Active 1899-1919 Branch Army | Country Saxony/Germany Size Approx. 15,000 | |
Type Infantry (in peacetime included cavalry) Part of XIX. (2nd Royal Saxon) Army Corps (XIX. (2. Königl. Sächs.) Armeekorps) | ||
The 40th Division (40. Division), formally the 4th Division No. 40 (4. Division Nr. 40) was a unit of the Saxon Army, a component of the Imperial German Army. The division was formed on April 1, 1899 and was headquartered in Chemnitz. The division was subordinated in peacetime to the XIX (2nd Royal Saxon) Army Corps (XIX. (2. Königlich Sächsisches) Armeekorps). The division was disbanded in 1919 during the demobilization of the German Army after World War I. The division was recruited in the western part of the Kingdom of Saxony.
Contents
World War I
During World War I, the division fought on the Western Front, seeing action in the Allied Great Retreat which culminated in the First Battle of the Marne and the Race to the Sea. It then spent the next several years in the trenches. In 1916, it fought in the Battle of the Somme. In 1917, it participated in the Battle of Passchendaele. In 1918, it fought against the various Allied offensives and counteroffensives. Allied intelligence rated the division as second class until 1918, but downgraded it to third class that year.
Pre-World War I organization
The organization of the 40th Division in 1914, shortly before the outbreak of World War I, was as follows:
Order of battle on mobilization
On mobilization in August 1914 at the beginning of World War I, most divisional cavalry, including brigade headquarters, was withdrawn to form cavalry divisions or split up among divisions as reconnaissance units. Divisions received engineer companies and other support units from their higher headquarters. The 40th Division was redesignated the 40th Infantry Division. Its initial wartime organization was as follows:
Late World War I organization
Divisions underwent many changes during the war, with regiments moving from division to division, and some being destroyed and rebuilt. During the war, most divisions became triangular - one infantry brigade with three infantry regiments rather than two infantry brigades of two regiments (a "square division"). An artillery commander replaced the artillery brigade headquarters, the cavalry was further reduced, the engineer contingent was increased, and a divisional signals command was created. The 40th Infantry Division's order of battle on January 1, 1918 was as follows: