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- 1st German Army (formerly VIII Army Inspectorate) during the Great War -


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World War 1 One ww1 wwII greatwar great 1914 1918 first battalion regiment

1st German Army (formerly VIII Army Inspectorate)



 German Army - ORBAT  First Army was commanded by Generaloberst Alexander von Kluck.

Order of Battle

II Corps (General der Infanterie Alexander von Linsingen)

  • 3rd Infantry Division
  • 4th Infantry Division

III Corps (General der Infanterie Ewald von Lochow)

  • 5th Infantry Division
  • 6th Infantry Division

IV Corps (General der Infanterie Friedrich Bertram Sixt von Armin)

  • 7th Infantry Division
  • 8th Infantry Division

IX Corps (General der Infanterie Ferdinand von Quast)

  • 17th Infantry Division
  • 18th Infantry Division

III Reserve Corps (General der Infanterie Hans von Beseler)

  • 5th Reserve Division
  • 6th Reserve Division

IV Reserve Corps (General der Artillerie Hans von Gronau)

  • 7th Reserve Division
  • 22nd Reserve Division

IX Reserve Corps (General der Infanterie Max von Boehn)

  • 17th Reserve Division
  • 18th Reserve Division

Army Troops

  • 10th Mixed Landwehr Brigade
  • 11th Mixed Landwehr Brigade
  • 27th Mixed Landwehr Brigade
  • Pionier Regiment


 Corps structure  2nd German Army Corps part of 1st Army

Divisions

  • 3rd Infantry Division
  • 4th Infantry Division

Later transformed as Headquarters of the German South Army from 11th January 1915 to 25th January 1918, serving exclusively on the Eastern Front.

 Corps structure  3rd German Army Corps part of 1st Army

Divisions

  • 5th Infantry Division
  • 6th Infantry Division


 Corps structure  4th German Army Corps part of 1st Army

Divisions

  • 7th Infantry Division
  • 8th Infantry Division


 Corps structure  9th German Army Corps part of 1st Army

Divisions

  • 17th Infantry Division
  • 18th Infantry Division


 Corps structure  3rd German Reserve Army Corps part of 1st Army

Divisions

  • 5th Reserve Infantry Division
  • 6th Reserve Infantry Division


 Corps structure  9th German Army Reserve Corps part of 1st Army and Army of the North

Divisions

  • 17th Reserve Infantry Division
  • 18th Reserve Infantry Division
  • 1st Landwehr Division


 Corps structure  4th German Army Reserve Corps part of 1st Army

Divisions

  • 7th Reserve Infantry Division
  • 22nd Reserve Infantry Division


 Corps structure  2nd German Cavalry Corps - preceding 1st and 2nd Armies (General der Kavallerie Georg von der Marwitz)

Divisions

Each Cavalry Division consisted of 3 Brigades, each of 2 Cavalry Regiments (24 squadrons in total), 3 horse artillery batteries (of 4 guns each) and an MG detachment (with 6 Machine Guns).

  • 2nd Cavalry Division
  • 4th Cavalry Division
  • 9th Cavalry Division


 Corps structure  24th German Army Reserve Corps part of 1st German Army

Divisions

  • 51st Reserve Division
  • 7th Division



 Divisional History  2nd German Cavalry Division part of 2nd Cavalry Corps which preceded 1st and 2nd German Armies.

Divisional History

The 2nd Cavalry Division (2. Kavallerie-Division) was a unit of the German Army in World War I. The division was formed on the mobilization of the German Army in August 1914. The division was disbanded in 1919 during the demobilization of the German Army after World War I.

It was initially assigned to II Cavalry Corps, which preceded the 1st and 2nd Armies on the Western Front. On 12 November 1914, it was transferred to Russia and then to Romania on 25 November 1916, returning to the West in December 1916. It served as a Frontier Guard on the Dutch border from 26 February 1917 to 10 September 1917; then it was again transferred to Russia and finally to the Ukraine in March 1918.

 Divisional Structure 1914  2nd German Cavalry Division part of 2nd Cavalry Corps wnich preceeded 1st and 2nd German Armies.

