The 19th Division (''19. 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 was headquartered in

Hannover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...

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

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 ...

Recruitment

During 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 ...

, the division was a mixed unit, with Hannoverian, Oldenburg and Westphalian elements. It was subsequently reorganized so that it was recruited primarily from the former Kingdom of Hannover, which had become the Prussian

Province of Hanover The Province of Hanover () was a Provinces of Prussia, province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia from 1866 to 1946. During the Austro-Prussian War, the Kingdom of Hanover had attempted to maintain a neutral position, alo ...

after 1866, along with

Oldenburg Oldenburg may also refer to: Places * Mount Oldenburg, Ellsworth Land, Antarctica *Oldenburg (city), an independent city in Lower Saxony, Germany **Oldenburg (district), a district historically in Oldenburg Free State and now in Lower Saxony * Ol ...

, a grand duchy mostly surrounded by the Prussian province. Among the division's units were several that perpetuated the traditions of the

King's German Legion The King's German Legion (KGL; ) was a formation of the British Army during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Consisting primarily of expatriate Germans, it existed from 1803 to 1816 and achieved the distinction of being the on ...

, a British Army unit of the Napoleonic Wars.

Combat chronicle

During the Franco-Prussian War, the 19th Infantry Division fought in the battles of

Mars-la-Tour Mars-la-Tour () is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in northeastern France. History The Battle of Mars-la-Tour was fought on 16 August 1870 during the Franco-Prussian War near the town of Mars-la-Tour. The railway line between L ...

and

Gravelotte Gravelotte (; ) is a commune in the Moselle department in Grand Est in north-eastern France, 11 km west of Metz. It is part of the functional area (''aire d'attraction'') of Metz. Its population is 827 (2019). From 1871 until the end of ...

, and then in the Siege of Metz. It then fought in the Loire Campaign, including the battles of Beaune-la-Rolande, Beaugency-Cravant, and

Le Mans Le Mans (; ) is a Communes of France, city in Northwestern France on the Sarthe (river), Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the Provinces of France, province of Maine (province), Maine, it is now the capital of ...

. In World War I, the 19th Infantry Division participated in the 1914

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 ...

and the subsequent Allied

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 ...

, including 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 ...

and the

First Battle of the Aisne The First Battle of the Aisne () was the Allied follow-up offensive against the right wing of the German First Army (led by Alexander von Kluck) and the Second Army (led by Karl von Bülow) as they retreated after the First Battle of the ...

. It was sent to the Eastern Front in 1915 and again in 1916, seeing action in the Gorlice-Tarnów Offensive and the Russian Brusilov Offensive. It returned to the Western Front and, after a period in the trenches, saw action in the German 1918 Spring Offensive and the subsequent Allied counteroffensives, including the

Hundred Days Offensive The Hundred Days Offensive (8 August to 11 November 1918) was a series of massive Allied offensives that ended the First World War. Beginning with the Battle of Amiens (8–12 August) on the Western Front, the Allies pushed the Imperial Germa ...

. The division was rated a first class division and regarded as one of the best German divisions by Allied intelligence.

Order of battle in the Franco-Prussian War

During wartime, the 19th Division, like other regular German divisions, was redesignated an infantry division. The organization of the 19th Infantry Division in 1870 at the beginning of the Franco-Prussian War was as follows: *37. Infanterie-Brigade **Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 78 **Oldenburgisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 91 *38.Infanterie-Brigade **Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 16 **Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 57 *Dragoner-Regiment Nr. 9

Pre-World War I organization

German divisions underwent various organizational changes after the Franco-Prussian War. As noted above, the 19th Division was reorganized to become primarily a Hannover/Oldenburg unit. The organization of the 19th Division in 1914, shortly before the outbreak of World War I, was as follows:''Rangliste der Königlich Preußischen Armee'' (1914), pp. 85-86. *37. Infanterie-Brigade **Infanterie-Regiment Herzog Friedrich Wilhelm von Braunschweig (Ostfriesisches) Nr. 78 **Oldenburgisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 91 *38.Infanterie-Brigade **Füsilier-Regiment Generalfeldmarschall Prinz Albrecht von Preußen (Hannoversches) Nr. 73 **

1. Hannoversches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 74 The 74st (1st Hannover) Infantry Regiment, or , was an infantry regiment of the Prussian Army (1866 to 1871) and the German Imperial Army (1871 to 1918). Legacy The 74th fought in the Franco-Prussian War and distinguished itself during the Bat ...

*19. Kavallerie-Brigade **Oldenburgisches Dragoner-Regiment Nr. 19 **Königs-Ulanen-Regiment (1. Hannoversches) Nr. 13 *19. Feldartillerie-Brigade **2. Hannoversches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 26 **Ostfriesisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 62

Order of battle on mobilization

On mobilization in August 1914, at the beginning of

, 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 19th Division was again renamed the 19th Infantry Division and its initial wartime organization was as follows:Cron et al., ''Ruhmeshalle'' *37. Infanterie-Brigade **Infanterie-Regiment Herzog Friedrich Wilhelm von Braunschweig (Ostfriesisches) Nr. 78 **Oldenburgisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 91 *38.Infanterie-Brigade **Füsilier Regiment Generalfeldmarschall Prinz Albrecht von Preußen (Hannoversches) Nr. 73 **1. Hannoversches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 74 *3. Eskadron/Braunschweigisches Husaren-Regiment Nr. 17 *19. Feldartillerie-Brigade **2. Hannoversches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 26 **Ostfriesisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 62 *1.Kompanie/Hannoversches Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 10

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 19th Infantry Division's order of battle on March 8, 1918, was as follows: *37. Infanterie-Brigade **1. Hannoversches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 74 **Infanterie-Regiment Herzog Friedrich Wilhelm von Braunschweig (Ostfriesisches) Nr. 78 **Oldenburgisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 91 **Maschinengewehr-Scharfschützen-Abteilung Nr. 30 *3.Eskadron/Braunschweigisches Husaren-Regiment Nr. 17 *Artillerie-Kommandeur 19 **2. Hannoversches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 26 **Fußartillerie-Bataillon Nr. 93 *Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 127 *Divisions-Nachrichten-Kommandeur 19

References

19. 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:19 Infantry divisions of Germany in World War I Military units and formations established in 1866 Military units and formations disestablished in 1919 19th Division