The 33rd Division (''33. Division'') was a unit of the

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

. It was formed on April 1, 1871, as the 30th Division and became the 33rd Division on April 1, 1890, and was headquartered in

Metz Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand Est ...

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

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. The division was recruited heavily in densely populated Westphalia, as its primary recruiting and garrison area was

Lorraine Lorraine , also , , ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; german: Lothringen ; lb, Loutrengen; nl, Lotharingen is a cultural and historical region in Northeastern France, now located in the administrative region of G ...

, whose German population was insufficient to support the division.

Combat chronicle

The division fought on the Western Front in World War I. It participated in the initial German offensive and 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 Fro ...

. In 1916, it fought in the

Battle of Verdun The Battle of Verdun (french: Bataille de Verdun ; german: Schlacht um Verdun ) was fought from 21 February to 18 December 1916 on the Western Front in France. The battle was the longest of the First World War and took place on the hills north ...

. In 1917, it participated in the

Second Battle of the Aisne The Second Battle of the Aisne (french: Bataille du Chemin des Dames or french: Seconde bataille de l'Aisne, 16 April – mid-May 1917) was the main part of the Nivelle Offensive, a Franco-British attempt to inflict a decisive defeat on the Germ ...

, also known as the Third Battle of Champagne (and to the Germans, as the Double Battle of Aisne-Champagne). In 1918, the division fought in the German spring offensive, including the First Battle of the Somme, 1918, also known as the Second Battle of the Somme (after the 1916 battle), and the Battle of St. Quentin. It then fought in the subsequent Allied counteroffensives, including the Battle of Champagne-Marne and the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. Allied intelligence rated the division as first class and the XVI Army Corps as one of the best in the German Army.

Pre-World War I organization

The organization of the 33rd Division in 1914, shortly before the outbreak of World War I, was as follows: *66. Infanterie-Brigade **Metzer Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 98 **1. Lothringisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 130 *67. Infanterie-Brigade **3. Lothringisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 135 **5. Lothringisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 144 *33. Kavallerie-Brigade **Dragoner-Regiment König Karl von Rümanien (1. Hannoversches) Nr. 9 **Schleswig-Holsteinisches Dragoner-Regiment Nr. 13 *33. Feldartillerie-Brigade **1. Lothringisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 33 **2. Lothringisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 34 *Landwehr-Inspektion Metz

Order of battle on mobilization

On mobilization in August 1914 at the beginning of World War I, 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 33rd Division was redesignated the 33rd Infantry Division. Its initial wartime organization was as follows: *66. Infanterie-Brigade **Metzer Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 98 **1. Lothringisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 130 *67. Infanterie-Brigade **3. Lothringisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 135 **5. Lothringisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 144 *Jäger-Regiment zu Pferde Nr. 12 *33. Feldartillerie-Brigade **1. Lothringisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 33 **2. Lothringisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 34 *1.Kompanie/1. Lothringisches Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 16

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 edges and three vertices. It is one of the basic shapes in geometry. A triangle with vertices ''A'', ''B'', and ''C'' is denoted \triangle ABC. In Euclidean geometry, any three points, when non-collinear, ...

- 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 artillery ...

"). 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 33rd Infantry Division's order of battle on March 10, 1918, was as follows:Cron et al., ''Ruhmeshalle'' *66. Infanterie-Brigade **Metzer Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 98 **1. Lothringisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 130 **3. Lothringisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 135 **Maschinengewehr-Scharfschützen-Abteilung Nr. 43 *4.Eskadron/Jäger-Regiment zu Pferde Nr. 12 *Artillerie-Kommandeur 33: **Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 283 **Fußartillerie-Bataillon Nr. 76 *Stab 1. Lothringisches Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 16: **5.Kompanie/1. Lothringisches Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 16 **1.Reserve-Kompanie/1. Lothringisches Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 16 **Minenwerfer-Kompanie Nr. 33 *Divisions-Nachrichten-Kommandeur 33

References

33. 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
online

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:33 Infantry divisions of Germany in World War I Military units and formations established in 1871 Military units and formations disestablished in 1919