The 3rd Royal Bavarian Division was a unit of the Royal Bavarian Army which served alongside the Prussian Army as part 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 ...

. The division was formed on November 27, 1815, as an Infantry Division of the

Würzburg Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is, after Nuremberg and Fürth, the Franconia#Towns and cities, third-largest city in Franconia located in the north of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. It sp ...

General Command (''Infanterie-Division des Generalkommandos Würzburg''). It was called the 3rd Army Division between 1822 and 1848, again between 1851 and 1859, and again from 1869 to 1872. It was called the 3rd Infantry Division from 1848 to 1851 (as well as during wartime) and was named the

Nuremberg Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...

General Command from 1859 to 1869. From April 1, 1872, until mobilization for

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 the 3rd Division.Wegner, p. 663; Bredow, pp. 1246, 1252. In 1901, it had swapped division numbers with the 5th Division. In Bavarian sources, it was not generally referred to as a "Royal Bavarian" division, as this was considered self-evident, but outside Bavaria, this designation was used for it, and other Bavarian units, to distinguish them from similarly numbered Prussian units. The division was headquartered in

from 1815 to 1843, in

Ansbach Ansbach ( , ; ) is a city in the Germany, German state of Bavaria. It is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk, administrative region of Mittelfranken, Middle Franconia. Ansbach is southwest of Nuremberg and north of Munich, on the river Fränk ...

from 1843 to 1848, and then again in Nuremberg until 1901, when after the renumbering of divisions, it became the 3rd Division in

Landau Landau (), officially Landau in der Pfalz (, ), is an autonomous (''kreisfrei'') town surrounded by the Südliche Weinstraße ("Southern Wine Route") district of southern Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is a university town (since 1990), a long ...

and the division in Nuremberg became the 5th Division. The division was part of the II Royal Bavarian Army Corps.

Combat chronicle

The division fought against Prussia in the

Austro-Prussian War The Austro-Prussian War (German: ''Preußisch-Österreichischer Krieg''), also known by many other names,Seven Weeks' War, German Civil War, Second War of Unification, Brothers War or Fraternal War, known in Germany as ("German War"), ''Deutsc ...

of 1866, seeing action at Zella, Kissingen, and Helmstadt. In the

Franco-Prussian War The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...

of 1870-71, the division fought alongside the Prussians. It saw action in battles of Wörth and Sedan, and in the siege of

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. During World War I, the division served on the Western Front. It fought in the

Battle of the Frontiers The Battle of the Frontiers (; ; ) comprised battles fought along the eastern frontier of French Third Republic, France and in southern Belgium, shortly after the outbreak of the First World War. The battles resolved the military strategy, milita ...

against French forces in the early stages, and then participated in the

Race to the Sea The Race to the Sea (; , ) took place from 17 September to 19 October 1914 during the First World War, after the Battle of the Frontiers () and the German Empire, German advance into France. The invasion had been stopped at the First Battle of ...

, fighting along the Somme and in Flanders, including the

First Battle of Ypres The First Battle of Ypres (, , – was a battle of the First World War, fought on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front around Ypres, in West Flanders, Belgium. The battle was part of the First Battle of Flanders, in which German A ...

. It remained in the trenchlines in Flanders and the Artois, and fought in the

Second Battle of Artois The Second Battle of Artois (, ) from 9 May to 18 June 1915, took place on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front during the First World War. A German-held Salient (military), salient from Reims to Amiens had been formed in 1914 which me ...

and the

Battle of Loos The Battle of Loos took place from 1915 in France on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front, during the First World War. It was the biggest British attack of 1915, the first time that the British used Chemical weapons in World War I, ...

. In 1916, the division fought in the

Battle of the Somme The Battle of the Somme (; ), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and the French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place between 1 July and 18 Nove ...

. In 1917, the division fought in the Battle of Arras and the Battle of Messines, after which it went to the trenchlines in Verdun and Lorraine to rest. After several months in the line north of the Ailette River, the division 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 ...

, fighting in the

First Battle of the Somme (1918) Operation Michael () was a major German military offensive during World War I that began the German spring offensive on 21 March 1918. It was launched from the Hindenburg Line, in the vicinity of Saint-Quentin, France. Its goal was to bre ...

, also known as the Second Battle of the Somme (to distinguish it from the 1916 battle). In the subsequent Allied counteroffensives known as the

Hundred Days Offensive The Hundred Days Offensive (8 August to 11 November 1918) was a series of massive Allied offensives that ended the First World War. Beginning with the Battle of Amiens (8–12 August) on the Western Front, the Allies pushed the Imperial Germa ...

, the division fought in the Battle of Amiens and the

Second Battle of the Somme (1918) The Second Battle of the Somme of 1918 was fought during the First World War on the Western Front from late August to early September, in the basin of the River Somme. It was part of a series of successful counter-offensives in response to th ...

, also known as the Third Battle of the Somme. Thereafter, it remained in the line and resisted various Allied attacks until the end of the war. Allied intelligence rated the division as one of the best German divisions.

