The 20th Division (''20. 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, ...
n/
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, Brunswick 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 the
Duchy of Brunswick
The Duchy of Brunswick () was a historical German state that ceased to exist in 1918. Its capital city, capital was the city of Braunschweig, Brunswick (). It was established as the successor state of the Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel ...
.
Combat chronicle
During the Franco-Prussian War, the 20th Infantry Division fought in the battles of Mars-la-Tour and Gravelotte, and then in the Siege of Metz. It then fought in the Loire Campaign, including the battles of Beaune-la-Rolande,
Orléans
Orléans (,"Orleans" (US) and 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 in 1914, the 20th Infantry Division fought in the 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 ...
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 ...
. It was sent to the Eastern Front in 1915 and again twice more, 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 Battle of Passchendaele and the German 1918 Spring Offensive. The division was rated a first class division by Allied intelligence.
Order of battle in the Franco-Prussian War
During wartime, the 20th Division, like other regular German divisions, was redesignated an infantry division. The organization of the 20th Infantry Division in 1870 at the beginning of the Franco-Prussian War was as follows:
*39. Infanterie-Brigade
**Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 17
**Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 56
*40. Infanterie-Brigade
**Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 70
**Braunschweigisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 92
*Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 10
*Dragoner-Regiment Nr. 16
Pre-World War I organization
German divisions underwent various organizational changes after the Franco-Prussian War. As noted above, the 20th Division was reorganized to become primarily a Hannover/Brunswick unit. The organization of the 20th Division in 1914, shortly before the outbreak of World War I, was as follows:''Rangliste der Königlich Preußischen Armee'' (1914), pp. 86-87.
*39. Infanterie-Brigade
**Infanterie-Regiment von Voigts-Rhetz (3. Hannoversches) Nr. 79
**4. Hannoversches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 164
*40.Infanterie-Brigade
**2. Hannoversches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 77
**Braunschweigisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 92
*20.Kavallerie-Brigade
**2. Hannoversches Dragoner-Regiment Nr. 16
**Braunschweigisches Husaren-Regiment Nr. 17
*20. Feldartillerie-Brigade
**Feldartillerie-Regiment von Scharnhorst (1. Hannoversches) Nr. 10
**Niedersächsisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 46
*Landwehr-Inspektion Hannover
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 20th Division was again renamed the 20th Infantry Division and its initial wartime organization was as follows:Cron et al., ''Ruhmeshalle''
*39. Infanterie-Brigade
**Infanterie-Regiment von Voigts-Rhetz (3. Hannoversches) Nr. 79
**4. Hannoversches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 164
**Hannoversches Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 10
*40.Infanterie-Brigade
**2. Hannoversches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 77
**Braunschweigisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 92
*Stab und "1/2"-Regiment/Braunschweigisches Husaren-Regiment Nr. 17
*20. Feldartillerie-Brigade
**Feldartillerie-Regiment von Scharnhorst (1. Hannoversches) Nr. 10
**Niedersächsisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 46
*2.Kompanie/Hannoversches Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 10
*3.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 20th Infantry Division's order of battle on March 20, 1918, was as follows:
*40. Infanterie-Brigade
**2. Hannoversches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 77
**Infanterie-Regiment von Voigts-Rhetz (3. Hannoversches) Nr. 79
**Braunschweigisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 92
**Maschinengewehr-Scharfschützen-Abteilung Nr. 32
*5.Eskadron/Braunschweigisches Husaren-Regiment Nr. 17
*Artillerie-Kommandeur 20
**Niedersächsisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 46
**Fußartillerie-Bataillon Nr. 155
*Stab Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 10
**2.Kompanie/Hannoversches Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 10
**3.Kompanie/Hannoversches Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 10
**Minenwerfer-Kompanie Nr. 20
*Divisions-Nachrichten-Kommandeur 20
References
20. 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)