Germany Army Organization

[Paul C]

Before I create this I want to see if anyone else has done the same. What I would like to create is a spreadsheet which details the German Army in 1914. I will use the 1914 Prussian Army Ranklist and break it down by Army Korps, Division, Brigades, regiments and attachments. Each regiment will also have a listed the Chef, if applicable, and location i.e. Oldenburg. My goal is to have an easy reference sheet for researching medal bars and officers.

My questions are:

1. Has anyone done this already?

2. Is this the correct organization chart?

Thanks

[W McSwiggan]

Paul,

I?ve contemplated the same but haven?t gotten far at all. Time, references and motivation (2 parts) are the issues. Using Cron and Nash, I was going to build a top down spreadsheet hoping to get down to regiments or battalions of infantry, artillery and cavalry.

What I am essentially interested in is the identification of the contingents affiliated with the various Imperial sovereigns. I want to more fully understand the proportional break down by units as a way of better appreciating the relative exclusiveness of the orders and medals bestowed by each sovereign. As an example, W?rttemberg?s MVO is often proposed as a nominal equivalent to the Pour le M?rite and in some ways it is however ? considering that the Kingdom contributed one Corps versus Prussia?s 18 ? the numbers do not support a full equivalency in my opinion.

So ? at the end of the day ? please accept my encouragement especially if you indicate if Prussian, Hessian or whatever in your work. You may want to start with Cron & Nash as a rapid means to get to regimental level then progress to rank lists.

wem

[Paul C]

What is Corn and Nash?

[W McSwiggan]

Nash = "Imperial German Army Handbook, 1914-1918" by D.B.Nash

Rudamentary reference per title.

Cron = "Imperial German Army 1914-18 Organization, Structure, Orders-of-Battle" by Hermann Cron.

I have the English Language Version - much more detailed that Nash and dry as a cob!

Trying to get one was not pleasant! As I recall, I spent a fair amount of time whining all over the forum until I finally got one - the last on - from the last listed purveyor listed by the usual internet sources.

Edited September 2, 2006 by W McSwiggan

[Dave Danner]

There actually is a spreadsheet which I found online once, but unfortunately I cannot remember where, which has not only the 1914 order of battle, but later mobilization of reserve and Landwehr units and wartime reorganizations. Its organization was somewhat complicated and hard to follow; it looks like it might have been someone's work in progress.

I saved it and went through trying to fix typos and the like, but never got very far with it. It was useful as a back-up for other resources, but since I don't even have Nash or Cron, I don't have the information I really need, like depots so I can identify which states various regiments came from.

Here are examples of a series of entries for the units of the 85th Landwehr Division, showing its OOB on mobilization in July 1915 and a January 1918 OOB from (I assume) Nash or Cron or another source:

1915 7/7/1915 OOB 85.LdwD (Breugel) 170.LdwBrig LIR 17

1915 7/7/1915 OOB 85.LdwD (Breugel) 170.LdwBrig LIR 21

1915 7/7/1915 OOB 85.LdwD (Breugel) 169.LdwBrig LIR 61

1915 7/7/1915 OOB 85.LdwD (Breugel) 169.LdwBrig LIR 99

1915 7/7/1915 OOB 85.LdwD (Breugel) 1.mobErsEsk XVII.AK

1915 7/7/1915 OOB 85.LdwD (Breugel) 2.mobErsEsk XVII.AK

1915 7/7/1915 OOB 85.LdwD (Breugel) mobErsEsk/GrenRzPf 3

1915 7/7/1915 OOB 85.LdwD (Breugel) FAR 85

1915 7/7/1915 OOB 85.LdwD (Breugel) II.Btl/Fu?artR 15

1915 7/7/1915 OOB 85.LdwD (Breugel) 1.Res/PiBtl 26

1915 7/7/1915 OOB 85.LdwD (Breugel) 2./PiBtl 26

1918 1/13/1918 OOB 85.LdwD (Breugel) 169.LdwBrig LIR 17

1918 1/13/1918 OOB 85.LdwD (Breugel) 169.LdwBrig LIR 21

1918 1/13/1918 OOB 85.LdwD (Breugel) 169.LdwBrig LIR 99

1918 1/13/1918 OOB 85.LdwD (Breugel) 169.LdwBrig InfRadfKp 85

1918 1/13/1918 OOB 85.LdwD (Breugel) 5.Esk/KR 6

1918 1/13/1918 OOB 85.LdwD (Breugel) ArtKdr 85 FAR 275

1918 1/13/1918 OOB 85.LdwD (Breugel) Stab PiBtl 485 MinenWerferKp 385

1918 1/13/1918 OOB 85.LdwD (Breugel) DivNachrKdr 585

[Wild Card]

Hi Paul,

Should you choose to go forward with this, you might find ?Histories of Two Hundred and Fifty-One Divisions af The German Army Which Participated in The War (1914 - 1918)?, reproduced by The London Stamp Exchange in 1989 to be helpful.