Order of battle in the Franco-Prussian War

The order of battle at the outset of the Franco-Prussian War was as follows: *5. bayerische Infanterie-Brigade **Kgl. Bayerisches 6. Infanterie-Regiment **Kgl. Bayerisches 7. Infanterie-Regiment **Kgl. Bayerisches 8. Jäger-Bataillon *6. bayerische Infanterie-Brigade **Kgl. Bayerisches 14. Infanterie-Regiment **Kgl. Bayerisches 15. Infanterie-Regiment **Kgl. Bayerisches 3. Jäger-Bataillon *3. bayerische Kavallerie-Brigade **Kgl. Bayerisches 1. Chevaulegers-Regiment **Kgl. Bayerisches 6. Chevaulegers-Regiment ** 2nd Royal Bavarian Uhlans

Pre-World War I peacetime organization

In 1914, the peacetime organization of the 3rd Royal Bavarian Division was as follows: *5. bayerische Infanterie-Brigade **Kgl. Bayerisches 22. Infanterie-Regiment Fürst Wilhelm von Hohenzollern **Kgl. Bayerisches 23. Infanterie-Regiment *6. bayerische Infanterie-Brigade **Kgl. Bayerisches 17. Infanterie-Regiment Orff **Kgl. Bayerisches 18. Infanterie-Regiment Prinz Ludwig Ferdinand *3. bayerische Kavallerie-Brigade **Kgl. Bayerisches 3. Chevaulegers-Regiment Herzog Karl Theodor **Kgl. Bayerisches 5. Chevaulegers-Regiment Erzherzog Friedrich von Österreich *3. bayerische Feldartillerie-Brigade **Kgl. Bayerisches 5. Feldartillerie-Regiment König Alfons XIII. von Spanien **Kgl. Bayerisches 12. Feldartillerie-Regiment *Landwehr-Inspektion Landau

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 3rd Bavarian Division was renamed the 3rd Bavarian Infantry Division. Its initial wartime organization (major units) was as follows: *5. bayerische Infanterie-Brigade **Kgl. Bayerisches 22. Infanterie-Regiment Fürst Wilhelm von Hohenzollern **Kgl. Bayerisches 23. Infanterie-Regiment *6. bayerische Infanterie-Brigade **Kgl. Bayerisches 17. Infanterie-Regiment Orff **Kgl. Bayerisches 18. Infanterie-Regiment Prinz Ludwig Ferdinand *Kgl. Bayerisches 3. Chevaulegers-Regiment Herzog Karl Theodor *3. bayerische Feldartillerie-Brigade **Kgl. Bayerisches 5. Feldartillerie-Regiment König Alfons XIII. von Spanien **Kgl. Bayerisches 12. Feldartillerie-Regiment *1.Kompanie/Kgl. Bayerisches 2. Pionier-Bataillon *3.Kompanie/Kgl. Bayerisches 2. Pionier-Bataillon

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 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 ...

"). The 3rd Bavarian Infantry Division was triangularized in April 1915, sending the 22nd Bavarian Infantry Regiment to the newly formed

11th Bavarian Infantry Division The 11th Bavarian Infantry Division (''11. Bayerische Infanterie-Division'') was a unit of the Royal Bavarian Army, part of the Imperial German Army, in World War I. The division was formed on March 24, 1915, and organized over the next few week ...

. An artillery commander replaced the artillery brigade headquarters, the cavalry was further reduced, and the engineer contingent was increased. Divisional signals commanders were established to better control communications, a major problem in coordinating infantry and artillery operations during World War I. The division's order of battle on March 31, 1918, was as follows:Cron et al., ''Ruhmeshalle'' *6. bayerische Infanterie-Brigade **Kgl. Bayerisches 17. Infanterie-Regiment Orff **Kgl. Bayerisches 18. Infanterie-Regiment Prinz Ludwig Ferdinand **Kgl. Bayerisches 23. Infanterie-Regiment *4.Eskadron/Kgl. Bayerisches 3. Chevaulegers-Regiment Herzog Karl Theodor *Kgl. Bayerischer Artillerie-Kommandeur 3 **Kgl. Bayerisches 12. Feldartillerie-Regiment **Fußartillerie-Bataillon Nr. 43 *Kgl. Bayerisches 2. Pionier-Bataillon **Kgl. Bayerische Pionier-Kompanie Nr. 5 **Kgl. Bayerische Pionier-Kompanie Nr. 7 **Kgl. Bayerische Minenwerfer-Kompanie Nr. 3 *Kgl. Bayerischer Divisions-Nachrichten-Kommandeur 3

References

3. Bayerische-Infanterie-Division (Chronik 1914/1918)
a
1914-18.info
* 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 1825-1939.'' (Biblio Verlag, Osnabrück, 1993) * ''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 Royal Bavarian Division Infantry divisions of Bavaria in World War I Military units and formations established in 1815 1815 establishments in Bavaria 1919 disestablishments in Germany Military units and formations disestablished in 1919