The 3rd Guards Infantry Division (''3. Garde-Infanterie-Division'') was a unit of the
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 ...
, in
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 formed on the mobilization of the German Army in August 1914 as part of the
Guards Reserve Corps
The Guards Reserve Corps (german: Garde-Reserve-Korps / Garde RK) was a corps level command of the German Army in World War I.
Formation
Guards Reserve Corps was formed on the outbreak of the war in August 1914 as part of the mobilisation of th ...
. The division was disbanded in 1919, during the demobilization of the German Army after World War I. It was a division of the Prussian Guards and was thus raised and recruited throughout the
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia (german: Königreich Preußen, ) constituted the German state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918. Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Rev. ed. Oxford: ...
from the elite of recruits.
Combat chronicle
The 3rd Guards Infantry Division began the war on the
Western Front, participating in the capture of
Namur
Namur (; ; nl, Namen ; wa, Nameur) is a city and municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. It is both the capital of the province of Namur and of Wallonia, hosting the Parliament of Wallonia, the Government of Wallonia and its administration.
Na ...
. It was transferred to the
Eastern Front in September 1914, and saw action on arrival in the
First Battle of the Masurian Lakes
The First Battle of the Masurian Lakes was a German offensive in the Eastern Front 2–16 September 1914, during the second month of World War I. It took place only days after the Battle of Tannenberg where the German Eighth Army encircled an ...
. It then fought in the
Battle of Łódź. It continued fighting in the Carpathians and Galicia and then participated in the
Gorlice-Tarnów Offensive. The division returned to the Western Front in April 1916 and entered the trenches in the Champagne region. In July 1916, it fought in the
Battle of the Somme
The Battle of the Somme (French: Bataille de la Somme), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place bet ...
. At the beginning of September 1916, the division was again sent to the Eastern Front, returning in November. In 1917, it participated in the
Battle of Arras and the Battle of
Passchendaele. It then fought against the Allied tank attack in November 1917 in the
Battle of Cambrai. In 1918, it fought in the
German spring offensive. During the subsequent Allied offensives and counteroffensives, the division faced the French and Americans at
Aisne-Marne
The Third Battle of the Aisne (french: 3e Bataille de l'Aisne) was a battle 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 ...
and in the
Meuse-Argonne Offensive. The division was rated as one of the best German divisions by Allied intelligence.
[3. Garde-Infanterie-Division (Chronik 1914/1918) - Der erste Weltkrieg](_blank)
/ref>
Order of battle on mobilization
The order of battle of the 3rd Guards Infantry Division on mobilization was as follows:
* 5th Guards Infantry Brigade
The 5th Guards Infantry Brigade (German: 5. Garde-Infanterie-Brigade) was a unit in the Imperial German Army prior to and during the First World War. At the outbreak of war, it was part of the 3rd Guards Infantry Division of the Guards Reserve C ...
** 5th Guard Regiment of Foot
**5th Guard Grenadier Regiment
The 5th Guard Grenadiers (German: Garde-Grenadier-Regiment Nr. 5) was a regiment of the Prussian Army prior to and during the First World War. Established in 1897, it was part of the 5th Guard Infantry Brigade. The regiment was disbanded follo ...
* 6th Guards Infantry Brigade (German Empire), 6th Guards Infantry Brigade
**Guard Fusilier Regiment
** Lehr Infantry Regiment
* 3rd Guard Field Artillery Brigade (German Empire), 3rd Guard Field Artillery Brigade
**5th Guard Field Artillery Regiment
**6th Guard Field Artillery Regiment
* Guards Reserve Uhlan Regiment
* 1st Company/28th (2nd Brandenburg) Pioneer-Battalion
Order of battle on July 1, 1916
The 3rd Guards Infantry Division was triangularized in May 1915. The order of battle on July 1, 1916, was as follows:
Order of battle on March 20, 1918
The 3rd Guards Infantry Division's order of battle on March 20, 1918, was as follows:[Cron et al., ''Ruhmeshalle''.]
* 6th Guards Infantry Brigade
**Guard Fusilier Regiment
**Lehr Infantry Regiment
**9th Colberg (Graf Gneisenau) (2nd Pomeranian) Grenadier Regiment
**Maschinengewehr-Scharfschützen-Abteilung Nr. 2
* 1.Eskadron/2.Garde-Dragoner-Regiment Kaiserin Alexandra von Rußland
*3rd Guard Artillery Command
**5th Guard Field Artillery Regiment
**1st Battalion, 2nd Guard Foot Artillery Regiment
* Staff, 104th Pioneer Battalion
**1st Company, 28th (2nd Brandenburg) Pioneer Battalion
**274th Pioneer Company
**3rd Guard ''Minenwerfer'' Company
* 3rd Guards Division Signal command
References
3. Garde-Infanterie-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)
;Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:3rd Guards Infantry Division (German Empire)
Infantry divisions of Germany in World War I
Military units and formations established in 1914
Military units and formations disestablished in 1919
1914 establishments in Germany