I certainly think that such a spreadsheet would be of use to many.

Good luck,

Wild Card

[Paul C]

Everyone, Thanks for the help. I think I will start with the 1914 RL as my source and grow from there.

[Chip]

Paul,

I am sure that there are OB for the 1914 army that are readily available. Regimental and Divisional Truppenregisters are out there. For instance, in Jeff Noll's "The Imperial German Regimental Marking" there is a regimental and smaller unit Truppenregister. Quite a number of people have tackled this project with various success. I would first suggest that you look at some websites. Here is a link where you can purchase a CD with the above mentioned info. http://www.geocities.com/FJ_VF168/dindex.html

Here is another link that has a ton of info. http://home.comcast.net/~jcviser/index.htm/page_9.htm

Find out what is out there first. It will save you a lot of work.

Chip

[Guest Brian von Etzel]

I would LOVE to see this! Then it's on to '15, '16' and '17 with a finale on '18?

[Paul C]

The books sound like they would be helpful but at this point I don't think I need them. I am concentrating on regular army for now and I have almost finished the Garde Korps. It is really not taking that much time. Each Korp is broken down to division, brigade and regiments followed by attachments. There are 21 Prussian Army Korps that were filled out with reserve officers and the Landswehr were separate. Now keep in mind that this is only the Prussian Army. There is also the Wurttemberg, Saxon and Bayern army korps to do.

Does anyone know if the number of regular army Korps, divisions or regiments increased during the war? I am referring to just regular army, not Landswehr.

[Chip]

Paul,

Divisions and regiments increased during the war. I don't think that the basic standing army corps increased, but new corps were formed at various times to accomplish speific tasks. These were often disbanded once the purpose was fulfilled.

Chip

[Dave Danner]

The books sound like they would be helpful but at this point I don't think I need them. I am concentrating on regular army for now and I have almost finished the Garde Korps. It is really not taking that much time. Each Korp is broken down to division, brigade and regiments followed by attachments. There are 21 Prussian Army Korps that were filled out with reserve officers and the Landswehr were separate. Now keep in mind that this is only the Prussian Army. There is also the Wurttemberg, Saxon and Bayern army korps to do.

Does anyone know if the number of regular army Korps, divisions or regiments increased during the war? I am referring to just regular army, not Landswehr.

Paul:

Infantry divisions

On Mobilization in August 1914: 1.-3. GID, 1.-42.ID, 1.-6.bay.ID; 1.RD, 3.RD, 5.-7.RD, 9.-19.RD, 21.-26.RD, 28.RD, 30.RD, 33.RD, 35.RD, 36.RD, 1.bay.RD, 5.bay.RD; 1.-4.LdwD; Garde-Ersatz-Div, 4.ErsD, 8.ErsD (later the 243.ID), 10.ErsD, 19.ErsD, Bay.-Ersatz-Div.

Later in August, the Navy raised the Marinedivision. In September a second Navy division was raised, and the two were redesignated 1.- 2.MD. Also in September came "Division Wening" (later 1.bay.LdwD) and "LdwD Bredow" (later 18.LdwD). In October, the 43.-54.RD and the 6.bay.RD were called up, and four other "name" divisions were formed: "Division Rekowski" (later 39.RD), "LdwD Einem" (later 11.LdwD), "Division Waldow" (later 5.LdwD) and "LdwD K?nigsberg" (later 16.LdwD). In November 1914, "Division Breugel" (later 85.ID) was formed, along with the 2 divisions of the "Korps Posen" (later 83.- 84.ID), "Division Westernhagen" (later 89.ID), "Division Wernitz" (later 86.ID) and "Division Menges" (later 88.ID). In December, more reserve divisions were called up; 75.-82.RD and 8.bay.RD.

In January 1915, four Landwehr divisions were called up: 7.-9.LdwD and 6.bay.LdwD. In February 10.LdwD and "Korps Dickuth" (later 87.ID) joined the order of battle. March saw a bigger spurt: 50.ID, 52.ID, 54.ID, 56.ID, 58.ID, 111.ID, 113.ID, 119ID, 121.ID, 123.ID, 10.bay.ID, 11.bay.ID and 15.LdwD. In April came 115.ID, 117.ID and 12.LdwD (which in February 1918 became the "Ostseedivision").

