The 37th Division (''37. 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, ...

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 between March 25 and April 1, 1899, in

Allenstein Olsztyn ( , ) is a city on the Łyna River in northern Poland. It is the capital of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, and is a city with county rights. The population of the city was estimated at 169,793 residents Olsztyn is the largest city ...

(now Olsztyn, Poland). The division was initially subordinated in peacetime to the I Army Corps (''I. Armeekorps''). In 1912, it was transferred to the newly formed XX Army Corps (''XX. 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 ...

. It was mainly recruited in the Prussian province of

East Prussia East Prussia was a Provinces of Prussia, province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1772 to 1829 and again from 1878 (with the Kingdom itself being part of the German Empire from 1871); following World War I it formed part of the Weimar Republic's ...

Pre-World War I organization

The organization of the 37th Division in 1914, shortly before the outbreak of World War I, was as follows: *73.Infanterie-Brigade **2. Masurisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 147 **2. Ermländisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 151 *75.Infanterie-Brigade **1. Masurisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 146 **1. Ermländisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 150 *37. Kavallerie-Brigade **Dragoner-Regiment König Albert von Sachsen (Ostpreußisches) Nr. 10 **Dragoner-Regiment von Wedel (Pommersches) Nr. 11 *37.Feldartillerie-Brigade **1. Masurisches Feld-Artillerie-Regiment Nr. 73 **2. Masurisches Feld-Artillerie-Regiment Nr. 82 *Landwehr-Inspektion Allenstein

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 37th Division was renamed the 37th Infantry Division. Its initial wartime organization was as follows: *73.Infanterie-Brigade **2. Masurisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 147 **2. Ermländisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 151 **Jäger-Bataillon Graf Yorck von Wartenburg (Ostpreußisches) Nr. 1 (to 05.IX.1914) *75.Infanterie-Brigade **1. Masurisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 146 **1. Ermländisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 150 *Dragoner-Regiment von Wedel (Pommersches) Nr. 11 *37.Feldartillerie-Brigade **1. Masurisches Feld-Artillerie-Regiment Nr. 73 **2. Masurisches Feld-Artillerie-Regiment Nr. 82 *1./Masurisches Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 26

Combat chronicle

The 37th Infantry Division began World War I on the Eastern Front. It participated in the battles of Tannenberg and 1st Masurian Lakes. In 1915, it saw action in the Gorlice-Tarnów Offensive. The division was transferred to the Western Front in December 1916. It occupied the trenchlines in 1917, and in 1918 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 ...

, seeing action in the

Third Battle of the Aisne The Third Battle of the Aisne () was part of the German spring offensive during World War I that focused on capturing the Chemin des Dames Ridge before the American Expeditionary Forces arrived completely in French Third Republic, France. It w ...

. In the subsequent Allied counteroffensives, the division fought in the Meuse-Argonne. Allied intelligence rated the division a first class shock division.

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 37th Infantry Division's order of battle on February 20, 1918, was as follows:Cron et al., ''Ruhmeshalle'' *73.Infanterie-Brigade **2. Masurisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 147 **1. Ermländisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 150 **2. Ermländisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 151 **Maschinengewehr-Scharfschützen-Abteilung Nr. 57 *3.Eskadron/Jäger-Regiment zu Pferde Nr. 10 *Artillerie-Kommandeur 37: **1. Masurisches Feld-Artillerie-Regiment Nr. 73 **II.Bataillon/Lothringisches Fußartillerie-Regiment Nr. 16 *Stab Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 134 **3.Kompanie/Masurisches Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 26 **Pionier-Kompanie Nr. 250 **Minenwerfer-Kompanie Nr. 37 *Divisions-Nachrichten-Kommandeur 37

References

37. Infanterie-Division – 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:37 Infantry divisions of Germany in World War I Military units and formations established in 1899 Military units and formations disestablished in 1919 1899 establishments in Germany