The 2nd Landwehr Division (''2. Landwehr-Division'') was an infantry division of the
Imperial German Army
The Imperial German Army (1871–1919), officially referred to as the German Army (), was the unified ground and air force of the German Empire. It was established in 1871 with the political unification of Germany under the leadership of Kingdom o ...
during
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 ...
. It was formed on the mobilization of the German Army in August 1914 under the "Higher ''Landwehr'' Commander 2" (''Höherer Landwehr-Kommandeur 2''). The
Landwehr
''Landwehr'' (), or ''Landeswehr'', is a German language term used in referring to certain national army, armies, or militias found in nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Europe. In different context it refers to large-scale, low-strength fo ...
was the third category of the German Army, after the regular Army and the reserves. Thus Landwehr divisions were made up of older soldiers, who had passed from the reserves and were intended primarily for occupation and security duties rather than heavy combat. However, the circumstances of war often changed this.
Organization at mobilization
On mobilization, the Higher ''Landwehr'' Commander 2 commanded four mixed Landwehr brigades (''gemischte Landwehr-Brigaden''), each of which generally included its own infantry, cavalry and artillery. The initial wartime organization was as follows:
[Hermann Cron et al., ''Ruhmeshalle unserer alten Armee'' (Berlin, 1935)][2. Landwehr-Division (Chronik 1914/1918)](_blank)
/ref>
*9. bayerische gemischte Landwehr-Brigade
**Kgl. Bayerisches 6. Landwehr-Infanterie-Regiment
**Kgl. Bayerisches 7. Landwehr-Infanterie-Regiment
**1. Landwehr-Eskadron/III. Bayerisches Armeekorps
**1. Landsturm-Batterie III. Bayerisches Armeekorps
*43. gemischte Landwehr-Brigade
**Thüringisches Landwehr-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 32
**Kurhessisches Landwehr-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 83
**1. Landwehr-Eskadron/XI. Armeekorps
*45. gemischte Landwehr-Brigade
**Kgl. Sächsisches Landwehr-Grenadier-Regiment Nr. 100
**Kgl. Sächsisches Landwehr-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 102
**Landwehr-Eskadron/XII. (1. Kgl. Sächs.) Armeekorps
**1. Landsturm-Batterie XII. (1. Kgl. Sächs.) Armeekorps
*53. gemischte Landwehr-Brigade
**Kgl. Württembergisches Landwehr-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 124
**Kgl. Württembergisches Landwehr-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 125
**3. Landwehr-Eskadron/XIII. (Kgl. Württ.) Armeekorps
**Landsturm-Batterie XIII. (Kgl. Württ.) Armeekorps
The 9th Bavarian Mixed Landwehr Brigade was raised in the northern part of the Kingdom of Bavaria
The Kingdom of Bavaria ( ; ; spelled ''Baiern'' until 1825) was a German state that succeeded the former Electorate of Bavaria in 1806 and continued to exist until 1918. With the unification of Germany into the German Empire in 1871, the kingd ...
, in the III Bavarian Corps area. The 43rd Mixed Landwehr Brigade was from the XI Corps 11 Corps, 11th Corps, Eleventh Corps, or XI Corps may refer to:
* 11th Army Corps (France)
* XI Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars
* XI Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army
* ...
area (the Province of Hesse-Nassau
The Province of Hesse-Nassau () was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1868 to 1918, then a province of the Free State of Prussia until 1944.
Hesse-Nassau was created as a consequence of the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 by combining the ...
and the smaller Thuringian states). The 45th Mixed Landwehr Brigade was raised in the Kingdom of Saxony
The Kingdom of Saxony () was a German monarchy in Central Europe between 1806 and 1918, the successor of the Electorate of Saxony. It joined the Confederation of the Rhine after the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, later joining the German ...
. The 53rd Mixed Landwehr Brigade was raised in the Kingdom of Württemberg
The Kingdom of Württemberg ( ) was a German state that existed from 1806 to 1918, located within the area that is now Baden-Württemberg. The kingdom was a continuation of the Electorate of Württemberg, which existed from 1803 to 1806.
Geogr ...
.
1915 reorganization
In late 1915, the division was reorganized, with most non-Württemberg elements being transferred to other units, and was officially redesignated as the 2nd Landwehr Division on December 19, 1915. The order of battle of the division on November 9, 1915, was as follows:[Cron et al., ''Ruhmeshalle'']
*53. Landwehr-Brigade
**Württembergisches Landwehr-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 124
**Württembergisches Landwehr-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 125
*54. Landwehr-Brigade
**Württembergisches Landwehr-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 120
**Württembergisches Landwehr-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 122
*3. Landwehr-Eskadron/XIII. (Kgl. Württ.) Armeekorps
*Landwehr-Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 2
*Minenwerfer-Kompanie Nr. 302
*2. Landwehr-Pionier-Kompanie/I. Bayerisches Armeekorps
*1. Landsturm-Pionier-Kompanie/VII. Armeekorps
Combat chronicle
Although not officially designated as a Royal Württemberg formation, the 2nd Landwehr Division was wholly made up of Württemberg elements by early 1916. The division was sent to the front near Verdun, where it took part in the major battle
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force co ...
that began there in 1916. The division remained involved in positional warfare on the Verdun front through 1916 and 1917. In late 1917 and 1918, it participated in the fighting in the Argonne Forest. Late in the war, it faced the American offensive
Offensive may refer to:
* Offensive (military), type of military operation
* Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative
* Fighting words, spoken words which would have a tendency to cause acts of violence by the ...
in the region.
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 ...
"). In the case of Landwehr divisions, the mixed Landwehr brigades were converted to regular infantry brigades before being triangularized, and were often used to form new units. The 2nd Landwehr Division's order of battle on January 5, 1918, was as follows:
Notes
References
2. Landwehr-Division (Chronik 1914/1918) - Der erste Weltkrieg
* 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)
Further reading
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:2nd Landwehr Division (German Empire)
Military units and formations established in 1914
1914 establishments in Germany
Landwehr divisions of Germany in World War I
Military units and formations disestablished in 1919