Active 1914-1919 Branch Army Size Approx. 15,000 | Country German Empire Type Infantry | |
Engagements World War I: Battle of Verdun, Battle of Saint-Mihiel | ||
The 5th Landwehr Division (5. Landwehr-Division) was a unit of the Imperial German Army in World War I. The division was formed in October 1914 as the Waldow Division (Division Waldow), named after its commander. It was made up primarily of Landwehr soldiers from the garrison of Metz. It became the 5th Landwehr Division in January 1915. The division was disbanded in 1919 during the demobilization of the German Army after World War I.
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Combat chronicle
The Waldow Division/5th Landwehr Division served on the Western Front. It generally occupied the line between the Meuse and Moselle Rivers and around Verdun. From February to July 1916, it participated in the Battle of Verdun. In September 1918, it fought the Americans and French in the Battle of Saint-Mihiel. Allied intelligence rated the division as fourth class; it was considered primarily a sector holding division and not an offensive formation.
Order of battle on formation
The Waldow Division/5th Landwehr Division was formed as a square division. The order of battle of the division on October 25, 1914 was as follows:
Late-war order of battle
The division underwent a number of organizational changes over the course of the war. It was triangularized in April 1917. A signals command was formed and combat engineer support was expanded to a full battalion. The order of battle on January 4, 1918 was as follows: