The 23rd Division (''23. Division''), also known as the 1st Division No. 23 (''1. Division Nr. 23'') was a unit of the

Saxon The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...

and then

Imperial German (, literally translated ) is an archaic term for those ethnic Germans who resided within the German state that was founded in 1871. In contemporary usage, it referred to German citizens, the word signifying people from the German ', i.e., Imp ...

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 ...

. The division was headquartered in

Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

. The division was subordinated in peacetime to the XII (1st Royal Saxon) Army Corps (''XII. (1. Königlich Sächsisches) Armeekorps''). The 1st Division No. 23 was officially formed on April 1, 1867. However, this was as part of the convention which integrated the division with the Prussian-led army of the

North German Confederation The North German Confederation () was initially a German military alliance established in August 1866 under the leadership of the Kingdom of Prussia, which was transformed in the subsequent year into a confederated state (a ''de facto'' feder ...

. The division already existed as part of the autonomous Saxon Army. It was originally formed in 1849 as the 1st Division and from July 1, 1850, the 1st Infantry Division. It became the 1st Infantry Division No. 23 on April 1, 1867, and the 1st Division No. 23 on April 1, 1887. On mobilization for

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 ...

in August 1914 it again became the 1st Infantry Division No. 23, although it was for convenience referred to outside Saxony as the 23rd Infantry Division or the 23rd (1st Royal Saxon) Infantry Division. The division was disbanded in 1919 during the demobilization of the German Army after World War I. The division was recruited in eastern Saxony, especially around Dresden.

Combat chronicle

Saxony fought as an ally of Austria 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 ...

. The Saxon Army Corps, including the 1st and 2nd Saxon Divisions, fought in several of the war's battles, including the decisive

Battle of Königgrätz The Battle of Königgrätz (or Sadowa) was the decisive battle of the Austro-Prussian War in which the Kingdom of Prussia defeated the Austrian Empire. It took place on 3 July 1866, near the Bohemian city of Hradec Králové (German: Königgrä ...

. 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 ...

, Saxony was allied with Prussia. The 23rd Infantry Division fought in the battles of

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 Beaumont, and in the major

Battle of Sedan The Battle of Sedan was fought during the Franco-Prussian War from 1 to 2 September 1870. Resulting in the capture of Napoleon III, Emperor Napoleon III and over a hundred thousand troops, it effectively decided the war in favour of Prussia and ...

. It then participated in the Siege of Paris. During World War I, the division fought on the Western Front, seeing action 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 ...

which culminated 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 ...

. 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 ...

. In 1918, it participated 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 ...

, including the

Second Battle of the Somme The Second Battle of the Somme of 1918 was fought during the First World War on the Western Front from late August to early September, in the basin of the River Somme. It was part of a series of successful counter-offensives in response to th ...

and the Second Battle of the Marne. The division was rated as very good in 1917, but third class by 1918; however, Allied intelligence noted that "its use... would seem to warrant a higher rating."

Order of battle in the Franco-Prussian War

The organization of the 23rd Infantry Division in 1870 at the beginning of the Franco-Prussian War was as follows: *1. Infanterie-Brigade Nr. 45 (45. Infanterie-Brigade) **1. (Leib-)Grenadier-Regiment Nr. 100 **2. Grenadier-Regiment Nr. 101 *2. Infanterie-Brigade Nr. 46 (46. Infanterie-Brigade) **Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 102 **Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 103 **Schützen-Regiment Nr. 108

Pre-World War I organization

German divisions underwent various organizational changes after the Franco-Prussian War. The organization of the 23rd Division in 1914, shortly before the outbreak of World War I, was as follows:''Rangliste der Königlich Sächsischen Armee für das Jahr 1914'' (1914), pp.10-11 *1. Infanterie-Brigade Nr. 45 (45. Infanterie-Brigade) **1. (Leib-)Grenadier-Regiment Nr. 100 **2. Grenadier-Regiment Kaiser Wilhelm, König von Preußen Nr. 101 *2. Infanterie-Brigade Nr. 46 (46. Infanterie-Brigade) **Schützen (Füsilier)-Regiment Prinz Georg Nr. 108 **16. Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 182 *1. Kavallerie-Brigade Nr. 23 (23. Kavallerie-Brigade) ** Garde-Reiter-Regiment **1. Ulanen-Regiment Kaiser Franz Joseph von Österreich, König von Ungarn Nr. 17 *1. Feldartillerie-Brigade Nr. 23 (23. Feldartillerie-Brigade) **1.Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 12 **4.Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 48 *Landwehr-Inspektion Dresden

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 division was again redesignated an infantry division. Its initial wartime organization was as follows:Cron et al., ''Ruhmeshalle'' *Infanterie-Brigade Nr. 45 (45. Infanterie-Brigade) **(Leib-)Grenadier-Regiment Nr. 100 **Grenadier-Regiment Kaiser Wilhelm, König von Preußen Nr. 101 *Infanterie-Brigade Nr. 46 (46. Infanterie-Brigade) **Schützen (Füsilier)-Regiment Prinz Georg Nr. 108 **Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 182 *Husaren-Regiment Nr. 20 *Feldartillerie-Brigade Nr. 23 (23. Feldartillerie-Brigade) **Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 12 **Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 48 *Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 12

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 23rd Infantry Division's order of battle on February 17, 1918, was as follows: *1. Infanterie-Brigade Nr. 45 (45. Infanterie-Brigade) **1. (Leib-)Grenadier-Regiment Nr. 100 **2. Grenadier-Regiment Kaiser Wilhelm, König von Preußen Nr. 101 **Schützen (Füsilier)-Regiment Prinz Georg Nr. 108 **Maschinengewehr-Scharfschützen-Abteilung Nr. 52 *1.Eskadron/3. Husaren-Regiment Nr. 20 *Artillerie-Kommandeur 23 **1. Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 12 **1.Bataillon/2. Fußartillerie-Regiment Nr. 19 *Stab 1.Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 12: **3.Kompanie/1. Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 12 **6.Kompanie/1. Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 12 **Minenwerfer-Kompanie Nr. 23 *Divisions-Nachrichten-Kommandeur 23

References

23. 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:23 Infantry divisions of Germany in World War I Military units and formations established in 1867 Military units and formations disestablished in 1919