Regiment Kaiser Wilhelm Nr. 90 **Lauenburgisches Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 9 *Stab u. 3.Eskadron/2. Hannoversches Dragoner-Regiment Nr. 16 *17. Feldartillerie-Brigade: **Holsteinisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 24 **Großherzoglich Mecklenburgisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 60 *1.Kompanie/Schleswig-Holsteinisches Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 9

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 A triangle is a polygon with three corners and three sides, one of the basic shapes in geometry. The corners, also called ''vertices'', are zero-dimensional points while the sides connecting them, also called ''edges'', are one-dimensional ...

- 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 17th Infantry Division's order of battle on May 21, 1918, was as follows: *34. Infanterie-Brigade **Infanterie-Regiment Bremen (1. Hanseatisches) Nr. 75 **Großherzoglich Mecklenburgisches Grenadier-Regiment Nr. 89 **Großherzoglich Mecklenburgisches Füsilier-Regiment Kaiser Wilhelm Nr. 90 **Maschinengewehr-Scharfschützen-Abteilung Nr. 75 4.Eskadron/2. Hannoversches Dragoner-Regiment Nr. 16 *Artillerie-Kommandeur 17 **Großherzoglich Mecklenburgisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 60 **I.Bataillon/Fußartillerie-Regiment Nr. 24 *Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 126 *Divisions-Nachrichten-Kommandeur 17

References

17. Infanterie-Division (Chronik 1914/1918) - 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:17 Infantry divisions of Germany in World War I Military units and formations established in 1866 Military units and formations disestablished in 1919 1866 establishments in Prussia