42nd Infantry Division

This peacetime Army unit was formed in October 1912

Its Home Station was in Lorraine, part of the XXI Corps District

The 42nd and 31st Infantry Divisions combined to form the XXI Army Corps

59th Infantry Brigade
97th Infantry Regiment (1st Upper Rhine) formed on 24th March 1881, and garrisoned in Saarburg	Transfered to the 108th Infantry Division in September 1915
138th Infantry Regiment (3rd Lower Alsatian) formed on 11th March 1887, and garrisoned in Dieuze
65th Infantry Brigade
17th Infantry Regiment "Count Barfuß" (4. Westphalian) formed on 1st August 1813, and garrisoned in Morchingen
131st Infantry Regiment (2nd Lothringen) formed on 24th March 1881, and garrisoned in Morchingen
7th Westphalian Dragoon Regiment
42nd Field Artillery Brigade	8th Field Artillery Regiment 15th Field Artillery Regiment

 Also 2nd and 3rd Companies of the 27th Pioneer Battalion

The Division saw action at the Battle of the Frontiers as part of the 6th Army, and crossed into France in August 1914.

In September it was sent to reinforce the 2nd Bavarian Corps, at the end of September it was sent to Somme.  In January 1915 it was sent to the Eastern Front.  In March it took part in the battle of Mariampol, and entered Vilna on the 30th August 1915.

In 1916 it defended and took part in the battle of Lake Narotch, it continued to defend the area against sustained Russian attacks until April 1917, when it was sent to the Western Front.

However, at Warsaw it was diverted to the Galacian Front, where it saw action at Brzezany and Tarnopol.  In August 1917 it was transferred back to the Russian Front where it took part in the advance on Riga, and afterwards took part in the military operation to occupy the Baltic Islands.

In late December 1917 it was sent back to the Western Front, where it relieved the 4th Division at Armentieres.  It was in turn relieved by the 32nd Infantry Division in March 1918.  

In March 1918 it took part in the battle of the Lys, where it lost 50% of its strength.  It was relieved in mid April by the 12th Infantry Division.  It spent July absorbing reinforcements from the disbanded 211th Division.

In August 1918 it entered the line in Champagne where it remained facing the Americans until the end of the war. 

Note:  The 17th Infantry Regiment was named in honour of Hans Albrecht von Barfus a former Field Marshall of Prussia.

41st Infantry Division

This peacetime Army unit was formed in October 1912

Its home station was in East Prussia, part of the XX Corps District.

The 41st and 37th Infantry Divisions combined to form the XX Army Corps

72nd Infantry Brigade	Transferred to the 101st Infantry Division on 8th May 1915.
18th Infantry Regiment "von Grolmann" (1st Posen) formed on 1st July 1813, garrisoned at Osterode
59th Infantry Regiment "Freiherr Hiller von Gaertringen" (4th Posen)  formed on 5th May 1860, garrisoned at Deutsch-Eylau	To 101st Infantry Division
74th Infantry Brigade
148th Infantry Regiment (5th West Prussian) formed on 31st March 1897, garrisoned at Elbing
152nd (German Order) Infantry Regiment (1st Alsatian) formed on 31st March 1897, garrisoned at Marienburg
10th Dragoon Regiment
41st Field Artillery Brigade	35th Field Artillery Regiment 79th Field Artillery Regiment

Also 2nd and 3rd Companies of the 26th Pioneer Battalion

This Division started the war on the Russian Front, after advancing on Lodz it moved north of the Vistula.  It then occupied the Dvina sector until October 1916.

It took part in the offensive against Romania, and entered Bucharest in December 1916.  

It was sent to France in February 1917, after a period of rest it took part in the battle of Californie Plateau.  It was sent to Flanders in November 1917, and in March 1918 it was identified near Arras.

After taking in replacements from the defunct 225th Division it took part in the Argonne battles against the Americans.  It was in the battles against the Americans it ceased to function as a Division and was destroyed.

Note:  The 18th Infantry Regiment was named for Karl Von Grolman a Prussian General of the Napoleonic Wars.  The 59th Infantry Regiment was named for Baron August Hillier Von Gaertringen was a Prussian General of the Napoleonic Wars. The 152nd Infantry Regiment motto of German Order eluded to the German order of Teutonic Knights, on whose former estates the regiment was formed.

40th (4th Royal Saxon) Infantry Division

This peacetime Army unit was formed in April 1899

 Its home station was Saxony

The 40th (4th Royal Saxon) Division combined with the 24th (2nd Royal Saxon) to form the XIX Corps.

88th Infantry Brigade
104th Infantry Regiment Kronprinz, formed on 17th December 1701, garrisoned in Chemnitz
181st Infantry Regiment, formed on 1st April 1900, garrisoned in Chemnitz
89th Infantry Brigade	Transferred to the 24th Infantry Division on 6th March 1915.
133rd Infantry Regiment, formed on 1st April 1881, garrisoned in Zwickow	Transferred to the 24th Division in March 1915
134th Infantry Regiment, formed on 1st April 1881, garrisoned in Plauen
19th Hussar Regiment
40th Field Artillery Brigade	32nd Field Artillery Regiment 68th Field Artillery Regiment

Also 2nd and 3rd Companies, 22nd Pioneer Battalion.

In 1914 the Division was part of the 3rd Army and entered northern Luxembourg on 13th August 1914, and Belgium on the 18th, before seeing action at the battle of the Marne.

In October 1914 it was in Flanders facing the British as part of the 6th Army.  It remained in action in that sector, and in March 1915 it lost the 133rd Regiment to the 24th Division.  In August 1916 the division took part in the battle of the Somme.  It also suffered heavily at the battle of Ypres in 1917, and had to be rested.

In October 1917 it again saw action in Flanders, before leaving for the Russian front.  It remained on the Russian front as part of the 10th Army until February 1918.

At the end of February 1918 it was in the Woevre on the Western Front, and saw action on the Marne.  It ended the war south of Ypres.