The 34th Division (''34. 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

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 April 1, 1890, and was headquartered in

Metz Metz ( , , , then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle (river), Moselle and the Seille (Moselle), Seille rivers. Metz is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Moselle (department), Moselle Departments ...

(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 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 ...

. The division was recruited heavily in the densely populated

Rhine Province The Rhine Province (), also known as Rhenish Prussia () or synonymous with the Rhineland (), was the westernmost Provinces of Prussia, province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia, within the German Reich, from 1822 to 1946. ...

and in the

Province of Westphalia The Province of Westphalia () was a Provinces of Prussia, province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia from 1815 to 1946. In turn, Prussia was the largest component state of the German Empire from 1871 to 1918, of the Weimar ...

, as its primary recruiting and garrison area was Lorraine, whose German population was insufficient to support the divisions of the XVI Army Corps.

Combat chronicle

The 34th Infantry Division fought on the Western Front in World War I. It participated in the initial German offensive and the Allied Great Retreat. In 1916, it fought in the

Battle of Verdun The Battle of Verdun ( ; ) was fought from 21 February to 18 December 1916 on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front in French Third Republic, 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, also known as the Third Battle of Champagne (and to the Germans, as the Double Battle of Aisne-Champagne). It also saw action in the tank battle at

Cambrai Cambrai (, ; ; ), formerly Cambray and historically in English Camerick or Camericke, is a city in the Nord department and in the Hauts-de-France region of France on the Scheldt river, which is known locally as the Escaut river. A sub-pref ...

. 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 Oise-Aisne offensive. Allied intelligence rated the division as a good division, one of the best of the second class divisions, and the XVI Army Corps as one of the best in the German Army.

Pre–World War I organization

The organization of the 34th Division in 1914, shortly before the outbreak of World War I, was as follows: *68. Infanterie-Brigade **4. Magdeburgisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 67 **Königs-Infanterie-Regiment (6. Lothringisches) Nr. 145 *86. Infanterie-Brigade **Infanterie-Regiment Graf Werder (4. Rheinisches) Nr. 30 **9. Lothringisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 173 *34. Kavallerie-Brigade **2. Hannoversches Ulanen-Regiment Nr. 14 **Jäger-Regiment zu Pferde Nr. 12 *45. Kavallerie-Brigade **Husaren-Regiment König Humbert von Italien (1. Kurhessisches) Nr.13 **Jäger-Regiment zu Pferde Nr. 13 *34. Feldartillerie-Brigade **3. Lothringisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 69 **4. Lothringisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 70

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 34th Division was redesignated the 34th Infantry Division. Its initial wartime organization was as follows: *68. Infanterie-Brigade **4. Magdeburgisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 67 **Königs-Infanterie-Regiment (6. Lothringisches) Nr. 145 *86. Infanterie-Brigade **Infanterie-Regiment Graf Werder (4. Rheinisches) Nr. 30 **9. Lothringisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 173 *2. Hannoversches Ulanen-Regiment Nr. 14 *34. Feldartillerie-Brigade **3. Lothringisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 69 **4. Lothringisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 70 *2.Kompanie/1. Lothringisches Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 16 *3.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 - one infantry brigade with three infantry regiments rather than two infantry brigades of two regiments (a " square division"). 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 34th Infantry Division's order of battle on March 12, 1918, was as follows:Cron et al., ''Ruhmeshalle'' EB-Stab-34-ID-1917

*68. Infanterie-Brigade **Infanterie-Regiment Graf Werder (4. Rheinisches) Nr. 30 **4. Magdeburgisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 67 **Königs-Infanterie-Regiment (6. Lothringisches) Nr. 145 **MG-Scharfschützen-Abteilung Nr. 44 *5.Eskadron/Jäger-zu-Pferd-Regiment Nr. 12 *Artillerie-Kommandeur 34: **4. Lothringisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 70 **III. Bataillon/Fußartillerie-Regiment von Dieskau (Niederschlesisches) Nr. 6 *Stab Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 132: **2.Kompanie/1. Lothringisches Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 16 **3.Kompanie/1. Lothringisches Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 16 **Minenwerfer-Kompanie Nr. 34 *Divisions-Nachrichten-Kommandeur 34

References

34. 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:34 Infantry divisions of Germany in World War I Military units and formations established in 1890 Military units and formations disestablished in 1919