The ''Lehr'' Infantry Regiment () was an

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...

of the

Imperial German (, literally translated ) is an archaic term for those ethnic Germans who resided within the German state that was founded in 1871. In contemporary usage, it referred to German citizens, the word signifying people from the German ', i.e., Imp ...

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 ...

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 formed on mobilisation of the German Army in August 1914 and served with the 3rd Guards Division through to the end of the war.

''Lehr'' Infantry Battalion

The ''Lehr'' Infantry Battalion () - infantry instruction battalion - was raised in 1819 for the Prussian Army. In 1914 it was part of the Guards Corps and garrisoned in

Potsdam Potsdam () is the capital and largest city of the Germany, German States of Germany, state of Brandenburg. It is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. Potsdam sits on the Havel, River Havel, a tributary of the Elbe, downstream of B ...

''Lehr'' Infantry Regiment

Formation

With the mobilisation of the German Army on 2 August 1914, the ''Lehr'' Infantry Battalion was expanded to regimental strength as the ''Lehr'' Infantry Regiment. It was formed as follows: The Regiment was also provided with two machine gun companies.

Combat chronicle

The ''Lehr'' Infantry Regiment joined the

Guards Fusilier Regiment The Guards Fusilier Regiment () or Guards Fusiliers was an infantry unit (military), unit of the Guards Corps (German Empire), Guards Corps of the Prussian Army garrisoned in Berlin. In keeping with the genteel nature of the unit, most of its off ...

in the new 6th Guards Infantry Brigade as part of the 3rd Guards Division in the

Guards Reserve Corps The Guards Reserve Corps () 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 the Prussian Army. It was initially co ...

. It remained with the 3rd Guards Division throughout the war, even after the Division was triangularized in May 1915. The Guards Reserve Corps was assigned to the 2nd Army as part of the right wing of the forces that invaded

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

as part of the

Schlieffen Plan The Schlieffen Plan (, ) is a name given after the First World War to German war plans, due to the influence of Field Marshal Alfred von Schlieffen and his thinking on an invasion of France and Belgium, which began on 4 August 1914. Schlieffe ...

offensive in August 1914. It participated in the capture of

Namur Namur (; ; ) is a city and municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. It is the capital both of the province of Namur and of Wallonia, hosting the Parliament of Wallonia, the Government of Wallonia and its administration. Namur stands at the confl ...

and was immediately transferred to the Eastern Front to join the 8th Army in time to participate 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 Russian invasion of East Prussia. It took place only days after the Battle of Tannenberg where the German Eighth Army encir ...

. 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 Regiment returned to the Western Front with its Division 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 (; ), 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 ...

. 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 The Third Battle of Ypres (; ; ), also known as the Battle of Passchendaele ( ), was a campaign of the First World War, fought by the Allies of World War I, Allies against the German Empire. The battle took place on the Western Front (World Wa ...

. 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 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 ...

. During the subsequent Allied offensives and counteroffensives, the division faced the French and Americans at

Aisne-Marne 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 France. It was one of a series o ...

and in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive.3. Garde-Infanterie-Division (Chronik 1914/1918) - Der erste Weltkrieg
/ref> The division was rated as one of the best German divisions by Allied intelligence. By the end of the war, the Regiment was still with the 3rd Guards Division, XXV Reserve Corps, 3rd Army, ''Heeresgruppe Deutscher Kronprinz'' on the Western Front. Throughout the war, the Regiment lost 103 officers and 5,463

NCOs A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is an enlisted leader, petty officer, or in some cases warrant officer, who does not hold a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted rank ...

and men.

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * {{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 Infantry regiments of the Prussian Army