81st Reserve Division (German Empire)
Encyclopedia
The 81st Reserve Division (81. Reserve-Division) was a unit of the Imperial German
Army
in World War I
. The division was formed at the end of December 1914 and organized over the next month, arriving in the line in early February 1915. It was part of the second large wave of new divisions formed at the outset of World War I, which were numbered the 75th through 82nd Reserve Divisions. The division was disbanded in 1919 during the demobilization of the German Army after World War I. The division was recruited in various Prussian provinces: Brandenburg, Pomerania, and West Prussia.
, seeing its first action in the trenches west of the Somme. It was transferred to the Eastern Front
in April 1915, and fought in the Gorlice-Tarnów Offensive
, crossing the San River and fighting around Przemyśl
, and then fighting in the 1915 Battle of Lemberg
. It continued fighting across the border between Austro-Hungarian Galicia and Russian Poland, fighting in a series of battles leading to the taking of Brest-Litovsk in August and Pinsk
in September, and then settled into positional warfare in the Pripyat Marshes. It remained there until December 1917, when, after the armistice on the Eastern Front, it was sent back to the Western Front. It fought in the trenches and saw action in the Battle of Armentières in April 1918, part of the Battle of the Lys, also known as the Lys Offensive or the Fourth Battle of Ypres. The division continued fighting on various parts of the Western Front until the end of the war. Allied intelligence rated the division as third class.
. The order of battle of the division on December 29, 1914 was as follows:
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
Army
German Army (German Empire)
The German Army was the name given the combined land forces of the German Empire, also known as the National Army , Imperial Army or Imperial German Army. The term "Deutsches Heer" is also used for the modern German Army, the land component of the German Bundeswehr...
in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. The division was formed at the end of December 1914 and organized over the next month, arriving in the line in early February 1915. It was part of the second large wave of new divisions formed at the outset of World War I, which were numbered the 75th through 82nd Reserve Divisions. The division was disbanded in 1919 during the demobilization of the German Army after World War I. The division was recruited in various Prussian provinces: Brandenburg, Pomerania, and West Prussia.
Combat chronicle
The 81st Reserve Division initially fought on the Western FrontWestern Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
, seeing its first action in the trenches west of the Somme. It was transferred to the Eastern Front
Eastern Front (World War I)
The Eastern Front was a theatre of war during World War I in Central and, primarily, Eastern Europe. The term is in contrast to the Western Front. Despite the geographical separation, the events in the two theatres strongly influenced each other...
in April 1915, and fought in the Gorlice-Tarnów Offensive
Gorlice-Tarnów Offensive
The Gorlice–Tarnów Offensive during World War I started as a minor German offensive to relieve Russian pressure on the Austro-Hungarians to their south on the Eastern Front, but resulted in the total collapse of the Russian lines and their retreat far into Russia...
, crossing the San River and fighting around Przemyśl
Przemysl
Przemyśl is a city in south-eastern Poland with 66,756 inhabitants, as of June 2009. In 1999, it became part of the Podkarpackie Voivodeship; it was previously the capital of Przemyśl Voivodeship....
, and then fighting in the 1915 Battle of Lemberg
Battle of Lwów
During its long and complicated history, the nowadays Ukrainian city of Lviv was the site of several major battles and sieges. Among the most notable were:* Battle of Lwów - Lwów besieged by Cossack forces under Bohdan Khmelnytsky...
. It continued fighting across the border between Austro-Hungarian Galicia and Russian Poland, fighting in a series of battles leading to the taking of Brest-Litovsk in August and Pinsk
Pinsk
Pinsk , a town in Belarus, in the Polesia region, traversed by the river Pripyat, at the confluence of the Strumen and Pina rivers. The region was known as the Marsh of Pinsk. It is a fertile agricultural center. It lies south-west of Minsk. The population is about 130,000...
in September, and then settled into positional warfare in the Pripyat Marshes. It remained there until December 1917, when, after the armistice on the Eastern Front, it was sent back to the Western Front. It fought in the trenches and saw action in the Battle of Armentières in April 1918, part of the Battle of the Lys, also known as the Lys Offensive or the Fourth Battle of Ypres. The division continued fighting on various parts of the Western Front until the end of the war. Allied intelligence rated the division as third class.
Order of battle on formation
The 81st Reserve Division, like the other divisions of its wave and unlike earlier German divisions, was organized from the outset as a triangular divisionTriangular division
A triangular division is a designation given to the way divisions are organized. In a triangular organization, the division's main body is composed of three regimental maneuver elements. These regiments may be controlled by a brigade headquarters or directly subordinated to the division commander...
. The order of battle of the division on December 29, 1914 was as follows:
- 81.Reserve-Infanterie-Brigade
- Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 267
- Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 268
- Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 269
- Reserve-Radfahrer-Kompanie Nr. 61
- Reserve-Kavallerie-Abteilung Nr. 81
- 81.Reserve-Feldartillerie-Brigade
- Reserve-Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 67
- Reserve-Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 78
- Reserve-Pionier-Kompanie Nr. 84
- Reserve-Pionier-Kompanie Nr. 85
Order of battle on January 1, 1918
The most significant wartime structural change in the divisions of this wave was the reduction from two field artillery regiments to one. Over the course of the war, other changes took place, including the formation of artillery and signals commands and the enlargement of combat engineer support to a full pioneer battalion. The order of battle on January 1, 1918 was as follows:- 81.Reserve-Infanterie-Brigade
- Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 267
- Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 268
- Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 269
- 2.Eskadron/Garde-Dragoner-Regiment Königin Viktoria von Groß Britannien u. Irland Nr. 1
- Artillerie-Kommandeur 81
- Reserve-Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 68
- II.Bataillon/Fußartillerie-Regiment Nr. 26 (from March 28, 1918)
- Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 41
- Reserve-Pionier-Kompanie Nr. 84
- Reserve-Pionier-Kompanie Nr. 85
- Minenwerfer-Kompanie Nr. 281
- Divisions-Nachrichten-Kommandeur 481