Divisional Structure in 1914

Cavalry

  • 5th Cavalry Brigade (from III Corps District)
    • 2nd (1st Brandenburg) Dragoons
    • 3rd (1st Brandenburg) Uhlans (Emperor Alexander II of Russia)
  • 8th Cavalry Brigade (from IV Corps District)
    • 7th (Magdeburg) Cuirassiers (von Seydlitz)
    • 12th (Thuringian) Hussars
  • Leib Hussar Brigade (from XVII Corps District)
    • 1st Life Hussars (Totenkopf)
    • 2nd Life Hussars (Queen Victoria of Prussia)

Artillery

Horse Artillery Abteilung of the 35th (1st West Prussian) Field Artillery Regiment

Engineers and Liaison

  • 4th Machine Gun Detachment
  • Pioneer Detachment
  • 1st Signals Detachment Heavy Wireless Station
  • 5th Light Wireless Station
  • 6th Light Wireless Station

Transport

Cavalry Motorised Vehicle Column 2

 Divisional Structure 1918  2nd German Cavalry Division part of 2nd Cavalry Corps which preceded 1st and 2nd German Armies.

Divisional Structure 1918

From August 1916, the Division was significantly restructured.

  • Leib Hussar Brigade became independent on 20 August 1916
  • 5th Cavalry Brigade became independent on 8 August 1916
  • 8th Cavalry brigade was transferred to 1st Cavalry Division on 25 July 1916
  • 22nd Cavalry Brigade joined on 13 August 1916 from 3rd Cavalry Division
  • 25th Cavalry Brigade joined on 23 September 1916 also from 3rd Cavalry Division
  • 7th Bavarian Cavalry Brigade "Siebenburgische" joined (previously independent) and left again on 18 February 1918

The organisation in 1918

  • 22nd Cavalry Brigade (11th Corps District)
    • 5th (Rhenish) Dragoons "Baron Manteuffel"
    • 14th (2nd Kurhessian) Hussars "Landgrave Frederick II of Hesse-Homburg"
  • 25th Cavalry Brigade (18th Corps District)
    • 23rd Guards Dragoons (1st Grand Ducal Hessian)
    • 24th Life Dragoons (2nd Grand Ducal Hessian)
  • 7th Bavarian Cavalry Brigade "Siebenburgische"
    • 4th Royal Bavarian Chevau-légers "King"
    • 5th Royal Bavarian Chevau-légers "Archduke Albrecht of Austria"

    Artillery

    Horse Artillery Abteilung of the 15th (1st Upper Alsatian) Field Artillery Regiment

    Engineers and Liaison

    • 2nd Pioneer Detachment
    • 7th Cavalry Pioneer Detachment
    • 200th Bavarian Trench Mortar Company
    • 2nd Machine Gun Detachment
    • 3rd Machine Gun Detachment

    Medical and Veterinary

    21st Ambulance Company

    Attached units

    • 4th Jager Battalion
    • 1st Cyclist Company, 3rd Jager Battalion
    • 2nd Cyclist Company, 3rd Jager Battalion



    1st January 1918 Actions during 1918  2nd German Cavalry Division part of 2nd Cavalry Corps which preceded 1st and 2nd German Armies.

    Divisional Actions during 1918 (Report pages from 1914 to 1917 missing)

    The division was in the Stochod sector until February 28, when it advanced through Kiev and Kharkov to Rostov, where it was on August 4. At this date the division occupied the area between Kharkov and Rostov. The troops were frequently attacked by armed bands or by mobs. In this way they suffered some heavy losses. The German cruiser Goeben, which had been supporting them, was damaged by fire and had to put into Constantinople. Nothing was known of the divisions movements after August, 1918.

    Allied Intelligence 1918 Value Estimate.

    The division was considered as 4th class.



    If you can provide any additional information, please add it here.



Want to know more about 1st German Army (formerly VIII Army Inspectorate)?


There are:13 items tagged 1st German Army (formerly VIII Army Inspectorate) available in our Library

  These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Great War.


Those known to have served on

1st German Army (formerly VIII Army Inspectorate)

during the Great War 1914-1918.

    The names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed, please Add a Name to this List

    Records of 1st German Army (formerly VIII Army Inspectorate) from other sources.


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