83rd Infantry Division (German Empire)
Encyclopedia
The 83rd Infantry Division (83. Infanterie-Division) was a unit of the Imperial German
Army
in World War I
. The division was formed in November 1914 as the "Division Posen 1", part of the Posen Corps (Korps Posen), and became the 83rd Infantry Division in June 1915. It was initially formed from the garrison infantry regiments of Fortress Posen (Festung Posen). The division was disbanded in 1919 during the demobilization of the German Army after World War I.
, fighting in Poland, including at the 1914 Battle of Łódź, and then spent most of the period until mid-1915 fighting along the Rawka and Bzura Rivers. On June 2, 1915, it became the 83rd Infantry Division. It fought on the Narew River in July and August 1915 and participated in the capture of Białystok on August 26, 1915 and the subsequent conquest of Grodno. Until April 1917, it occupied the line along the Berezina River and was then along the Servech and Shchara Rivers for several months. It remained in the Bukovina region until the armistice on the Eastern Front. In March 1918, the division was sent to the Western Front
, where it initially occupied the line in Lorraine and then moved to Flanders. It went to the Somme region in August and returned to Lorraine in September, where it was for the remainder of the war. Allied intelligence rated the division as fourth class.
. The order of battle of the division on June 14, 1915 was as follows:
in September 1917, losing the 332nd Infantry Regiment. Cavalry was reduced, artillery and signals commands were formed, and combat engineer support was expanded to a full pioneer battalion. The order of battle on April 15, 1918 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 in November 1914 as the "Division Posen 1", part of the Posen Corps (Korps Posen), and became the 83rd Infantry Division in June 1915. It was initially formed from the garrison infantry regiments of Fortress Posen (Festung Posen). The division was disbanded in 1919 during the demobilization of the German Army after World War I.
Combat chronicle
Division Posen 1 initially served on the Eastern FrontEastern 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...
, fighting in Poland, including at the 1914 Battle of Łódź, and then spent most of the period until mid-1915 fighting along the Rawka and Bzura Rivers. On June 2, 1915, it became the 83rd Infantry Division. It fought on the Narew River in July and August 1915 and participated in the capture of Białystok on August 26, 1915 and the subsequent conquest of Grodno. Until April 1917, it occupied the line along the Berezina River and was then along the Servech and Shchara Rivers for several months. It remained in the Bukovina region until the armistice on the Eastern Front. In March 1918, the division was sent to the Western Front
Western 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...
, where it initially occupied the line in Lorraine and then moved to Flanders. It went to the Somme region in August and returned to Lorraine in September, where it was for the remainder of the war. Allied intelligence rated the division as fourth class.
Order of battle on formation
The 83rd Infantry Division was formed as a square divisionSquare 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 regimental elements. Since a regiment could be split into separate battalions for tactical purposes, the natural division within a division...
. The order of battle of the division on June 14, 1915 was as follows:
- 165. Infanterie-Brigade
- Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 329
- Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 330
- 166. Infanterie-Brigade
- Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 331
- Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 332
- Ersatz-Eskadron/Ulanen-Regiment (1. Brandenburgisches) Nr. 3
- 5.Landsturm-Eskadron/V. Armeekorps
- Stab Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 55
- Ersatz-Abteilung/2. Großherzoglich-Hessisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 61
- 1. Ersatz-Abteilung/Feldartillerie-Regiment von Podbielski (1. Niederschlesisches) Nr. 5
- Fußartillerie-Bataillon Nr. 112
- Landwehr-Pionier-Kompanie/XIX. Armeekorps
Late-war order of battle
The division underwent a number of organizational changes over the course of the war. It was triangularizedTriangular 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...
in September 1917, losing the 332nd Infantry Regiment. Cavalry was reduced, artillery and signals commands were formed, and combat engineer support was expanded to a full pioneer battalion. The order of battle on April 15, 1918 was as follows:
- 165. Infanterie-Brigade
- Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 329
- Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 330
- Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 331
- 3. Eskadron/Dragoner-Regiment von Wedel (Pommersches) Nr. 11
- Artillerie-Kommandeur 80
- Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 249
- III.Bataillon/Fußartillerie-Regiment Nr. 28
- Stab Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 83
- 1.Landwehr-Pionier-Kompanie/I. Armeekorps
- 1.Landwehr-Pionier-Kompanie/V. Armeekorps
- Minenwerfer-Kompanie Nr. 83
- Divisions-Nachrichten-Kommandeur 83