In May 1915 were raised the 4.GID, 101.ID, 103.ID, 105.ID, 108.ID, the division-sized Alpenkorps, and 13.LdwD. In June came 107.ID and "Division Basedow" (later 5.ErsD). In July, 14.LdwD. Things were quiet on the organizational side for a few months, and then in November 1915, the 109.ID and 17.LdwD were added. That was it for 1915 and indeed until the big reorganizations of summer 1916 when the entire Army began triangularizing (many of the reserve divisions were already triangular).

In June 1916, the Army added the 183.ID, 185.ID, 187.ID, 192.ID, 201.ID, 47.LdwD and "Division Rusche" (later 92.ID). In July came 204.ID, 12.bay.ID and "Division Clausius" (later 91.ID). In August nine divisions were raised - 195.ID, 197.-200.ID, 206.-208.ID, 14.bay.ID ? followed by 17 in September - 211.-218.ID, 221.-223.ID, 301.ID, 9.bay.RD, 19.LdwD, 20.LdwD, 25.LdwD and Kommando "Nord" of the Gruppe Nowogrodek (later 94.ID). October 1916 added 93.ID, 202.ID, 203.ID, 224.ID. In November came 205.ID, 225.ID and 226.ID. December added 302.ID and 2.bay.LdwD.

In January 1917, 5.GID, 219.ID, 220.ID, 255.ID, 16.bay.ID and 26.LdwD were raised. In February, the 227.ID, 21.LdwD and 45.LdwD were added. In March came another big jump, 14 divisions: 231.-242.ID, 15.bay.ID and 46.LdwD. These were joined in April by 5 more: 228.ID, 22.LdwD, 23.LdwD, 38.LdwD and 44.LdwD. Things were a little quiet after that. In May, the 95.ID and 96.ID were raised. The Navy added the 3.MD in June. In September came 303.ID and 48.LdwD. In November the Deutsche J?ger-Division was formed.

In January 1918, the 101.ID, was reduced to only a division staff, with no troops. In May 1918, three cavalry divisions, the Garde-Kavallerie-Division, 6.KD and 7.KD, were reorganized as infantry and designated Kavallerie-Sch?tzen-Divisionen, the GKSD, 6.KSD and 7.KSD. In June 1918, the 9.bay.RD was dissolved. The 4.KD, although retaining its cavalry resignation, was effectively dissolved as a unit, and became a command for Landwehr units known as 4.LdwD/KD.

Nine infantry divisions were dissolved in August 1918: 109.ID, 211.ID, 235.ID, 10.bay.ID, 6.RD, 33.RD, 46.RD, 47.RD and 10.LdwD. Twelve more were dissolved in September: 108.ID, 183.ID, 222.ID, 223.ID, 225.ID, 233.ID, 14.bay.ID, 43.RD, 53.RD, 54.RD, 77.RD and 78.RD. The staff of the 6.RD headed an ad hoc division in Macedonia, the "Division Dietrich" in late September until it too was dissolved in October. Also dissolved in October 1918 were the 197.ID, 201.ID, 302.ID, 25.RD and Bay.-Ersatz-Div. In November 1918, the 202.ID was dissolved. The 231.ID and 232.ID also may have been dissolved before the armistice went into effect.

Cavalry divisions

On Mobilization in August 1914: Garde-Kavallerie-Division, 1.-9.KD, Bay.-Kavallerie-Division. The cavalry situation was pretty quiet thereafter, as planners kept waiting for that hole to open that cavalry could exploit. In October 1916, 3.KD was dissolved and 4.KD, 5.KD and 9.KD lost their horses. In November, 6.KD and 7.KD lost their horses, and the cavalry regiments were redesignated "Kavallerie-Sch?tzen-Regimenter". In February 1918, 5.KD was dissolved, followed by 9.KD in March. Garde-Kavallerie-Division lost its horses that month. In April, 8.KD was dissolved. As noted above under infantry, by May 1918, GKD, 6.KD and 7.KD were reorganized as GKSD, 6.KSD and 7.KSD. Also as noted above under infantry, in June 1918, 4.KD was partially dissolved, becoming an HQ for Landwehr units.

[Dave Danner]

Does anyone know if the number of regular army Korps, divisions or regiments increased during the war? I am referring to just regular army, not Landswehr.

Also, the distinction among regular, reserve, Landwehr and Ersatz breaks down as the war progresses.

For example, the 228. Infanterie-Division, raised in the spring of 1917, was formed by pulling together two regular regiments - IR48, which had begun the war in 5. ID, but in 1915 had been used as part of the cadre of the 113. ID, and FR35, which had begun the war in 6. ID, but in 1915 had been used as part of the cadre of the 56. ID, and a reserve regiment, RIR 207, which had been called up in the second wave in October 1914 as part of the 44.RD.

[Paul C]

Dave that is a wealth of information and thanks. By the way your website is a great help and I use it almost daily, GREAT JOB!!